- Publisher: Fallen Tree Games , Kwalee Ltd
- Release Date: May 13, 2025
- Also On: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
- Summary:
- Developer: Fallen Tree Games
- Genre(s): Action, General, Action Adventure, Open-World
- # of players: No Online Multiplayer
- Cheats: On GameFAQs
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 8 out of 30
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Mixed: 20 out of 30
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Negative: 2 out of 30
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Jul 8, 2025The Precinct might fashion itself as an homage to the classics of the cop movie genre but seems to struggle to calibrate its mix of action, tedium, and humor. There’s a variety of police work to tackle, with a focus on direct interaction with citizens, but all of it becomes repetitive after a few shifts, and the special big events aren’t enough to compensate. The car chases, ludicrous as they might be in terms of collateral damage, are the most engaging part of the experience. Issuing parking tickets became boring in under five minutes. The Precinct has decent ideas and some fun moments but it will only appeal to those who already like open-world top-down action with a hint of chaos.
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May 13, 2025Some shortcomings and omissions regarding its AI and overall content don't prevent The Precinct from being an excellent throwback to an older gaming era.
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Jun 10, 2025The Precinct is a great 80s cop simulation in an old-school GTA aesthetic. The patrol segments are super fun and rewarding when the AI is not fighting you and the game itself. Driving is stiff, rigid and sometimes too sharp to be consistent and needs more work, but the overall feel of the game is amazing and I hope the patches will come rolling out to make it stand out even more.
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May 13, 2025The Precinct’s focus on proper arrest protocols and penalising excessive force requires a certain level of patience that not everybody will possess (and it’s a system that eventually wears out its welcome) but I genuinely enjoyed prowling the city for procedural crimes while the story lasted – and the soggy, neon-splashed ’80s setting works wonders. Fallen Tree Games had a previous crack at emulating the top-down shenanigans of classic Grand Theft Auto back with 2019’s American Fugitive, but putting the action on the right side of the law in The Precinct has proven to be far more arresting.
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May 13, 2025The Precinct won't appeal to everyone. Its serious approach, its desire to make you take responsibility, its disenchanted atmosphere, and its offbeat gameplay choices won't please fans of easy action or total freedom. But for players looking for a different kind of action game (and for roleplay enthusiasts), with a real underlying vision and intelligent gameplay, it's an experience worth trying. Despite the technical hiccups, The Precinct is a game we can only recommend. Because it has substance. Because it dares. And because, beneath its retro crime story style, it surprisingly speaks well about our times.
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May 20, 2025Racing after an armed robber, crashing through road signs and dodging civilians, only to jump out of your patrol car, take cover behind your vehicle and engage in a firefight with the crazed assailant is as fun in The Precinct as it sounds. Unfortunately, once they’re in cuffs, the monotony of processing the soon-to-be prisoner drags the experience down. Combined with a shallow story told in an uneven way, the repetitive gameplay loop tarnishes the badge and gives the boys in blue a bad wrap.
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May 13, 2025The Precinct takes a welcomingly sober approach to videogame policing, focusing as much on the mundane as the action-filled aspects of the job. But this isn’t enough to make enduring hours of its repetitive mission design and poor writing worthwhile.