The Grand Theft Auto-inspired sandbox game The Precinct has been a huge hit on Steam, with its demo downloaded over 100,000 times on the platform. In The Precinct, gamers play as a cop instead of a criminal, a change that tweaks the player's experience in many unique ways.

Allowing games to enjoy a GTA-like experience from a cop's point of view, The Precinct was first announced in 2023. Set during the 1980s in the fictional city of Averno, The Precinct’s plot centers around a rookie police officer named Nick Ordell Jr. who’s trying to uncover more information about the murder of his father. While roaming the city, players can deal with various crimes, from parking infractions to bank heists or drug deals. Also, due to playing from the point of view of a police officer, The Precinct brings some interesting innovations, such as allowing gamers to call for backup during firefights.

Now, The Precinct’s developer, Fallen Tree Games, has announced that the title’s demo has been downloaded on Steam over 100,000 times. The Precinct’s demo was added to Steam as part of Steam Next Fest and quickly achieved an incredibly positive reception, as 97% of the demo’s reviews are currently positive. Most user reviews praise how the sandbox game has a strong vibe that resembles pre-Grand Theft Auto 3 games in the franchise, cool 80s aesthetics, and exciting police chases and gunfights. Considering how popular the Grand Theft Auto series is, it’s not surprising that the game has become so popular.

The Precinct's Demo Has Been Downloaded Over 100,000 Times on Steam

🚨 We've got over 100k demo downloads! 🚨

Thank you for all the support and feedback to everyone who has played the demo.

🎮 And if you haven't tried the demo out yet, check it out here: https://t.co/DuvRvi7Szg#ThePrecinct 🚔 #IndieDev #80s #PC #Gamedev #IndieGame #NextFest pic.twitter.com/jFCVxBQhc0

— The Precinct (@theprecinctgame) October 18, 2024

At the moment, The Precinct does not have an official release date. The game is said to be coming out during Q4 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and judging by the state of the demo, development has been going well. However, gamers should await an official confirmation regarding a concrete release date, regardless of the notable polish of the demo. In any case, The Precinct seems like an excellent pick for gamers who are eagerly awaiting GTA 6 and want to try something different before Rockstar’s next major release.

Gamers who don’t want to wait for The Precinct’s release have many other games inspired by Grand Theft Auto to choose from. While GTA clones are nowhere as popular as they were back in the 2000s due to the growing complexity of making huge, open-world games that rival the magnitude of Rockstar’s best titles, games such as Sleeping Dogs and the Mafia trilogy are excellent picks.

Posted: 2 hours, 59 minutes ago
Related Forum: PC Gaming Forum

Source: https://gamerant.com/the-precinct-gta-inspired-game-popular-on-steam/