Steam reviews are a very important factor that has a huge impact on how well a game performs commercially. Good reviews bring in more players, and bad ones turn them away. But a negative review score doesn't always mean a game is completely unplayable. It turns out, there are quite a few decent titles out there that manage to have enough positives to be enjoyable, despite their red-colored Steam score.
Open-World Games That Are Still Hard To Live Up To
Despite the gaming industry's constant technological evolution, these open-world games have remained virtually untouchable for years.
When it comes to the open-world genre, it can be incredibly hard to create a compelling world that feels full of life or has enough content for players to enjoy over an extended period of time. Many developers have tried and failed when attempting to build a game within one of the most popular genre spaces. In spite of their less-than-desirable reception, those games still manage to deliver fun experiences, even if they are a bit rough around the edges.
Wild West Dynasty
Simulating The Cowboy Lifestyle
- Release Date: 22 Aug, 2024
- Developer: Moon Punch Studio
- Platforms: PC
Wild West Dynasty is an incredibly impressive open-world game that transports players to the brutal American Midwest, forcing them to survive against both the environment and the threats within it. Players need to manage and grow their settlement, building individual structures to convince others to join and slowly creating a bustling town full of people with needs and desires.
Some of the biggest complaints around the game come down to its optimization and the bugs that plague the experience. It can be a bit frustrating when things break or the game crashes, but when things go smoothly, the actual core loop of exploring, crafting, and decorating is pretty satisfying, especially given the scope of the world and the fact that it comes from a small indie developer.
Edge Of Space
Terraria Meets Intergalactic Exploration
Edge of Space
- Released
- September 17, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Edge of Space is a 2D survival sandbox that spawns players on an alien world with nothing but the suit on their backs to help them survive. The world is large and full of danger, forcing players to hunt for resources quickly and gear up so they can traverse further and take on the more challenging foes that hide around every corner.
7 Open-World Games So Good, You'll Play Them Twice
It's not enough to beat these open-world games once, as they give players plenty of reasons to play through them all over again.
There is a surprising amount of depth in terms of items and build paths, giving players more than enough content to explore without ever feeling too overwhelmed. Though the game has been widely criticized for feeling unfinished and more of a Terraria clone than a unique project, the core gameplay feels distinctive enough to warrant giving it a try.
Growtopia
Building A World Together
- Release Date: 7 Mar, 2024
- Developer: Ubisoft Abu Dhabi
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, macOS, iOS, Android
Growtopia is an MMO adventure that allows players from across the globe to come together and build anything they can imagine. Players can construct mini-games or small houses, and with enough ambition and time, create entire cities full of people interacting and sharing ideas for the next big project.
There are quite a few problems cited related to server connectivity, bots, and criticism of the devs at Ubisoft, which has pulled the review score down into the negative realm. With that said, the gameplay is still fun enough to be enjoyed with friends and offers the perfect place to relax for those who enjoy some simple building fun.
Life Is Feudal: MMO
Bringing The Middle Ages To The Modern Day
- Release Date: 12 Jan, 2018
- Developer: LTG
- Platforms: PC
Life is Feudal: MMO comes from a series of medieval games that each embrace different gameplay concepts to build an authentic middle ages world. In this case, players can build villages into an empire, take part in large-scale PvP battles, and conquer entire lands. The game has so much freedom that basically anything is possible with enough imagination.
The negativity comes from how the free-to-play model transitioned into a monthly subscription, pushing a lot of die-hard fans away and drawing in a lot of hate. The devs have since released a newer title called Life is Feudal: Arden, which looks to improve upon the already expansive world of the original MMO, but for people looking for an authentic medieval world to explore and shape to their will, the studio's first attempt remains enjoyable to this day.
X Rebirth
Venture Across The Universe
- Release Date: 15 Nov, 2013
- Developer: Egosoft
- Platforms: PC, macOS, Linux
X Rebirth is a large-scale space simulator that has just about anything a player could want from a game of its kind. There are high-intensity ship battles, trading mechanics that are built on the back of an in-depth economy, and so much more to see. Players are given all the freedom they need to explore and carve out their place in the galaxy.
Open-World Games With A Ridiculous Amount Of Depth
Some open-world games stand out for their depth and complexity, making it tough for fans to find similar experiences elsewhere.
A lot of the gripes come from a buggy state on launch, but also some glaring omissions that make certain aspects of the game hard to enjoy. It feels similar to a game like No Man's Sky, where the idea and ambition are there, but the execution just doesn't quite hit the mark. The follow-up, X4: Foundations, manages to deliver on a lot more of those promises, but for those who prefer a more old-school feel, X Rebirth still manages to capture the essence of a truly open space simulator, just with a couple of issues here and there.
Ancient The Dimensions
A Unique Isometric Survival Experience
- Release Date: 7 Jan, 2025
- Developer: HEADSTONE STUDIO
- Platforms: PC
Ancient the Dimensions is an interesting survival crafting game that has a lot going for it, both in terms of visuals and gameplay. The top-down perspective changes how the survival mechanics function, as players can see more of the world at once, which can provide vital information for avoiding enemy encounters and finding hidden resources without having to hunt up close.
The game is still in Early Access, which does come with the potential for significant changes, but the biggest issues here are related to bugs and core gameplay loops that feel unfinished. In its current state, Ancient the Dimensions has a lot of potential to grow into a beautiful open-world survival game, and given enough time, it could potentially be yet another redemption story that proves all the haters wrong.
Greed Of Man
Creating An Underground Empire
- Release Date: 10 Jul, 2023
- Developer: NIK
- Platforms: PC
Greed of Man transports players to a city full of opportunities, some ethical and others very illegal. Players begin with next to nothing and have to loot and find resources to kickstart their underground business, slowly transitioning from a lowly nobody to a criminal mastermind who rules an entire empire, managing everything from manufacturing to product shipping.
However, despite a pretty decent following, the developer has been painted in a pretty poor light for their actions and decisions regarding the development and marketing of the game. With that said, the product that exists today is still pretty enjoyable. Even if there are some issues both in-game and with the creator, it is free-to-play, so it is still worth a try.
8 Great Open-World Games With "Mixed" Reviews On Steam
These games have mixed Steam reviews for various reasons, but they're still worth your time.