Open-world games attract a huge following because of how immersive they can be. They can also be a great form of escapism that offers players a lot of opportunities to create and build worlds fashioned to their liking.
But of course, not all open-world games are created equal, which is why we’ve come up with a list of the top open-world games that will keep you entertained for the foreseeable future.
Grand Theft Auto 5
Released back in 2013, Grand Theft Auto 5 is an open-world game that is packed with action and adventure. As mentioned in our previous post Can I Run GTA 5? Minimum and Recommended PC Requirements, this game also offers a story mode that requires you to do missions and tasks and has an online add-on that allows you to try out different game modes with your friends.
Due to the game’s vast and beautiful open-world environment, engaging narrative and multiple sub-quests, GTA V remains one of the best-selling games with over 75 million sold copies.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
With tons of things to see and do and copious moments that feel immensely real, it’s no surprise that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is considered the epitome of truly wonderful open-world games. This game allows you to explore its breathtaking environment with lots of ways to survive.
The game allows each player to have a unique experience by offering different ways to accomplish the same objective.
Minecraft
One of the most popular sandbox-style games for kids and adults alike, Minecraft appears deceptively simple at first because everything is made of blocks. Through intuitive controls, kids of any age can learn how to pick up the basics of destroying and creating different types of blocks and arranging them into complex structures.
Aside from promoting creativity and inspiring confident exploration, a post by HP on great games for kids explains how this game can actually teach you the basics of coding and programming through its Hour of Code Tutorials. The widespread popularity of this open-world game led to multiple spin-offs such as Minecraft: Story Mode, Minecraft Dungeons and Minecraft Earth.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Deviating from the focus on the power struggle between the Assassins vs. Templar that is apparent in its predecessors, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag takes on a different route with its modern-day story and ship-based exploration of the seamless open-world map. The game follows the story of Edward Kenway, a rogue who stole the identity of a life-taker and is out to sail to the West Indies in search of vast fortunes.
With over 15 million copies sold since 2013, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag continues to receive praise for its numerous side-quests, improved naval combat, light-hearted pirate theme, engaging narrative and uniqueness from the other Assassin’s Creed games.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Nine years after its release, Skyrim continues to take the world by storm and entertain millions of gamers across the globe. As a testament to its popularity, the game has seen some form of port for all major platforms from the PlayStation 4 to the Nintendo Switch.
This action-filled role-playing game follows the story of the player’s character, the Dragonborn, whose quest is to defeat Alduin, the World Eater. This unique and diverse game gained critical acclaim for its impeccable character advancement and wonderful settings.
