For certain types of players, the feeling of immersion can be crucial, especially in the open-world genre. One thing about immersion, though, is that for different players, it can mean wildly different things. Overall, when launching the game, it’s important to get the sense of being transported into another living world, believable and thoughtful, rather than seeing through the decoration, noticing all the cogs and gears that make it work.
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Many techniques contribute to achieving a sense of true immersion, but most notably, players should never feel like they're completing checklists when playing an open-world game. If a title manages to truly grab the player and make them completely orget about reality during their gaming session, then the devs have done something right. Below, we are taking a look at exactly this kind of open-world title, listing the most immersive examples released over the past decade, as well as highlighting their unique traits for achieving great immersion.
Only games released after 2015 are included. Rankings go from highest to lowest.
1 Red Dead Redemption 2
Authentic Immersion That Still Manages To Entertain
Red Dead Redemption 2 is famously known to be so immersive that it’s almost too much for some players, who struggle to reconcile with its slow pace, detailed animations for every action, realistic fast-travel mechanics, and the need to set up camps in the wilderness to cook, eat, rest, and prepare for the next day. That’s on top of the entire central Van Der Linde moving camp with lifelike NPCs that players can always interact with depending on their mood, performing daily chores, and donating money to keep the camp growing and improving.
Total authenticity is true of Red Dead Redemption 2’s every aspect, including its wildlife, at times unpredictable mount behavior (horses can suddenly panic), realistic weapons that require constant maintenance, the need to clean clothes, shaving, and bathing to make a good impression, and so forth. RDR 2’s Wild West frontier is a truly living world, with players being just a tiny part of it, living day by day under almost real-life rules. What’s best is that once players settle in, it never feels like a waste of time, only adding to the overall absorbing experience.
2 Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Medieval Kingdom At Its Most Convincing
Standing almost at Red Dead Redemption 2’s level in terms of its historical authenticity and details, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is easily among the most immersive open-world games not just of the past decade, but of all time. A major step up from its predecessor, KCD 2 finally achieved what the devs always intended: it builds a colossal, endlessly believable world, and populates it with characters who feel genuinely alive.
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is arguably even more hardcore than RDR 2, with a far stricter routine for the protagonist, who should eat, drink, rest, and clean himself daily. Every side activity is a complex process rather than an autopilot one-button action, not to mention how every combat encounter is demanding and intense. Navigating the cities and villages of 1403's Kingdom of Bohemia and meeting its people really makes the players feel like they are living in its world, resulting in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 becoming an engrossing, unforgettable experience.
3 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Achieving The Rare Feeling Of True Gaming Magic
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s name is already a perfect encapsulation of what’s on offer here. Set in a vibrant, colorful, charming rendition of Hyrule that fans had never set foot in before, the latest open-world Zelda games are the spirit of adventure at its finest, brimming with freedom, discovery, and immersive details. The world is very reactive and believable, gradually unveiling all its layered mechanics and all the possible interactions within it.
Every minor change, like weather, wind, or time of day, can play out unpredictably, as everything affects Link’s traversal. Even with some questionable mechanics that not every open-world fan may be fond of, like weapon degradation, Breath of the Wild balances its light survival elements with the cozy feel of its impeccable art direction combined with a uniquely ambient soundtrack. The result is still one of the most immersive open-world games ever created, and it often feels like pure magic.
4 Elden Ring
Personal Journey Of Constant Discovery
Elden Ring takes a slightly different approach to immersion, without overloading the players with survival elements or countless objectives. Set in the beautiful and diverse Lands Between, the game features little to no handholding, simply suggesting the player go and carve their own adventure, tackling the challenges that they are currently equipped to overcome. The world’s detail, layered locations full of great environmental storytelling, and tons of lore grant an unparalleled sense of immersion and discovery, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
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True to FromSoftware’s style, almost anything can happen on a player's journey: they might discover a huge underground realm, get ensnared into a teleporting trap and find themselves in a completely new region, discover an illusory wall that unlocks passage to a secret area brimming with treasures, or face unrelenting odds and get destroyed in seconds by an elite enemy. Not to mention Elden Ring’s dynamic multiplayer, where players can invade each other’s worlds to either help with bosses or become a sudden threat when least expected.
