Summary
- Horizon Forbidden West features challenging boss battles with robotic dinosaurs.
- Ghost of Tsushima offers unique samurai boss fights with tactical combat mechanics.
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom provides fun and experimental boss encounters in a sandbox world.
The most interesting open-worlds in gaming are those that are occupied with endless things for players to see or do. One such example is boss fights, with some open-world titles featuring battles that can be incredibly challenging.
8 Unique Bosses In Open-World Games
These cool boss fights offer atypical highlights in open-world video games, offering distinct challenges and unique encounters.
Whether players encounter them organically through their travels or during a quest, filling an open world with boss fights enhances the gameplay experience. Their place in the world is a constant promise of danger, providing players no shortage of challenges to overcome. The bigger, badder, and harder these bosses are, the more epic and memorable players' fights with them become. So, here are some of the best open-world games that feature difficult boss fights.
8 Horizon Forbidden West
Pits Players Up Against Robo-Dinosaurs
Horizon Forbidden West
- Released
- February 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Guerrilla Games
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Guerrilla's Horizon Forbidden West, like its predecessor, sees players taking control of Aloy as she explores a post-apocalyptic world filled with robotic dinosaurs. These machines range from the cow-sized Chargers to the behemoth, T-rex-like Thunderjaws.
Encountering the latter in the wild and others of its weight class results in cinematic boss battles. These fights, separate from the story and capable of happening anywhere in the world, rival the finales of other games despite being average encounters in Horizon Forbidden West.
7 Ghost Of Tsushima
Chock-Full Of Samurai Boss Fights
Ghost of Tsushima
- Released
- July 17, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Based on the Mongol invasion of Japan, Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima has players assuming control of Jin Sakai, a character who is set on reclaiming his home while being one of the only warriors left in his clan. The game innovated on the long-standing Assassin's Creed third-person open-world formula by providing players with streamlined samurai combat built around stances. Designed to handle certain enemies easier and dependent on what weapon a player uses, stances make Ghost of Tsushima's combat feel both tactical and satisfying.
Of course, stances play a role in the various boss fights players will encounter along Jin's journey. Though they never reach the heights of a soulslike, the game's bosses can be quite difficult if players don't make use of their parrying skills and various forms.
6 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Filled With Fun Boss Fights That Encourage Experimentation
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Released
- May 12, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom places players in a sprawling sandbox that allows them to explore the world at their own pace. Whether they're soaking in the sights of Hyrule, seeing how the world has changed since Breath of the Wild, or bee-lining to the main story locations, players are bound to come across the many bosses that occupy Tears of the Kingdom's map.
Naturally, these enemies each come with their own challenges that will force players to engage the game's various abilities. One such is the ability to combine weapons and other items to create ridiculous tools, allowing players to experiment with their approaches to a fight.
5 Ashen
Baby's First Soulslike
Ashen
- Released
- December 7, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- A44 Games
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
A44's Ashen was one of the first soulslikes to make the leap into an open-world back when it launched in 2018. Instead of the dingy corridors and linear pathways of Dark Souls, players are free to explore open environments all rendered in a delightful and cartoonish art-style.
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Ashen's influences are clear, not only in its gameplay, but in its story, too, with players setting out to bring light back to a land wrought with darkness. Along this journey players will, as is expected, come across a variety of tough enemies and bosses. Though generally easier than other games in the genre, Ashen can still prove to be a challenge, especially for players new to soulslikes.
4 Rise Of The Ronin
Features Hard Samurai Boss Fights
Rise of the Ronin
- Released
- March 22, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Team Ninja
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Adventure, Open-World
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Set in the Edo period of Japan, Rise of the Ronin sees players taking control of a Ronin as the country falls into chaos with the arrival of the West. Unlike Team Ninja's previous foray into a samurai setting with Nioh, Rise of the Ronin is a much more forgiving experience, allowing players to alter difficulty, for example, which leaves the game feeling like a soulslite instead of a soulslike.
That doesn't mean that its boss fights are a cakewalk, however. Players will have to master the various weapons the game offers as well as make use of a Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice-like parrying system, preventing them from dodge rolling their way through Rise of the Ronin's dueling boss fights.
3 Dragons Dogma 2
Players Will Encounter Monsters Galore
Dragon's Dogma 2
- Released
- March 22, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
In Dragon's Dogma 2, players assume control of an Arisen, one chosen to challenge the Dragon, as they explore a setting that runs parallel to the original game's. Across this land, players will encounter a number of monsters, ranging from lowly goblins to enormous giants.
Though players are accompanied by Pawns, AI-controlled companions, the game's epic battles are still quite a challenge to overcome. In order to succeed, players will need to discover monsters' weaknesses and devise strategies to efficiently take them out.
2 Monster Hunter Wilds
Even More Monsters For Gamers To Take On
Monster Hunter Wilds
- Released
- February 28, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
As the name implies, in Monster Hunter Wilds players explore the wilds of the Forbidden Lands, tracking down and defeating enormous beasts - everything that is customary for the series. Capcom's latest foray into the franchise comes with a number of improvements, including streamlined mechanics and the ability for players to bring a backup weapon with them on a hunt.
Fans have found that the changes to the game's mechanics have ultimately made it one of the easier entries in the series, but by Monster Hunter standards, that doesn't mean players will be breezing through it. Monster hunts are just as epic and deadly in Wilds as before, and they are bound to keep players on their toes.
1 Elden Ring
A Terrifying World Of Tough Bosses
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
FromSoftware's Elden Ring is, arguably, the open-world experience. The game sets players off into The Lands Between as a tarnished, someone who has lost the grace of the Erdtree. Where Elden Ring differs from its predecessors, however, is the sheer scope of its world.
Players experiencing Elden Ring for the first time will likely be taken aback by just how far its world reaches, constantly opening up with new sprawling locations just as the player thinks they've seen everything. Within this land are many dangers for players to face. Even in its opening area, players can run into a towering horseman who can decimate them with ease. The beauty of the game's setting is that it begs players to explore it so they can find better gear to come back and slay that same horseman.
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Elden Ring certainly has its fair share of tough enemies, but these World Bosses are the most difficult of the bunch.