As the video game industry expands, an increasing number of games aim to offer players the freedom to explore open worlds in a nonlinear manner. In recent years, there has been a notable effort within the gaming industry to enhance the capabilities of video games and elevate their cinematic qualities. This has prompted many game development studios to shift their focus towards cinematic elements, particularly in the realm of sound design.

The evolution of gaming, which began with simple arcade games in the 1980s, has now transformed into epic narratives featuring heroic figures and complex moral dilemmas. Games have grown significantly in scale, and sound design has had to keep pace in order to maximize the immersive potential of these newer games. Consequently, some of the most remarkable open-world games now boast top-tier sound design systems.

1. Elden Ring

Elden Ring, considered one of the most expansive and ambitious games ever, elevated the cinematic quality of From Software's "Soulsborne" franchise, which was already exceptionally impressive. Much of this enhancement can be attributed to the exceptional level of sound design.

This game excels in every aspect, from the elemental sounds of spells to the atmospheric effects like weather, and the distinct sounds associated with each creature and boss encounter. It fulfills all the criteria for becoming a monumental presence in the gaming world, and its sound design is just one of the elements that contribute to its spine-tingling excellence.

2. Red Dead Redemption 2

The Wild West serves as a daring backdrop for an open-world game, even though much of the Western genre's themes have been extensively explored in movies for many years. Nevertheless, Rockstar didn't hesitate to launch the Red Dead Redemption franchise, and Red Dead Redemption 2 stands out as an exceptionally ambitious endeavor in the realm of open-world sound design.

Whether it's the simple act of riding a horse, the shattering of a window, or the thunderous echo of gunshots, Red Dead Redemption 2 fully embraces meticulous attention to sound intricacies. Its dedication to sound design contributed significantly to the game's cinematic immersion, earning it numerous accolades upon its release.

3. Subnautica

Creating an open-world game set predominantly underwater was a daring decision from the outset, but Subnautica executed it masterfully, earning recognition for its exceptional craftsmanship. Players find themselves crash-landed on an alien planet, compelled to gather resources for survival while actively searching for a means to eventually escape. The immersion experienced in Subnautica is truly remarkable, owing to the exquisite design of the underwater environment and the meticulous attention to sound.

The constant underwater setting in Subnautica instills a sense of apprehension among players, largely due to the pervasive silence that often prevails, intensifying the impact of various oceanic sounds. Whether it's the ominous roars of leviathan creatures, the submerged eruptions of volcanoes, or even the gentle hum of a Cyclops engine as players venture into uncharted territory, Subnautica serves as an exemplary demonstration of how sound design can be both immersive and spine-tingling, skillfully employing moments of silence to heighten the overall experience.

4. Horizon Forbidden West

The Horizon franchise has always possessed a highly cinematic quality, striving to immerse players in Aloy's world and her encounters with animal-like machines. From the rich soundscapes of the diverse ecosystems players explore to the subtle background conversations that might go unnoticed, every element contributes to enhancing the game's immersion.

Sound plays a pivotal role in Horizon: Forbidden West, as it can often enable players to evade battles by keenly listening for nearby creatures and taking alternate routes. Beyond this, the meticulous attention to sound design across the entire game is undeniably impressive and elevates the overall cinematic experience significantly.

5. Hunt: Showdown

It's uncommon to find a multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) game included among the top-notch sound designs in open-world gaming. However, Hunt: Showdown is part of the emerging trend of extraction shooters, where sound design plays an exceptionally vital role because it empowers players to leverage it effectively.

In this open-world bounty-hunting game, players are encouraged to track down and eliminate various boss creatures within a level to collect the bounties on them. Subsequently, Hunt: Showdown challenges players to reach an extraction point for escape. The game heavily relies on the precision of sound, enabling players to pinpoint the exact location of enemies thanks to its remarkable sound design.

6. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla

The Assassin's Creed series has always placed a strong emphasis on character development and storytelling, and it has consistently featured outstanding soundtracks from its inception. Therefore, it's not surprising to see one of the newer installments, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, recognized for its exceptional sound design in the realm of open-world games.

Valhalla marked a departure for the franchise as players took on the role of a Viking. While the series had previously delivered impressive sound design, nothing quite matched the immersive quality found in Valhalla, which spanned diverse settings such as parties, villages, frozen wastelands, and otherworldly realms throughout its extensive gameplay. Much of this accomplishment can be attributed to the extraordinary sound design, which greatly contributed to the rich world-building in the game's backdrop.

7. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

In The Witcher 3, an open-world game of profound seriousness set in the dark and fantastical realm of the Continent, achieving immersion is of paramount importance. Recognizing this, the developers took great care to ensure that the world around Geralt felt vibrant and lifelike as he embarked on his adventures. Unlike Skyrim, this game has earned accolades for the quality and quantity of its voiceover work, and the myriad sounds of both creatures and the environment are executed with exceptional skill.

