Summary
Open-world gaminghas come a long way, withthe advent ofGrand Theft Auto 3opening the doors for a whole bunch of developers to try their hands out with this genre with varying levels of success. The sheer amount of detail in some of these games is incredible and goes a long way in ensuring that players never face a dearth of things to accomplish or pursue.
Some of these open-world games can feel rather formulaic, with a been-there-done-that feeling that permeates through the experience and bogs things down in a manner that isn’t ideal in the slightest. Thankfully,the genre is yet to become stagnant, with many titles doing a great job of keeping players engaged in the long run witha combination of mystery and suspense.
5The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis one of the greatest video games ever made, ending Geralt’s journey on a high note. It’s also a title where CD Projekt Red perfected its open-world design, creating a varied and lived-in environment that is absolutely brimming with secrets, quests, combat encounters, and everything in between.
Players can genuinely get lost inThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntfor hours on end as they explore the vast landscape of Velen, comb through the streets of Novigrad, sail the seas of Skellige, check out the areas around Kaer Morhen, andmarvel at the colorful beauty of Toussaint. There’s something awaiting the player at every corner, and PC players can download UI mods to make the minimap obsolete and help them appreciate the game during its quiet moments, with a low-leveled Geralt being easily destroyed by a tough enemy if the player isn’t careful during their exploration of these landscapes.
Rockstar Games are the masters of creating living, breathing open worlds that will compel players to invest themselves from beginning to end. No game personifies this statement morethanRed Dead Redemption 2, which has one of the biggest worlds in gaming history and features many mysteries at every corner.
The hunting present in this title is extremely polished, with players holding their breath as they track tough predators and try to take them out without Arthur being sent to an early grave. The open world ofRed Dead Redemption 2is a sandbox that is brimming with content, keeping players in the dark about some of its content while terrifying them at other points!
3Death Stranding
Most people hadvery mixed opinions aboutDeath Strandingwhen it launched, with some players labeling it as Kojima’s worst game. However, it took a while for the industry and gamers themselves to understand what this title was trying to achieve with its unique gameplay loop, turning the simple act of traversal into something that felt really involved and challenging.
The mystery surrounding the events that plunged the world ofDeath Strandinginto an apocalypse was the biggest draw of the game before its release, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. While players technically couldn’t die in this game, it was always terrifying to try and sneak around BTs to deliver their packages without being stopped in their tracks abruptly.
2The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild & Tears Of The Kingdom
After the disaster that was the Wii U, Nintendo needed to hit the ground running if they wished to remain a dominant contender in the console industry. They managed to do the same with the Nintendo Switch, one of the most innovative consoles in gaming history that merged portable and console gaming in one neat package.
Of course, this console would’ve fizzed out like its predecessor if Nintendo hadn’t given a great game as a launch title, andBreath of the Wildwas exactly that. The title was unnaturally hard for aZeldagame, with Link being absolutely obliterated by his enemies at the start before players could regain their hearts later on.Tears of the Kingdomcame six years after this title and expanded the scope of its predecessor to unthinkable levels, with the exploration being as mysterious and rewarding as ever. Encountering a tough enemy in this title never ceases to be terrifying, showing just how incredible the title is at immersing playersin a game that is pretty relaxing… that is until things take a very serious turn.
1Fallout: New Vegas
After its shift to a full 3D open world, old fans ofFalloutfelt left behind as the focus of the series was apparently solely on exploration instead of a scintillating narrative. So, when Obsidian Entertainment releasedFallout: New Vegas, fans were floored with the quality of this game’s writing and how it merged the oldFalloutwith the new in a tantalizing manner.
Some of the abandoned vaults that players can explore in the game have truly haunting stories and nightmarish creatures who ambush the player without warning. This, coupled withthe engaging factions in this titleand the respect it gives to the olderFallouttitles, makes it clear why so many people considerNew Vegasto be the definitiveFalloutexperience.
