Summary
Open-world games are better than most other genres at giving fans a chance to truly get lost in their worlds. A good open-world game is one that createsa truly immersive and engaging realmworth exploring, either because of thoughtful design or intricate procedural generation. When done right, fans can sink hours into these massive virtual landscapes.
A lot of people play open-world games for escapism, using these titles as a chance toget away from the real worldfor a while and get deeply immersed in an otherworldly quest. Here are ten games that are particularly easy to get lost in.
WhenSkyrimlaunched in 2011, it made a big splash, and it’s had an undeniable influence on the open-world genre for over a decade. The vast realm of Skyrim is full of things to discover, from towns full of quests to caves and sinister Draugr tombs. Random encounters with the terrifying dragons prowling the skieskeep players on edgethroughout their exploration process.
The massive number of dungeons and discoveries that fill the game’s map means that players will have a lot to keep them busy, even when they’re not actively doing quests. Fans can easily lose hours wandering the various dungeons ofSkyrimand amassing a list of side quests to pursue.
Obsidian’s iconicFalloutentry brings fans to the embattled Mojave Wasteland, home of the imposing and intensely valuable Hoover Dam and the glittering jewel of the desert, the New Vegas Strip. Fans must choose a side in a coming war to determine the fate of the Mojave and all who live there.
Fallout: New Vegasis rich withcomplicated and thought-provoking missionsthat challenge fans to consider what they think is best for the people around them, often when none of the options sound ideal. In addition to these compelling quests, the Mojave Wasteland is rich with ruins and caves to explore. Striking and eye-catching landmarks like the Novac dinosaur and the eternally-visible lights of New Vegas guide players to the most important parts of the map, ensuring that fans can fully lose themselves in the desert sands and remain engaged the whole time.
2023’sMarvel’s Spider-Man 2brought the tales of Peter Parker and Miles Morales together, letting fans seamlessly swap between the two web-slingers on the fly and opening up the largest version of the series' New York City map to date. Between the two Spider-Men, there are plenty of missions to undertake and crimes to stop, as the sinister Kraven the Hunter moves in on the city and the mysterious Symbiote stakes a claim on Peter.
In trueMarvel’s Spider-Manfashion, this entry features smooth and engaging web-slinging, making navigating New York City an absolute delight. The addition of web wings lets the Spider-Men traverse long distances with ease, keeping fans engaged and moving them swiftly between the numerous events and locations that New York City has on offer.
Ghost of Tsushimatakes immersion to a new level with extensive research and historical accuracy on display. The island of Tsushima comes to life through Sucker Punch’s keen attention to detail, but it’s also full of secrets and discoveries for fans to uncover as they fight to liberate the island from the invading Mongol hordes.
Players can collectcosmetics like new hats, sword decorations, and even saddles for their horse, all while pursuing side quests to bring justice and order to a shattered community. Protagonist Jin Sakai can even hunt down ancient legends across the island, giving him a chance to harness mythical power and giving fans a chance to truly lose themselves in the game’s world.
TheHorizonfranchise presents a truly unique post-apocalyptic landscape, populated with strange robotic facsimiles of dinosaurs and beasts. As rogue, godlike AI cores threaten to destabilize the planet, Aloy must journey to bring order to the world. Along the way, Aloy and the players controlling her will be thrust into a vast and immersive world rich with detail and threats.
Fans canlose themselves for hours inHorizon Forbidden West, discovering ancient ruins from the old world and secret devices rich with treasure. The title’s elaborate crafting mechanic encourages exploration and confrontation with the numerous robotic beasts prowling the map, letting fans upgrade their outfits and weapons to better challenge the threats lurking throughout the map.
The Witcher 3is a truly legendary game, one that propelled the franchise and developer CD Projekt Red into the spotlight in a big way. Geralt’s quest to track down Ciri takes him through a vast and expansive fantasy world full of legendary creatures and challenging, thought-provoking adventures.
Fans can easily lose hours toThe Witcher 3’s open world, as the power struggles and monstrous threats come to life in the setting.The Witcherfranchise is one of the most prolific in the modern fantasy space, andThe Witcher 3is a potent example of why.
FromSoftware’s first open-world Soulslike drops players in The Lands Between, a vast fantasy realm sundered by the cataclysmic Shattering and crawling with monsters and forsaken knights. This massive landscape is full of secrets, and players can discover hidden dungeons and challenging bosses around every corner of this blighted realm.
FromSoft’s addictively challenging action RPG combat is as strong as ever, giving fanscountless weapon types and magical abilitiesto work with. The endless build variety and limitless opportunities for combat makeElden Ringa veritable sandbox that players can easily spend dozens of hours exploring.
Despite its somewhat controversial start,No Man’s Skyhas evolved into a game that can occupy players for countless hours. The title’s massive procedurally generated universe provides more content than one player could ever experience, even in a thousand lifetimes, and while this scope does lead to some repeated encounters and structures, there’s so much more to be discovered in the game’s nearly endless universe.
No Man’s Skyhas also received some fantastic post-launch support from the developers at Hello Games since its rocky release. New types of ships, planet-bound vehicles, settlement structures, villages, and adventures await dedicated fans, giving them all they need for an endless odyssey through space.
The landmark sequel toBreath of the Wildexpanded on the first game’s map in a big way with the introduction of the labyrinthine Depths and a vast field of Sky Islands for Link to freely explore during his travels. Just like the prior game,The Legend of Zelda:Tears of the Kingdom’smap is rich with detail and treasures to discover.
Fans can also use the game’s elaborate Ultrahand system to craftvehicles and structures to help them traversethe world and solve puzzles. This means that each enemy camp, Shrine, and dungeon in the game’s massive world can be approached in a myriad of different ways, letting players fully lose themselves in this intricate title.
Minecraftis the ultimate time sink. Since its first public alpha release back in 2009, this title has redefined the gaming industry, giving fans virtually limitless options to explore, mine, and create whatever their hearts desire. With over a decade of updates and development, the game is more of a titan than ever.
Players can spend months on elaborate palaces, cityscapes, and everything in between. If they don’t feel like creating grand structures, the game’s massive procedural world is full of exciting and inspiring discoveries, including NPC villages, sunken pirate ships, and massive lost temples. With a steady stream of new content, there’s always something new to discover inMinecraft.