Furthermore, much like Skyrim, The Witcher 3 boasts an exceptional soundtrack that enriches the overall gaming experience. Whether it's the music that accompanies moments of pause, the in-world tunes performed by bards, or the general soundtrack that envelops players as Geralt journeys through the game's world, The Witcher 3 offers a comprehensive auditory experience that greatly enhances the video game.

8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Over the years since Skyrim's initial release, much discussion has centered around the voiceover work and its occasional repetitiveness. However, when one focuses solely on the sounds of Tamriel, a different perspective emerges. From the melodies of bards performing in every tavern to the clamor of street vendors and the pleas of beggar children, Skyrim boasts remarkable sound design.

Furthermore, the game is replete with a variety of sounds associated with its denizens, including the thunderous descent of dragons with their warning roars, the droning of insects heralding the approach of a Spriggan, and many other formidable creatures. The depth of the sound design is truly astonishing, and this is without even mentioning the captivating and expansive soundtrack that continues to draw players back to the game, enticing them to revisit its melodic wonders time and time again.

>>> Read more: 4 Best RPGs To Play If You Like Witcher 3

Open-world games are extremely engaging and interactive. They are ambitious projects that provide a sandbox experience that basically gives players a lot of freedom within the in-game world. Almost all of the major releases are open-world games that don’t fully focus on the main narrative but rather create this vast virtual environment where players can have a unique experience. It’s more immersive because players decide what happens in these open-world instances and get to develop their characters the way they see fit.

Since open-world games are basically theme parks with lots of fun mini-games and side quests it’s quite common to see gambling as one of the available activities. We often see poker mini-games or another completely new card game like Gwent in the Witcher. Some titles even feature a full in-game casino that has a content selection similar to $1 deposit casino NZ platforms that are available online. This means you can play slots, blackjack, roulette, and baccarat and even win the in-game currency. These are actually important features, and gambling mechanics are very important to open-world games in general. Now, let’s talk about why it is so.

Opening Up New Possibilities to Beat the Game

You might think that gambling in video games serves no purpose unless you are making a video game about casinos. But you would be wrong. In fact, these features add much to replay value and can significantly alter the experience in some cases. For example, early Pokemon titles had a casino in the early or mid part of the game. This allowed players to get a new Pokemon that wasn’t available in the wild at that stage.

Admittedly they could just grind until they had enough money, but with that logic why not simply progress the game until you reach the point where it is available. The slot games were a unique mechanic that allowed players to get early access to that content if they got lucky. The developers decided to remove it because the new PEGI criteria categorize those games as 18+ which makes marketing to kids problematic. Parents simply don’t like the idea of gambling in games that are meant for toddlers, and there is no arguing about that.

Sense of Prestige

In the online game GTA, virtual gambling parlors are more fleshed out. They look like a casino in the USA and give almost an identical experience to an online casino. Here you can find all sorts of unique prizes in the form of rare vehicles and formulas. In fact, the only way to get these assets is to play at this virtual casino. In other words, not many players will have these assets and they will definitely look cool on those who have simply because of their exclusivity.

In fact, this is why many MMO RPGs like World of Warcraft have thousands of rare drops in form of mounts or unique-looking equipment. Basically, a small percentage of the player base will have these special cosmetic items because they got lucky. Moreover, it is a fair way to give access to these rare goods because they don’t favor those who are better at the game, they are simply awarded through luck. That being said, there are plenty of other drops that look amazing and are not that hard to get. This is also important because players love to have goals they can achieve through hard work and dedication, rather than solely relying on luck.

How Online Casinos Borrow from Video Games

Open-world games can be more entertaining by adding gambling activities, but casino games can also be more entertaining by adding more skill-based features. Typically gamblers don’t expect this type of content in this platform but we have seen that younger players are interested in some new slots. These new casino slots often have a bonus round that features a skill-based mini-game. Moreover, you might come across a casino in UK, or in the US, that has luck-based arcades. These include first-person-shooter experiences where mobs have a rare chance to drop a big cash prize for example. Meaning someone put the RNG calculator from slots into a game where you shoot your enemies.

>>> Gurugamer.com updates latest gaming news and reviews, check in daily for more!

Amongst all open-world games like GTA 5, the GTA series is in a class of its own. The worlds in GTA games are so big and expansive that players would always get their money's worth. GTA 5 is the best game in the series to date, and in this article, we are going to showcase the 5 things GTA 5 did better than other open world games.

1 - Better AI for NPCs

As you can see from the recent dumpster fire Cyberpunk 2077, having a proper AI for NPC makes the game much more immersive. In GTA 5, each NPC reacts based on the severity of the threat before them. They might fight back if the player hits or shoves them unarmed, however, if the player pulls out a gun, they might apologize or even flee.

Furthermore, NPCs in a crow have different reactions - some might call the cop on you. In Cyberpunk, all NPCs have only one reaction: Cower in fear. Skyrim is slightly better, however, NPCs will fight you to the death if you kill a chicken.

2 - Attention to detail

Overall, the open world of GTA is probably the best looking one to date, despite being released almost 8 years ago. The developers usually carry out extensive researches on locations they plan to emulate in order to make them as realistic as possible.

