Summary
- Rockstar mastered open-world gaming with GTA 5, offering fans an incredibly detailed experience.
- Insomniac continues the trend with Marvel's Spider-Man 2, featuring unique animations and fun secrets.
- The Witcher 3 amazes with beautiful locations full of hidden details, showcasing CD Projekt Red's attention to detail.
Open-world gaming has been the rage for quite some time now. With game development becoming more and more expensive over time, it's easy to see why the most cutting-edge open-world games around are jam-packed with so much detail.
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Whether it be in the environment, storytelling, or anything else along the journey, it's easy to see why some fans love the incredible level of detail in these open-world games. It gives them a reason to spend more hours in these games and be wowed by what's on offer.
Grand Theft Auto 5
Rockstar's Patented Attention to Detail Shines in this Game
Grand Theft Auto 5
- Released
- September 17, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Rockstar is the king of the open-world genre, with their work on the Grand Theft Auto series cementing the modern sandbox formula that every other developer has tried to emulate. Grand Theft Auto 5 perfects this formula and is full of so much detail that it'll blow fans' minds.
From UFO crashes to hints pointing to the Infinity Killer, there are many details in the open world that keen-eyed fans should be searching for. This, coupled with the intense care that has gone into the game's physics, action, and environments, makes it clear why this game is brimming with so many tantalizing details.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
From Unique Animations for Zipping Through Fire Escapes to Fun Secrets in the World, There's No Shortage of Fascinating Details
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Released
- October 20, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Insomniac Games
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Insomniac has proven time and time again why they were the perfect developer for a modern Spider-Man game. From the moment players saw the unique animations for Spider-Man whenever he interacted with a fire escape — and the passionate explanation of the developers for adding this — it became infinitely clear that Insomniac's attention to detail was a high priority.
Some standout details include how the Spider-Verse outfits boast a lower FPS, thugs who get knocked off ledges are webbed to safety so that they don't die, and the world is full of fun Easter eggs to find that reference various other Marvel properties. All of this combines to ensure that players will have a blast with Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and any of the other games Insomniac has developed.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
A Generational Open-World RPG Brimming With Fun Details
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
While Bethesda was always on the map, there's no denying that Skyrim went a long way in ensuring that the company would remain in the gaming pop culture zeitgeist for decades to come. The game is just brimming with a ton of love and handcrafted brilliance that is missing in most of their modern releases.
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It helped that the notable locations in Skyrim were jam-packed with a ton of details to flesh out the game's environmental storytelling. From unique secrets to fun encounters scattered across a vast map full of interesting landmarks, it's easy to see why the attention to detail in Skyrim elevates its exploration considerably.
Yakuza 0
The Recreation of Real-Life Japanese Districts is Incredibly Detailed
Yakuza 0
- Released
- January 24, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Sega
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
All the Yakuza games can technically qualify for this list, given how detailed their environments are. Fans will eventually realize that the locations in these games are almost picture-perfect recreations of real-life districts in popular Japanese cities.
In Yakuza 0, Sotenbori is based on the Dotonbori district in Osaka, while Kamurocho is a faithful depiction of Kabukicho, an infamous red-light district in Tokyo. The sheer amount of detail present in these locations shows the expertise of the designers in RGG Studio, who did a great job of molding the look of both virtual districts to their real-life counterparts.
Fallout: New Vegas
The Role-Playing in This Game is So Detailed that it Takes the Smallest Actions into Account
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
Fallout: New Vegas is celebrated by many fans as the perfect mix of old and new Fallout. It contains the amazing open-world design of the Bethesda Fallout games while embodying the excellent role-playing choices from Interplay's groundbreaking titles.
As a result, the detail present in the role-playing mechanics of Fallout: New Vegas will hammer home just how incredible its gameplay is. Meanwhile, areas like Vault 11 make it clear that even the game's optional locations are positively brimming with detail.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Many Beautiful Locations in this Open World Are Brimming With Fun Details to Find
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Publisher(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
CD Projekt Red went all out in the development of a great open world in The Witcher 3. Each and every location in the game is beautiful to explore and brimming with detail that only players with a keen eye can spot.
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Open-world sci-fi games can be difficult to get right due to just how vast they can be, but these games manage to nail it.
Players can find a dead "Tyrion" in a crude rendition of the Sky Cells in Skellige, discover a Monty Python tribute featuring the infamous killer rabbit from The Holy Grail, discover a note that is clearly a reference to Breaking Bad, and find several other hidden details in the game. This is on top of the fantastic attention to visual and gameplay detail already present in the game, which do a great job of breathing life into Geralt's open-world adventures.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar's Greatest Game With a Ton of Details for Players to Uncover
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Many people consider Red Dead Redemption 2 to be Rockstar's magnum opus, and understandably so. The beautiful open world and incredible story are two of the game's biggest strengths.
Along with this, players love the incredible attention to detail in the game that manifests in many forms. The unique encounters scattered across the game, a cheeky nod to the Manimal glitch from the first Red Dead Redemption, and even the realistic horse poop can go a long way in enhancing a player's immersion.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Game's Intricate Systems Feed into Each Other Beautifully
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U, Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
One of the many things that wowed players about Breath of the Wild was how the game paid attention to the simplest details. Enemies seemed like they had lives of their own that Link could interrupt, and players could manipulate the game's robust physics engine to either set up cool traps or aid their exploration.
Various notes in Hyrule Castle show a side of Link before the Calamity; Link can get sunburn from staying in the heat for too long; and the ruined structure near decayed Guardians shows them looking at the site of said destruction, making it clear that they were responsible for blowing things up. These details, among countless more scattered across the ruined world, make it clear why Breath of the Wild's attention to detail is so legendary.
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