Summary
- Video games now offer immersive open worlds with historical significance and storytelling.
- Mafia: Definitive Edition, Red Dead Redemption 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance provide rich historical experiences.
- Games like Assassin's Creed Unity and Ghost of Tsushima explore iconic historical events in depth.
Video games have come a long way since the early days of slamming pixels against one another while trying to score a point. Video games have evolved wonderfully into spectacular, creative creations that bring entire worlds to life. The medium has combined excellent storytelling with enormous open worlds that entertain players for hundreds of hours.
A large portion of games even draw directly from history, immersing players in actual events from the past as they progress through treacherous worlds filled with danger and intrigue. Games that do this have more weight than most, as players often feel as if their impact on the game world matters. Here are some of the best open-world games with historical significance.
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7 Mafia: Definitive Edition
A Winding Plot Of Mob Life And Violent Crime
Mafia: Definitive Edition
- Released
- September 25, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
The Mafia series has garnered a dedicated fan base and provides a rich narrative experience of mob life as players progress through the story in a fictional time called New Haven. While the location of Mafia is fictional, the story takes place during the 1930s in America, during the height of the mafia's influence in the country and Prohibition.
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Mafia: Definitive Edition captures noir feeling perfectly and does an excellent job of telling a contained story while still offering a fair amount of freedom to the player, making it an unconventional open-world game.
6 Red Dead Redemption 2
A Hard Look At The Transition Of The American West
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
In the sequel to the first beloved game, Red Dead Redemption 2 offers a massive open-world environment set during the final years of the American Old West, where lawlessness and debauchery were at their peak. Players take control of Arthur Morgan in a bloody and violent trip through areas inspired by the Great Plains as an outlaw looking down at the end of a barrel. Red Dead Redemption 2 is packed full of significant historical events and cultures, such as the casting out of the outlaw and the post-Civil War tension that plagued the nation.
5 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
A Unique Environment That Explores The Kingdom Of Bohemia
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- Released
- February 13, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Warhorse Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
While the sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, is making the rounds and receiving worldwide praise, the previous game is just as celebrated and offers an incredible experience with a rich historical setting. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is set in the year 1403, following the fall of King Wenceslaus IV as he was stripped of his powers by the Roman Empire. The game is set in a realistic medieval world that incorporates pivotal historical events. The game world responds accordingly to those events, delivering them in a way that allows players to experience and educate themselves about the era.
4 Assassin's Creed Unity
Players Can Experience The French Revolution
Assassin's Creed Unity
- Released
- November 11, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
The Assassin's Creed franchise immerses itself in the history of the world as the player dives into the past to experience the lives of fictional historical figures who were vital to major events across history. Assassin's Creed Unity takes place in France and offers a beautifully rendered open-world map that allows players to explore the country from nearly border to border.
The crowded streets, civil unrest, and artistic architecture are seamlessly crafted, providing one of the best historical experiences in gaming. Players can experience firsthand the French Revolution, the violence that flooded the streets, and the triggers that toppled a dynasty and ended royal authority.
3 LA Noire
A Gritty, Crime-Ridden Narrative Set During The Aftermath Of World War II
LA Noire
- Released
- May 17, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
L.A. Noire is a much more grounded game compared to the others on the list. It portrays the dark and dangerous era of 1940s America, reeling after the events of World War II. The game lets players take control of Detective Cole Phelps, a no-nonsense everyman who takes on the volatile city of Los Angeles as the country tries to recover from the war, and certain people attempt to take advantage.
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The 1940s were a pivotal turning point in American history. L.A. Was a hot zone for some of the most violent and memorable crimes in society, such as the corruption of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Black Dahlia murder, making it the perfect setting for a game like this.
2 Ghost Of Tsushima
One Of The Largest Losses Of Life In Human History
Ghost of Tsushima
- Released
- July 17, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
Ghost of Tsushima was a breakout success for Sucker Punch Games, which delivered one of the most immersive open-world experiences of all time. The story revolves around a fallen ronin who takes a vow of vengeance after the Mongol invasion leaves his home in ruins, with its people slaughtered.
The Mongol invasion was a tragic conflict that equates to one of the most tremendous losses of human life in history. Ghost of Tsushima features a gorgeous open world that painted the tragedy and cruelty of the Mongols with precision, making the game world a truly harsh environment to traverse.
1 Assassin's Creed Shadows
A Mesmerizing Journey Across The Sengoku Period In Japan
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 is one of the most dominant RPG franchises in gaming, spanning three console generations since its initial release. In the fourteenth installment of the series, Assassin's Creed: Shadow, players take on feudal Japan and follow the game's dual protagonists as their stories intersect.
Naoe seeks revenge against the clan that slaughtered her family, while Yasuke attempts to serve Emperor Nobunaga admirably, even as he is pulled in multiple directions internally. Assassin's Creed: Shadow does an excellent job of portraying the conflict during the Warring States era and intertwines the fictional order of assassins with the actual events that led to Nobunaga's downfall.
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