Best Open-World Games For Urban Exploration

Open-world games are getting bigger and bigger. More than ever before, there's an emphasis on games having sprawling maps filled with things to do. It's gotten to the point where many games have maps aimed at creating entire countries and, sometimes, solar systems.

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However, oftentimes, a smaller approach is best. The most iconic video game cities often have better environmental storytelling and much more detail. Exploring their tight, focused urban environments cuts down on filler and lets the discoveries and enemy encounters come thick and fast. The following open-world games aren't just set in cities. Instead, they are games that encourage the player to push the boundaries, walk down every street, and climb every rooftop in true urban exploration style.

1 Fallout 4

Post-Apocalyptic Boston

Both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 have large urban areas to explore. The difference between them is that, due to technical limitations, much of the urban area in Fallout 3's Washington was disjointed and a pain to get around. Meanwhile, Fallout 4's Boston is a joy to explore...if exploring a post-apocalyptic city full of cannibalistic raiders, ghouls, and mutants can be called a joy.

Many fans would agree that Fallout 4 isn't the best Fallout game. Its story is a bit dull, and to make the game more accessible, Bethesda ripped out a lot of the RPG elements fans love. But it is a great game for urban exploration. There are tons of buildings to explore, many of them unmarked, and each has its own story. Rotting out around Fallout 4's bombed-out buildings never gets old, and the near-constant presence of enemies means there's rarely a quiet moment.

2 Watch Dogs 2

Hacking San Francisco

Watch Dogs 2 is famous for fixing many of the issues fans had with the original Watch Dogs. Its setting, the San Francisco area, was twice as big as the original's open-world and crammed with things to do. The hacking mechanics were also further fleshed out, making the game's setting feel incredibly interactive.

Watch Dog's 2's map has side activities hidden away and collectibles stuffed around every corner. It's one of the most immersive Ubisoft games ever, and it seems like the developers want the player to explore every back alley and every rooftop. Despite some of the game's more sci-fi elements, the map feels like a living, breathing city to explore.

3 Batman: Arkham Knight

Stalking Gotham's Night Sky

Picking between Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight for this topic wasn't easy. Arkham City is hands-down one of, if not the best open-world superhero games ever made, whereas Arkham Knight failed to live up to the hype for many. For sheer urban exploration, however, Arkham Knight just edges out its older sibling.

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For a start, its map is bigger. Arkham City's map was amazing, but it was limited to one section of Gotham. That led to a more condensed exploration experience, which was great, but it also meant players spent much of the game yearning to break its bounds and explore the rest of Gotham. Secondly, Arkham Knight gave fans the Batmobile. Yes, many players hated the overdone tank sections, but it was a lot of fun zooming around Gotham in Batman's iconic wheels. Arkham Knight's map, despite its size, still felt full to the brim with puzzles to solve, riddle answers to find, and side missions to complete.

4 Gravity Rush 2

Gravity-Based Exploration

Few games match the sheer joy of Gravity Rush 2's urban exploration. The game's gameplay is centered around cool gravity mechanics, that, once mastered, make zipping around the open world a joy as the player hunts down collectibles, completes side missions, and takes on numerous traversal challenges.

It makes the game's urban exploration feel incredibly organic. Its open world is full of gorgeous sights to take in, and it's easy to lose oneself in the sheer joy of flying around and taking in the scenery. Its map might not be as dynamic as other entries or as full of things to do, but it's just as thrilling to explore.

5 Tom Clancy's The Division 2

Looting Washington D.C.

Ubisoft's bread and butter are open-world games, but when it comes to exploring an urban setting, Tom Clancy's The Divison 2 is one of their best. The game's opening mission drops the player outside the White House and tasks them with taking back Washington D.C. From the rampaging gangs that have taken it over. Doing so means undertaking missions and exploring every nook and cranny for side content, resources, and hidden loot.