GTA 5 contains an incredible amount of details on its map and gameplay. From simple things like glasses and headgear shading or coloring your view to characters discharged from the hospital still retain cuts and bruises, the immersion is just insane. Other games do not have this level of detail.

3 - Immersive missions

The story missions in GTA 5 are specially scripted so that players can enjoy the game's detailed environment to the fullest. From high speed car chases to over the top shootouts, all players' desire to wreak havoc should be sated.

There are also missions that go into character backstory and engage players in the narrative as well. This put them into the shoes of the game character to explore the world's nooks and crannies.

4 - Better side content

In GTA 5's side missions, people are introduced to random strangers, each with their own unique story and personality. This makes the game much more immersive and increases players' enjoyment.

Players can also do a lot of side content, from sports like golf or tennis to activities like hunting or riding a roller coaster. Each activity has the same attention to detail as other pieces of content. Other open world games just can't compare.

5 - More freedom

GTA 5 allows the player a lot more freedom than other games. They can ride pretty much any available vehicles in the game, from cars and bikes to even tanks and fighter jets.

If players ever feel bored, they can either engage in a massive fight with the police then escape the cops at max wanted level, play minigames, or go online to play with other people.

Interested in more of our articles related to the GTA Series? Check out this article to find out more about GTA Union Depository Contract | Complete Guide To Earn $675K

Amongst the various genres of PC games, Open World is probably the one with the biggest amount of content per game. However, the inherent attribute of the open world genre is its size... you might need a decent PC to run the newest games.

Not all gamers have powerful PCs, with 4GB RAM being the norm in India. In this article, we are going to list out the top 5 best open world games for 4GB RAM PC.

1 - Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs is an action RPG set in the open world of Hong Kong. Overall, the game is more or less GTA but in a Chinese City, with a different culture and details. The story revolves around Wei Shen, an undercover police agent who's infiltrating the Sun On Yee Triad.

The gameplay focuses on Shen's fighting, shooting and parkour abilities, with the melee combat comparable to that of Batman: Arkham Asylum. Players can fight opponents from any direction with attack, grapple and counter moves. These three basic commands are chained with character movement to create combos - you can also perform environmental attacks for extra damage as well.

There are three types of XP in this game: Triad, Face and Police XP. Each serves a different purpose, with higher levels unlock new abilities like hot-wiring cars and disarming opponents.

2 - Crysis 3

The third game in the Crysis series - one of the graphically intensive "PC destroyers" back in the day. In 2021, however, its system requirements are puny. The story of Crysis 3 revolves around Prophet, a Nanosuit user who's on a quest to take revenge against the leader of an alien race who has invaded Earth.

The game is set in a ruined, post-apocalyptic version of New York City, with both urban landscape and forest. Crysis 3's gameplay revolves around the use of weapons and the nanosuit. Weapon-wise, players can sprint, slide, jump and crouch while using guns or a compound bow to defeat enemies. Explosives like grenades, C4 and melee attacks are also available as well.

The Nanosuit is probably the core in Crysis 3's gameplay, granting players various abilities like going invisible, heat vision, hacking enemies' equipment, and more.

>>> Read more: Top 8 Best PC Games Under 1GB

3 - Prototype

Set in the city of Manhattan, Prototype follows a powerful amnesiac shapeshifter named Alex Mercer. His goal is to top a plague outbreak named "Blacklight" that mutates people into violent monsters. His powers are also from the virus, but unlike the mobs, he can control them.

During his quest, Alex needs to uncover his past and deal with hostile forces from the US military and Blackwatch. Control Alex, players can freely roam around and explore Manhattan. All its famous landmarks are in the game, including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, 40 Wall Street, amongst others.

Alex has the ability to consume the biomass of his enemies to fuel his power. The Combat in Prototype involves the guy turning parts of his body into deadly weapons - from a blade arm to Claws and even a whip. You can also get a shield to block ballistic attacks and even full-body armor.

4 - Assassin's Creed III

Assassin's Creed III is set in a fictional version of real-world events, following the struggle between the Assassins and Templars. The protagonist Miles dives into the memories of his Ancestors with a machine named Animus, trying to find a way to prevent the 2012 apocalypse.

In this game, you would step into the shoes of Connor, an ancestor of Desmond back in the 18th century, during the American Revolution. Connor is able to freely explore 18th-century Boston, New York City, and the American frontier to fight against the Templars. His task is to prevent them from gaining control of the colonies.

Gameplay-wise, the player uses a combination of stealth, parkour, and combat to complete various missions. Aiding this, Connor has access to a wide range of weapons. From range weapons like bow and arrow and muskets to melee weapons like swords and tomahawk. Overall, there are a lot of options for Connor to assassinate his enemies. The iconic assassin's hidden blade is also a great weapon.

5 - Borderlands

Borderlands is an ARPG/FPS set in a unique "space western" fantasy setting. The game lets you explore the world of Pandora as one of the 4 Vault hunters, in a quest of finding the fabled Vault. The mechanic of this game is a perfect blend of a shooter like doom and an RPG with randomized loot like Diablo. There are millions of weapon combinations that you can find in Borderlands, with Orange being the most powerful.

