Open-world games have been around for a long time, although they used to be more of an exception, something grandiose. In the last decade, the situation with open-world titles has changed significantly — developers have at their disposal enough tools and platform power for the regular release of such games, which is constantly expanding and improving.
In such projects, there is everything: the plot, quests, missions, tests, but at the same time, players have the right to choose the pace of passage that suits them. The best games offer gamers to go their own way, but at the same time wrap everything in an interesting "wrapper" — from fantasy kingdoms and simulated galaxies to modern cities and post-apocalyptic wastelands.
Let's remember together what are the most grandiose open-world games we can play now.
Red Dead Redemption 2
24 best open world games
Perhaps it is Rockstar that has invested more effort and resources in open-world games than anyone else. Finally, the sequel to their western got to the PC and now you don't need a console to play Red Dead Redemption 2. The story of the franchise tells about the time when the internal borders of America gradually began to fade. RDR2 is full of details and overflowing with numerous little things: the corpses of animals remain in place and gradually decompose, Arthur Morgan comments on almost any place visited and characters encountered, and random events create a sense of a truly living world.
All this is written into an excellent story that will take you as long as watching the entire series "Deadwood". And this is only if you are in a bit of a hurry. And to top it all off, you can interact with other players through Red Dead Online.
Today, RDR2 is also one of the most beautiful games available on the PC. With numerous mods, the project will remain popular for a long time.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
24 best open world games
As much as many people hate Ubisoft for its attitude to the development of its franchises, it is worth recognizing that Assassin's Creed Odyssey was a breakthrough. This game almost completely changed the familiar series, turning into a full-fledged RPG. At the same time, we were given access to a vast, detailed open world, full of beautiful landscapes and "diverse" tasks.
Usually the size doesn't matter, but the huge scale of Ancient Greece in Odyssey benefits [the game]. Especially because every area seems so clear and detailed. It's a vast world to explore, and each zone has a subtle aesthetic that makes it unique-from the arid and barren lands of Crete to the green plains of Arcadia. This is not only the biggest, but also the most beautiful Ubisoft game.
Stephen Messner, PCGamer
Subnautica
24 best open world games
The large underwater world of Subnautica and a variety of biomes have provided one of the most vibrant, gorgeous and intimidating open worlds for the PC.
The simulation of the world is quite superficial, but the main awards Subnautica collected for the way it creates the illusion of an ecosystem. Large fish eat small fish, and their physical and behavioral characteristics depend on the area in which you meet these animals. Against the background of the dark depths of the ocean, they look quite impressive.
Between all these studies, different stories happen to you by the will of natural curiosity. Let's not go into too much detail, because it might just ruin an excellent sci-fi mystery.
GTA 5
24 best open world games
Another result of the work of Rockstar Games. The developers managed to create a kind of fake based on the real world. So stunning are the details in the atmosphere and the details that this place can actually seem even better than the reality. Los Santos is an elaborate approach that Rockstar used for Liberty City in GTA 4, and then brought to the scale of the San Andreas release year. As a result, we got an almost perfect open world, which, perhaps, can only be surpassed by Rockstar itself.
Between the powerful GTA 5 campaign with multiple main characters and the crazy GTA Online playground, you will have hundreds of hours of chases and shootouts on land, in the air and in the water. And for GTA 5, there are just a huge number of mods for PC players.
Assassin's Creed Origins
24 best open world games
The world of Origins is one of the best in the entire series. It's also one of the most beautiful locations in any open-world game.
After about 35 hours to complete the main story, many players will not have time to visit even certain areas of the map.
On their own, players can find entire quest chains, characters, and communities that they didn't know existed by focusing on the story.
Assassin's Creed: Origins proves that Ubisoft is able to revive interest in the already tired series thanks to the artistic performance. At the same time, it is not necessary to create something new. Ancient Egypt is just a great place, and you can also study it without any murders in the educational and tourist mode.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
24 best open world games
Whatever you say, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a simulator of immersion in an open role-playing world, whose ambitions are ahead of its problems (most of the time). Not only does a small piece of medieval Bohemia look great, but it's also a complex (and only superficially historical) life — and-death simulator.
