The video game landscape goes through many different phases. Genres rise and fall in popularity, and specific brands hit the top of the sales records, only to be forgotten about years down the line. The concept of an open-world game certainly isn't new and has remained a consistent feature of the industry for some time. Yet, it's perhaps more popular than ever, partially due to the capabilities of modern world technology, and the depth that a studio can go to when creating a fictional setting. Some of the greatest games of all time have utilized an open world to tell their story as best they can, taking advantage of the natural opportunities that arise from the format.
But the approach to building an open world has changed based on the studio approaching it. For some, less is more. That may seem like an odd statement, but it's specifically about the details that are placed in an open world. Sometimes, the landscape itself can do most of the speaking. Or an Easter egg here and there helps to create a lived-in universe, without having to hit players over the head with a lot of noise and visual chaos. These video games all take a different point of view when crafting their open worlds, but each one demonstrates a more refined style that shows that one doesn't simply have to throw everything in to get an effective end result.
10
Ancient Mythos Is Given a New Lease on Life
God Of War (2018)
God of War went through a bit of a period of reinvention when it returned in 2018. After diving deep into Greek mythology, the franchise took on a different path entirely and focused on the Norse gods of legend. That meant that the open world being depicted, and many would argue that the game does indeed feature an open world, had to incorporate many of these backdrops and details that come from ancient lore.
God of War thus went for the less is more approach, focusing on a gorgeous landscape, each realm dutifully replicating the stories that had been previously told. While there was room for carefully crafted runes and gorgeous statues, most of the heavy lifting was done by the mountains and tombs themselves, the setting completely immersing the player in this altogether different universe that paid so much homage to the age of the Norse.
After wiping out the gods of Mount Olympus, Kratos moves on to the frigid lands of Scandinavia, where he and his son must embark on an odyssey across a dangerous world of gods and monsters.
Tolkien's Lord of the Rings crafted a rich world, full of gorgeous vistas and stunning castles. Middle-earth itself was explored in great detail in Middle-earth: Shadows of Mordor, with the titular home of Sauron hosting an array of Ork captains, giants, trolls, and terrifying fortresses to conquer. The first game was a real surprise for fans, who were not expecting such a faithful experience, despite the narrative departure from canon.
The sequel, Middle-earth: Shadows of War, expanded the world even more, adding new areas to the map, but never leaving behind what worked about the first title. Just like God of War, it was the natural structures and dark beauty of Middle-earth itself that gave the open world so much character, so that when a fortress was reached, sometimes without too much visual and architectural complexity, it still felt all the more impactful.
Horizon Zero Dawn is now respected as a significant Sony franchise, with a sequel, VR spinoff and even LEGO interpretation all getting a chance to shine after that initial debut. However, when the game first launched, fans didn't know what to expect. This universe had to be slowly built, with Aloy facing down mechanical monstrosities, all while journeying through an altogether different kind of Earth.
Open world video games are everywhere these days, but which ones provide players with the most fun ways to ride around?
While there are gorgeous man-made villages and settlements to uncover, a huge part of Horizon is all about discovering the whereabouts in the real world the hero really is. There are subtle homages to what came before, hidden throughout the title, grounding the game in a sense of realism. These aren't massive details, but they are effective enough to create an idea of what has been lost due to technological influence.
The Wizarding World is a vast place, full of magical possibilities. While the novels and eleven films have already portrayed one version of the School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and its surrounding areas, Hogwarts Legacy showcased a different take, putting its own stamp on proceedings. In this version of the school, things were as mystical as ever, and it's fair to say that this aspect of the open world did not hold back.
However, when it came to the surrounding towns and zones, the developers took a less-is-more approach, which felt perfect. Fans hadn't previously been able to see what was beyond Hogwarts' walls quite in this way before, and the quaint villages, dangerous forests and surprising settlements helped to paint an isolated fantasy world, which wasn't huge in scale but spoke to this universe as a whole.
PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
Released
February 10, 2023
Developer(s)
Avalanche Software
Publisher(s)
Warner Bros. Interactive
Engine
Unreal Engine 4
ESRB
T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
How Long To Beat
26 Hours
X|S Optimized
yes
Metascore
84
PS Plus Availability
N/A
Steam Deck Compatibility
Yes, Hogwarts Legacy is Verified on Steam Deck
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty
Cross Save
you can freely use your saved data between each console as long as you are connected to the internet and signed into the same account where the saved data was created
Cross-Platform Play
Hogwarts Legacy doesn't have crossplay or crossplatform support
6
The Open Road Is Fully Unleashed
Forza Horizon 5 (2021)
When talking about open worlds, car or racing games are so often overlooked. It's as if these titles are not given proper consideration, because players can't explore them in the conventional sense. Yet, there are so many examples of great open worlds that were specifically curated to benefit off-road vehicles or racing greats, giving players a chance to open up their engines and truly push their cars to their limits.
