Thanks to improvements in console and PC hardware, game developers have been able to ditch linear stages and invisible walls in recent years, in favor of adventure games and RPGs with huge open-worlds that are filled to the brim with NPCs to speak with, towns to explore, and side quests to complete. The open-world implementation in gaming has certainly not been perfect, as its popularity has encouraged publishers to push developers to include open-worlds in their games, even though it sometimes isn’t necessary and takes away from what could have been an excellent linear experience.
Warhorse Studios’ Kingdom Come: Deliverance was released in 2018, and it is already considered to feature one of gaming’s most impressive and immersive open-worlds. The incredible map was a driving force behind the game-winning numerous awards upon release including Gamescom’s Best PC Game. Although the game’s open-world stands above most of the crowd, there are a few other titles that offer similarly immersive experiences.
10 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Almost unbelievably, it has been nearly 10 years since the release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Bethesda’s game set a new standard for open-world RPG’s with its huge map that’s filled to the brim with quests to complete and characters to interact with.
There’s no doubt that some of its features have started to show their age in comparison to more recent open-world titles, but Skyrim still provides one of the most immersive open-worlds that players can easily get lost in for hundreds of hours. Realistically, most people who have enjoyed Kingdom Come: Deliverance will have already tried Skyrim, but for the few that haven’t, it’s certainly worth including on this list.
9 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was released in the midst of Kojima Productions’ very public breakup with Konami, which unfortunately resulted in the game’s ending being rushed.
Depsite the office politics, Kojima Productions were able to create an incredible open-world that was a major factor in the game’s eye-watering Metascore of 95 on Xbox One. Stealth mechanics tend to be a weakness of open-world games, but Kojima Productions managed to find an excellent balance where it felt both natural and enjoyable, resulting in one of Solid Snake’s best adventures yet.
8 Subnautica
When browsing through menus of an online store or shelves of a shop, one may come across Subnuatica and think that it’s a modern interpretation of Arika’s Nintendo Wii title Endless Ocean. However, it soon becomes clear that Subnautica won’t be a relaxing, picturesque adventure like Endless Ocean, but something far more sinister.
The game begins with the player crashing into the ocean of an alien planet, and requires them to scavenge materials to escape. The open-world that exists under the water may initially appear to be devoid of danger, though that will soon change once players begin to dive deeper into the depths of Subnutica‘s unsettling and often terrifying world.
7 Red Dead Redemption 2
Grand Theft Auto fans were understandably disappointed when the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 cycles were coming to an end, and it was becoming clear that there wasn’t going to be a new entry into the series releasing on the consoles. Thankfully, Rockstar’s loyal fanbase got the next best thing, a sequel to 2010’s Red Dead Redemption.
The game unsurprisingly pushed the boundaries of open-world games once again, with its incredible realism and densely populated map. A factor of the game that was surprising, however, was the touching story that centered around protagonist Arthur Morgan, who has quickly become one of gaming’s most beloved anti-heroes.
6 Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
French developer and publisher Ubisoft, like most major video game companies, gets its fair share of criticism from gamers for some of its business practices. One thing that has to be respected, however, is the company’s shrewd decision making when it comes to adapting to the current market. Ubisoft pushed its limbless hero Rayman during the 90s when the platforming genre dominated the industry, then swiftly ditched him in favor of action games like Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell when they started to become the norm, and now the company is most known for its Assassin’s Creed series, that has been a cornerstone of the gaming industry’s shift to open-world adventures and RPGs.
The latest title, Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla takes place during the Viking invasion of Britain and offers one of the most breathtaking open worlds ever released.
5 Batman: Arkham City
Decades ago, the idea of an open-world video game set in Gotham was the stuff of nonsensical fantasy; however, the huge rise in prominence of superhero movies, and improvements to console hardware, have allowed Rocksteady Studios to release the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham City in 2011.
The game kept what worked from its predecessor, Batman: Arkham Asylum, while implementing numerous improvements including, of course, an open-world. The increase in free-roaming allowed Rocksteady Studios to implement numerous side missions into the game, and massively expand upon the Riddler’s challenges.
4 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild managed to offer a completely fresh and unique gameplay experience from the rest of the Legend of Zelda series in a pretty simple way – it took the franchise back to its roots. The game recaptured the essence of the classic 1986 game by giving players as few limitations as possible.
A lack of limitations is an extremely hard feature for developers to implement into a game, especially one of Breath of the Wild‘s size, but Nintendo smashed it out of the park with the game’s incredible open-world that offers players hundreds of hours of exploration.
3 Fallout: New Vegas
It’s fair to say that the Fallout series has divided fans, with many players ranking the games differently. There is one game that receives universal praise, however, and that is Obsidian Entertainment’s Fallout: New Vegas.
New Vegas took the gameplay formula that Bethesda created with Fallout 3 and expanded upon it by offering players greatly improved freedom of choice. Obsidian Entertainment was rewarded for their efforts by the Golden Joystick Awards, winning their Best RPG accolade.
2 Grand Theft Auto V
As alluded to before, fans of the iconic Grand Theft Auto series are beginning to grow frustrated at the lack of news about the next entry in the series.
Thankfully, the series’ most recent entry, Grand Theft Auto V, still hasn’t shown much age. This is largely thanks to the incredible open-world that Rockstar released in 2013, along with frequent updates to the game’s online mode. Rockstar’s game was inadvertently given a boost in 2020 when the faulty release of the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 made players appreciate just how ahead of its time Grand Theft Auto V truly was and reminded them of the importance of why such expansive games need lengthy development times.
1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The reason why the aforementioned Cyberpunk 2077 was so heavily desired and defended by some gamers before it had even been released, was thanks to the success of CD Projekt Red’s open-world RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
The Witcher 3 was released in 2015 and although like Cyberpunk 2077 it had issues at launch, they were soon ironed out and the game’s huge potential was able to shine through. CD Projekt Red’s RPG set a new standard for open-world games with its incredibly dense and detailed world, along with the fantastic range of side quests and secrets available for players to stumble upon.
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