Summary
- Open-world games can feel restrictive despite vast freedom.
- Unique game design traps players for immersive experiences.
- These games offer immersive, unnerving experiences.
A great free-form feature of the open-world style of gameplay is that players don’t necessarily have to follow the beaten path. The sense of freedom and open-endedness makes players feel like they’re on a grand adventure. However, sometimes, open-world titles take away that very freedom or condense it in a way that feels restricting. These developers take the core essence of the open-world concept and completely turn it on its head.
It’s a testament to the game devs’ creative vision and desire to push boundaries and create new gaming experiences for players. That’s why some games, despite their open-world-like aesthetic and setting, make the players feel walled off. The games are still so great and immersive that many players won’t even feel it, at least not right away.
Open World Games That Have No Combat
Favor the pacifist routes in your open-world games? There's no other way with these particular titles, as they have no combat mechanics.
8 Batman: Arkham City
A Sense Of Confinement Despite The Seeming Freedom To Explore
Batman: Arkham City
- Released
- October 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Rocksteady Studios
Rocksteady caught lightning in a bottle with Batman: Arkham City. The atmospheric ambiance and freedom of traversal and exploration were exceptionally well done. Arkham City’s purposeful greyish aesthetic and disturbing sights cause a constant creepy feeling that sticks with players until the end. Even the story of Batman: Arkham City revolves around Dr. Hugo Strange trapping Batman — and, by extension, the player.
While Batman’s fantastic gliding and diving traversal allows players to go anywhere in Arkham City, they can’t leave. Players must navigate every inch of the area as they are being watched. And then there’s the looming threat of the ominous Protocol 10. Batman: Arkham City’s open world disguises itself as an epic superhero game but traps players like lab rats in a maze.
7 Subnautica
An Unnerving Experience That Traps Players In An Endless Sandbox
Subnautica
- Released
- January 23, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
If there’s one game that grants players endless open-world freedom but also puts the fear of exploration in them, it’s Subnautica. There is nowhere players can’t go in Subnautica, and the challenge is surviving the encounter with the unknown. The alien ocean and its large, surreal inhabitants will always deter players, making them feel dread.
Subnautica: 25 Scariest Creatures, Ranked
Many creatures live under the sea in Subnautica but some are far more frightening than the rest.
It doesn’t help that the ocean is dark, deep, and horrific. There are chilling howls of the alien marine life underwater that will make players question everything. The player character has no NPCs to interact with, further fueling the isolation and immersion. The main goal is escaping the alien planet, but Subnautica’s massive open world is an inescapable trap for players. It’s a thought-provoking, beautifully haunting experience underneath the surface.
6 Dying Light
Terrifying, Alluring Open-World Game Design That Cuts Players Off
Dying Light
- Released
- January 27, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Techland
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Survival Horror
While fans argue over Dying Light or Dying Light 2, the first game truly gives the feeling of trapping players in an open world. Sure, the sequel is bigger and offers more features, but the relative simplicity of Dying Light is what makes it great. There are also more legitimately scary moments in Dying Light, like the pitch black darkness and spine-chilling sounds of zombies lurking during the nighttime.
Dying Light’s parkour traversal is another reason the game feels fun yet also very frightening. From the first-person perspective, every jumpscare from a grotesque, flesh-eating monster feels more intense. Players are free to scavenge for supplies and weapons, but there are limits — the quarantine for gameplay and plot reasons prevents escape.
5 Days Gone
A Realistic Trapping Within An Open-World With Post-Apocalyptic Seasoning
Days Gone
- Released
- April 26, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Bend Studio
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action, Adventure
Days Gone traps players in the familiar zombie trope, but its world feels surprisingly grounded. Unlike other games, Days Gone adds a unique element to the transportation mechanic: the bike. It requires constant maintenance and can be lost and destroyed, which adds to the ‘trapped’ feeling. Navigating the open-world map requires caution, as gasoline is a precious resource. If players run out, they must travel the zombie-infested world on foot.
Days Gone: 6 Tips For Dealing With Hordes
With these tips, players will soon be fighting the biggest hordes in Days Gone without an issue.
The other thing that sets Days Gone apart is the terror of zombie hordes that can come out of the woodwork. One fumble is all it takes to screw things up. If players accidentally fire a shot in the forest where sounds echo, the next thing they will see is a swarm of zombies surrounding them.
4 Darkwood
Grotesque Aesthetics & Eldritch Horrors Await
Darkwood
- Released
- August 18, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Acid Wizard Studio
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Darkwood has an open-world game design with surreal horror game trappings. Players have agency to explore the mutated sentient forest, and there is literally no way out. The forest is mystifying, with lots of NPCs that are eerily calm despite the elements of body horror clearly visible.
Nighttime requires careful preparation, and players must set up traps in a base to survive the enemies. Resource management is a key component of the gameplay, where daytime is for scavenging and nights are for using them wisely. Darkwood makes players uncomfortable with its grim but fascinating plot as it unfolds. The Lovecraftian themes instill an existential hopelessness that grows the more players play.
3 BioShock
Blends Non-Linear Exploration & Claustrophobic Suspense
BioShock
- Released
- August 21, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Irrational Games
- Genre(s)
- FPS
While most gamers will not consider BioShock an open-world game, it technically is one, and it brilliantly toys with players by trapping them. Players can travel to different sections within the undersea city of Rapture at any time, which can be freely explored. The dark, steampunk aesthetic underwater makes the game feel unique. The dim lighting, tight corners, and the panicky musical score enhance the claustrophobic effect during exploration.
8 Best Horror Games That Are Immediately Immersive
These great horror games pull you in with their incredible atmospheres, immediately immersing you in detailed worlds and dynamic threats.
BioShock’s splicers and Big Daddies are imposing enemies that players will avoid or fight. Their suspenseful placements will make players jump more than a couple of times, especially on blind playthroughs. The jaw-dropping ending will make players feel like pawns rather than heroes who conquered adversity.
2 Elden Ring
A Free-to-Explore Open World With Deadly Deterrents
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
If players want an open-world experience unlike any other with true freedom, Elden Ring will scratch that itch. It will also trap (new) players in an unforgiving cycle of death. There is a learning curve to Elden Ring (an understatement of the century). Players must mind their surroundings, as enemies can overwhelm and one-shot players. The game’s deadly locations need strict movement and precision platforming to clear, or players will fall to their deaths. That's the very definition of the word "trapped."
Avoiding enemies and optional boss fights is possible in Elden Ring, but players have to explore through trial and error for it. Almost every area has tough enemies and traps guarding treasures and items. Exploring Elden Ring’s open world requires a high-risk, high-reward approach to overcome the feeling of being trapped.
1 Amnesia: The Bunker
Masterful Open-World Integration With A Chilling, Stalking Presence
Amnesia: The Bunker
- Released
- May 16, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Frictional Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Amnesia, as a franchise, is not known for open-world game design. Amnesia: The Bunker changes that for the better by trapping players in a semi-open world for a bloody good time. They are literally trapped in an underground bunker filled with winding tunnels and caverns, all while being hunted by a mutated monster. It’s a constant game of cat-and-mouse as they navigate the underground obstacles and avoid being captured by the ferocious beast.
There’s no streamlined path that allows players to move around and explore the bunker’s different quarters. With limited supplies and few light sources, they must listen to audio cues and exercise sound judgment to escape. Amnesia: The Bunker builds tension with the generator powering the bunker, which requires fuel from cans scattered throughout the bunker.