Grand Theft Auto 3

Grand Theft Auto 3 is the 2001 Rockstar release that turned an overhead crime game into a fully 3D open world, and it's the template every sandbox game since has borrowed from. You play Claude, a silent criminal freshly out of prison and pulled into Liberty City's gang wars, taking jobs for the mafia, the Yakuza, and other factions while carjacking anything on the road, picking up weapons off the street, and racking up wanted stars the moment the cops notice.

Watch your wanted level closely, since spray-painting a hideout or losing line of sight with police cars is the fastest way to cool it back down. Complete story missions for each gang to unlock the next island, as new vehicles and weapons stay locked behind progress and not just cash, and keep armor and health pickups in mind before big missions, since a wrecked car mid-job usually means starting the whole mission over.

Want a more arcade take on the same open-world chaos with less mission structure? Try GTA for a quicker sandbox fix.