Summary
- Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl offers dangerous treks across a supernatural landscape filled with unpredictable hazards.
- Rain World presents an interconnected world with an unforgiving ecosystem, requiring players to battle predators and deadly rainfall.
- The Long Dark immerses players in survival in a relentless wilderness, offering a delicate ambiance amidst harsh exteriors.
Open-world games, with their vast landscapes and free-form exploration, naturally offer a diverse variety of environments. While some open-world games do offer harsh environments, it can often feel more like window dressing.
Some open-world games, however, take place in truly harsh and dangerous environments that pose a genuine threat to the player. With consistent hazards, both environmental and living, these titles evoke a constant sense of danger, allowing them to offer immersive experiences and rewarding - but often punishing - gameplay.
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8 STALKER: Shadow Of Chernobyl
Dangerous Treks Across A Supernatural Landscape
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
- Released
- March 20, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- GSC Game World
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Stalker: Shadow Of Chernobyl is a hardcore survival game that tasks players with undergoing arduous treks across utterly hostile supernatural environments. Exploring the Zone is a dangerous affair thanks to myriad anomalies, providing unpredictable hazards that force players to keep their eyes peeled.
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Furthermore, the world of Stalker is packed with emerging threats. Not only are aggressive mutated creatures in abundance, but the interplay between the various factions and wandering NPCs can often result in deadly gunfights that are all too easy to get caught in.
7 Rain World
An Interconnected World With An Unforgiving Ecosystem
Rain World
- Released
- March 28, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Tobacco Reference
- Developer(s)
- Videocult
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Rain World is a hardcore survival platformer with a unique art-style, post-apocalyptic setting, and deeply simulated ecosystem that facilitates unforgiving gameplay. In the game, players must do what they can to survive in a broken-down world, hunted by myriad predators and frequently threatened by deadly rainfall.
While not a completely open world, Rain World offers players an interconnected web of rooms to explore freely. The experience is elevated by fluid, intuitive controls that allow the somber atmosphere and survival gameplay to shine.
6 The Long Dark
Survival In A Relentless Wilderness
The Long Dark
- Released
- August 1, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Hinterland Studio
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
The Long Dark is a first-person survival game that tasks players with battling the elements in freezing-cold environments while contending with hungry wolves and roaming bears. The survival mechanics are sturdy, the visuals are stylish, but The Long Dark shines with its immersive atmosphere.
The harsh exteriors of The Long Dark can be unforgiving, but they facilitate a certain tranquility upon finding shelter. Thanks in large part to immersive sound design, The Long Dark achieves a delicately crafted ambiance that carries the overall experience, heightened by the overwhelmingly harsh and hostile environments waiting outside every door.
5 Battle Brothers
Battling In A Hostile Low-Fantasy World
Battle Brothers
- Released
- April 27, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Overhype Studios
- Genre(s)
- Indie Games, Tactical, RPG, Strategy, Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
In Battle Brothers, players are tasked with running a company of mercenaries in harsh environments, battling bandits, undead, and aggressive goblins for profit. The harsh nature of Battle Brothers' environments isn't immediately apparent, but this low-fantasy setting works relentlessly to bring attrition to the player's doorstep.
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The world of Battle Brothers is populated with wandering brigands and bloodthirsty creatures, ready at all times to ambush unsuspecting players; they make this environment dangerous. However, simply traveling across the land can be a dangerous task thanks to a multitude of terrain types and events. Mountains, for example, can cause temporary injury to the company. Furthermore, terrain can be an important factor in battle, and even detrimental if players don't position their soldiers properly.
4 Kenshi
A Sandbox RPG With A Brutal Disregard For Players
Kenshi
- Released
- December 6, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- nr
- Developer(s)
- Lo-Fi Games
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Open-World, Survival
- Platform(s)
- PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Surviving in Kenshi can be difficult for a multitude of reasons, be it a general lack of funds and supplies, the frequent hostility of its myriad factions, or the deadliness of the creatures that populate its world. It's safe to say that much of Kenshi's world is out to kill the player, and yet not with intent, but more through a brutal disregard for their safety or even enjoyment of the game itself.
This may sound like an undesirable experience, but for the very same reasons, Kenshi can be deeply rewarding. That said, Kenshi is a game that requires patience, and players looking for more immediate fun may be quickly disappointed.
3 Outer Wilds
A Beautifully Dangerous Solar System
Outer Wilds
- Released
- May 28, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
Outer Wilds offers a tremendously cozy and utterly immersive adventure across the stars, but its myriad planets - each incredibly unique in their environments - can be harsh and hostile places to explore. While this can lead to death, Outer Wilds harnesses a time loop structure that's relatively forgiving.
This creates a unique tone to the game, as players can feel the sense of discovery and humility that comes from viewing something larger than life without the overwhelming threat of losing progress; the game will reset regardless, after a set time, so players are free to explore with little pressure.
2 Fallout: New Vegas
A Harsh & Hostile Wasteland
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Fallout: New Vegas is an open-world RPG that takes place in the harsh environments of a post-apocalyptic Mojave Desert. While the post-apocalyptic environments of the Fallout franchise are typically harsh and hostile, New Vegas is particularly so for its desert surroundings, with plenty of long and dangerous stretches between the more civilized areas.
The wandering mobs and creatures of New Vegas are frequently deadly, especially for players low on resources. Even those who remain prepared can find themselves facing attrition on long journeys. However, this keeps travel across the expansive wasteland from becoming monotonous, ensuring players must keep their eyes peeled to remain breathing.
1 Caves Of Qud
An Exotic Science-Fantasy Wilderness
Caves Of Qud
- Released
- July 15, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Caves Of Qud plays like a traditional roguelike, but sets itself apart with its exotic science-fantasy open-world environments. There are other elements at play that make Caves Of Qud unique; its granular character creator, for example. But the harsh environments of Qud help to bring the experience to life, resulting in a surprisingly immersive experience.
There's much to be said about the world of Caves Of Qud and its intricate combination of hand-crafted and procedural content, but the harshness of its wilderness and the hostility of its many creatures, even its plant life, is a particular strength. Because the world of Qud is so dangerous, players must be both resourceful and constantly aware of their surroundings, forcing a focused attention that overcomes the minimalist visuals to immerse players in the unique environments around them.
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