5 STALKER 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Perfectly Balanced Immersive Loop To Keep Players Going
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl was pretty hard to recommend at launch, but after several major updates, this ambitious sequel is a must-play for every open-world enthusiast today, delivering its world of the Zone in a way that's unlike any other. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, STALKER 2 is easily among the most impressive open-world games to date, with vast and detailed locations, lifelike characters, and realistic weapons and combat.
However, the real charm of the game lies far deeper. STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is definitely a hardcore experience and is packed with survival elements. Players have to eat, drink, rest, repair their weapons and armor, monitor the levels of radiation, and more. With its realistic loot and inventory system, harsh carry weight limitations, and predatory economics, players have little choice but to fully embrace the rules of the Zone, tackling artifact contracts and venturing into the most dangerous corners of the world to just get by. Even with the best gear, it’s all too easy to be chewed up and spit out by this world and its dangers, as a single bullet or an anomaly that's not noticed in time can be fatal.
6 Cyberpunk 2077
Blurring The Line Between Player And Character
With its rare futuristic setting, Cyberpunk 2077 firmly stands as a truly special offering in the open-world genre, but it’s not just neon-lit, unforgettable Night City that makes the game so unique. CD Projekt Red’s dedicated creative process extends to every small portion of the game’s world, including a custom soundtrack by a fictional band created specifically for Cyberpunk 2077, an array of Hollywood stars bringing key characters to life, and an almost maniacal attention to detail across the board, which is especially apparent in weapons, vehicles, and character designs.
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Before release, many fans were disappointed that the game would feature only a first-person perspective, but it turned out really great, bringing player immersion to new heights. Players literally become V, participating in believable character interaction firsthand, where every gesture and subtle movement is carefully animated, while a first-person look at the world also highlights the oppressive feel of the city’s narrow streets and sky-high buildings.
7 Ghost Of Yotei
Reinventing The Sense Of Organic Encounters
In many ways, Ghost of Yotei takes a confident step forward from its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima, which is especially obvious in how immersive and natural its world of 1603’s Ezo looks and feels. Without any reliance on map markers, Ghost of Yotei takes the players straight from one adventure to another, and everything just happens in a very organic way, never distracting them with unnecessary map, quest, inventory, or stat screens unless absolutely necessary. Encounters with friendly NPCs and enemy bounty hunters often happen along the way, rarely prompting players to rely on fast travel.
Let's not forget how gorgeous the world of Feudal Japan is, resting at the foot of a colossal Mount Yotei, which players can climb to look around from one of the highest mountain peaks ever put in a video game. Add in diverse biomes with their impeccable atmosphere and color palette to instantly change the mood as players progress from green grasslands to red autumn forests, snowy mountains, and beyond, and the journey through Ghost of Yotei’s world becomes truly unforgettable.
8 Mafia: The Old Country
Convincing Dive Into A Rare And Authentic Era And Place
The entire Mafia series has always focused on immersion, with Mafia 2 and Mafia: Definitive Edition attempting to capture the postcard feel of early 20th-century America in great detail through authentic city architecture, retro car models, and more. Mafia: The Old Country continues that tradition of delivering an immersive, stunningly detailed open world while setting its narrative in early-1900s Sicily, Italy. Such a refreshing change has resulted in a truly special game, with an excellent portrayal of this rare (for video games) historical era with its refreshingly sunny environments instead of oppressive darkness.
While it’s true that the world of Mafia: The Old Country is relatively compact and even disappointingly empty at times, with almost nothing to do outside of story missions that could offer some light exploration, it doesn’t matter all that much for the game’s immersion. Every building, location, and interior is authentic, the characters in cutscenes are almost as believable as those in a classic mobster movie, and everything works in perfect tandem to provide this illusion of diving into a bygone era with its own distinct flavor.
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