The story is fairly unremarkable, with the four vault hunters racing against a corporation for the keys to open a treasure vault. Each Vault hunter has a different skill tree and one or more unique abilities. Completing quests and defeating foes earns in-game money and experience, which is used for expanding this skill tree.

Co-op is a core feature of Borderland, with the players getting the chance to team up with up to 3 others to tackle the challenges Pandora has to offer.

This is the end of our list for the Best Open World Games For 4GB RAM PC. Interested in more of our articles related to PC Games? Please check out this post for the Top 7 Best Games For Low End PC Without Graphics Card.

Over the last decade, the video game industry soared into one of the world's most promising industries for some reasons. Stepping into the realm of video games, players will lose themselves in mind-blowing storylines, impressive gameplay, and of course, gorgeous characters. 

Have you ever felt like having a crush on a female character in your favorite game? It turns out to be a common feeling of many players giving the fact that these characters are not only blessed with attractive appearance but also the unique ability and charming characteristics. Check out 10 of the best female characters in video games that many players have a crush on!

10. Triss Merigold - The Witcher

The first female character that many male players fall in love with is Triss Merigold from The Witcher series. While the character appears to be cold and selfish at first, she will leave you surprised as the game unfold. The game will be more interesting being around Triss Merigold, the dangerous but beautiful woman.

9. Elena Fisher, Uncharted

Being the female lead in the Uncharted series, Elena Fisher is introduced as a journalist who has a relationship with the male protagonist Nathan Drake. They go on adventures together than be great partners.

8. Jill Valentine, Resident Evil

In the survival series Resident Evil, Jill Valentine the bomb expert steals the spotlight for not only being a survivor but also for her beautiful appearance. The character featured in the game for the first time in Resident Evil's original version and continued to rock the gaming world in other sequels.

She is also selected as the top 50 best video game characters of all time by Guinness World Records.

7. Rayne, BloodRayne

The star of BloodRayne is none other than Rayne, a human-vampire creature. She takes the titular role of the game and is also featured on extended media, films, and books. This character is played by Natassia Malthe and Kristanna Loken.

The character casts a spell on us with her signature red hair, cut-out leather outfit, and vicious look. She is a big inspiration of many cosplayers, fanarts, and other media products.

6. Ciri, The Witcher

Another female character from The Witcher to get into the list is Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, also known as Ciri. Apart from being one of the most powerful female characters in the game, Ciri also wins the gamer's hearts for her characteristic and stunning apperance. She is well-known as the only witcher by birth who can travel time and space and is gifted with incredible power.

5. Ellie, The Last of Us

While The Last of Us took the gaming world by storm for a while, Ellie, the teenager became a sensation despite being a supportive character. Gamers who fall in love with her will have a chance to meet this character more in the prequel of the game, The Last of Us II which has just been released last year.

4. Evie Frye, Assassin's Creed

While most female characters in video games are in supportive roles, Evie Frye steals the spotlight for being a protagonist of Assassin Creed along with her brother Jacob. The character is beloved for her likable, strong, and unique charisma.

Suggested post: Top 15 Witcher 3 Best Armors To Use In The Early And Late Game

3. Tifa Lockhart, Final Fantasy

Being introduced as a bartender and best friend of Cloud Strife, Tifa is here to steal your heart in no time with her gorgeous and charming appearance. This character is played by Japanese actress Ayumi Ito and Rachael Leigh Cook.

2. Panam Palmer, Cyberpunk 2077

The supportive female character Panam Palmer in Cyberpunk 2077 has kept on sweeping every man of her feet ever with her glam and grace. The character’s appearance is said to take inspiration from American actress Tristin May while she is voiced by Emily Woo Zeller. She is introduced to be an independent mercenary and features in the Ghost Town job.

As this character is romanceable, she became the favorite female character of the game who can change the ending of the protagonist.

1. Lara Croft, Tomb Raider

Millions of Tomb Raider players admitted that they were all being smitten with this sexy archaeologist and adventure. In fact, this character takes inspiration from Hollywood superstars like Alicia Vikander and Angelina Jolie. Lara Croft has been a sensation since the release of the title and she deserves to win the title ‘the queen of gaming’. 

Above is the list of best female characters in video game that all players are smitten with. Which one is your favorite character? Let us know by leaving your comment right below. In addition to that, do not forget to visit our website Gurgugamer.com for more interesting news about games and entertainment!

Also read: Meet Julia & Lauren Burch - The Canadian Twins To Become The New Sensation On Twitch!

Despite being a first-person roleplay game, many Cyberpunk 2077 players want to experience the game from the 3rd person view. Is it possible to change the game to 3rd view person or not, here is the answer you want to know!

The First-person And Third-Person Game

It’s all about the visual style the game offers that give you a slightly different experience while changing between the first-person and third-person mode. While first-person games allow players to have a view through the perspective of the protagonist, third-person games will provide the role of an outsider. It's just like there is a camera behind your main character and follows him all around.

