A new indie open-world game is taking inspiration from the chaotic crime sandboxes of the PS2 era, transporting the formula to the streets of 1970s Istanbul.
ALATURKA is an upcoming open-world action game from solo developer Burak Akşahin, known as Bufuak. Instead of chasing modern photorealistic visuals, the project deliberately embraces an old-school aesthetic and gameplay style reminiscent of classic open-world games.
Players arrive in the game’s version of the Bosphorus to work for their uncle as a döner kebab apprentice. Your relatively innocent job involves slicing döner, preparing wraps and delivering orders around the city. It doesn’t take long, however, before locals begin offering considerably less legal ways of making money.
From there, ALATURKA opens up into a crime-filled sandbox featuring police chases, third-person combat, gangs and numerous jobs scattered throughout the city. Vehicles are also a major part of the experience, with the developer putting particular emphasis on heavy, deliberately unforgiving driving physics inspired by older games.
The city itself is designed to offer more than missions and shootouts. Players can encounter various smaller activities and interactions while exploring, including feeding stray cats, throwing simit to seagulls and chasing pigeons, helping give its interpretation of 1970s Istanbul some personality.
Perhaps the most impressive part of ALATURKA is its development. The entire project is being created by a solo developer in Unreal Engine, with Akşahin documenting much of the process through livestreams and involving the game’s growing community in its development.
That approach appears to be attracting plenty of attention. In September 2026, the developer revealed that ALATURKA had surpassed 17,000 Steam wishlists, having previously celebrated reaching 10,000 earlier in the year.
Development is still ongoing, with work currently focused on expanding the city, improving vehicle physics and polishing the core gameplay. A first playable demo or playtest build is also being prepared, although there is currently no confirmed date for when players will get their hands on it.
ALATURKA is currently listed for PC through Steam, with its release date still to be announced.