Summary
- Deaths in open-world games go beyond just monsters, with imaginative and creative scenarios awaiting players.
- Events like being eaten by a sandworm in Dune: Awakening offer something unique that most games can't compete with.
- Games like Skyrim and Minecraft also offer memorable and unexpected ways to die, adding humor and surprise to gameplay.
Open-world games are interesting because of what is waiting for the player out in the wilderness. Other than the usual environmental dangers of whatever monsters the developers have decided to inhabit the dark corners of the land they've created, sometimes the lore or backstory of the game allows for some breathtaking ways to die.
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This goes beyond the usual messy and shocking MMO deaths, like getting ambushed in PvP or wiped by a tough boss. Modern games not only have some creative death scenarios, but they also look great on modern PCs and consoles. For those players who think they've seen it all and died in every way possible, get ready to be surprised and amazed all over again.
1 World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Burned by Deathwing
World of Warcraft
- Released
- November 23, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
Formerly the Aspect of Earth, Deathwing was corrupted and the Black Dragonflight with him. He had yet to appear in the game himself, but two of his children, Onyxia and Nefarian, were the end bosses of their own raids.
With the Cataclysm expansion, the infamous leader of the Black Dragonflight finally made an appearance, and it was to burn everything on Azeroth. For months after this event took place, players who were minding their own business in a quiet, low-level zone would be suddenly consumed in flames. This awards the Feat of Strength Achievement "Stood In The Fire," so at least that character didn't have to be turned to ash for nothing.
2 Dune: Awakening
Eaten by Shai Hulud
Dune: Awakening
- Released
- June 10, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Players would be disappointed if Dune: Awakening didn't feature the giant sandworms, so nobody is surprised that the dunes of Arrakis are teeming with them. That doesn't mean the character isn't going to need a new stillsuit when one of those gigantic things rises from the desert to feast on that delicious sandbike and everything in it. If the player is close enough, they can see the creature's glowing throat right before they're consumed and turned into spice dust.
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There are a few ways to mitigate the wrath of Shai Hulud, such as using a thumper to distract them or an ornithopter to fly above them. However, it's a rite of passage for those players who choose to brave the desert, and it's the only way to get a Sandworm Tooth.
3 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Crushed by a Falling Dragon
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
This doesn't happen very often, but it's possible, and hilarious. It's more likely to take place early in the game, when the player is at a lower level and might not have the experience with the weapons or game mechanics to even consider that this is possible.
Watch where the character is standing if the player chooses to use ranged damage on that dragon, because victory will be short-lived when it comes falling out of the sky. The dragon can fall on the player and crush them, forcing them to start a tough fight all over again for a silly and totally preventable reason.
4 The Legend of Zelda
Killed By A Candle
The Legend of Zelda
- Released
- February 21, 1986
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EAD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, 3DS, Wii, Nintendo Wii U
Even though early games had limited resources when it came to graphics and effects, they also created some weird ways to die. The first Legend of Zelda game was released in 1986, and it amazed and impressed virtually everyone who played it, but it had some funny quirks.
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Some of the items that Link used to progress in the game had multiple uses, the candle being one example. It was handy for lighting dark places, and the fire would also harm nearby enemies, but the catch is that it would also damage Link. Players didn't always realize that the candle could do any damage until they went up in smoke and ended up back at the dungeon entrance.
5 Grand Theft Auto 5
Anti-Aircraft Fire
Grand Theft Auto 5
- Released
- September 17, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
It's an interesting flip to play an anti-hero or a villain, and Grand Theft Auto 5 is another example of a franchise that enjoys testing its limits. The game is already filled with grisly examples of various characters suffering from shocking and messy ends (jet turbine, anyone?), so there's no telling what kind of dangers are waiting for the protagonist.
One of the best ways to go down in GTA 5, literally, is to get shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Once the main character has amassed the wealth and power to own a plane, it means they've also stolen, extorted, and generally crimed their way up through the ladder of the underworld to anger a lot of people, including those who also own planes and helicopters. Being rich and successful also means being pursued by the law and the competition.
6 Outer Wilds
Death by Geyser
Outer Wilds
- Released
- May 28, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Mobius Digital
- Publisher(s)
- Annapurna Interactive
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
There are so many ways to die in space, and the Outer Wilds offers a number of different and crazy ways to die, like forgetting to put a spacesuit on and misclicking the "Eject" button on the ship while in space. One of the most surprising and shocking, however, is being shot into the air by a geyser.
Geysers are a feature in a part of the world called Timber Hearth, and players often mess with them to see how far they can use them to travel upward. The geysers themselves don't harm the player; it's the fall back to the ground that does, which is one rather dramatic way to find out just how far into the air a character can fling themselves before falling to their death.
7 Minecraft
Betrayed by Trees
Minecraft
- Released
- November 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Mojang
- Publisher(s)
- Mojang
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
- Platform(s)
- 3DS, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Minecraft is one of the most open-world of open-world games, and it presents so many ways to die, get killed, or kill others that it's hard to pin down any single one as the craziest. The one that most players do get to experience is being drowned or smothered by their own trees.
There's so much to build, demolish, and collect in Minecraft that it's easy to make a mistake and go too far, not realizing the peril until it's too late. How dangerous can tree planting be? Plant too many trees, and it's possible for the player to get lost in them, which is an unexpected and crazy way to die.
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