Review: The Precinct

I am the top-down law! 

I’ll be honest when I first saw the trailer for The Precinct, I was instantly hooked. A GTA-style city, 80’s cop drama vibes? Open-world lawbreaking? It looked like someone threw L.A. Noire, Hotline Miami, and Driver into a blender and poured out a crime-fighting cocktail. Naturally, I had to head to its streets to deliver my own version of justice that’ll  hopefully make Judge Dredd blush. 

After spending a good chunk of time with the games crime-ridden streets, responding to calls, writing parking tickets, and bring fear to the lawless, I’ve got a lot of thoughts. So, if you’re wondering whether this gritty throwback is worth clocking in for then come with me as we find out. 

One thing The Precinct nails right off the bat is its atmosphere. The game drops you into a stylised city that feels like it’s stuck somewhere between the late ‘80s and early ‘90s - if you think of RoboCop’s Detroit you’ll be on the right track. It’s a lawless frontier where the criminal element rules supreme. When on patrol the whole city feels alive. Citizens go about their daily business, cars travel the freeways, and people roam the streets. It’s sadly not so in-depth as Grand Theft Auto’s Liberty City, but there’s just enough “life” to keep things serviceable. Naturally with a game such as The Precinct, you’re here to dispenses the law, and it’s here where the city plays to its strengths. At any moment you could be called to a violent robbery, to gang shoot-outs. Each shift is unpredictable and whether you’re on foot patrol or cruising the roads, there’s plenty of crime to be stomped and justice to be served. 

There is a story as such but it’s mostly forgettable. You play as a rookie officer who gets thrown into the deep end. Gangs are running wild, and corruption is everywhere, your radio is constantly chittering  with crimes in progress. And it doesn’t take long before you’re knee-deep in everything from petty thefts to high-speed pursuits. The narrative itself is entwined within the sandbox and sees you taking down the members to the cities two major gangs. This is done by collecting evidence though your patrols to then take on each member within a tailored mission. Again it’s not really memorable, but does make you feel like a badass as you take part in shootouts and helicopter pursuits.

What I liked most is how The Precinct gives you the freedom to choose how to handle your role. You can respond to calls, write tickets, or chase down robbers—but you can also ignore the radio entirely and just explore. You’ll stumble into events organically, which makes the city feel more alive than a typical waypoint-heavy sandbox.

There’s a bit of a morality system too, though it’s more flavor than consequence. You can arrest suspects cleanly or rough them up a bit if you’re feeling spicy. Just don’t expect Mass Effect-level branching narratives here as how you perform on the streets ultimately affects the amount of xp you earn for that shift. And with experience contributing to making your officer a little more robust - you’ll need to perform well at all times. 

Naturally a game where you play as a police officer is going to let you get behind the wheel of a squad car and The Precinct is no different. I went into the game expecting the driving to some sort of jank - and while it’s true it’s one of the highlights of The Precinct experience. Each of the available vehicles has just the right amount of weight to them—not too floaty, not too stiff and each captures that 80s police chase energy really well. Sirens blaring, lights flashing, weaving through traffic as you try to cut off a fleeing suspect—it’s cinematic and fun. The chase mechanics are where the game shines. Suspects don’t just drive in a straight line—they’ll cut corners, crash through barriers, and sometimes even ditch the car and take off on foot. It keeps you on your toes and makes each pursuit feel unique. One cool touch is the ability to call for backup, set roadblocks, or request spike strips. It makes you feel like part of a larger force, even if the AI officers sometimes seem…let’s say, less than helpful.

Unfortunately, the on-foot sections don’t hold up quite as well. Walking around the city is fine for the most part, but when things get action-heavy—like shootouts or foot pursuits—the mechanics feel clunky. Aiming isn’t as responsive as it should be, and cover-based combat is hit or miss (literally and figuratively).

Melee combat is pretty bare-bones, too. You’ll mostly rely on a few basic moves, and there’s not a lot of depth to it. I didn’t mind too much since most of my favorite moments were behind the wheel, but if you’re hoping for tight third-person shooter mechanics, you might be a bit disappointed here.

When it comes to performance the game is a mixed bag. Everything runs decently overall, but it’s not without its quirks. I ran into a few bugs with suspects clipping through walls, backup officers freezing mid-run, and cars that seemed to forget what physics are. I played The Precinct on the Xbox Series X and there  were the occasional frame drops during busy scenes, especially when there were a lot of explosions or multiple vehicles on screen.

None of these issues were game-breaking, but they did remind me that The Precinct isn’t a AAA release. It’s got some jank, but it’s the kind of jank you can live with if you’re enjoying the ride. And with regular updates, I’m hopeful the devs will smooth out the rough spots.

At the end of the day, The Precinct feels like a passion project made by people who love a very specific era of entertainment. It’s got grit, style, and a surprising amount of heart. It doesn’t always hit the mark—the combat is clunky, and the polish isn’t perfect—but the core experience is genuinely fun, especially if you’re into crime dramas or open-world chaos.

Is it for everyone? Probably not. If you’re looking for a tight, narrative-driven cop story, you might be let down. But if you’re okay with a little messiness in exchange for freedom, atmosphere, and some wild car chases, The Precinct has a lot to offer.

Would I recommend it? Yeah—especially if you have fond memories of 90’s police crime, or want a different side of just playing the bad guy. The Precinct is definitely not perfect, but it’s different, and that alone makes it worth checking out in my book.

Rating: 8/10

A code was kindly provided by the publisher for this review

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