Whether Grand Theft Auto VI truly has any competitors is perhaps an interesting debate.
It certainly has contemporaries though; games which attempt to tap into a similar space within the industry.
Samson: A Tyndalston Story is one such example that I’ve brought to your attention before.
The difference now is that this upcoming open-world noir story has set a release date.
Confirmed in a new trailer showcasing plenty of gameplay, Samson: A Tyndalston Story revealed that it’ll be launching on PC via Steam on 8 April 2026.
The game is developed by Liquid Swords, which is made up of former Just Cause developers – a franchise known for its sprawling open-worlds.
It follows Samson McCray, a driver within the city of Tyndalston with a hefty debt to pay.
McCray is forced to take on a variety of jobs in order to pay that debt off, ending up in a fight for survival, with this sister also at risk having sacrificed everything to keep McCray breathing.
When I say McCray is taking on various jobs, I don’t mean he’s working at the local burger joint.
He’s doing the kind of dirty work you’ll be used to if you’ve played a Grand Theft Auto entry.
A Noir Take On The GTA Formula Without Gunplay
In a press release, studio co-founder Christofer Sundberg said, “I’ve spent a large part of my career building massive games. With Samson, we knew that bigger doesn’t always equal better and had to be extremely deliberate in what we built.”
He continued, “Samson is the result of our team’s work, tirelessly fine-tuning what our players expect, and more importantly, what makes games fun.
“It’s not bloated. It’s all about focus, and we keep players at the centre of every decision. Fans of gritty 90s action flicks have something to look forward to when Samson releases on 8 April. Buckle up, because you’re in for a ride.”
What really sets Samson: A Tyndalston Story apart from GTA VI is the fact that it doesn’t appear to feature any guns.
There’s vehicular action but predominantly, Samson: A Tyndalston Story makes use of a “brawler combat” system.
There is, though, a skill tree and a reputation system. Much like Rockstar Games’ various releases, you’ll need to outrun and outwit the law.
You may be sad to hear that Samson: A Tyndalston Story is only coming to PC on 8 April.
A PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S release is planned beyond this, but a release window hasn’t been set for those platforms.
I suppose it’ll all depend on how well the game fares on PC.
The only game to really audibly attempt to challenge GTA VI so far was MindsEye and that went terribly.
Let’s hope it all goes a bit better for Samson: A Tyndalston Story.
