There are a variety of noir and crime-themed games available, such as Max Payne, LA Noire, and most notably the Grand Theft Auto franchise. However, a great deal of these games are played from a third-person perspective, while other titles - such as Thief Simulator - don't involve any gunplay at all.

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While not all crime games put players in the shoes of criminals (some of them instead put players on the side of the law), the following examples focus mostly on criminal characters. Furthermore, each of these games features gunplay and first-person combat as a core mechanic of their gameplay.

6 The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay

A Combination Of Stealth And Action Set In A Sci-Fi Prison

This science-fiction first-person shooter casts players in the role of Riddick as he's incarcerated at Butcher Bay in the universe of The Chronicles Of Riddick movies. Despite being a movie tie-in, The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay is a surprisingly capable first-person shooter with elements of the immersive-sim genre woven in. The morally questionable character of Riddick is immediately recognizable, and the story, characters, and environments will be particularly appealing to fans of the film franchise.

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Graphically, Escape From Butcher Bayhas aged tremendously well, having been released all the way back in 2004 (though there was a remaster of the game coupled with the release of its sequel, Assault On Dark Athena). The gameplay is predominantly a slick combination of action and stealth, and while it may not master either of these elements, both are competent enough to get players through the narrative without a hitch.

5 Crime Boss: Rockay City

A Cheesy, Over-The-Top, And Accessible Payday Clone

This cheesy, over-the-top, and unabashed Payday clone stands out with its pulpy B-movie characters and quality-of-life features. As a result, Crime Boss: Rockay City plays essentially like a modernized version of Payday: The Heist and Payday 2. While it's often derivative, and the game had a poor reception upon release, updates have made it a worthy alternative to Payday 3.

Getting into the game is extremely easy, and the moment-to-moment gameplay, while perhaps not as weighty as that of Payday, is more accessible than its inspirations. Overall, Crime Boss: Rockay City has come a long way since its initial release, offering a breezy experience that's regularly engaging.

4 Cyberpunk 2077

A Dense World Full Of Criminal Activity

Cyberpunk 2077 is a story-driven game set in a heavily-populated furutistic neon city, packed with criminals and all manner of shady characters. While not entirely focused on committing crimes, Cyberpunk 2077 is chock-full of criminal activity, both in and out of its main quests.

One particular standout moment in Cyberpunk 2077 is an early quest, "The Heist", which sends the player along a twisting narrative through Night City. This culminates in an intense encounter in a penthouse apartment, followed by a daring escape.

3 Kingpin: Life Of Crime

A Brutal 90s FPS Set In A Grimy Underworld

This brutal 90s first-person shooter is a hyper-violent action game that puts players in the shoes of a morally-loose criminal in a grimy underworld. The game's environments and graphical style have aged surprisingly well, with plenty of dense and immersive levels that provide an ample atmosphere.

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One particularly unique gameplay mechanic in Kingpin: Life of Crime is the ability to hire NPCs. These goons follow the player through levels and assist them in combat, with surprisingly well-realized artificial intelligence that makes them worth having around as more than just enemy distractions.

2 Fallen Aces

A Crime-Noir FPS With A Pulpy Gangster Theme

This latest title from Newblood Interactive (the publishers behind games such as DUSK and the smash-hit, ULTRAKILL) is a crime-noir first-person shooter with weighty melee combat and immersive-sim elements. Fallen Aces puts players in the shoes of a hard-boiled detective, featuring a pulpy gangster theme and a stylish comic-book art-style for its characters and textures. The pulp-comic cutscenes are a particular standout.

The game's voice-acting, environments, and occasional gags are consistently entertaining, elevating the already-engaging FPS gameplay loop. The immersive-sim elements are mostly present in the game's non-linear level design, allowing players to approach encounters through stealth, or go loud with a variety of weapons.

1 Payday 2

Intense And Often Hectic FPS Heists

This intense, often hectic first-person shooter puts players in the role of an armed robber, pulling off heists in a squad of up to four players. Payday 2 is full to the brim with unique heists to tackle, enemies to take down, and deep character customization. The game's extensive progression system and variety of heists, as well as the sheer number of ways to approach each mission, also make it highly replayable.

Players always have multiple options in Payday 2, both before and after a heist begins. Customization and loadouts are extremely important in determining how a heist is going to play out, but each decision made during a heist can also have a major impact. The main decision to make in Payday 2 is how stealthy to be; whether to sneak in and systemically take out guards, or to burst in guns blazing and take the place by storm. What would otherwise be simple decision-making is made more granular through a series of immersive systems and simulated elements that apply consequences for every action.

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