There are a lot of games where players can have direct feedback on how the world will change around them. For example, when players get their island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it will be covered in weeds, rocks, stumps, and more. The more players clear the land, the more they can build and plant to make the island into a digital home away from home.
Open-World Games That Quietly Change While You’re Not Looking
Don’t look now, but your open-world game is shifting behind your back.
Life-sim games are great, but there are also games across a wide variety of genres that evolve without the help of players. They may have some input on how these worlds can change, but for the most part, the changes are also surprises. From NPCs moving around to buildings being erected to seasons changing, let’s take a look at some fine examples of games where the world changes when you have your back turned.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Seasons Passing
Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Released
- March 20, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
Assassin’s Creed Shadows cycles through all four seasons, and there is no set timer as to when things will change. Fast traveling and resting can progress the timer, and eventually, players can, to some extent, control how things unfold.
Territories can also shift depending on levels gained, meaning that areas can become easier or harder depending on how the game balances the enemies to match the player's level. Overall, this is a great ninja and samurai game set in a beautiful depiction of ancient Japan that is as fun to explore in each season as it is to slay enemies.
Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor
The Orc Hierarchy
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Released
- September 30, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor has the infamous Nemesis system, which allows each and every orc that players encounter to evolve depending on what happens to them in battle. For example, if players try to kill an orc with fire, but they survive and escape, they might return with burn marks and a fear of fire later on.
There is a constant shifting of the guard within the orc army as captains come and go, which is how the world changes the most. It’s an ingenious system, and it’s too bad that Warner Bros. Has the patent on it locked down, because the Nemesis system would work in so many other games.
Grand Theft Auto 3
Liberating Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto 3
- Released
- October 23, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto 3 represents the moment when the Grand Theft Auto series changed forever, but things still weren’t perfect. For example, while players were offered a big, 3D version of Liberty City to explore, not all of it was accessible from the start. There were blocked off areas, like bridges, that led to other parts of the region.
Open-world and sandbox games rarely have area gating now, but it was a different time on the PS2. Unlocking content was part of most games back in 2001. When the city is fully unlocked, that’s when players can cause some real chaos.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Elves Working Behind The Scenes
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Released
- June 26, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has a dynamic weather system between the Mexican and Australian regions of the map, like rain that can detonate packages and dust storms that can cut off visibility. Players can also change the open-world by building structures like shelters to rest in or setting up ladders to climb.
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The coolest thing about the game is how the world can change when players are away. They may end a session with a road or railway system unfinished, and when they load it up again, these structures can be completed. That’s because Death Stranding 2: On the Beach uses asynchronous multiplayer, connecting an unknown number of game files so that players can work together to help rebuild society.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Keeping Monsters On Their Toes
Monster Hunter Wilds
- Released
- February 28, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Monster Hunter Wilds starts players in one season, but then shifts to another season later in the game. It’s called the Season of Fallow and the Season of Plenty, which will change the weather patterns in each region and make different monsters come out. When launching a mission for solo play or a co-op session, players can eventually choose which season they want to be in.
The game is constantly playing itself, too, as two monsters can fight each other if players go out and explore. Also, players can set up tents around the world to create fast travel points, and if left unattended, monsters will destroy them and free up the environment once again.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
An Evolving Metroidvania
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Released
- September 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a fast-paced Metroidvania that opens up as players obtain more abilities and items. Unlike most Metroidvanias, where areas are basically wrapped up once players pass through once, Hollow Knight: Silksong can change in more subtle ways.
For example, returning to the starting village later on will start a whole new quest, and the area will be slightly altered. NPCs can move around, new buildings can be erected, and creatures can even shift positions in the world. It’s a dynamic setting full of secrets that fans keep uncovering, so who knows what they will find in a year or two.
Silent Hill f
Infecting Your Mind
Silent Hill f
- Released
- September 25, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Neobards Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Action
Players will start Silent Hill f in the town of Ebisugaoka, which is quiet and slightly fogged up, but nothing too wild is happening yet. After an incident, the town will start to be infected with these red, spooky flowers. The further players get, the more transformed Ebisugaoka will become, opening up some paths while closing others.
The heroine, Hinako, will also change without feedback from the player, as her clothes will tear during intense combat encounters with hideous monsters. Even though the game is missing its iconic location of Silent Hill, Ebisugaoka is a more dynamic town by far.
Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom
Leveling Up Without You
Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom
- Released
- March 23, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Level 5
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom is a game that incentivizes players to play through it over a long period of time. That’s because they can eventually start to build a new castle and a surrounding village to help gain traction in the war.
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By placing buildings and upgrading this area, players can unlock items and bonuses for their action RPG journey. Building things comes with a timer that runs down in real time, meaning that players could see the benefits of their town's growth if they come back six hours later, for example. It’s a cool system that more RPGs should try, knowing full well Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom is not the first to do so.
Chrono Trigger
Plant A Tree, Watch It Grow
Chrono Trigger
- Released
- March 11, 1995
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Chrono Trigger is a turn-based RPG where time travel seeps into the story and some gameplay elements. Most of the story beats will play out linearly, but there will be some side quests where players can take advantage of time to change the future.
For example, players can leave a party member, Robo, behind in the past to maintain the land, and since he is a robot, he will survive for centuries. When players return to the area in the present, they can revive Robo and see the fruits of his labor, as he will have cultivated the land. That’s only one example of how time can shape the world in both visible and invisible ways.
Final Fantasy 12
Hourly Evolution
Final Fantasy 12
- Released
- October 31, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Final Fantasy 12 is another game where the weather can affect the environment. The weather will progress at an hourly rate, which will just be minutes of in-game time. A plain that was once devoid of water can be filled during a rainy season, which will make aquatic monsters come out.
Since the major side quest of the game is bounty hunting rare monsters, players will have to make note of which seasons these monsters will appear in. For a PS2 game, it was more advanced than most, providing a surprising degree of environmental depth.
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