Updated
Published by The Fifth Family, one of the games included. Comparisons use official information checked on 8 September 2026, not hands-on device testing or measured population rankings.
If you like Cartel Empire, you like a specific thing
Cartel Empire attracts a particular kind of player: someone who wants a persistent character, a group to belong to, systems worth learning properly, and a game that respects the fact they have a job. Its Jobs, Expeditions and Production cycles are built for varied session lengths rather than demanding constant attention.
That narrows the field usefully. Most games marketed as crime RPGs are mobile mid-core titles in a criminal skin — single-player campaigns with energy meters. They are not what you are looking for, and this page ignores them.
| Option | Structure | Best for | The trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Fifth Family | Persistent; families, careers, districts | Wanting a character to build rather than an operation to run | Established players have accumulated more than you have |
| Omerta | Persistent with permadeath | Wanting real consequences | Your account can be permanently destroyed by others |
| The Crims | Numbered rounds with a winner | Wanting a clean slate and a finish line | Nothing carries over |
| Mob Wars: LCN | Persistent with heavy idle automation | Wanting scale and low daily commitment | Fewer meaningful decisions per session |
The closest match: The Fifth Family
Of everything above, this is the nearest neighbour: also persistent, also free, also browser-first, also actively developed, also built around player groups. The differences are setting and emphasis. Cartel Empire puts you in charge of an operation in a narco world; The Fifth Family puts you inside a character in an organised-crime city, with careers, training and district-based content shaping how that character specialises.
There is also a platform difference worth naming if you use an iPhone: The Fifth Family publishes native iOS and Android apps sharing one account and one world with the browser version.
If you want something genuinely different
Omerta is the option that changes the emotional temperature rather than the theme. Running since 2003, it allows accounts and families to be permanently killed. That is the strongest available answer to “I want my decisions to matter”, and the strongest available reason to be careful.
The Crims answers a different question. Running since 2003 on numbered rounds, it offers something persistent games structurally cannot: an ending, and a winner. If you have ever wanted to finish a browser RPG rather than maintain one, that is worth a round.
How to choose without wasting a month
Pick two, not five. Give each a full week rather than an evening, because tutorials in this genre are consistently unrepresentative of the real game. Ask three questions at the end: did I make real decisions, was anyone around when I played, and do I know exactly what money buys. If a game fails the third, that is not a small thing.
The Fifth Family is free to play, with its core systems available without a purchase. Optional purchases include cosmetics, crates, Vigilante packs and time savers such as gym speedups. These purchases are not all cosmetic. The level-scaled casino profit cap limits casino income; it does not by itself establish the effect of every purchase on competitive play. Check the current in-game descriptions before spending.
Questions before you switch
What games are most similar to Cartel Empire?
The Fifth Family is the closest neighbour: free, persistent, browser-first, actively developed and built around player groups. Omerta and The Crims are also long-running browser crime RPGs, but differ sharply through permadeath and round resets respectively.
Is Cartel Empire still being developed?
Its public update log showed changes landing regularly through 2026. Check the official site for the current position rather than relying on a third-party page.
Are there alternatives with an iPhone app?
The Fifth Family publishes native iOS and Android apps alongside its browser version, sharing one account and one world. Most browser crime RPGs are web-only or Android-only, so check each official site.
Should I switch or play both?
Both, if you have time. These games are free, browser-based and require no download, and a week in each is far more reliable than any comparison for working out which daily rhythm fits your life.