Apart from having a wide view of the game, you will also see the movement of your characters by using the third-person mode.

Also read: How To Complete Cyberpsycho Sighting: Bloody Ritual | CyberPunk 2077 | Tips And Tricks

Can I change Cyberpunk 2077 to third-person mode?

Being one of the hottest roleplay games to be released in 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 quickly became popular among the gaming community. The game follows the story of character V, a mercenary, and his journey of completing missions to become the greatest warrior of his kind.

While you’re free to customize the characters and many other factors of the game, at the moment, Cyberpunk 2077 is fixed with the first-person view. It’s impossible to switch to a third-person mode in the official version of the game unless you’re driving a vehicle like a car.

In fact, keeping the game primarily in the first-person view is intense as all the game animations are dedicated to being seen in the 1st-person view. In addition to that, it’s better for players to drive into the world in Night City by completely embodying the character V.

How to play Cyberpunk 2077 in third-person view

Although there is no way to change the view mode in Cyberpunk 2077 official version, players who want to experience seeing their character V from a third-person view can consider trying out the Cyberpunk 2077 mod. The modified version will allow you to access features that are inactivated in the official version.

Although using MOD versions in games like Cyberpunk 2077 are considered legal and do not violate any game’s terms of service, please be aware of some bugs and glitches in these unofficial versions as they are not written by verified developers.

Check out some of the best Cyberpunk 2077 MODs for you to customize the game as follows: Top 7 Cyberpunk 2077 Modding Versions Making The Game More Exciting

An open-world game is a video game featuring a virtual world where players can explore and freely approach objectives rather than a world with more structured gameplay. And this type of game has been getting more and more popular with more titles developed than ever.

Titles like GTA 5 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, players can delay completing the story as however long they want, some games even allow you to play on after the story is finished as well. In this post, though, we will list out the best 5 open-world titles.

Animal Crossings: New Horizon

Over the past months, this game has been taken the gaming community by storm as it offers lots of fun elements. Some elements are borrowed from titles like The Sims and Stardew Valley. Players can make new friends and invite them to their houses, they can also spend time anywhere on the island you want. The game’s colorful imagery brings about a happy vibe.

Minecraft

This game has been around for such a long time and it’s so popular that everyone in the gaming world must have heard of it. This is certainly one of the best sandbox games available right now that puts no limits on your creativity. In this game, players have built a lot of things from castles to roller coasters, among many other structures. It lets you do so much that its story mode doesn’t matter anymore. You just need to build and build.

Grand Theft Auto

This game is about run and gun, which is what many think when it comes to this GTA franchise. From stealing a car to stealing a tank, you can do whatever you want in this game. The storyline does have an ending but there are plenty of side missions for you to carry out even after the story has been completed.

Sims 4

If you love the feeling of being a God that watches your creations come to life, this title is for you. Basically, it’s a life simulation title in which you create characters to lead a virtual life. You will see your creations be born and age perfectly. This game is relaxing, offering a soothing ambiance along with peppy soundtracks.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

There are not any open-world games that are rich in lore like Skyrim, it also offers countless things to do and explore for players. It lets you do everything from killing dragons to raiding dungeons. The title also allows for customizing weapons and armor in accordance with your playstyle. This is an old game but the recent remaster edition delivers more hype to its name.

>>> How To Install And Play Minecraft With Mods?

Recent years are the prime time for open-world video games. Every now and then we would catch wind of a video game project that promises vast open worlds with beautiful, lively landscapes, innumerable of sights to explore and things to do, as well as lively inhabitants that you can interact with on the virtual journey. A good open-world video game, from my experience, can get you hooked for countless hours on end.

However, the massive scale of open-world games can be both a strong suit and a fatal weakness. The good thing is that with a massive map in hand that sometimes could take hours to traverse from one end to another you could get an incredibly immersive and satisfying experience of exploring a previously unknown world. Adding that up with good and well-focused gameplay and that game will almost certainly become a hit by giving the players not only enhanced immersion but also greater replay-ability values as well. Sometimes the graphical engine and the details added into an open map by the developers can make your jaws drop. To celebrate this spirit, here are ten of the greatest, biggest, and most realistic open-world games to ever come to the market.

No Man’s Sky

When the game first launched it was considered as a complete disaster and irrecoverable wreckage. The game was missing features left and right as well as its state being riddled with bugs and glitches didn’t help much in its critical reception, either. In fact, the omission of the feature was so great that the game straight out didn’t have a multiplayer mode when it first launched.

However, through the years the developer - Hello Games - had made up for their shortcomings and gradually fixed up the game. First with the addition of a multiplayer mode, then they brought several key features that they promised in the beginning and then some newer ones to the game. If you were to have both versions of the game when it first came out and as it is right now, the differences are staggering.

The best thing about the game though is definitely the open-world exploration. The scale of the game is so cosmically (Pun intended) great that it’s outright impossible to completely traverse the game in its entirety. Going from a star system to another is an extremely fun experience in No Man’s Sky and until this date, the game still has one of the most realistic interplanetary travel mechanisms to ever be featured in a video game.