The game's urban exploration is strictly street-level, with next to no fancy traversal mechanics to be found. Division 2 nails the feeling of exploring a war-torn city. The streets are a mess and full of gangs of enemies who shoot first and ask questions never. There's a surprising amount of buildings players can enter to loot, and resources are scattered everywhere. The numerous activities, from hostage rescues to airdrops and stopping public executions, all feel setting-appropriate and make sure there's rarely a quiet moment.

6 Yakuza: Like A Dragon

The Streets Of Yokohama Are Wild

The Yakuza games have featured impressive urban settings for nearly twenty years at this point. Yakuza: Like A Dragon was a big step away from other entries in the franchise not just because it featured turn-based battles, but because it left Tokyo behind to explore a new city, Yokohama. As it turns out, Yokohama is just as exciting to explore as the iconic Tokyo.

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Yokohama is a bustling city, and to get the most out of it, the player will have to make sure Ichiban covers every square inch. As is Yakuza tradition, there are countless side activities and mini-games to find and indulge in, as well as hidden collectibles. The game excels at bringing its real-world setting to life while still including more Yakuza-flavored wackiness than ever before.

7 Dying Light 2

Parkour And Zombies

There are a lot of things that fans of the original Dying Light didn't like about its sequel. Dying Light is one of the best zombie games ever made, whereas Dying Light 2 got off to an incredibly rocky start and is still receiving frequent updates and bug fixes. There's only one reason Dying Light 2 features here and not its big brother.

Both games have stellar parkour mechanics and first-person melee combat that make exploring their respective cities a thrill. Where Dying Light 2 pulls ahead, though, is in how vertical its exploration is. The game's second area in April is full of skyscrapers that, at first glance, look impossible to scale. They become environmental puzzles that require the player to chain together different parkour abilities and tools to reach. On top of this, many of these taller buildings have open floors and interiors full of zombies and materials that the player can scavenge through and explore.

8 Assassin's Creed Syndicate

Exploring London's Industrial Revolution

Despite being one of the world's most iconic cities, there are shockingly few good open-world games set in London. Assassin's Creed Syndicate is notable for being the best of those that do exist. Its Industrial Revolution-era London is vibrant, dense, and full of things to do, landmarks to visit, and collectibles to hunt down.

In recent years, the franchise has left its urban environment behind, favoring ever-expanding maps - Valhalla's map is a scaled-down version of England in its entirety - it's easy to forget how fun the older games' urban maps were to explore. The parkour in Syndicate is solid and a perfect match for London's packed streets. These same streets made the game's combat feel more personal and close quarters, especially when using Jacob's brawling-oriented fighting style. Ubisoft's open-world design might have its faults, but they've always been good at urban exploration.

9 Cyberpunk 2077

Take A Trip To Night City

Cyberpunk 2077 might have had a rough start, but these days it's considered one of the best open-world games. It's as if CD Projekt Red looked at what made other urban settings work well, borrowed those aspects, and included them in Cyberpunk. For a start, Night City is just a gorgeous city to explore. Its streets are dripping in neon and, despite the futuristic setting, the city feels lived in.

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Night City is full of little details and easter eggs that make its world-building top-notch. While mainly set at street level, there's a nice sense of verticality, and it's possible to scale many of the city's skyscrapers (even if there's little point besides the challenge). Throw in the fact that there are meaningful side quests, missions, and secrets hidden around every corner, and Cyberpunk 2077 has some of the best urban exploration of any game ever.

10 Infamous: Second Son

Multiple Ways To Explore

Some readers were probably expecting Marvel's Spider-Man to make it here. However, those games are more about urban traversal than they are about exploration. In those games, the player swings through New York, going from one task to the next, but spends very little time actually exploring the city. Infamous: Second Son, on the other hand, is a superhero game that encourages both traversal and exploration.

The game is set in Seattle and has protagonist Delsin exploring its busy streets and cluttered rooftops as he learns how to control his powers. The game emphasizes both areas equally, and there are side goals and collectibles sprinkled throughout. Early on, especially, Delsin's methods of traversal are limited, forcing the player to examine the environment and plan the best way from point A to point B. Likewise, Delsin draws his powers from his environment, meaning the player is forced to constantly search for environmental objects that recharge his powers.

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