Summary
- Open-world games combine environment, gameplay, and narrative for immersive experiences in RPGs.
- Combat in open-world games involves facing various types of enemies, ranging from minor to aggressive.
- Different open-world games offer unique enemy types, combat scenarios, and challenges for players.
Open-world games are some of the largest undertakings by game developers. They deliver entire worlds for players to explore. The open-world genre is a combination of environment, gameplay, and narrative that come together to create an immersive experience in a number of game genres, but primarily RPGs.
The core of any RPG is combat, and in an open-world game, all kinds of threats populate the massive sandbox that players have to navigate and overcome. Enemies can range from minor inconveniences to all-out aggressiveness, and make a game interesting or intense. With the wide variety of open-world games available, the enemy types and personalities can vary just as much.
7 Best Open World Games About A Virus Outbreak, Ranked
One experiment goes wrong, and the world pays the price!
8 Marvel's Spider-Man 2
A City Riddled With Common Thugs and Super Symbiotes
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Released
- October 20, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a fantastic sequel that joins both Peter Parker and Miles Morales in an epic mission to save New York City as countless threats break out within their city, seeking to destroy them. As players progress in the massive open world, new enemies will pop out, ranging from common hoodlums to an invasion of crazed alien symbiotes.
Best Semi-Open World Games
Semi-open world games are a middle ground between open-world and linear games, with multiple large maps that function as individual instances.
While Spidey and friends are safe as they swing through the air, touching the ground or roaming too close to enemy bases will spark intense combat. Enemies are incredibly hostile to both Spider-Men; common thugs will gang up on players and even call for backup. In comparison, symbiotes will swarm the player relentlessly, trying to overwhelm them with high-damage attacks and numbers.
7 Assassin's Creed: Shadows
Deadly Ninjas, Samurai Guards, And Assassins
Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Released
- March 20, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Assassin's Creed: Shadows is the most recent installment in the vast Assassin's Creed franchise, and takes the historical tale to the feudal age of Japan. Ubisoft has delivered a shocker of the year with a well-crafted story, well-tuned combat, and the classic parkour experience that many fans enjoy.
Assassin's Creed: Shadows follows Naoe and Yasuke, two playable characters set on different paths, whose stories become intertwined during the Sengoku period and the rule of Nobunaga. As treachery befalls the dynasty, Yasuke seeks to protect his master, and Naoe seeks revenge. They must cut through dozens of fierce warriors to accomplish their task. Enemies in Assassin's Creed: Shadows are extremely alert and will hold no quarter if either character is discovered. Even stealth attacks may fall through if an enemy is aware of a threat.
6 Ghost Of Tsushima
The Great Mongol Army Takes No Prisoners
Ghost of Tsushima
- Released
- July 17, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Ghost of Tsushima was an instant hit upon its release, dropping players into the massive continent of Japan during the Mongol invasion. Players step into the role of Jin Sakai, a defeated samurai on a mission to obtain justice or reap revenge. Players must cut a path through the occupied lands of Japan and weaken the hold that the Mongols have on the country. From raiding parties, to strongholds, to entire battalions, Jin must confront the threat head-on or use stealth and deception to save his loved ones and his home.
The various enemy types in Ghost of Tsushima will attack Jin on sight. Depending on the variation, players may be swarmed by a squad of soldiers or mercilessly hunted down by higher-ranked enemies. Some enemies will keep a distance to wait for an opening, while others will send flurries of arrows or strikes.
5 Far Cry 6
The Cartel's Most Lethal Gunman
Far Cry 6
- Released
- October 6, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
Far Cry 6 is yet another hard-hitting game in the franchise, with a dangerous setting and an even more menacing villain. Dani Rojas is the main protagonist of the story. She joins a militia to combat the growing military oppression in her homeland, which is overseen by the ruthless Anton Castillo, the Dictator of Yara.
In brutal and violent gameplay, players can charge into fights with guns blazing or stick to the shadows and cut enemies down without leaving a trace. The enormous open world is a Caribbean island that makes for a strong setting for the game's story. Enemies have a number of aggressive behaviors in Far Cry 6, from calling reinforcements to viciously hunting down the player. Even enemy respawns are incredibly aggressive, sending waves of enemies at the player endlessly.
4 Cyberpunk 2077
A Technological Nightmare Of Cyborgs And Assassins
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
CD Projekt Red delivered a masterpiece based on the tabletop RPG made by Mike Ponsmith with Cyberpunk 2077. The game is set in a not-so-distant future where cybernetic enhancements are the norm and the world has been forever changed by progress. Players take control of V, a mercenary trying to survive in a city designed to devour the weak.
Gang members, corporate assassins, and even cyborg war machines plague the city on a daily basis and make it an incredibly hostile environment that could spell disaster at every turn. Enemies in Cyberpunk 2077 can trace the player if they make too much of a disruption, while others will attack on sight if players wander too close to them. Additionally, if the player upsets one of the factions, they can be chased down by a posse sent after them for a bounty.
3 Dying Light 2
A High-Octane Survival RPG
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
- Released
- February 4, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
Dying Light 2 is a different take on the zombie franchise where players take on the city of Villedor and work to escape the hordes of mutant undead and find a way to sustain humanity's time on Earth. Players take control of Aiden, an immune person who finds himself in a conflicted city that's trying to tear itself apart, with the dead waiting to pick off the scraps.
8 Open World Games That Have Great Day & Night Cycles
Open-world games such as Dying Light and The Witcher 3 make the most of their day and night cycles, incorporating visual and gameplay effects.
Players will navigate through the story with the game's unique parkour mechanics, and take on the ruined city with a makeshift weapon of mass destruction. Dozens upon dozens of thralls will descend upon the city and grow even more vicious as the sun goes down. In the many different variations of zombies in Dying Light 2, each one has a specific personality in how they act in combat. Some charge, some call reinforcements, and others weave in between the chaos.
2 Days Gone
An Apocalyptic Environment Where Survival Is The Only Option
Days Gone
- Released
- April 26, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action, Adventure
Days Gone takes the terrifying concept of a zombie horde and turns it up to eleven. Deacon St. John is a lone survivor of the zombie apocalypse, trying to survive the desolate hellscape that is now the world any way he can.
8 Best Open and Semi-Open World JRPGs, Ranked
Open-world games and JRPGs are two of gaming's most popular genres. Combine them, and you can get something truly special.
On a mission to make it to his wife and daughter, Deacon must traverse thousands of miles to a military encampment and return to his family while trying not to end up on the menu of the undead. Scavenging, tactical thinking, and avoiding the horde at all costs make this game a perfect thrill ride. There are many variations of zombies in Days Gone that range from easy to deal with to incredibly dangerous. All zombies will charge the player upon being alerted. Some are tankier and hard to kill, while others can be incredibly fast and hard to escape.
1 Elden Ring
A Hellish Fantasy World Filled With One Horror After Another
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
The Souls-Like genre separates the hardcore gamer from the casual. In the long line of Souls games, Elden Ring is a cut above that drastically innovates gameplay, setting, and story, and melds them together in the perfect package of challenge and adventure.
As a lowly Tarnished, players must carve their own path through the enormous open world filled with mythological beings of unimaginable power and strength. Players can explore and find something new in every corner of the game and endure violent attacks from dragons, demons, hell knights, and more.
Elden Ring: 7 Ways To Shake Up A Second Playthrough
Returning Elden Ring players might want to consult these tips to avoid missing anything and add freshness to their next run through the Lands Between.