Summary
- The best games set in Asia offer players the freedom to explore various countries, providing an immersive experience that highlights Asian culture and traditions.
- Games like Far Cry 4, Shenmue, and Ghost of Tsushima provide players with unique and captivating locations in Asia, showcasing beautiful landscapes, rich history, and immersive storytelling.
As the largest continent in the world, it’s no surprise that some of the best games on the market allow players to explore Asia. Through these games, developers have ensured that Asian culture, traditions, and environments are accessible and understood by the players who check out their games. The best games set in Asia provide players with a level of freedom and fun to explore a variety of different countries.
There are some great locations to explore in the best games that let players explore Asia. No matter the country bound to the game, the visuals and the gameplay are an exciting blend that will make players want to come back for more, even if it’s just to enjoy the immersion.
8 Sleeping Dogs
Explore a grizzly side of Hong Kong in Sleeping Dogs. This game has players take on the role of an undercover police officer, hiding among the worst and most brutal criminals of Hong Kong to infiltrate their trust and destroy their schemes and organizations without blowing their cover in this violent, neon city that never sleeps.
With fast cars, brutal combat, and a corrupt city, Sleeping Dog s' depiction of Hong Kong feels alive and exciting, and players can enjoy exploring through the various districts for this crime-thriller experience; including the numerous and bizarre DLCs.
7 Yakuza: Like A Dragon
The Yakuza series takes on a bold new direction with Like A Dragon. No longer will players be running around as the iconic Kazuma Kiryu, or enjoying the button-mashing combat of fisticuffs. Instead, Yakuza: Like a Dragon features a new protagonist as well as a turn-based combat style. Yet, this new introduction of Ichiban Kasuga and combat only leads to more fun and wild antics in modern-day Japan.
For the first time in the series, Tokyo and Kamurocho aren’t the feature, and players will explore Yokohama. This bustling city has plenty of life in both its underworld and its streets, filled with the iconic and bizarre characters one would expect from Yakuza games.
6 Far Cry 4
Kyrat, a fictional country, in Far Cry 4, lies deep within the intimidating heights of the Himalayas. Inside, players will find a country filled with a beautiful culture and tradition, but at the same time, one steeped in violence in a seemingly never-ending conflict between the tyrannical rule of Pagan Min and its freedom fighters.
The locations in Far Cry 4 are beautiful, filled with wonder and desperately dangerous wildlife. Not only can players find excitement within the narrative, but the locations truly make Far Cry 4 one of the most unique and loving locations of the entire series.
5 Shenmue
Ryo Hazuki seeks information and revenge surrounding the death of his father in Shenmue. Although this game, and its series, are not for everyone, Shenmue is still a beautiful game for those who wish to experience Japanese culture. There’s a lot of depth in Shenmue, from its minigames, worlds, and NPCs, all of which, add to layers of immersion to explore Japan.
There is a lot to do in Shenmue and a seemingly never-ending tale of adventure and mini-games. It’s a unique title that isn’t for everyone, and although outdated in gameplay, it still offers itself as a relic of video game culture worthy of exploring.
4 Nioh
Nioh takes place in the age of samurai, in which a lone traveler finds himself lost on the shores of Japan. Nioh is brutal, filled with violent enemies of all manners of the supernatural variety. Players will explore wild lands, filled with unimaginable beauty, violence, and misery as they attempt to fight their way to the answers that they seek.
Nioh gives players the ability to create their protagonist and to build their own story as they fight their way through this riveting Soulslike. However, players might need to be brave and skilled enough to take on the Yokai threats of this ancient and fictional Japan.
3 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
On the topic of Soulslike, another great game that allows players to explore Asia is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a more unique Soulslike from the very creators themselves, FromSoftware. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice also takes place in a fictional Japan with real-life inspiration from centuries ago. As a fallen one-armed wolf, players must take on the role of an undying warrior as they attempt to save their young lord and kill anyone or anything that gets in the way.
Despite Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice priding itself on its difficulty, and its immense parrying mechanics, the game deserves the utmost credit for the world that it has built. The locations in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are beautiful, captivating, and filled with monsters in need of murder.
2 Jade Empire
One of BioWare’s more forgotten games, Jade Empire still holds up as a classic for multiple reasons. Not only will players assume the role of a martial arts master, but their decisions and morality can directly influence the fate of the Jade Empire, in which they could be responsible for the thriving beauty of the land, or its total destruction. Choice and combat play a key part in Jade Empire.
Jade Empire may be a tad outdated with its combat systems, but it’s still a fun one that players want to see return in some capacity. Jade Empire also features a nice depiction steeped in culture and narrative that players can explore.
1 Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima is a love letter to Japan and the island of Tsushima. Players will take on the role of Jin Sakai, a rising samurai who has seen his lands and his people invaded and ravished by Mongol invaders. There is a moral dilemma with Jin, as he tries to take back his homeland through any means, even if that means disavowing the honorable ways of the noble samurai for the stealthy arts of assassination and hiding in the shadows.
The beautifully crafted and tragic story aside, Ghost of Tsushima is a beauty on nearly every front thanks to its exploration of feudal Japan. The lands are filled with mystique and beauty, making Ghost of Tsushima not only a must-play open-world game, but one of the best games to explore Japan and its culture.