As one of the most popular genres in modern gaming, the open-world category has plenty of games that all approach the formula quite differently. They all share some basic elements that define the experience, such as a large, explorable map where players can tackle objectives in any order and in many different ways. However, many open-world games tweak other elements to stand out from the crowd or offer something new.
Not every experiment ends up adding more good than bad, but successful ideas often become new staples in the genre. These are quickly adopted by other games, whether through a fresh approach to map structure, an array of side activities, or general mechanics like towers used to reveal portions of the map. Of course, given the variety of approaches available, as well as players' individual tastes, everyone might have their own idea of what the perfect open-world game means.
The Biggest Open World Games, Based On The Size Of Their Maps
Open-world games are beloved for their massive maps. Here are some of the biggest open worlds that gamers can explore in the genre.
With that in mind, today we'll try to outline some core pillars, or simple recommendations, for making the overall perfect open-world game. Below are the most important factors that contribute to enjoyable playtime in the genre the most, alongside game examples that excel in their respective areas.
Scale of a Map
Not Too Small, Not Overly Vast, With Few to No Exploration Blockers
- Examples: Red Dead Redemption 2, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Assassin's Creed Unity, Batman: Arkham Knight
When trying to make the perfect open-world game, it's important to figure out the right scale of the world. In many cases, too big of a map can be just as bad for the experience as too small of an explorable world. Making the map too small may lead to the world feeling artificial, while a gigantic map can lead to players burning out from never-ending exploration.
Naturally, it's not just about the sheer size of the world. A map should also feel dense with content, while still having enough empty space to feel believable. It should feature diverse regions, and unique locations sprinkled throughout to avoid monotony. On top of that, the freedom to roam should come with very few (if any) progression restrictions that artificially prevent players from reaching certain regions or destinations seen on the horizon.
Reactive World
NPCs & Environments Should React to the Players' Actions, Or Otherwise Evolve
- Examples: Red Dead Redemption 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Assassin's Creed Shadows (changing seasons)
This aspect is tricky, as very few games handle it well. A reactive world can be achieved through NPCs that behave realistically and remember the players' actions, such as faction dynamics, or through environmental changes that let players shape or alter the surroundings in some way. This helps to create consequences of player actions to make them meaningful.
7 Best Open-World Maps In Singleplayer Games, Ranked
It's no easy task to design an amazing, immersive open-world map, but these singleplayer games have done a fine job of it.
Designing such dynamic and detailed environments on the large scale typical of modern open-world games is challenging, but there are ways to enhance immersion. For example, the game might feature seasonal changes, NPCs with believable routines or dynamic systems that add unpredictability, or quests and central events that cause irreversible changes to parts of the map.
Player Agency
Multiple Ways to Tackle Key and Optional Objectives
- Examples: Cyberpunk 2077, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Some of the best open-world games share one major trait with immersive sims by catering to various playstyles and allowing players multiple ways to achieve their goals. A common pattern is designing the world around three core gameplay pillars: stealth (or hacking, if the setting allows), open confrontation through combat, or the option to use speech skills or diplomacy to avoid violence altogether.
These systems allow players to choose how to engage with enemies and objectives in the open-world game, while also supporting diverse character builds. Players can also switch approaches on the fly whenever they feel like trying something new.
Varied Map Activities
The World Should Offer Plenty of Different Things to Do
- Examples: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Yakuza 0, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Even with the right map scale and the freedom to play as desired, every good open-world game should provide varied activities beyond combat to make exploration worthwhile. These can involve a range of side quests, so-called map activities (question marks), rewarding collectibles tied to an overarching goal, intricate mysteries to solve, or leisure pursuits like crafting, cooking, or fishing.
Best Open-World Games You Need To Play Before You Die
These are the absolute masterpieces that any player keen on open-world games should try.
The more, the better to create the immersive feeling of living in this fictional world. But there's also a delicate balance to maintain, as too many similar, repetitive tasks across the world's regions can drain excitement and turn exploration into a routine of map clearing.
Layered Combat That Evolves
New Ways to Deal With Enemies Through High-Level Abilities or Gear
- Examples: Ghost of Tsushima, Elden Ring
One of the most underrated aspects of an open-world game that stays exciting for dozens of hours is layered, diverse combat that keeps evolving. It's not enough to introduce only a few abilities at the start, or present a limited skill tree with simple number-boosting perks. Players can grow bored with combat lacking variety. Instead, the best open-world games ensure players gain new tricks gradually. They grow stronger not just through stats, but by unlocking new weapon types, drastically different abilities, and more.
Variety is crucial to maintaining player engagement, and the same applies to enemies and bosses. Many players will lose interest once they discover limitations in their arsenal or skills, or when they keep encountering the same enemies even in new, visually distinct regions of the world.
Means for Fast Movement
Vehicles, Mounts, Traversal Abilities — You Name It
- Examples: GTA 5, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Horizon Forbidden West, Forspoken
Given the scale of an average open-world game, players expect some means of fast and dynamic transportation beyond simply running or using a basic fast-travel system to teleport between points. Fortunately, developers have many ways to make movement and exploration faster and more exciting.
Open-World Games With The Best Stories Shaped By You
In these games, players themselves can shape personal narratives that truly adapt to their actions – be it wins or failures.
From various vehicles or mounts, including exotic flying options, to unique traversal abilities that turn movement into an experience of its own, there's little reason for open-world games to overlook these features. It's a perfect way to enhance exploration and the feel of traveling through the environment. Moreover, all movement options can be integrated with combat to make encounters even more dynamic.
Balanced Storytelling
Avoid the Feeling of Two Different Games Stitched Together
- Examples: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Elden Ring
Many open-world games make the mistake of presenting the central narrative as almost separate from the rest of the experience. These games deliver the story mainly through heavy exposition, cinematic cutscenes, or missions that can feel restrictive and predictable. This creates a gap between the story and the broader gameplay, as if two different games were stitched together, which can leave some players questioning whether the game should be open-world at all.
This is probably the least strict rule, since some players prefer a traditional, cinematic narrative, yet it's difficult to implement without some parts of the experience suffering. Instead, developers should aim to weave the story into the world naturally by taking advantage of the genre's strengths. There are several ways to achieve this: subtle lore and environmental storytelling, key NPCs with missions integrated into world exploration, or a story structure that reduces handholding and lets players uncover the plot through exploration and unpredictable encounters, among others.
Upcoming Open-World Games With A Focus On Realism
Realistic open-world games are rare, but these upcoming titles should be on every fan's radar.