Forza Horizon 5 does just enough to find the perfect balance between open roads and trickier terrain. The open world is varied but never too fantastical. It honors real-life locations and debuts a few new ones, each of which is purpose-built to meet a specific function. Forza Horizon 5 isn't complicated and highlights how the less-is-more style can work within the genre, setting the bar for its competition.
Crafting a superhero landscape is a difficult conundrum to solve, especially when players can travel in any direction across this vast city. Gotham itself might be one of the most iconic locations in all of DC Comics, and so Rocksteady had to get it right. They built a city from the ground up that feels a bit like New York, Chicago, and the versions of Gotham seen on the page and in the Tim Burton movies.
But the game really does let the traditional buildings do most of the heavy lifting. There are comic book references here and there for players to find, but they are few and far between. When fans do come across them, they are always thrilled, showing less is more. However, the city itself feels far more realistic because of this grounded approach to its design, an idea that is added to in its sequel and prequel.
When Assassin's Creed first made its debut, no one would have predicted that it would become the juggernaut that it has gone on to be. Players were thrown into a historical recreation of the Holy Land, which tried its best to stay true to what experts knew about this location during the time period while throwing in a few details that make it feel personal to this particular title.
Looking at the franchise in the years since, there have been ever-more complicated interpretations of different eras and mythologies, with the Norse, Pirates, and even Ancient Romans all getting their fair share of screen time. However, there was something much more stripped back about this original open world, which simply didn't have any expectations placed upon it. Players just felt immersed in a setting they were far from familiar with.
Going back in time has become quite a common theme in these open-world games, as players are transported into a different era and have to learn to live with the benefits and drawbacks of those time zones. Red Dead Redemption 2, which is set in the Wild West, is often described as one of the best open-world games that has ever been made. But analyze the setting, and it's obvious what's going on here.
When something big happens, like the inclusion of a ghost train or UFO, it seems monumental. Yet, those moments are so far between, because Red Dead Redemption 2 also focuses on the mundanity of cowboy life. This contrast is what makes the open world so effective, because players may be taking in the beauty of the frontiers one minute or could be totally transfixed by a standard town, and then suddenly, something fantastical happens.
Played from a first- or third-person perspective, the game is set in an open-world environment featuring a fictionalized version of the United States in 1899.
Sure, there are precious shrines and impressive fortresses to explore throughout Ghost of Tsushima, but there are also so many instances where the less is more concept is put into action to astounding effect. Take the fox encounters, for example. All the player is doing is chasing after the creature, before following it back to a small statue, representing the mystical links the inhabitants of the island have made with the animal. Regardless, it's one of the most moving parts of the game.
Ghost of Tsushima consistently places players in such beautiful backdrops that it's hard not to be drawn in by the cherry blossom or winding rivers. There is no need for anything more unusual than that, because these natural elements are portrayed in such a perfect way, that players are more likely to spend hours simply taking in the views. The Director's Cut, in all of its remastered glory, speaks to this even more.
The player controls Jin Sakai, a samurai on a quest to protect Tsushima Island during the first Mongol invasion of Japan. Jin must choose between following the warrior code to fight honorably, or using practical but dishonorable methods of repelling the Mongols with minimal casualties.
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity
How Long To Beat
25 Hours
X|S Optimized
no
Metascore
83
Number of Players
2-4
PS Plus Availability
Extra & Premium
Steam Deck Compatibility
Unsupported
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty
Cross Save
yes
Cross-Platform Play
PC, PS4 & PS5
1
A Subtle Marvel Universe Is Fully Realized
Spider-Man (2018)
Just like with Batman: Arkham City, comic book fans went into the Spider-Man games with a preconceived notion as to what Spider-Man's home really looks like. On the one hand, Insomniac had the iconic backdrop of New York to portray. On the other hand, it also had to feel as if it was part of the Marvel Universe, with smaller clues and hints as to the wider world that may lie beyond Spider-Man's experiences.
The Spider-Man series as a whole has done this effortlessly. There are nods to the Wakandan Embassy or the Sanctum of Doctor Strange, but the game also acts as a great recreation of New York itself, with residents spotting all kinds of known locations to explore again. This could have gone all-in on the comic book elements, but instead, Spider-Man stripped it all back for a more precise iteration of the web-head's home.
