Yeah, thats a fair point, they are both pretty iffy - but I'd say that GTAs is probably worse. I love both games though!

I've tried GTA games before, but I never enjoyed them.

Skyrim wins. Period.

Fair enough. What dont you like about em?

I've never seen an option to be a cop and chase down these criminals as a noble character. The gameplay only revolves around causing the mischief and never stopping it.

Yeah, GTA doesnt really give much in the way of choice - but then neither do most non-RPGs. Its one of the things I like about RPGs, and while Bethesda doesnt really excel with the whole choice and consequence thing (probably obsidian does a better job), they do a great job of giving you plenty of varied things to do - or not.

You might as well ask what's a better episodic game, The Walking Dead or Starcraft II?

But you did specify, so...

Story: GTA has better writing than Skyrim... everything has better writing than Skyrim. No, I don't really feel this way, but the fact remains that in GTA you're told a story and in TES it's best if you tell your own. I can't say which approach is better, they're equally valid and important, and I like both, depending on my mood.

Exploration: GTA's buildings you can't enter don't do it any favours.

Weapons/armor: how am I supposed to compare weapon selection in medieval fantasy RPG and contemporary action-adventure? I like bows, whichever game has bows wins.

For me GTA is a fun way of killing time, nothing more. I don't get immersed in that world. TES however gives me an alternative reality to live in, not just play in. So Skyrim easily wins this competition (by default - I don't have a console, so I haven't even played the fifth GTA yet).

I've played GTA V, but outside clothing, hair, weapons and car modding options, there's no control. You're stuck between three dudes, two who are comparatively more saner, but still just as scummy. All you do in this series is basically be a criminal and do criminal things. Hell, Saints Row, which is pretty much GTA's crazy cousin who is not allowed at the manly parties, has one more freedom in that you can create your own personal avatar however way you wish. Still, it's just the same. You're given a role and a plot. And you can't deviate from it. Michael de Santa and the Boss respectively can't randomly decide to do good and begin helping the cops bring the perps to justice. Or get into alchemy, or be a singer, or...anything.

They're open world crime sandbox games. Skyrim is a fantasy roleplaying sandbox game. Two totally different genres. You may as well have asked whether people liked 'The Legend of Zelda' or 'Fallout' more.

And, no offense, since you've put this in the 'Skyrim' section, people are going to be more bias toward Skyrim.

EDIT:

In terms of story? Eh, well, GTA V's story is a tad more interesting than Skyrim's, it's got more drama and is chiefly focused on Michael de Santa. The characters are well-rounded, especially the villains (at least the ones opposing the GTA V protagonists.) The devs specifically mentioned somewhere that GTA V's story began with Michael de Santa. It was his actions that started the whole plot to begin with.

Skyrim isn't built around a central character, it's built around the world as a whole, and you immerse yourself in it. Now, that doesn't mean the main quest can svck or anything, but that's the difference.

Exploration? Not gonna lie, Skyrim trounces GTA V. There's more to do in Skyrim than GTA V in terms of exploration. Most buildings are not enterable, which svcks. I would love to have the crew play bowling ball together, but no, they can only play golf, go to a strip club, get drunk, or play tennis.

Weapons and armor? Well, you're asking me to compare GTA V's modern day gear with the gears of a medieval fantasy game. I suppose with modding they're both somewhat on the same level, though Michael de Santa can't enchant his baseball bat with a fire enchantment than can cause 10+ damage.

GTA V is fine if I'm in the mood to play as a criminal/am bored out of my mind and want to do something. However, if I want to roleplay a character that actually lives in the setting? It's Skyrim. I can never feel like I'm actually a part of Los Santos or Stillwater/Steelport.

You really can't compare them tbh.

But if I had to play one for the next 100 hours of my life I'd probably go with GTAV.
If I had to play one for the next few years I'd pick Skyrim.