Over the past decade or so, the Open World genre of gaming has grown exponentially. Several franchises have become staples of gaming by crafting an expansive universe for us to explore, such asElder Scrolls, Fallout, and the Witcher series.
Some previously linear games have made this leap of faith and reaped the rewards too, like God of War. A few others experimented with the open world concept with expansive semi-linear levels that can be explored and have different approaches to take, such as Halo and Uncharted.
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From exploring Skyrim to climbing the Tall Necks of Horizon Zero Dawn, there are many open-world games that you can get lost in.
There are certainly a few series out there, old and new, that have enough of a world built into them to justify an open-world game to explore. Whether they are set in reality, fantasy, or science fiction, these are franchises that need a fresh start in a brave new world.
10Tomb Raider
Uncover Mysteries Or Protect Them
Tomb Raider
Lara Croft’s status as an icon of gaming is near absolute, given how long her franchise has been around. The most recent iteration of the franchise, theSurvivor Trilogy, saw her travel to some of the most exotic and dangerous locations on the planet, and while tombs were definitely raided, there may still be some more to explore out there.
In concept, a Lara Croft open world game would likely play out similarly to a third-personFar Crygame: surviving an extreme environment while fighting an army of mercenaries. However, there’s still more potential for exploration, puzzle solving, and a deeper narrative/character focus, similar to the recentIndiana Jonesgame.
Given the balance of action and adventure the Tomb Raider series is able to maintain, an open-world exploration system would be great to kick off a new reboot for the series.
9Armored Core
The Fires Of Rubicon Still Burn
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
Fextralife Wiki
Rubicon-3’s haunting atmosphere offers a vast world to explore filled with the shattered remains of continent-spanning cities and planet-devouring corporations. And it can all be explored from the safety of your own personal walking arsenal of a mech.
FromSoftware is no stranger to world-building, especially given the scale of their most recent achievement, Elden Ring. A similar treatment to Armored Core would be amazing to see, with the game already having versatile mobility andcustomization optionsthat allow us to tailor our mechs to whatever playstyle we prefer.
Would you help liberate Rubicon-3 from the corporations that prey on it? Or do you just want the planet all to yourself? Or maybe it’s neither, and you just want to prove you’re the best Armored Core pilot in the system. Regardless, having more freedom in these awesome machines would be a blast.
No Gods Or Kings, Only Man
From the ocean depths to the open sky, BioShock is a world brimming with wonders and horrors. Though the story has seemingly come full circle with therise and fall of Rapture and Columbia, there may still be an adventure or two left to have.
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It’s a game that likely will never have an equal, but there are a handful of titles that try to replicate that iconic first trip to Rapture.
Almost a decade since the remastered collection was released, BioShock has remained buried (at sea). Despite the overall narrative being wrapped up, we still feel called to Andrew Ryan’s undersea metropolis. Rapture’s timeline from the BioShock: Infinite prequel DLC and the ending of BioShock 2 offers a vast timeline of the city.
We could play as residents of Rapture during its collapse before the first game, trying to survive or escape. Another possibility could be trying to plunder the remains of Rapture long after its decline, only to find more horrors lurking beneath the surface. A fully traversable Rapture would be an amazing experience. Would you kindly, 2K?
7LittleBigPlanet
Play, Create, Share The World
LittleBigPlanet
With the massive success ofAstro Bot, it’s clear that Sony’s platformers are still top tier gaming. However, it’s been a while sinceSackboygraced the PlayStation with his smile, and I think the world could use his charm once again.
The artistic and puppet-like design of LittleBigPlanet was one of its strongest aspects, and the ability to shape and create your own worlds and share them with other players was fantastic. But what if we could create and explore entire planets together in an open-world LittleBigPlanet, similar toMinecraft?
Or, we could venture through a fantasy puppet world on the scale of the latestLegend of Zeldagames. The series has never failed to build extensive worlds to jump, climb, and puzzle through. Imagine if we could explore and shape our own LittleBigPlanet entirely.
6Gears Of War
Hope Runs Deep
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
WithE-Dayon the horizon and a newremaster of the originalcoming out soon, where can Delta Squad go next to fight the Locust Horde? The answer: anywhere and everywhere.
Playing as Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad is one of the core memories of my childhood, and the idea of getting to fight across the war-torn planet of Sera against the Locust Horde would be amazing to play through.
With such rich lore built within the series and a vast world, cast of characters, and hordes of enemies, it would be interesting to see how an open-world game could operate for Gears.
