Summary
- While it has its uses, AI-assisted procedural generation can't capture the meticulous detail and care of a handcrafted open world.
- Games like Eastshade, The Witcher 3, and Elden Ring focus on intentional design and storytelling in their worlds.
- From the bespoke settings of Morrowind to the living, breathing world of Red Dead Redemption 2, handcrafted worlds reign supreme.
Creating a satisfying open world that keeps bringing players back for more is no small undertaking. While tools like AI-assisted procedural generation can help cut costs or speed up the work, the experience of wandering a world built with meticulous detail and care is not something that technology can truly replicate.
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When every tree, alley, ruined tower, and non-playable character feels like it was placed with intention, not randomly spawned, but designed to spark curiosity, the memory of that place becomes deeply etched in the mind of its player, like a dream half-lived or a story unclosed. From interactable elements to design finesse, these worlds are brimming with the tell-tale signs of a human artist.
8 Eastshade
An Art-Lover's Dream Island Of Refuge
Eastshade
- Released
- February 13, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Open-World
As an open-world game about painting, not fighting, Eastshade invites players to explore a quiet, breathtaking island filled with wildlife, cozy villages, and locals with small, personal stories. There’s no combat, no fast travel, and no sprawling quest log, just careful exploration and atmosphere and time for the player to meditate and return to a mindful state as they seek out their inspiration.
Naturally, as the world was built for the inspection of an artist's eye, the island feels lovingly bespoke, every path winding toward something worth seeing, and every cliffside arranged like a landscape asking to be captured on canvas. Eastshade is a game perfect for those who appreciate fine environmental storytelling and getting to know a place, footstep by intentional footstep.
7 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Plumbing From A Universe Of Rich Lore And Texture
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 93 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- May 19, 2015
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Publisher(s)
- CD Projekt Red
WHERE TO PLAY
The Witcher 3’s world may be massive, but what makes it feel handcrafted is how personal and story-rich every corner is. There are no “filler” areas. Each swamp, village, and ruin is either tied to lore, a questline, or a tragedy waiting to be uncovered.
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CD Projekt Red packed even the most remote corners of Velen or Skellige with flavor, from cursed fields to ghost-plagued towns, and that goes for NPCs as well. Although many of the quests in The Witcher 3 may follow many side-quest formulas to serve as a vessel for witching activities, each is presented as a story delivered with as much gusto and personality as the last.
6 Grand Theft Auto 5
The Car-Centric City In All Its Chaotic Beauty
Grand Theft Auto 5
- Released
- September 17, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
Although real-life Los Angeles is only beautiful from afar or while traveling quickly enough by car, it is easy to be stunned by the level of work Rockstar put into their replica (or parody) of the West Coast city of Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto 5. As well as being packed with activities and side stories, the small details, from graffiti and ads to hiking trails and backyards and hidden interiors, betray an astounding level of hand-crafted care.
After parsing the chaos of the ultra-American metropolis, it becomes clear that everything has been placed to reinforce a consistent tone and identity. Of course, the spectacle goes out as much as it goes deep, with carefully choreographed set pieces, unique vehicle encounters, and one-off, throwaway environmental storytelling moments tucked into the margins that reinforce that highfalutin-yet-grounded satirical spirit.
5 Cyberpunk 2077
A Dense Neon Jungle Cultivated By Obsessed Designers
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Night City may be dystopian, but it’s crafted with nothing short of hyper-obsessive detail. While Cyberpunk 2077's broader systems and mechanics took time to evolve from post-launch patches, the density and personality of the environment were present from day one. Every corporate tower, back-alley noodle stand, and trash-filled gutter exists to tell the story of the city and those who barely survive within.
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Unlike many open worlds that grow shallow the taller their buildings get, Night City goes down and up in equal measure, with interiors, rooftops, alleyways, VIP areas, and underpasses all designed with architectural consistency and narrative intent, with each district telling a different story about class, cyberpunkian body horror, and slow collapse.
4 Elden Ring
A World Shaped By Grace And Scarred By Design
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
FromSoftware's take on open-world design is all about discovery, with absolutely no time for filler. Every vista hints at a secret, every ruin holds a tale. Elden Ring's Lands Between feels as though it has been carefully placed by unseen hands, begging to be unraveled piece by piece, from its unique enemy designs to the meticulously placed traps, routes, and treasures.
What elevates Elden Ring is how handcrafted it remains even at its largest scale. Between forgotten underground cities, rotten battlegrounds, and shattered castles, nothing feels copied or repeated, with every turn having the potential to make or break the player, instilling a sense of awe either way.
3 Assassin’s Creed Unity
A Meticulously-Researched And Executed Rendering Of Revolutionary Paris
Assassin's Creed Unity
- Released
- November 11, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
Every cobblestone, alley, and artisan workshop of Assassin’s Creed Unity's recreation of Revolutionary-era Paris feels purposefully placed. Unity’s rendition of Notre-Dame Cathedral stands above as one of the most intricately modeled landmarks in gaming, created with the help of extensive research, photography, and archaeological data.
It was said that its Notre-Dame was so accurate, down to individual statues, stained-glass windows, and spire dimensions, that it was later referenced during real-world restoration efforts after the devastating 2019 fire, although this rumor was ultimately discovered to be false. However, the in-game Notre Dame and the rest of Paris are still staggering. Nearly every structure in the city can be entered or scaled, offering ballrooms, crypts, and crowded market streets to explore.
2 Morrowind
Bespoke Wealth Beyond Measure, Outlander
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- Released
- May 1, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
There is an undeniable level of hand-crafted graft in the fourth and fifth Elder Scrolls entries, but despite its age, Morrowind takes the prize for having the most manual and intentional design put into it. After using procedural generation extensively in Daggerfall, Bethesda opted to completely reverse course on their philosophy on content building while also maintaining their commitment to deliver a seamless, fully explorable (every house, every hill) world.
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While Morrowind's map was drastically reduced in scale, every single area is densely packed with personalized content. Although its dialogue system may offer plenty of generic text, no NPC feels like a filler character. As a prime example, its quests are designed in such a way that the quest giver (and many NPCs along the way) will offer diegetic directions for the player to follow as they physically move across the world to their destination.
1 Red Dead Redemption 2
A Hand-Woven Tapestry Of Beauty On The Large And Small Scale
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar’s magnum opus, is a slow-burning, richly textured landscape meant to be lived in. From animal migration patterns, town routines, and even the angle of the sun at dusk to towns evolving and buildings bearing the marks of weather and wear, everything contributes to a sense of a world autonomously changing with or without the player.
But where the player goes, folks along the road remember. That includes Arthur's actions, large and small, from murder to the tip of a hat. It would have been easy for Rockstar to produce a satisfying cowboy adventure fueled by adrenaline and cortisol. Instead, they opted to use their enormous budget to weave an epic (and importantly, cohesive) masterpiece that will no doubt stand the long test of time.
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