For many players, Red Dead Redemption 2 represents the pinnacle of video game design in many respects, from the visuals to the story to the world-building that ties it all together. Lots of people say that, after playing it, very few other open-world games manage to hold their attention or give them a reason to keep going, purely because of the immense mountain of a game that Rockstar built.
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However, there are quite a few games out there that can either compete with RDR2 in terms of quality, or do something completely different that the Wild West simply cannot offer. This can come in the form of a more engaging gameplay loop, a different kind of traversal style, or a combination of many different factors that, when put together, create a distinct experience that should provide enough fun and excitement for those saying that their open-world days may have come to an end.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Uncompromising Realism
- Gameplay systems resist simple solutions.
- The world is deeply responsive to player actions.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 carries an approach to open-world design that prioritizes historical authenticity over convenience. Every system, from combat to dialogue, demands attention and patience. The world never bends to the player; instead, it forces them to learn and grow without any shortcuts to success.
Similar to RDR2, the game feels incredibly grounded in its approach to storytelling, taking players on a personal and emotional journey that is still tailored to their decisions. The narrative unfolds slowly through lived experiences rather than grand spectacles, and it keeps players heavily invested from start to finish, no matter how much of a stickler for greatness they may be.
Death Stranding
Lonely By Design
- Traversal is slow yet deliberate.
- Narrative and gameplay become intertwined the longer you play.
Death Stranding offers a very different kind of open-world experience, sending players on a journey of introspection across barren landscapes and high into the mountains above. Rather than constantly encountering bandits on the road or stumbling across hidden towns on the map's outskirts, the game opts to isolate the player with nothing but the landscape and their primary mission to keep them company.
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By removing much of the traditional comforts and conventions seen in other open worlds, Death Stranding feels more thought-provoking and engaging on a psychological level. There's no rushing between locations or constantly engaging with people, only slow walks across the landscape that require patience and determination above all else.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
The Freedom To Explore
- Pace is completely dictated by the player.
- Minimal guidance or UI to interfere with the experience.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in a very similar situation to RDR2, where, after playing it, many players say that they will never find another game quite like it. This is due to the absurd amount of freedom and joy that comes from just exploring the world and finding new things, all without the pressure to follow constant markers or questlines from point A to B.
The world trusts that the player will see something interesting in the distance and want to explore it, which isn't dissimilar to the loop Rockstar attempts to create, except in Hyrule, not even the sky is the limit. Even faraway locations and high peaks are accessible should the player want to reach them.
Elden Ring
Changing The Entire Genre
- The world's depth is slowly revealed over time.
- More mechanically demanding gameplay than most open-world games.
Elden Ring really is in a league of its own, both in the open-world genre and the wider gaming space. The combat is stellar, the world-building is exceptional, and virtually every other aspect imaginable is about as good as it gets, setting a new bar that may never be cleared by another game.
Even after investing hundreds of hours in the game, players will still find new things and make new discoveries that can completely change how they view the world around them. It might not have the same narrative intensity as RDR2, but on the exploration and mechanical side of things, Elden Ring is easily a cut above.
Outer Wilds
Knowledge And Puzzles Intertwined
- No traditional objectives.
- The narrative unfolds in a non-linear fashion.
Outer Wilds is an incredibly unique open-world game that doesn't rely on flashy mechanics or an engaging cast of characters. Instead, it focuses on meaningful exploration that feels genuinely rewarding from start to finish. Players have one goal in mind, yet are given no guidance on how to complete it, forcing them to search, learn, and understand their surroundings on a much deeper level.
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There are no crazy shootouts or long narrative quests that take players across the landscape, only a quiet mystery just waiting to be solved. For players who feel burned out by the open-world genre, Outer Wilds is the perfect way to re-ignite some of that joy, in a way that is entirely different from virtually every other game in the genre.
No Man's Sky
The Universe Is Yours To See
- Self-directed exploration is the core of the experience.
- No narrative constraints to hold you back.
No Man's Sky is a childhood dream brought to life, gifting players with a virtually infinite universe that they are free to explore however they choose. Going from running around on foot to flying around a galaxy in seconds is a truly unmatched experience, and it's something that RDR2 just can't compete with.
There isn't a huge amount of hand-holding or any pushes in one specific direction, which makes every journey feel more personal, as all the discoveries made are the player's to own and appreciate. It's easy to feel empty after experiencing Arthur's heartbreaking story, so players might rekindle their love for open-world games by writing a story of their own.
Horizon Forbidden West
Riding Into The Future
- Set in a futuristic world that is still deeply emotional.
- Machines interact dynamically with the world.
Horizon Forbidden West sends players to a lush open world layered with ecological detail perfectly interwoven with the mechanical titans that roam the land. The game really shines in how organic every encounter feels, and environmental context plays a big role in dictating how fights unfold and where players can venture next.
Much like Red Dead Redemption 2, much of the side content reinforces the main path rather than distracting from it, creating a sense of cohesion that ensures every activity feels equally important. The world feels lived-in, and rather than experiencing a set of disconnected events, players will always feel as though their journey has meaning, no matter how far into the story they progress.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Web-Swinging Never Gets Old
- Satisfying vertical movement and face-paced traversal.
- High-intensity combat that evolves with progression.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 avoids open-world fatigue by making movement the primary source of fun. Swinging through a gorgeously-realized New York City doesn't come in moments of downtime but stands alongside the actual interactions with the story, transforming the environment into an interactive playground.
There are very few moments of filler, and many of the sections in between quests are among the most memorable. The world itself is engaging enough for players to want to exist within it. In a lot of ways, it provides a fantasy that many have, similar to the cowboy journey in RDR2, only in this case, all the confines of reality are thrown out the window in place of pure superhero excitement.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
Saving Pandora Piece By Piece
- Landmark-based exploration.
- A living world that reacts to the player's actions.
As far as world-building goes, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is pretty hard to compete with, as players are free to explore the beautiful world of Pandora in all its glory. RDR2 hits the grounded realism aspects pretty well, but here, all limitations are removed. Players can soar into the clouds and leap across trees, with virtually nothing standing in their way.
The game captures a very specific kind of childhood wonder stemming from the desire to explore an alien world up close and personal. Without ever forcing players to travel one specific path, Frontiers of Pandora gives them all the tools they need to become a true Na'Vi warrior fit for the big screen, fully immersing them in one of fiction's most breathtaking worlds.
Dying Light: The Beast
Rooftop Hopping And Zombie Slicing
- Parkour systems offer huge movement potential.
- Danger ebbs and flows with time.
Dying Light: The Beast replaces passive exploration with constant physical engagement. Parkour transforms rooftops into modes of transportation, letting players move around the world with a level of freedom that doesn't really exist in other, more grounded open-world games.
Also, because of the day-night cycle, the world feels incredibly volatile, transitioning between a state of calm and danger in a matter of moments. There isn't much of a focus on deep emotional connections; rather, the game puts all of its attention on visceral gameplay and satisfying combat, two things that virtually any player will find some amount of fun in.
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