The open-world genre houses some of the most popular video games of all time. The allure of this genre is so massive that any half-decent game with a great open world is bound to be a success more often than not. Unfortunately, this has led to the unwanted situation of this genre being saturated with several mediocre games that are a pain to complete. As a result, most people have started rolling their eyes at the mention of the term “open-world.”
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That being said, there are still several amazing games out there that show just how impressive open worlds can be with the right design ethos. The following video games are especially notable in this regard, serving as a shining example to illustrate how impactful open-world games can really be.
10The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Breath of the Wildis considered by many to be one of the most important and revolutionary open worlds of all time. It was released during a time when open worlds in gaming had become downright boring, makingBreath of the Wildeven more of an impressive masterpiece.
The latest game in theZeldaseries brought back the sense of discovery and adventure that had been missing in open worlds for quite some time. Thetitle is a blast to play through, with its nonlinear approach being lauded by fans and critics alike.
9Assassin’s Creed 2
There was a time whenUbisoft’s name was held in high regard in the gaming landscape. This was around the same time whenthe revolutionaryAssassin’s Creed 2was launched.
While the firstAssassin’s Creedtitle definitely set the base for the series, its sequel improved upon all aspects of its gameplay in the best way possible. The end result is a brilliant title with an amazing sense of verticality that every other game in the series has adapted to this day.
8Grand Theft Auto 3
It was only a matter of time beforeGrand Theft Auto 3would make its way on this list. After all, this legendaryRockstartitle set the base for open-world gaming for the years to come.
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Grand Theft Auto 3’s world is a blast to explore and still holds up to this day. Even the much-derided release of theDefinitive Editionhas done nothing to take away fromthe immense quality of this game, the series' first 3D outing.
7The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Bethesda has released a bunch of iconic open-world games, but none of these titles hold the same allure asThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. The game was a major phenomenon upon release and catapulted Bethesda to the realm of superstardom.
The Creation Engine showed all of its strengths in thislandmark open-world title that people still love to exploredespite its growing age. It’s an amazing game that people still can’t enough of to this day.
6The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Geralt’s video game trilogy is nothing short of a narrative masterpiece. However, the final game in this series is especially notable for pushing the boundaries of open-world gaming to new heights.
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The Witcher 3: Wild Huntfeatures a massive open world that is filled to the brim with activities to perform and places to discover. Fans of great open-world titles will have a great time with this amazing game.
5Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
The idea of theMetal Gearseries going open-world was something that worried fans quite a bit. However, the release ofThe Phantom Painput an end to all these concerns.
Metal Gear’s amazing stealth and espionage gameplay merged perfectly with the amazing fidelity of its open world, making for a grand time as players completed missions and explored the depths of this visually impressive landscape. It’s a shame that this was Kojima’s last hurrah withMetal Gearbefore leavingKonamifor good.
4Shadow Of The Colossus
Shadow of the Colossusis easily one of the most unique games on this list. The world of this game is absolutely massive and beautiful, especially in the remake by Bluepoint Studios.
The game only featured a total of sixteen colossi to beat, but exploring the world to encounter these enemies was still a blast. In fact, given the story in the game, it makes sense as to why Wander would be riding across such vast yet beautiful landscapes in the game.
3Far Cry 3
Another amazing open-world game released during Ubisoft’s glory years was the amazingFar Cry 3. The game revamped the open-world nature of the title in the most memorable and exciting manner possible.
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The game also features one of the most iconic antagonists of all time in the form of Vaas. All in all,Far Cry 3is a game that fans of iconic games shouldn’t miss out on…even with the now-dated nature of its open-world design.
2Batman: Arkham City
Rocksteadydeveloped a trilogy of amazingArkhamgames that have stood the test of time to be one of the greatest trilogies of all time. Each game in the series marked a massive step ahead in terms of game development, with the franchise setting the bar for what superhero games are capable of.
Arkham Cityis a fan-favorite that most people rate as the best of the bunch. It wasthe firstBatmangame to dabble in an open worldand it did so in impressive fashion.
1The Sims 3
WhileThe Sims 4has certainly improved over time after its disastrous launch, there are still many fans of the series who don’t enjoy this game at all. There’s simply one reason for this — it’s not as impressive asThe Sims 3and its revolutionary open world.
It’s still surprising to this day as to whyThe Sims 4ditched the amazing open world of its predecessor. It was this creative inclusion to the series that made the games more dynamic and engaging than ever before, after all!