Grand Theft Auto V

When it comes to open-world no one does it better than Grand Theft Auto.

As a matter of fact, every modern open-world video games will have to give credits to Grand Theft Auto for being the first to kickstart the open-world design trend with iconic classics like Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City. But the franchise simply blew all of the other games of the genre out of the water when GTA V came out.

As someone who has played through the game before, I can say with absolute certainty that Los Santos has the kind of detailed sophistication, detail-rich design, and a degree of polish so high that one area of the map can keep you occupied for hours. The game’s the most realistic GTA Rockstar Games has ever produced and since the game’s been out for quite some time now you can definitely find it for cheap at some points. The cars, the people, and even the locations are fictional, they’re actually based extensively on the real world. For a game that’s all about jacking people’s cars, Rockstar has outdone itself as always.

Fallout 4

Fallout 4 is a pretty questionable piece even in its own fanbase. There’s a part of the community that liked the narrative-focused approach of earlier games better (Fallout 3, New Vegas). And there’s a part that wholeheartedly embraced the new changes. But no matter the arguments surrounding the game you cannot argue that it indeed has a pretty vibrant and expansive post-apocalyptic open-world packed inside.

In the game, a major tool that you’ll be using throughout your entire journey is the arm-mounted Pip-Boy personal computer. The map function will be of great use to your expedition through the wasteland, exploring the remnants of the Old World before the nuclear holocaust, and of course, peeling back the dark stories behind the sometimes whimsical game.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Though many people are saying that Assassin’s Creed franchise is getting a little bland after ten releases over the years, Ubisoft still continued to surprise us with the latest release being Odyssey. If you’re unfamiliar with the premise of the game, the plotline heavily revolves around an Animus: A high-tech simulation device that can access a person’s genetic memory to relive the memories and experiences of their ancestors.

Odyssey started during the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece. Though the revised gameplay is still a hotly debated change, one thing for sure is that the game offers a greater, more vibrant, and diverse world than any other Assassin’s Creed game that came before. Dialogues are done well and characters got distinct flairs from one another, Odyssey is definitely an open-world game that would be worth diving into if you haven’t done so yet.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

As an exclusive on PS4, the game’s probably one of the most easily recognizable games on the console. The thing that makes it stand out the most is the world in-game: Characterised by robotic animals and dinosaurs roaming and running amok on majestic fields and plains in a world where humanity had long ago descended into the apocalypse and reverted back to their primitive past.

The protagonist of the game, Aloy, found herself on a dangerous journey to defeat the Machines and thwart a plan to once more wipe the Earth of humanity for good. From the screenshots alone, it’s not difficult to see that the game’s definitely one of the more visually stunning games to be released on the PS4 that took the fullest advantage of the powerful hardware packed inside. The game can still surprise even recurrent players and that’s the reason why I think that if you have a PS4, don’t hesitate to grab the game. You’ll be in for quite a ride.

Forza Horizon 4

Forza Horizon is a well-known series in the racing circle right there next to Need For Speed. But Forza Horizon 4 under the hands of Turn 10 Studios managed to turn into quite a masterpiece with a new open-world system. Packaging that alongside an expanded lineup of new vehicles, dynamic weather, better driving mechanics, and an eye-popping graphical engine and you got a more or less perfect racing game in your hands. Though Forza Horizon 4 is set in a fictional land, the majority of its sceneries are inspired by real-world sights in Great Britain. No other games before could quite match the way Forza Horizon 4 looks and if you’re a fan of the racing genre then definitely check this one out.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

If there’s a game that’s made by Hideo Kojima then you cannot go wrong buying it. Metal Gear Solid V is a departure from the linear way that stories were narrated in the past Metal Gear games. In the fifth game, instead of having a focused storyline, the plot is scattered all throughout the big open world of the two major maps that Venom Snake can gallivant in: Afghanistan and Central Africa. Open world has never been a thing for the Metal Gear series so some veteran players were disgruntled since it felt like the stories suffered under the open-world treatment.

Nonetheless, the game came out as a masterpiece with realism, graphical prowess, and pure fun substantial enough to warrant it as an overwhelming success by critics. If you’re looking for the ‘Tactical Espionage’ atmosphere and realism, do not miss out on MGS V.

Spider-Man

One thing about games adapted from superheroes is that those game developers rarely managed to do it just right. Spider-Man was one of the few exceptions to that rule first of with the massive open-world environment of Peter Parker’s hometown - New York City - fully rendered and wide open for the players to freely explore. Such are the details of New York in Spider-Man that it’s quite possibly the best video game representation of the game I have ever seen. Touring around landmarks like the Empire State and Central Park felt like you were actually there instead of viewing it all through a TV or computer screen.

There are a lot of things that future generations of open-world games can learn from Spider-Man: Making the world so vibrant and breathtakingly beautiful that for most players even though they were presented with the ability to fast travel many prefer to cross the map the ordinary way to take in the fullest splendor of the Big Apple. It’s a brilliant exclusive to the already rich game ecosystem of the PS4.