We could create our own squad of Gears trying to fight and survive during any period of the Locust War conflict. Maybe even beyond that, we could play as Stranded, caught between the Locust and Lambent during the events ofGears of War 3. Anywhere’s a battlefield between the Gears and the Grubs.
5Dishonored
A Bloody Steampunk Fantasy
Dishonored
WhileDeathloopwas definitely a big step forward for Arkane Studios,Redfallwas unfortunatelyan even bigger step backwards. With a second attempt at the vampiric gaming genre coming with Marvel’s Blade, some of us can’t help but wonder if we should return to the Empire of the Isles.
Dishonored struck gold when it first launched with its unique setting, stealth mechanics, and magic system. The narrative following Corvo Attano and his family is a gripping one, but there is still more to explore within the city of Dunwall and its surrounding empire.
More magic, technology, and assassinations to commit would be great in a sprawling steampunk sandbox. And with stories of political intrigue, imperial greed, and ravenous plagues, it would be dishonorable not to consider this game for an open-world setting.
4Titanfall
Explore The Frontier
Titanfall 2
Respawn Entertainmentknocked it out of the park with Titanfall 2. But despite moving on with other projects, there are still fans out there hoping for another adventure in the Frontier.
While their battle royal shooter, Apex Legends, has kept the Titanfall universe alive, it’s just not the same without a pilot and their titan roaming the alien countryside, guns in hand and limitless terrain to explore. Given thedifficult spotRespawn is in, a Titan-sized Hail Mary may just be what we all need.
Given the scope and scale of the Frontier, an exploration system featuring the Pilot/Titan mechanics from Titanfall 2, along with the different factions to choose from, an open-world Titanfall could be the Titanfall 3 we’ve all been wishing for.
3The Last Of Us
There Must Be Others Out There
The Last of Us
PlayStation’s zombified soap opera has garnered a large following since its initial release 12 years ago. But with the narrative focus having primarily followed the lives of Joel and Ellie, it may be time to explore the wider world to see what else survived the Cordyceps outbreak.
Given the mixed results of Sony’s first attempt at this concept withDays Gone, some may be skeptical of whether it would be worth exploring the post-apocalyptic world of The Last of Us in an open world setting.
However, given how we’ve really only seen bits and pieces of the U.S. through Joel, Ellie, and Abby’s perspectives, there is still so much more to see and do that could warrant an entire game of open-world exploration.
Survive the initial outbreak and the societal collapse. Help build your own settlement and compete with others for survival. Or take the roads untraveled in hopes of finding an untouched sanctuary, all while fending off clickers, bloaters, and hordes of mushroom-heads. What could possibly go wrong?
2Mortal Kombat
Choose Your Destiny
Mortal Kombat 1
We’ve come a long way since the first tournament on Shang Tsung’s Island. And since NetherRealm has extended Mortal Kombat’s world from realms to timelines, it seems we have much further to go.
While the franchise has somewhat played with this concept in previous installments, these were mostly semi-linear exploration levels. The idea of a true open-world for Mortal Kombat has massive potential, given the different factions, realms, and characters there are to choose from.
It could take place from a single character’s perspective, such as Scorpion, as he travels across the realms in a hack-and-slash epic, similar to the recentGod of Warseries.
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With Mortal Kombat 1 and its expansion establishing a multiverse of different timelines, the narrative possibilities for a Mortal Kombat open-world game are, quite literally, endless. That is, if you can survive it, because a world filled with Elder Gods, Demons, Warlords, Cyborgs, Assassins, and Johnny Cage will do a lot more than just test your might.
1StarCraft
It’s About Time!
Blizzard Entertainment’s sci-fi epic seemingly reached its conclusion a decade ago. However, given the studio’s famously expansiveWorld of Warcraftseries, many fans have wished for the StarCraft universe to receive the same treatment.
The vast setting of the Koprulu Sector offers dozens of different planets to explore and factions to join. Whether it’s the Terrans or the Protoss, we’d all have to find some way to survive each other and the ravenous Zerg Rush that regularly keeps destroying our bases.
While the greater conflict involving the Xel’Naga and Amon has concluded between the three factions, the StarCraft universe is a large expanse to explore. The Zerg still hunger and the Protoss may still wish to lay claim to their worlds, so Terrans may still be caught in the crossfire and forced to find a solution to a new crisis that threatens life in the Koprulu Sector.
10 Best Semi-Open World Games
For players who want to explore, but not be overwhelmed by a world larger than the story.