The details of the simulation are almost absurd: this is the depth that many studios simply would not touch even a three-meter peak. However, Kingdom Come holds all the elements together quite well. You control a vulnerable, naive and unremarkable guy. Problems are piled on his shoulders, and around every corner this attractive and clumsy character is waiting for a simple world filled with secrets and danger — what we expect from adventurous adventures in the open world.
Forza Horizon 3
24 best open world games
Forza Horizon 3 is not just another racing arcade game. This is a huge, vast and beautiful sandbox, full of city streets, beaches, dense forests and deserts, representing a significantly reduced copy of the Australian expanses. The vast and varied terrain provides many opportunities: racing, testing, jumping, hunting for collectibles, not to mention hundreds of cars.
Forza Horizon 3 is the best of the excellent series in terms of size, depth, variety, and entertainment.
S. T. A. L. K. E. R.: The Shadow of Chernobyl
24 best open world games
The open world of "Stalker" is your enemy. Areas with radiation, anomalies and radioactive storms can finish off the hero in a matter of minutes. Any building can hide bandits or terrible, mutated creatures. Ammunition and armor are scarce, and you are lost in a desolate, joyless, and truly alienated place. However, many people who consider themselves stalkers know that the Zone has its own charm. Only here you can explore many abandoned factories, factories, high-rise buildings.
Hold on for a few minutes and soon this lifeless silence will become beautiful.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
24 best open-world games
"The Witcher 3" is an outstanding technological achievement that has become the leader of a new wave of open-world games, in which the full power of modern gaming systems is used to create a detailed and large-scale project. The swamps of Velen are a sullen aperitif that precedes the hustle and bustle of Novigrad and the vast forests of the northern part of Skellige (one of the game's most beautiful locations).
You can spend hours sailing around these islands, bumping into quests, breaking curses, killing monsters, and playing Gwint with the noisy townspeople. Cities in The Witcher 3 are noisy places where life is in full swing. And many cities of other open worlds will seem to you simply lifeless.
It's nice to just choose a direction and move in it on foot.
Elite: Dangerous
24 best open world games
Not many open-world games are really as open and large-scale as in the case of Elite: Dangerous. As you fly your spaceship through the Milky Way simulation, you can fight pirates (or become a pirate yourself), mine asteroids, transport and sell goods, or simply explore uncharted stars, planets, and systems. Whether you choose to play alone or join an online galaxy, you are sure to find new adventures among the many star systems.
You may even encounter aliens!
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
24 best open world games
Black Flag offers one of the most exciting adventures since the release of the second
Metal Gear Solid 5
24 best open world games
Metal Gear Solid 5 turns into an open-world game only after you stop using a helicopter to complete each task, and instead make your way through any of the two vast territories (Afghanistan and the borders of Angola and Zaire), completing side missions. Kojima's stealth action encourages true freedom, while properly rewarding the gamer and the progress system.
You start by killing enemies with a headshot from a regular pistol, and end up attracting enemies with a magical robotic arm, attaching tanks to balloons, and triggering airstrikes on bears.
Starbound
24 best open world games
In a charming two-dimensional pixel universe, Starbound combines everything you need: quests, battles, boss battles, exploration, survival, resource extraction, crafting, construction and interplanetary space travel. The sandbox will appeal to everyone who likes to explore the surfaces of planets, explore new star systems and build small cities, populating them with friendly NPCs.
Just Cause 2
24 best open world games
From the whole list, perhaps, this is the least deep open world, while at the same time inspiring incredible, crazy, absurd adventures. Rarely does such a vast and beautiful open world feel like a playground, and the hero has a grappling hook and endless parachutes to quickly navigate through the lush tropical world. Your boots will barely touch the ground before you want to take to the air again, moving from place to place, wreaking havoc and destruction.
The world of subsequent Just Cause may have gotten bigger, but it remains the best in the second part.
Mad Max
24 best open world games
There is a certain grim beauty in a ruined and decaying world. This also applies to the horror-filled wastelands of Mad Max. A dangerous and atmospheric place to explore, including ruined industrial landscapes, desert areas, and lakes of toxic silt. In addition, you can travel through all this chaos in a car covered with spikes. On it, you can also fight with tramps and other crazy lovers of high speeds. Alas, gradually Mad Max begins to repeat itself.
You lose interest when you have to get out of the car again and again to fight the bad guys. However, the open world of the game will provide you with several hours of high-octane fun.
