On August 27th, 2026, Rockstar revealed the first legitimate look at Grand Theft Auto VI, and the 27-minute preview has people everywhere buzzing. We have waited more than a decade for this sequel, and it finally arrives on November 19th, 2026. That means people are throwing Grand Theft Auto V on again and reliving their favorite game ahead of the new release. It also means that folks are trying to get in the mood to play the new arrival, and you can do that by watching movies that feel like Grand Theft Auto. The fact that projects like Scarface and Boyz n the Hood heavily influenced Grand Theft Auto games over the years is well known. However, we’re talking about films that allow you to get into the GTA vibe by including the things you can do in those games. That covers a lot, since GTA notoriously allows you to do almost anything you can imagine.
That said, Grand Theft Auto is best known for violence, crime, and doing outlandish antics. There are a few movies that perfectly fit that bill, including one that isn’t even based in America, yet is quintessential GTA.
2006’s Crank is absurd and perfect for GTA fans because of its wacky premise. Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) is poisoned by a synthetic drug, and the only way to remain alive is to keep his adrenaline pumping as much as possible. That means he has to continue to do some of the most ridiculous things you can think of, which is what a lot of players do in GTA. The film also has a heightened pacing that feels like it was pulled from a game to go along with the cartoon violence and the background characters doing random things.
Another element of Crank that feels similar to Grand Theft Auto is how the plot moves from one objective to the next. To keep Chev’s adrenaline pumping, he has to basically go from mission to mission like the protagonists of Grand Theft Auto. They involve rampages through the public, exhilarating shootouts, hijacking cars, and several other classic GTA aspects.
Michael Bay is known for directing some of the most high-octane action movies in history. His most recent film was 2022’s Ambulance, a remake of a 2005 Danish project of the same name. Ambulance follows a pair of adoptive brothers who rob a bank and then hijack an ambulance to make their escape, taking a paramedic as a hostage along the way. That sounds like a plot pulled straight out of a great Grand Theft Auto mission. The majority of the movie plays out like a massive car chase.
The frantic pace of the chase and the relentless pursuit by the police give the vibe of when a player in Grand Theft Auto has to lose their wanted level. Given the nature of this chase, it feels like the maximum six-star wanted level, which makes for the most exciting setup. The cops use all sorts of traps and helicopters to their advantage, while the ambulance causes chaos and destruction as they attempt to escape.
A lot of the humor and structure of the Grand Theft Auto franchise since the days of Grand Theft Auto III has a lot in common with 1998’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The Guy Ritchie crime comedy focuses on a heist (a GTA staple) involving a card shark and his friends to pay off his debts. The film is set in London, which is a place longtime GTA players will remember from the early days of the franchise, even if they haven’t returned to the city in over two decades.
From the fast-talking low-level criminals around every corner to the way it satirizes the culture of its location, this is a movie that lines up with the gaming series. In fact, the game The Getaway, which is kind of a GTA clone, takes many of its story elements from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, so the comparison is obvious.
You can watch Crank on Prime Video, Ambulance on Netflix, and you can rent Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels on Prime Video or Apple TV.
