MindsEye

MindsEye had a Steam free weekend after launch. It also had one of the messiest reviews of 2025, and its Mostly Negative rating on Steam has not recovered. If you tried the free weekend and want the story-driven open-world thriller MindsEye was pitched as, one of these seven does the job. We spent time with each on Windows and lined them up by what MindsEye actually promised: a near-future action story with drone gadgets, driving, and a linear campaign that respects your time.

Three are under $10 during Steam sales. Two are on Game Pass. Every one of them has a better Steam review score than MindsEye.

Quick comparison

Game Best for Price Length Standout
Cyberpunk 2077 Near-future thriller fans $59.99 60+ hours Best-in-class world writing
Grand Theft Auto V Sandbox chaos $29.99 30+ hours Still the sandbox benchmark
Watch Dogs 2 Drone and hacking gadgets $19.99 25 hours Playful hacker sandbox
Saints Row (2022) Coop crime capers $49.99 20 hours Two-player online story
Mafia III Definitive Story-first crime drama $29.99 25 hours Character-driven revenge tale
Sleeping Dogs Definitive Martial arts action $24.99 20 hours Best hand-to-hand combat
Just Cause 4 Physics-driven mayhem $19.99 20 hours Grapple, wingsuit, weather

Why people bounced off MindsEye

The pitch was strong: a near-future desert city, a haunted protagonist, drone gadgets, and a linear thriller from Build A Rocket Boy. The delivery was rough. Steam reviews consistently name three problems.

First, the mission scripting. Enemies spawn on top of you, checkpoints reset progress, and the AI ignores obvious cover for long stretches. Second, the driving. Handling feels floaty, damage models are weak, and traffic reacts oddly to nearby police. Third, technical polish. Frame pacing is inconsistent even on high-end hardware, and the launch build shipped with recorded audio that clipped.

If any of that killed the free weekend for you, one of the alternatives below fixes it directly.

The alternatives

Cyberpunk 2077, best for near-future thriller fans

Cyberpunk 2077 is the game MindsEye wanted to be. Night City is denser than Redrock, the writing is one of the best in the genre, and the 2.0 update plus Phantom Liberty made combat and driving feel intentional rather than incidental. Every side story reads like a novella.

Where it falls short: still heavy on modern hardware. Ray tracing tanks frame rate below 60 fps without upscaling.

Pricing:

Migrating from MindsEye: no import. If MindsEye was your first open-world attempt this decade, Cyberpunk raises the bar in every way.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: the pick if you want a story-driven near-future world done right.

Grand Theft Auto V, best for sandbox chaos

Grand Theft Auto V is 12 years old and still the sandbox benchmark. Los Santos handles better than Redrock does, the three-character switch keeps missions varied, and GTA Online has enough player-run heists to fill a hundred sessions. The Enhanced Edition improved lighting and cut load times on modern SSDs.

Where it falls short: story missions are linear in a rigid way, and Online has aggressive shark card push.

Pricing:

Migrating from MindsEye: no direct crossover, but the driving-and-shooting muscle memory carries over.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: buy this if you have somehow never played it.

Watch Dogs 2, best for drone and hacking gadgets

Watch Dogs 2 delivers the drone and gadget fantasy MindsEye teased. You have a quadcopter, a ground jumper, remote hacking, and phone-based crowd control. San Francisco is prettier than Redrock, missions actually reward stealth, and the tone stays lighter than the grim MindsEye pitch.

Where it falls short: Ubisoft launcher required in addition to Steam, and the online seamless coop can be finicky.

Pricing:

Migrating from MindsEye: no data transfer. If drones and hacking were the reason you clicked buy, Watch Dogs 2 is the direct upgrade.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: the closest thematic replacement on this list.

Saints Row (2022), best for coop crime capers

Saints Row (2022) had a rough launch of its own, but the free two-player coop story is what makes it work today. The city of Santo Ileso is smaller than most on this list, missions can be played entirely together, and the tone leans satirical.

Where it falls short: story pacing is uneven, and the writing does not land as often as older Saints Row entries.

Pricing:

Migrating from MindsEye: no data carry-over. Best played with one specific friend.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: get it only if a friend will play through the whole story with you.

Mafia III Definitive Edition, best for story-first crime drama

Mafia III Definitive trades open-world sprawl for a tightly written revenge story. Lincoln Clay is the most fleshed-out protagonist on this list, and New Bordeaux is the most atmospheric setting. Missions are repetitive by design, but the cinematics between them carry the game.

Where it falls short: mission templates repeat. Once you have taken over three districts, you have taken over ten.

Pricing:

Migrating from MindsEye: no data. If the MindsEye story pitch was the appeal, this is what a tighter version looks like.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: the pick if you care about the protagonist more than the map.

Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition, best for martial arts action

Sleeping Dogs Definitive trades gunplay for hand-to-hand combat that still holds up in 2026. Hong Kong is dense, side missions are voice-acted, and the driving is the best on this list except for GTA V.

Where it falls short: no coop, no online. A pure single-player experience.

Pricing:

Migrating from MindsEye: no import. If you want an open-world action game that respects your time, this is one of the shortest and tightest.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: the cheap pick with the best hand-to-hand combat.

Just Cause 4, best for physics-driven mayhem

Just Cause 4 does not care about story. It hands you a grapple hook, a wingsuit, and a series of dictatorships to overthrow, and it wraps the whole thing in the most inventive physics sandbox on Steam. Weather systems (tornadoes, snowstorms, sand walls) change how missions play out.

Where it falls short: the writing is thin, and the map has empty stretches.

Pricing:

Migrating from MindsEye: no data. If MindsEye did not click because the missions felt rigid, Just Cause 4 is the opposite end of that spectrum.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: the pick when you want physics stunts more than a plot.

How to choose

Pick Cyberpunk 2077 if you want the story MindsEye teased, done right. Pick Grand Theft Auto V if you want the reference sandbox at a decade of polish. Pick Watch Dogs 2 if drones and hacking were what pulled you into MindsEye. Pick Saints Row (2022) if you have a friend to play the whole story with. Pick Mafia III Definitive if the writing was the reason you clicked. Pick Sleeping Dogs Definitive if you want hand-to-hand combat and a tight 20 hours. Pick Just Cause 4 if physics chaos is the fun.

Stay on MindsEye only if you specifically want to see how the builder mode develops. Build A Rocket Boy has said patches will keep landing. As of writing, none of the alternatives above have review scores below Very Positive on Steam, which is the fastest way to compare.

FAQ

Is MindsEye worth playing after the patches?

The launch state was rough. Post-patch reviews sit around Mixed, and if you already tried the free weekend and did not enjoy it, patches will not change the fundamental design.

What is the best MindsEye alternative on Game Pass?

Grand Theft Auto V rotates on and off Game Pass, and Saints Row (2022) is a regular fixture. Both cover the sandbox itch cheaply.

Is there a game like MindsEye but better?

Cyberpunk 2077 is the closest match for tone and setting, and its 2.0 update is the version to play. Watch Dogs 2 covers the drone and hacking angle more cheaply.

Which of these runs on Steam Deck?

Sleeping Dogs Definitive, Just Cause 4, and Watch Dogs 2 all run at 45 to 60 fps on Steam Deck. Cyberpunk 2077 needs FSR to hit a stable 30 fps.

Do any MindsEye alternatives have online coop?

Saints Row (2022) is the only one on this list with full campaign coop. GTA Online is coop for heists but not the main story.