Watch Dogs 2

Many call Watch Dogs out for being a carbon copy of GTA. I beg to differ. Yeah, the open world is there and you can also beat people up and drag them out of their cars. But that’s about all of the similarities between the two games. Watch Dogs 2 (And even the first Watch Dogs) allow the players to control the environment around them through technology. You can change the color of the traffic lights with one button, you can open locked doors and gates, tap into surveillance cameras, listening in to people’s conversations on the phone, and even disable their phones altogether.

Aside from the hackings, Watch Dogs 2 got the realism down pretty well. One of the better games that Ubisoft had made in the last few years that’s gone by relatively unnoticed.

Red Dead Redemption 2

And now to the prime game of the open-world genre. Red Dead Redemption 2 has got to be one of the most excellent open-world game to ever be released in the modern era of gaming. After all, the game sold a record-breaking 15 million copies in just about a week after it was released. The game’s storyline was set in the lawlessness of the United States’ Western Frontier in 1899. The world is incredibly rich in detail and visually breathtaking. The developers did their fair share of incentivizing players to explore the vast in-game world through side quests.

Visiting towns and the island of Guarma got a certain thrill and a sense of wide-eyed wonder to it all that you’d absolutely be hooked onto the game for a while.

RDR2 won hand down the title of being the most realistic open-world game out there. Interested in more of our RPG related top lists? Please check out this list for all the RPGs published by Bethesda.

It is never too soon for you to keep yourself up-to-date with the video game titles that take months to come. If you are looking for some exciting games coming out in 2020, especially the open-world games, here’s the list for you. We will include some of the highly anticipated games so far in the list below. All of the titles in the list either have the potential or are confirmed to be out in the next year.

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Nintendo
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch
• Release date: March 20, 2020

Animal Crossing is no strange to the Nintendo fans as it has always been one of the favorite titles from the studio. The simulating game would give the players a pleasant time player as they become resident of an area, maintain home and socialize with NPCs in the game.

In the upcoming title of Animal Crossing, New Horizons, you will move to a deserted island, where you have to clean up the place and gradually build a community. The title was expected to be out in 2019, but Nintendo decided to change the release date to 2020. Up to this moment, the fans have only seen a video of this open-world game via Nintendo E3 2019 Direct, in which we discover some new factors added to the installment. One of them is the workbench, which is used to gather and turn the resources that players have collected into the specialized tools.

2. Cyberpunk 2077

• Publisher: CD Projekt Red
• Developer: CD Projekt Red
• Platforms: PS4, PC, Xbox One
• Release: April 16, 2020

Cyberpunk 2077, the open-world game title from studio CD Projekt Red has been one of the most highly expected titles. The people behind the success of the dark fantasy role-playing game, The Witcher, is back with a story-driven, open-world RPG of the dark future. Players will be playing the role of a mercenary who depends on street credibility to get jobs and offers from various companies. Set in the open-world environment, the game mainly concentrates on making choices as it lets players decide that best way according to them to deal with the circumstances at hand.

From what we have seen so far, it seems to have many NPCs experiencing their daily activities and a lot of buildings in the city to which players have access. So now, all of what we can anticipate is only what augmentations you can get, what random events that will take place on the street or what gangs you might come across. With the hype built up, the title is expected to give players a thrilling and fun experience that players can’t get out of, especially when Cyberpunk 2077 comes from a studio with so much reputation.

3. Dying Light 2

• Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: Techland
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4
• Release date: 2020

It seems like the zombie will never die down as in Dying Light 2 which was revealed in E3 2018, we are back to the zombie apocalyptic, and once again, have to fight for our lives. Players will be put in the location of a new city, in which factions are constantly fighting to claim the control of this area. However, in this title, players are offered more freedom as developers will let them pick which pathways to go down, even though all of them will have specific results.

As Dying Light 2 is an open-world video game, players can travel freely inside this world, but if you decide to go far from the city walls, you will be dragged into the battle against the undead. Dying Light 2 occurs fifteen years after the original game title with the same zombie creatures. These aggressive creatures will be lethargic by day and more hostile at night.

4. The Elder Scrolls VI

• Publisher: Bethesda
• Developer: Bethesda
• Platforms: TBA
• Release date: TBA

Finally, the development studio Bethesda announced that The Elder Scrolls VI was in development at E3 2018 - years since the release of the fifth installment of The Elder Scrolls series. However, we are quite clueless about the game, as there has been no news about the next iteration at Bethesda E3 2019. The studio offered little details about the game, but we know that the sixth installment of the franchise would be a next-generation title and would come out after Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG, Starfield. Although there are chances that the title will not release in 2020 (as the studio shift its focus onto the earlier released games – Starfield), the expectation of this open-world game is high. The developers of the game are likely to pull out something that we have never seen before in this title, such as launching it on the brand new platforms. For now, we can only wait for more information about The Elder Scrolls VI from Bethesda.

