5 Best Open-World Games That Aren’t GTA

The “Grand Theft Auto” collection has been the de facto gold normal for open world video games since “Grand Theft Auto 3,” arguably the primary huge 3D open world recreation of its dimension and scope, which laid the preliminary basis for that type of recreation going ahead. Every new “GTA” has pushed the benchmark for the general open world style even additional, turning into that period’s normal by which all the remainder are measured. 

Naturally, any record of the perfect open world video games will inevitably be overrun with “GTA” titles. So we have determined to particularly spotlight the open world greats that aren’t “GTA” video games. Moreover, as we have already achieved an inventory of the perfect “GTA” clones, in addition to an inventory of the best Rockstar games that aren’t “GTA”, we’ve excluded not solely open world video games which might be just like “GTA,” however all different Rockstar video games totally. So with these caveats out of the way in which, we really feel this record is the perfect cross part of all of the style will be outdoors of what “GTA” presents — and in some instances, when it is not limited by what a “GTA” game has to be. 

On a fundamental fundamentals degree, “Ghost of Tsushima” does not precisely reinvent the open world wheel. You discover an unlimited space (typically on horseback), you battle unhealthy guys, you topple strongholds, you gather gadgets, and also you do the identical handful of targets simply in numerous areas. However “Ghost of Tsushima” earns its spot among the many greats for simply how expertly polished it’s because it does all of that, to not point out how stunningly stunning it’s each single second you might be enjoying it. 

To be truthful, even a number of the issues “Ghost of Tsushima” does that different open world video games do, it does in a uniquely completely different method. For example, the aforementioned preventing with unhealthy guys. You are not mowing down enemies by the dozen right here, nor do you ever really feel like some unstoppable superhero badass (not that there is something flawed with that, as we’ll see later within the record). As an alternative, you usually tackle enemies one by one in gradual, intense sword battles that play out like fastidiously choreographed fights from Akira Kurosawa motion pictures. It nearly would’ve been sufficient to construct a whole recreation round — however that it occurs to be wrapped in an extremely strong open world recreation is all the higher.

And people visuals. Even bringing again in opponents like “GTA 5” and “Pink Lifeless Redemption 2,” “Ghost of Tsushima” may very properly be the best-looking open world recreation ever made — particularly when you begin enjoying with the superior cinematic filters the sport presents. 

Superhero video games had a tough go of it of their early days, with actually nice ones being few and much between. That tide has turned considerably in the previous few generations, largely as a result of open world video games turned a factor — and people appear to be one of the best ways to adapt superhero licenses. Spider-Man went there first, after all, and the present run of “Spider-Man” video games are a number of the greatest open world video games round, superhero or in any other case. However we in the end went with “Batman: Arkham Metropolis” to characterize the perfect that open world superhero video games will be on this record.

Constructing on the already stellar basis of “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” which was a a lot smaller and extra linear expertise, “Arkham Metropolis” blew issues out to going down in a big city space. Neatly, the plot concerned not letting Batman have the complete run of the whole lot of Gotham Metropolis, however as an alternative a confined space of it. This saved out the bloat that’s all too frequent with open world video games as of late — and undoubtedly plagued this recreation’s personal sequel, “Arkham Knight” — in favor of a tighter and extra targeted expertise, whereas nonetheless permitting for all of the exploration and freedom of an open world recreation.

Whether or not you are grappling up onto or gliding down off of rooftops in your method to your subsequent major story mission, or dropping in on random petty criminals and knocking them out with that endlessly satisfying “Arkham” fight, “Arkham Metropolis” constantly compels. It additionally nonetheless manages to not solely really feel nice however look nice, even 15 years later.

The primary “Murderer’s Creed” recreation felt extra like a proof of concept-slash-tech demo than a totally fleshed out recreation, nevertheless it was fairly straightforward to see the place issues have been headed. We knew that the subsequent recreation would truly ship on what was solely being hinted at. Positive sufficient, “Murderer’s Creed 2” was an instantaneous basic, a masterpiece of open world design with tight stealth gameplay, a legitimately compelling story and characters (not at all times a given with open world video games in these days), and most crucially of all, a scrumptious buffet of buttery-smooth traversal and parkour gameplay.

That final half is well the most important contribution that the “Murderer’s Creed” video games, and “Murderer’s Creed 2” specifically, made to the open world style. Earlier than that, buildings in open world video games have been largely there to offer a way of scale fairly than truly serve a gameplay perform. However you would clamber up just about each constructing and construction in “Murderer’s Creed 2,” and as soon as up there, might hop from rooftop to rooftop with ease. And if you needed to get again to the bottom, you simply … jumped off. Supplied there was a pile of hay to land in, after all.

Better of all, it was all completed via a parkour system that was extremely straightforward to tug off however nonetheless saved you in management and did not make you’re feeling like the sport was simply enjoying itself — which might develop into a difficulty in later “Murderer’s Creed” video games. “Murderer’s Creed 2” stays the best of the “Assassin’s Creed” games, earlier than that dreaded bloat kicked in and the video games bought too huge and too fantastical for their very own good.

The unique “The Legend of Zelda” was among the many earliest examples of what we now know as an open world recreation. You pressed begin, and there you have been, with one in every of three instructions to move in and no indication as to which was the “appropriate” one. Whereas there was one thing of a common predetermined order during which to progress, there was quite a lot of flexibility in the way you truly tackled issues. It is one thing the “Zelda” collection roughly deserted nearly instantly after that, earlier than making its triumphant return with “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.”

“Breath of the Wild” was the open world, play nevertheless you need, do issues in any order recreation that the primary entry roleplayed as however did not absolutely obtain. The world is gigantic and overwhelming, however in the very best method. You extra typically by chance come across the subsequent main story level fairly than intentionally head there your self. Or was it unintentional? The genius of “Breath of the Wild” is that it makes you really feel like you might be breaking the sport and doing issues accidentally, however you by no means actually know for positive.

However wait, aren’t we presupposed to be speaking about “Tears of the Kingdom” right here? Nicely, “Tears of the Kingdom” is every part “Breath of the Wild” was, however extra, including each a whole space each above and beneath Hyrule to discover. Then there’s that genius fusing system that permits you to craft just about something your creativeness can give you, which persons are continually stretching past its unique limitations. It truly is a miracle of a game.

“Skyrim” walked so “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” might run. All due respect to “Skyrim” and “Morrowind,” the 2 video games that laid out the trail for the fashionable open world RPG as we all know it right this moment, however subsequent releases have constructed upon them so properly as to render them nearly out of date by comparability. Except you might be an OG “Skyrim” participant, you’ll doubtless discover it gradual, clunky, and limiting to try to play it in 2026. Whereas “The Witcher 3” nonetheless seems like a recreation that simply got here out final 12 months, although it is now over a decade outdated.

Initially, “The Witcher 3” blows away “Skyrim” and its ilk with a far superior story and extra fleshed out (pun supposed, IYKYK) characters. Some persons are experience or die for with the ability to create their very own character in a recreation like this, however when it is an already current character like Geralt, every part feels a lot extra compelling and with a lot deeper and extra emotionally resonant interactions with the opposite characters. 

On a mechanical degree, “The Witcher 3” does not depend on fetch quests and “kill X monsters to get Y gadgets” loops. As an alternative, every quest seems like it’s truly contributing to the story fairly than simply to buff your character or get extra stuff. All the things you do feels wholly distinctive and completely different, fairly than drawing from one in every of solely a handful of fundamental quest varieties. And in addition, it seems to be unimaginable, even right this moment — and it is about to look ever higher with the lately introduced remaster that might be out only a few weeks after the writing of this text.