Summary
- Open-world games require intense exploration with elements of danger and intrigue.
- Cyberpunk 2077 immerses players in the risky, futuristic world of Night City.
- Dragon's Dogma 2 offers a vast, mystical world filled with dangerous creatures and epic adventures.
Open-world games are some of the most enormous gaming creations brought to life by talented developers who meticulously craft every environment to feel immersive and responsive. Open-world games can be some of the most successful or the most risky endeavors in gaming, and not all of them land on their feet. It takes painstaking effort to create a world that gamers will respond to and enjoy.
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One of the key aspects of open-world games is exploration. As players navigate the world, they must have a sense of urgency that danger could be around every corner. An open world must be a perfect storm of intrigue, rewards, and peril. Here are some of t he best open-world games where exploration feels intense.
8 Cyberpunk 2077
Night City Is Not To Be Trifled With
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Cyberpunk 2077 is a vast, futuristic open-world game where players drop into the hellish climate of Night City. Within the city-state borders, all bets are off as the world revolves around eddies, and everyone will do whatever they can to get them.
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Night City is teeming with intriguing locations, hidden treasures, and compelling narrative elements. However, it is also home to some of the most dangerous individuals in the world, like Cyberpsychos, gangs, cops, and netrunners. Players will have to keep their iron at the ready when exploring even the far borders of Night City, as one wrong step could lead to a gunfight.
7 Dragon's Dogma 2
A Mystical World Filled With Fantastical Wildlife
Dragon's Dogma 2
- Released
- March 22, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
The Dragon's Dogma franchise is one of the most innovative game series due to its unique combat and setting. Players take the role of an Arisen, a mystical being tangled up in fate after having their heart stolen by a dragon. In Dragon's Dogma 2, players go on an expansive and evolving journey across multiple nations.
The distance between the beginning and the end of the game is filled with some of the most mystical creatures in fantasy, and players must be ready for them all. Griffons, Dragons, and Trolls are all formidable monsters that players must overcome, and the difference in danger posed by the world between daytime and nighttime is significant enough that players need to prepare if they plan to be out after dark.
6 Days Gone
Survive A Cross-Country Zombie Road Trip
Days Gone
- Released
- April 26, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action, Adventure
Days Gone takes the best of the zombie apocalypse and dials it up to eleven with a truly visceral and chaotic open-world game that provides one of the best horde experiences in gaming. Players must traverse the state of Oregon, which is now plagued by millions of undead monsters who want to rip the flesh from their bones.
Days Gone offers an immersive experience where players must maintain the upkeep of their motorcycle, be wary of hordes that migrate and nest, and fend off raiders while trying to reach Deacon St. John's family. The tension in Days Gone is palpable when every moment could be the last.
5 Subnautica
Dive Into The Unknown Depths Of Another World
Subnautica
- Released
- January 23, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Subnautica is a sci-fi survival game that puts players on an aquatic open world where they must explore to survive. After crash landing on a foreign planet known as 4546B, players are charged with repairing their ship, gathering resources, and solving the mystery of the planet and what lies beneath the waves.
Subnautica's depths are filled with interesting and deadly secrets. With limited options, players must explore the deepest parts of the planet and come in contact with rare materials and dormant sea leviathans. Playing hesitantly is a must; players have no control underwater and must always plan ahead.
4 Death Stranding
Being A Courier Is The Most Dangerous Job During An Apocalypse
Death Stranding
- Released
- November 8, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Action
Hideo Kojima is the mind behind Death Stranding, a culmination of genres such as mystery, fantasy, horror, and science fiction, all wrapped into one exploratory experience. In Death Stranding, players take control of Sam Bridges, who must traverse the hellish landscape of post-apocalyptic United States, delivering essential cargo and trying to survive in the process.
The world of Death Stranding is filled with bizarre and deadly occurrences that players must encounter and endure. There is rain that ages anyone it touches, and violent specters called "BTs" that erupt from another world.
3 Far Cry 3
A Tourist Enters A Violent Fight For Survival
Far Cry 3
- Released
- November 29, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Open-World
Far Cry 3 is widely considered the best of the Far Cry franchise and one of the best games of all time, both narratively and gameplay-wise. Players follow Jason Brody, an unsuspecting civilian on his way to a tropical vacation, when his plane crash-lands on a lawless island ruled by fear, drugs, and war.
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Jason and his friends become captives to a local warlord named Vas, and while Jason escapes, he refuses to leave his friends to their fates. The environment of Far Cry 3 is a tropical warzone that players must traverse as prey while learning to become the predator. Rook Island is filled with pirates, deadly wildlife, and dangerous terrain that are obstacles players have to deal with to progress through the game.
2 Ghost Of Tsushima
A Lone Wolf Must End One Of The Most Violent Wars In History
Ghost of Tsushima
- Released
- July 17, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
The Mongol invasion is a permanent mark on the world, known as one of the greatest losses of life in history. In Ghost of Tsushima, players experience the conflict firsthand as Jin Sakai, a fallen samurai who embarks on a mission of vengeance for the slaughter of his people and the destruction of his home and culture.
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Players can freely explore the island of Tsushima while facing hordes of Mongol raiders who have taken a foothold from village to village. Players must battle numerous patrols, warbands, and even entire strongholds to liberate Japan, acquire more powerful tools, and advance through the game's story.
1 Elden Ring
A Dark Fantasy World Filled With Unspeakable Horrors
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Soulslike games have taken over gaming, with the most significant outcome being Elden Ring. Elden Ring is a game that blew away all expectations and delivered one of the greatest games ever developed by FromSoftware. In a truly massive world that feels alive with every step, players must take on the monsters and mysteries of The Lands Between and rise up to take the throne of Elden Lord, or tear everything down and watch it all burn.
Elden Ring features multiple territories, both above and below ground, populated with a wide range of violent enemies, treacherous climates, and supernatural disasters. Players will have to combat dragons, giants, scarlet rot, and phantasmal killers in just the opening sections of the game alone, and things don't get any easier from there.
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