20 Years Ago We Got a Simpsons x GTA Game, And It’s Been Downhill Ever Since

Since I was only seven in 2003 when The Simpsons: Hit & Run came out, I technically wasn’t allowed to play GTA, but that didn’t stop me. Thanks to my older cousins, I was able to dabble in GTA 3 and Vice City every now and then, but that was the extent of my experience with the franchise at the time. However, The Simpsons: Hit & Run gave me the opportunity to feel like I was playing a GTA game without the violence and hardcore crime. The Simpsons: Hit & Run was essentially a GTA gateway drug for a lot of kids in the early 2000s, and it continues to be a beloved piece of gaming history.

The Simpsons: Hit & Run Succeeded Because of its Balance of GTA’s Open World Gameplay and The Simpsons’ Unique Voice

The Simpsons: Hit & Run took a lot of inspiration from the general GTA formula, but the title still managed to make it its own. Like GTA, The Simpsons: Hit & Run was set in an open world map where players could explore and take on missions as they see fit. The biggest difference was the presence of guns, or lack thereof. Instead of getting in shootouts with the police, players could wreak havoc with cars, which still gave it a fun edge that greatly appealed to my childish brain.

Beyond the gameplay, it perfectly captured the humor and tone of The Simpsons. It often feels more like a Simpsons crossover episode with GTA than a game copying a formula. It was a rare moment in the industry where a licensed video game completely nailed its premise, and as much as I adore the title, it also stands as a reminder of the eventual industry shift that would keep games like The Simpsons: Hit & Run from being possible in the future.

Since The Simpsons: Hit & Run, the Industry Has Transformed, and Not Always for the Better

Okay, before I sound too doom and gloom about the current state of the industry, I want to make it clear that I’ve found some of my all-time favorite video games in the 22 years since The Simpsons: Hit & Run was released. Games like The Last of Us, Death’s Door, God of War, Alan Wake 2, Returnal, and Death Stranding are just a few, but the main thing these titles have in common is that they are risk-takers, which is what The Simpsons: Hit & Run was, too. It’s not that the industry’s current state no longer allows for unique and risk-taking games to be made, it’s just made it much harder.

Over the past two decades, it seems like the more popular gaming becomes, the safer major studios and companies want to be with their IP. If someone were to pitch a Simpsons game in the style of GTA today, it’s unlikely that it would ever get made. Fortnite‘s crossover with The Simpsons proves that the franchise is still incredibly popular, but a crossover is different from a full-blown game.

Speaking of Fortnite, the rise of the Battle Royale genre has also unfortunately helped the rise of risk-averse decision-making. I love Fortnite, but once other companies saw just how much money the title was raking in, it opened the Battle Royale floodgates for years, making much of the gaming landscape feel stale, since everything felt like a copy of each other in some way. I know that sounds ironic, since I’m talking about a game that is basically a GTA copycat, but The Simpsons: Hit & Run feels far more playful, and that’s another important aspect of what makes it so special. Since The Simpsons: Hit & Run, microtransactions and needing an online connection for single-player games have quickly become the norm, and the GTA-like still stands as a great example of how simple gaming once felt.

Thankfully, This Year Has Shown That Risk-Taking is Well Worth It

2025 Was Defined By Games That Brought Unique Ideas to Life

• Split Fiction
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Hell is Us
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• The Midnight Walk
• Blue Prince
• Silent Hill f
• Arc Raiders
• Keeper
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
• LEGO Voyagers
• Cronos: The New Dawn

This year has been stacked with strong releases, and thankfully, a lot of them are bold risk-takers. Of course, just because a game takes a risk doesn’t mean it’s landed successfully, but it’s important that developers aren’t afraid to try new ideas. Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2 sometimes feels like a wholesome, wild fever dream, while Hazelight Studios’ Split Fiction once again demonstrates how much more potential there is in co-op gaming.

In only two decades, the industry has made a mind-blowing amount of progress, but when the largest corporations overseeing production value profit over creativity, it can push developers into a corner, forcing them to play it safe for the sake of shareholders. Granted, every developer wants their video game to be a hit, but when creativity and passion are seen as the most important, it’s immediately felt, which often paves the way for success anyway. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a fantastic example of this. Such a small team was able to make something brilliant, and it’s because the vision was honored first. Now, it’s nominated for Game of the Year. When playing The Simpsons: Hit & Run, I can feel that fun and creativity were put first, and I’m hoping that it’s coming back in style. GTA 6 is expected to mark a new era for both the franchise and the industry, and I can’t wait to see how Rockstar chooses to evolve the series. As the wait continues, though, I’m going to jump into The Simpsons: Hit & Run one more time.

Systems

Released

November, 2026

ESRB

Rating Pending – Likely Mature 17+