10 Best GTA Games That Aren't GTA Games
5. Mad Max
Taking a timeout from Just Cause in 2015, Avalance managed to secure the lucrative gig of creating a Mad Max tie-in to capitalize on Fury Road's release in the same year. Despite their proximity, however, the two share little in terms of narrative; Avalanche's adaptation largely uses the IP to tell a standalone story about everyone's favourite post-apocalyptic antihero.
One would think that using said setting as the foundation for an open-ended title would prove dreary and empty, but Avalanche sidesteps that trap, centering its world progression around Max's dearly beloved Magnum Opus. The car can undergo a dizzying number of upgrades via materials scavenged in numerous ways, namely by hijacking the rides of scavengers and using their parts to improve the Magnum's performance.
Outside that, Mad Max borrows heavily from Ubisoft's Far Cry series by utilizing a territorial threat system. Complete enough objectives in one zone and you'll ultimately set up an encounter with its leader. Vanquish them to gain control of their stronghold and a raft of gameplay benefits. That, combined with survival-lite systems such as limited ammo and fuel for the Magnum, make Mad Max a markedly different experience compared to its contemporaries.