Summary

  • Open-world games need a distinctive edge to capture mainstream interest.
  • Best open-world games provide scary enemies to surprise and scare players.
  • These games feature terrifying monsters to add fear and intensity to gameplay.

Open-world games are tailored to appeal to the masses, boasting systems and gameplay that are meant to be easy for most players to get into. However, without a distinctive edge, games will fail to capture mainstream interest, especially given how populated this genre already is.

Some of the best open-world games know how to surprise fans with intermittent moments of horror, such as when they must take on a scary enemy that sends shivers down their spine. These monsters are horrifying to look at and make it harder for players to focus when they're busy getting scared by these nightmarish foes.

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8 Botchling

A Deformed Baby That Is Equal Parts Tragic And Nightmarish

witcher-season-2-botchling-1
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
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Released
May 19, 2015
Developer(s)
CD Projekt Red
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty

The Bloody Baron questline is one of the most compelling storytelling moments in The Witcher 3. It details the struggles of a popular figure who seems like a drunk wife-beater, only for the story to be more nuanced than players would assume. It turns out that this narrative involves a dead child whose spirit is still lingering around the Bloody Baron.

Witnessing this botchling in the flesh is an unnerving moment that hammers in the dark fantasy roots of The Witcher 3. While players can follow a ritual to let this spirit move on in peace, an aggressive Geralt can choose to take on this foe in a harrowing fight where players will be bombarded with wraiths.

7 Creeper

Silent, Explosive Enemies That Can Jumpscare Players

Minecraft Creeper stained glass
Minecraft
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Released
November 18, 2011
Developer(s)
Mojang
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty

Minecraft is one of the most popular open-world indie games of all time, with its procedural generation ensuring that players will have a unique experience with different seeds every single time. The game has its fair share of hostile enemies, but none of them are as terrifying as the Creeper.

This deceptively quiet foe sneaks up on players when they least expect it and explodes, causing a ton of damage. Even after players become Minecraft vets, a Creeper will never lose the ability to surprise players by appearing out of thin air.

6 Volatile

These Super-Charged Monsters Hunt Players Down At Night

The player fighting a Volatile in Dying Light
The player fighting a Volatile in Dying Light
Dying Light
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Released
January 27, 2015
Developer(s)
Techland
OpenCritic Rating
Fair

Volatiles are some of the scariest zombies in video gaming history. While Dying Light is relatively manageable as long as players don't let themselves be overwhelmed by waves of zombies, the script is completely flipped at night.

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Players must make their way to a safe house at night without being swarmed by Volatiles. These super-powered zombies are no joke, running at a frenetic pace and tearing Kyle Crane to shreds if he even looks at them wrong.

5 Freaker ​​​Horde

A Large Group Of Swarmers That Can Overwhelm Players

Screenshot of Deacon St. John running away from a zombie horde in Days Gone
Screenshot of Deacon St. John running away from a zombie horde in Days Gone
Days Gone
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Released
April 26, 2019
Developer(s)
Bend Studio
Platform(s)
PC, PlayStation 4
OpenCritic Rating
Fair

Days Gone is one of the most popular open-world zombie games, which slowly became popular after critics tore into it at launch. Despite some facets of its uninspired gameplay, Days Gone shows its strengths with Freaker Hordes that patrol the world and can be a downright nightmare to deal with.

Early on in the game, players are underpowered and don't have many ways of defending themselves against these overwhelming groups of swarmers. Things get even worse if a screamer spots the player, alerting the entire horde and dooming them unless they can escape this relentless wave of zombies.

4 Blind One

A Mutated Gorilla That Can Smash Players To Bits

A Blind One in Metro Exodus
Metro Exodus
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Released
February 15, 2019
Developer(s)
4A Games
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

The shift to an open-world environment was handled masterfully by Metro Exodus, combining this approach with a few linear levels that fans loved. This meant that the tense, high-difficulty gameplay could still scare the wits out of players, especially if they ran into the mutated monsters in this world.

The Blind Ones are some of the scariest enemies players can take on, especially since these enemies can brutalize players with a few hits in no time. If players don't want to be pummeled to death by these mutated gorillas, they should either sneak around these foes or come equipped with powerful weapons and enough ammunition to survive this harrowing encounter.

3 Pseudogiant

One Of The Most Intimidating Monsters In The Exclusion Zone

Stalker 2 Hardest Enemies Pseudogiant
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
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Released
November 20, 2024
Developer(s)
GSC Game World
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is full to the brim with many dreaded mutants that are present in almost every STALKER game. Heart of Chornobyl is no exception here, with players dreading any encounter against the ridiculously powerful pseudogiant.

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As the name suggests, these mutated monsters are massive and can crush enemies in no time. Staying out of their reach and using powerful weapons to pick them apart from a distance is imperative for players to survive these encounters.

2 Deathclaw

A Legendary Fallout Monster

A Deathclaw in Fallout 4
Fallout 4
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Released
November 10, 2015
Developer(s)
Bethesda
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty

The sight of a deathclaw in the Fallout universe will make players' blood run cold every time. These mutated monsters are no joke and will tear the player to shreds if they're at a low level and aren't equipped with the proper armor.

Even with Fallout 4 cheapening the player's first encounter against this imposing foe, taking on a deathclaw is anything but a straightforward experience. Watching these beasts lunge at players with their massive claws is horrifying every time.

1 Gleeok

The Sight Of This Dragon Sends Shivers Down A Player's Spine

link hits trick shot on gleeok
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
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Released
May 12, 2023
Developer(s)
Nintendo
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty

Tears of the Kingdom is a natural step forward for the formula introduced in Breath of the Wild, introducing many unique powers that players will love to control. Along with this, some classic enemies from the Zelda series appear in this open-world title, including the fearsome Gleeoks.

Watching these three-headed dragons flying in the distance is a terrifying sight that will force players to make a wide berth and avoid triggering this enemy's ire. Even if players muster the courage to take on this challenging foe, they may find themselves out of their depth as the Gleeok depletes their hearts in record time with a suite of powerful elemental attacks.

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