Open-World Games With The Best Time Manipulation Mechanics

Open-world games have often been characterized by gameplay mechanics such as hunting and combat. While these games are currently at the forefront of popular consciousness with the release of upcoming titles such as Assassins Creed: Shadows and GTA 6, they are not usually known for their often game-defining time manipulation mechanics. Hence, its name; this element involves manipulating time within the confines of a game's story and gameplay, adding considerable depth and nuance.

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By  Jack Boreham

Beloved games such as SuperHot, Deathloop, and Dishonoured have all delved into this specific mechanic with great success, but it is much less exploredin open-world titles. However, despite slim pickings, numerous titles successfully use their time manipulation mechanics in open-world sandboxes.

5 Starfield

Endless Universes, Unique Time Manipulation

While technically not a core mechanic of Starfield 's open world, players can manipulate time and space to journey to new universes in New Game+ mode to start a fresh story featuring new versions of the original narrative and different interpretations of characters encountered in the original campaign. After every story completion, players are reincarnated into a new universe as a Starborn.

With unique and original gameplay mechanics and features, Starfield allows players to manipulate time and space to get different outcomes for their characters in a never-ending time loop of universe-changing consequences.

4 Outer Wilds

Time Loop Exploration In A Dynamic Solar System

Outer Wilds is an open-world adventure puzzle game developed by Mobius Digital and released in 2019. The game is set in an ever-changing solar system stuck in a time loop that players must explore in exactly 22 minutes, after which point the sun will explode, resetting the time loop.

The game features diverse, physics-based environments that effectively capture the vastness of an explorable solar system. Outer Wilds is a great open-world experience that uses the power of time manipulation as a central point of the game's story, allowing players to use the time loop to their advantage in both puzzle-solving and exploration.

3 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

The Time-Stopping Rune Is Essential For Exploration

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the greatest open-world games ever. The first game in the series to introduce a fully immersive open world, Breath of the Wild allowed players to explore the lands of Hyrule in all their glory.

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One of the game's core mechanics was its Stasis rune ability, allowing Link to stop time in its tracks, easily freezing objects and enemies. Although the power only briefly freezes objects, the mechanic quickly becomes an effective tool in the players' arsenal when tackling some of the game's most demanding open-world challenges. The mechanic is essential to Breath of the Wild, allowing for extensive and surprising player creativity.

2 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Time-Reversing Recall Is Crucial For Puzzles And Combat

The most recent game on this list, and the sequel to Breath of Wild, is Tears of the Kingdom. While not predominantly known for its time-bending features, one core mechanic leans heavily on time manipulation — that being Recall.

Recall is a time manipulation ability that gives Link the power to reverse time on objects, acting as the opposite of Stasis in Breath of the Wild. This mechanic enables Link to reverse time around him, using it to his advantage when fighting enemies and tackling puzzles.

1 The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Countdown To Doom, Time-Altering Mastery

Released in 2000, Majora's Mask was a special game that moved away from the recurring tropes of other Zelda games, such as featuring antagonist Ganondorf and the usual quest that sees Link travel the lands of Hyrule to defeat evil of his own free will. In Majora's Mask, Link must save the world from a post-apocalyptic being trapped in Majora's Mask, and from the moon's impending collision with the Earth, all within three days. The game has a time mechanic that tracks Link's progress, with the game's clock counting down to doomsday. Besides its unique setting and gameplay, Link can also manipulate and influence time through a song called "Inverted Song of Time," a distinctive melody that lets Link slow time extensively, making it easier to complete the game.

Majora's Mask has the most interesting and dynamic time manipulation mechanics on this list, with the very alteration of time impacting the game's entire story and outcome.