5. Watch Dogs Legion

• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Developer: Ubisoft
• Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Google Stadia
• Release date: March 6, 2020

The next iteration of the Watch Dogs series, Watch Dogs: Legion, will hit into the market in 2020. This open-world game sets in a fictionalized version of the city London, in which DedSec is currently noticing a new regime that has taken over the UK. Announced in the E3 2019, the third installment of Watch Dogs is highly anticipated due to a unique attribute which Ubisoft shared during E3. The special thing that sets the title apart from the previous installments (which only focus on a specific protagonist) is that Watch Dogs: Legion will feature various playable characters.

The game aims to recruit a lot of potential players to support DedSec. Taking the example of the gameplay footage shown in E3 2019, in which our main protagonist started a hunt to search for a civilian who possesses hacking drones. While doing the mission, when our character died, unlike typical gameplay, we can instantly switch to a previously recruited member to go on with the task. Therefore, players can freely recruit more members to that team, who might own a specialized attribute or skill that is useful in a specific task.

No one knows how big this in-game world will be, but we do know that the developers of the title have added various areas and regions into the game for players to discover.

The video game industry has certainly progressed by a large margin since its early days in the 80s. Back then, just being able to move in a 3D environment instead of the 2 dimensions of the 8/16-bit graphics was considered an impressive feat. Over time, as technology developed, so do the worlds of video games. They become more open, more realistic, with more details and overall just…more.

While a lively world certainly contribute to the gaming experience, and some companies such as Rockstar Games and Bethesda have demonstrated that they can create open worlds filled with tons of memorable content, some open world games might have gone too far.

Nowadays, many games would advertise that they have a gigantic open world, as if that alone is already enough to make the game come to life. In fact, it is the complete opposite. These worlds are often empty and forlorn, and just don’t have a soul to them.

The Trendsetter

The popular Grand Theft Auto III from Rockstar Games, which many consider to be a classic at this point, is thought to be the blueprints for open world games today, even though it is not the first open world game by any mean. Instead of various levels, GTAIII gives players the chance to freely explore the Liberty City. You can take any vehicle you want, go anywhere you please, do whatever you wish. It makes you feel like an actual part of this world, and encourage you to explore more. This has remained the consistent approach of Rockstar for its games since, and it has been working. Grand Theft Auto V would not have been the game it is if we were not allowed to explore every nook and canny of Los Santos or Beverly Hills.

Unlimited Power

Other developers, on the other hand, don’t always see technological advances as tools to create a deeper, livelier environment that helps contribute to a meaningful story. For them, it is all about making a world as large as possible. “Larger than anything you’ve ever seen”, they would announce in their press releases.

It sounds great when they say it in a trailer, but is that actually the case in reality? Does a bigger world mean more interesting activities to do?

More often than not, the answer is “no”. Many developers choose to make open world games because they offer a longer gameplay, though not necessarily a better one.

Ubisoft is oftentimes the name criticized for this. Almost all of the company’s games, single player or otherwise, have gigantic worlds with many things to do. That doesn’t mean the games are always great.

Take the Ghost Recon series for example. The 2012 entry titled Ghost Recon: Future Soldier was for the most part a linear shooter game where players would go from one mission to the next, but it still delivered many memorable moments. It could have been a stable foundation for future games. Yet Ubisoft chose to take another approach in 2017 with the latest addition to the franchise, Ghost Recon Wildlands. The company claimed that the game had the biggest open world in gaming history. That might actually be true, given that the entirety of Bolivia, where the game takes place, is explorable. However, while the scenery is absolutely stunning to look at, especially from a helicopter, it is also utterly boring to be in.

Just imagine this, you have to sit in a car or a helicopter for several minutes every time you want to get from one mission to another. No matter how beautiful the scenery is, it gets old really quick, not to mention that the missions themselves often feel repetitive. There are still some amazing moments in Ghost Recon: Wildlands, but you need to go through such a big pile of junk to find them that for many people it is just not worth the effort.

This trend doesn’t look like it is slowing down either. The latest two entries in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Origins and Odysseys, also follow Wildlands’ footsteps. In term of size and beauty, their worlds are at a level that very few games can match. Yet this comes at the cost of pacing. Too often the two games turn into a grindfest because you have to level up, get better equipment and abilities to prepare yourself for the next zone.

Less is more

For this issue, there is no easy solution. Should we stop making more open world games? Or if we still do, should we scale down the size a bit? No, these cannot be the answers. We need to look into the reason why open world games are great, and what makes the large world interesting.

It is the reason No Man’s Sky was a great disappointment when it first came out. There are billions of planets for you to explore, but they are all just so empty. There is nothing to enjoy on each one, so why bother going to another? It’s like going to a restaurant where the food is bland and tasteless, but the serving portion is huge.

Let’s go back to Rockstar Games and their upcoming game Red Dead Redemption 2. From what we can tell from the videos, the game’s world looks engaging. It doesn’t focus on the size, but rather on what you can do in it. The activities are there to make it an open world, not because it is an open world. That is what creates great open world games: The content, the story, the activities, the soul. That is something that cannot be achieved by just simply increasing in size.