The Precinct is exactly the game it sets out to be: a top-down, open-world cop sim set in a gritty, neon-drenched city that feels ripped straight from the VHS rack of an ’80s video store. It understands the appeal of routine, the satisfaction of justice, and the power of a pulsing synthwave track behind the wheel of a squad car. And for the most part—it works.
RELATED: Project Mix VR Preview: Cyberpunk Cocktails and Late-Night Feels
This isn’t your average lazy sandbox stitched together with generic streets and copy-paste storefronts. The city of Averno feels alive. From the bustling downtown blocks to the commercial districts brimming with detail, the world design is genuinely impressive. You might chase a suspect through a neon-lit shopping mall arcade, dodging pedestrians and decorative fountains on your way to tackle someone trying to steal a TV. These moments aren’t scripted—they naturally emerge from the world’s solid design.
This GTA-style layout brings real immersion. Whether you’re on foot or behind the wheel, you feel like a cop on patrol. The environmental variety helps keep things fresh, even as the job becomes routine.
Cop Life Is Just a Button Press Away
One of the game’s biggest strengths is how much you can do—and how effortlessly it’s all executed. You choose your department at the start of your shift—traffic, beat cop, meter maid, and more—then head out. Calls come in, and it’s up to you to respond (or ignore). You might spend an entire shift doing traffic stops or chasing down petty thefts. The radio system and context menus are sleek, intuitive, and get you into the action fast.
Even booking criminals is satisfying. Sure, you can call for backup—but there’s something rewarding about cuffing a perp, tossing them in the back of your car, and personally driving them to the station. Oddly, there’s no XP bonus for doing it yourself—a missed opportunity, since the extra effort deserves recognition.
A small but welcome feature: when you call backup, you don’t have to hang around. You can just leave. It’s great for pacing, though it does slightly break immersion when you casually drive off with a cuffed suspect left on the sidewalk.
Lights, Sirens… and a Few Flat Tires
Driving, like much of the game, is solid. The handling feels like a mix between the classic top-down GTA games and an arcade racer. It’s responsive and only gets better once you upgrade your vehicle.
The top-down camera, however, is a bit of a pain—especially at high speeds. You can’t really see what’s coming ahead. It might be an intentional design choice to increase tension, but it often just feels frustrating.
Combat is where things get bumpy. The controller layout is tight and responsive, but the aiming system is clunky. Instead of classic twin-stick shooter controls, you’re stuck lining up your right stick directly over targets. It works—but it doesn’t feel good. A game like this begs for proper twin-stick aiming. Keyboard and mouse improve the experience, but if you’re playing from the couch, expect some awkwardness in firefights.
Synths, Stories, and Shallow Justice
Let’s take a moment to praise the soundtrack—because it deserves it. Retro synth-pop and wave-inspired tracks give the game its pulse. There are moments when you’re cruising through rainy streets, siren off, with a dreamy synth track playing in the background—and it just clicks. You’ll feel like you’re in Miami Vice or RoboCop.
Unfortunately, the story doesn’t hit quite as hard. It tries—there’s the classic “partner’s retiring in three days” bit, a murdered father’s legacy, and a looming crime syndicate—but it all feels a little too familiar. Like the protagonist, the narrative just goes through the motions. Visual novel-style cutscenes and average voice acting don’t do much to elevate the material.
Depth Check: Shallow Waters
And here’s where The Precinct falls short: depth. It’s got a strong core loop, but there’s not much beneath the surface. You get into a rhythm—responding to calls, booking criminals, climbing ranks—but eventually, your choices feel cosmetic.
Why were those two people fighting? Doesn’t matter. Arrest them. Why was that woman speeding? Irrelevant. Even if you hear her out and let her off with a warning, you’re punished with a score penalty. Want to play as a morally grey or corrupt cop? Tough luck. The game only rewards strict, by-the-book behavior.
There’s no room for nuance, no branching consequences, no emergent narrative. It’s checklist policing rather than procedural drama.
Fans of classic Police Quest will get it. Those games may look ancient now, but every stop had stakes—context, meaning, and the possibility of spiraling into something deeper. The Precinct never promised that kind of narrative complexity—but I was hoping for it anyway.
Final Verdict
The Precinct is a stylish, enjoyable cop sim that delivers exactly what it s. It’s fun, functional, and fairly priced. It won’t revolutionize the genre, but it absolutely scratches the itch if you’ve ever wanted to throw on a badge, cruise neon-lit streets, and clean up a crime-ridden city one perp at a time.
There’s a rewarding gameplay loop here—and while it might start feeling repetitive in the long run, the first dozen hours are packed with retro charm and righteous justice.
The Precinct puts you behind the badge and behind the wheel of an ’80s cop fantasy. Just don’t expect to go deep undercover.