Summary
Parkour abilitieshave been featured in countless games over the years. The ability to run and jump from building to building and climb the tallest structures are things that most players really enjoy.Open-world gamesallow players to roam around and explore vast areas with no restrictions. By adding parkour elements, players can really test the boundaries of a game and maybe even find a secret or two along the way.
FromAssassin’s CreedtoDying Light, there is no shortage of open-world games that allow players to climb almost every structure. This article will go over a handful ofopen-world games with somepretty interesting parkour features. It’s worth noting that each video game series will only have one game mentioned on this list, otherwise this list would end up being mostly made up ofAssassin’s Creedgames, and no one wants that.
Mirror’s Edge: Catalystdeserves an honorable mention.The game features some impressively smooth parkour abilities.Unfortunately, it isn’t a true open-world game. Instead, there are some areas where players can roam freely, while the rest of the game is pretty linear. Despite it not being a fully open-world game, the parkour features are very well-made. With a bit of practice, players can glide smoothly over obstacles, run along walls, scramble across rooftops, and climb various structures with ease.
Free running is much easier when the player can shoot out a web to prevent themselves from falling. WhileMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’sparkour mechanics are very easy to master,it doesn’t take away from the fun of swinging from building to building andexploring the city.
The game did receive some backlash over its rather repetitive play and lack of details, but it’s hard to dismiss its parkour features.Marvel’s Spider-Man 2has lots of hidden collectibles for players to find, most of which can only be found in obscure and high-up places. Also, even without doing any missions, simply leaping from building to building can be a lot of fun.
Despite being released in 2016,Watch Dogs 2’sgraphics still hold up well today. The world is vast, and players cantravel across the mapeither on foot or in a vehicle. However,climbing on top and over buildings is one of the more fun ways to get around the map.
Unfortunately, there are some limitations around parkour. Also, after a while, the moves do get a little repetitive. Also, unlike many of the other entries on this list, not every building can be climbed. That said, overall, there are enough things to climb and hop over to satisfy most players' parkour inclinations.
At the time of writing, there are thirteen mainAssassin’s Creedgames and a handful of spin-offs, most of which allow players to climb almost every structure in their worlds. Each game has a slightly different feel when it comes to parkour abilities.
That said,Assassin’s Creed Unityis often quoted as thebestAssassin’s Creedgame for parkour fans. While the game did have its issues at launch, it has come a long way since then. Players can explore the city of 1700s Paris andsoak in the incredible views from the tops of the tallest buildings.
Released in 2022,Dying Light 2 Stay Humangreatly expands on the parkour abilities available in the series' first game. The game has a pretty advanced parkour system that allows players to build up their skills over time.It’s almost impossible to survive inDying Lightwithout jumping from roof to roof, especially at night.
The developers did a great job of creating a detailed parkour system that is easy to learn but difficult to master. With a bit of practice, it’s possible to combine parkour and attacks tounleash devastating assaults on unsuspecting zombies.
The world ofCyberpunk 2077is a big one. While the game got off to a bumpy start, CD Projekt Red managed to fix many of the bugs and turn the reviews from largely negative to very positive pretty quickly.
As for parkour features, players can incorporate parkour into their attacks and use it to scale buildings. By utilizing this feature, players can quite literally get the drop on enemies. While the game’s parkour features aren’t as detailed as some of the other entries on this list, they do make for an entertaining gameplay experience.
There are three mainInfamousgames out there. However, out of the three,inFAMOUS 2is seen as the best in terms of its parkour features. With flips, jumps, and electrical blasts, the borderline God-like abilities that players have access to in this game are impressive.
Players will need to decide whether they want to use their powers for good or evil, but no matter the path they take,the parkour features are fun and overpowered,and theygive players plenty of freedom.
Released in 2014,Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordorstill holds up pretty well today. Players can sneak their way around enemies to take them by surprise, climb incredibly tall structures to peer down on surrounding areas, and perform some pretty impressive stealth kills.
Players can climb almost everything in sight, making the whole map one huge parkour playground.The parkour aspects of this game are some of its best features.Players can jump/vault over most in-game obstacles, climb along the edges of cliffs, and dive from above to perform deadly attacks on the foes down below.
