Going right back to the original game from 1997, I always felt bad for the cops in Grand Theft Auto. They can put up roadblocks, deploy the stinger, and even send the SWAT team after me, but as soon as I pull into that little Pay 'N' Spray and swap car colors, they're helpless. GTA 6 looks great and we're all hyped for the return of Rockstar and Vice City, but it won't be here for a while. The Precinct, meanwhile, is on its way very soon - an open-world crime game told from the other side of the law, it lets you play as one of those put-upon cops, doing your best to lock up the very worst crooks in a sprawling, retro city. Stylish and atmospheric, The Precinct is already, seemingly, a huge hit, and it's not even been fully released yet.
It's the 1980s and you're rookie police officer Nick Cordell Jr. Your father, also a cop, has been murdered, and by working your way up from low-level street busts to high-intensity corporate and organized crime cases, you're determined to find his killer. Played from a semi-isometric perspective, The Precinct has the rainy, rundown atmosphere of GTA 3's Liberty City combined with a visual style reminiscent of the very first Grand Theft Auto.
It's a crime game, but you're trying to keep the peace rather than cause chaos. Between gunfights, car cases, and investigative work, you'll fight to save the decaying East Coast metropolis that is Averno City. The GTA 6 release date might be a while away, but The Precinct feels like the ideal game to play in the meantime.
And so far, it seems like Steam players agree. According to developer Fallen Tree, creator of 2019 GTA-alike American Fugitive, the Next Fest demo for The Precinct has already been downloaded more than 100,000 times. On top of that, of the more than 1,000 user reviews that have been posted for the demo, a staggering 97% of them are positive.
The Precinct release window is set for the fourth quarter of 2024, so it should be with us very soon. In the meantime, you can still get the demo right here.
Otherwise, try some of the best police games, or maybe the best open-world games on PC.
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