Saints Row 4
24 best open world games
A delightful parody of video games. Don't be intimidated by the slightly boring city from Saints Row 4. Abilities such as superhuman speed, Hulk jumps, and a number of comedic weapons and techniques from wrestling are the closest PC game to having so much in common with Crackdown. However, it is even better, because there is much more humor here. The game also features an inflato beam that inflates enemies until they burst, and a dubstep cannon that fires in different modes depending on the suit.
Westerado: Double Barreled
24 best open world games
Appearances can be deceptive. Westerado is an open-world action game that offers more freedom than many games. The story is simple: you are looking for a desperate villain who killed your family, but the identity of the criminal changes every time. As you explore the dusty world of the Wild West and search for your target, you can go wherever you want and do whatever you want, including accusing anyone of murder.
You can even draw your weapon and shoot any NPC, even in the middle of a conversation. Be a hero or a scoundrel. Or someone else. The choice is entirely yours.
Fallout 4
24 best open world games
The drab post-apocalyptic wasteland should be boring, but the decades Bethesda spent perfecting the open-world formula paid off in Fallout 4. While not as impressive as its predecessors, it has become a battleground where feuding NPCs sort things out. The defenders of Diamond City fight on the outskirts of the city, while mad raiders and wild animals attack everything that seems edible. With the exception of Minecraft, this is the only game on the list that gives gamers little control over the landscape.
Free up settlements to turn them into your own possessions, rebuilding luxurious cities and installing a system of water pipes and towers that will protect you from scavengers. And since the game is based on the updated Creation engine, which was used in Skyrim and Oblivion, this is a real paradise for modders.
Dwarf Fortress
24 best open world games
If you learn how to play it, then Dwarf Fortress will be the best game ever made. Like Minecraft, here you can create an entire planet in a matter of minutes. Next, you need to use erosion systems to build realistic river routes or geology to distribute the ore in the depths. You can also interact with people by creating heroes, wars, and religious beliefs. Sometimes (often) in the process of creating a world, a society can perish. And instead, in the role-playing game mode, you will encounter abandoned halls and ruins. The ASCII interface helps a bit, and it's best used with auxiliaries.
This is the most advanced open-world generator available, and the game is still being improved through various updates that add new features and behavioral tweaks. At the same time, a full-fledged visual interface is already in development and the game will be available on Steam.
Sunless Sea
24 best open world games
It's easy to equate playing in the open world with absolute freedom and carefree fun. Intriguing in its narrative and complex (and sometimes violent) gameplay leads to a lesson in humility and personality formation, which is not often found in games from this list. If you do not like to read a lot, then Sunless Sea is unlikely to please you. However, in this game, along with its underwater addition, there is always something attractive, forcing you to plunge back into the dark, humorous and gloomy seascape.
Far Cry 4
24 best open world games
Starting with Far Cry 2, the series takes place in different parts of the world — from Africa to the tropics and the Himalayas. The setting, a systematic approach to action sequences and an interesting satellite system in Far Cry 2 created a real furor among critics. In Far Cry 4, stealth systems have been improved, co-op and impressive mountain landscapes have been added. With each addition, the series becomes more refined, even if we had to deal with numerous outposts. These are open challenges that allow us to improvise with the choice of weapons and approach to conquest. And the dynamic shootouts of Far Cry 4 have become one of the best for many.
Minecraft
24 best open world games
What if the open world doesn't just offer various challenges that you need to complete to survive, but serves as the basis for creating your own universe? For many years, various projects have tried to emulate Minecraft. For example, the developers of Terraria and Starbound did a good job, but Minecraft became a project that defined a generation and continues to grow with each new update. Here there was a place for the struggle for survival. However, this is primarily a construction game, and its tools have been used by many gamers to create unusual things. It's not just an open-world game. Minecraft is a cultural phenomenon.
Mount & Blade: Warband
24 best open world games
It may not be the most beautiful world, but Mount & Blade: Warband offers complete freedom of action, which makes up for the lack of production value. Navigate through a map dotted with medieval villages, towns, and castles, gather armies of allies (or go solo), fighting on foot or on horseback. Exciting and intense battles are waiting for you, in which you can really choose your own path. Complete quests, support any faction, become a ruler and get vassals. Or just wander around the world looking for trouble. You can expand the adventure through numerous mods.
Оригинал публикации: PCGamer
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