Sleeping Dogs.
If there ever was a crime-sandbox that could stand up to GTA, Sleeping Dogs would be it. A truly underrated classic that every gamer should give an honest chance to.
Everything from the graphics, sound-design, setting, story, characters, combat, driving, side-activities, and fun factor, are all on point. I can't think of any other way to improve it. I've been gaming for about 15 years and Sleeping Dogs is one of my all time favourites. The world feels alive and lived in, the characters have flaws and feel real, the voice acting is compelling, the music is great and the radio has some underrated artists. The best part is the combat, which relies on melee more than gunfights, and has a meaningful sense of progression, it never gets old.
I've played it 4 times, on 3 different platforms, and I won't mind 100%ing it again. Seriously, if you haven't, please give this game a chance.
PS- The game is a few years old, so it will run on most PCs out there, plus it's dirt cheap. And you can play it on most platforms.