Grand Theft Auto IV

GTA 4 has the best city out of any GTA. And if it weren't for GTA San Andreas, it would have the best map. The world is breathtaking, and Liberty City is scarily accurate to its real like counterpart; New York City. The narrative is dark and grim, and everything from the artstyle to the characters complement this. For those who are looking for a GTA game with a serious narrative and atmosphere, this is it. Where the game really shines though is its sandbox open world. The driving is extremely fun, and completely wipes the floor with GTA 5's arcadey and, simply put, boring handling. Liberty City feels lived in, even more so than any other GTA game. Every corner of the map feels different to the other, and the attention to detail is still impressive to this day. I still think the narrative could be improved upon; Niko is cool, but lacks emotion and depth like some of Rockstar's newest protagonists (Arthur Morgan being a prime example of this). The gunplay is also severely lacking, and the absence of planes, lack of super cars, and no countryside weigh the game down a bit. Lack of a weapon wheel and missions that get a bit repetitive also don't help. I, however, would put GTA 4 above 5 and SA due to its more serious and down-to-earth story, its fun and addictive handling, and its wonderfully designed city. If i am going to boot up a GTA game to drive around in and relax in a vast sandbox open-world while listening to music (something I love to do to wind-down), it'll be GTA 4, 9 times out of 10.