The level of detail that Rockstar achieves, offering everything from unique and entertaining NPC conversations to weird radio adverts and an impressive range of activities you can take part in, makes the open world come alive and more importantly, makes you want to discover what might be hidden within. You can’t say that about a lot of games, and it’s one of many examples of Rockstar’s level of detail. You could eavesdrop on every single NPC in GTA V and hear a totally different conversation relating to the area that they’re in, or what they’re doing. The real beauty of GTA V isn’t in the graphics (although it’s visually stunning) but is rather in the design of the map and NPCs. The open world of San Andreas was expanded upon in GTA V, providing a 50km square map with everything from a busy city to a sprawling mountain range and everything in between.
#BEST FREE OPEN WORLD GAMES FOR PC 2019 SERIES#
Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series has got to be one of the most popular game franchises of all time, and GTA V was no exception. If the Greek setting doesn’t do it for you, the slightly olderĪssassin’s Creed Origins is definitely still worth checking out too – its Egyptian locale is just as rich and vibrant, and well worth exploring. Not only do you need to sail the Aegean Sea on your trusty ship the Adrestia, you’ll also use it to wage naval war, or as a diving platform to explore underwater caves and shipwrecks for long lost loot. The island setting means there’s a naval emphasis again. Picking off military targets in each region can even trigger huge Conquest battles with hundreds of NPCs fighting at once, encouraging you to get stuck into the war effort as you go. The world is packed with caves and ruins to explore, bandits and animals to fight, and military camps and forts to sneak your way through. Playing as either Alexios or Kassandra – your choice, for the first time! – you’ll embark on your own personal odyssey across Greece, currently caught in the throes of the Peloponnesian War. You can choose to help either side – or neither – as you fight to find out the truth about your family and stop a corrupt cult that may be pulling the strings of the whole conflict. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild reviewĪssassin’s Creed Odyssey is the biggest game in the AC series so far, set in a sprawling ancient Greek world that encompasses both the mainland and countless islands both large and small. Simply put, the game and world both feel absolutely massive, and we can easily believe that Breath of the Wild is up there with the best when it comes to mammoth runtimes in an expansive open world.
The map is broken into 15 main areas, each of which is uncharted until you scale the tower at its centre. The game will point you in a specific direction to follow the main questline, but you can completely ignore that and strike off wherever you like. Link is resurrected after 100 years of Ganon ruling Hyrule, and you’re tasked with taking him down however you can.Įxplore the open world, find items and skills that let you take on ever more powerful monsters and hone your craft before going head-to-head with some of the deadliest characters in the Zelda franchise. Zelda’s Breath of the Wild is incredible – even more so when you consider that the entire open world can be explored while on the go with the Nintendo Switch.
And with over 500,000 lines of audio recorded for the game, there are some amazing conversations to be heard while on your travels.Ĭombine those intricacies with some of the most detailed, gorgeous environments and weather systems we’ve seen in any game and you’ve got as close to a perfect open world game as you’re going to get in 2019. It makes you want to explore the world and discover the intricacies of the open world Rockstar has created. We’ve been stopped by outlaws trying to rob us, we’ve helped a woman being attacked in her home, we’ve helped convicts escape prison carts and more. The random events seen in GTA 5 have made a comeback, but are more varied and dynamic than ever before. You can have impromptu conversations with passers-by, intimidate witnesses to crimes to avoid becoming wanted and, when you want a little R&R, you have can hunt over 200 species of animal, go fishing or play dominoes with other gang members at camp. The open world of Red Dead Redemption is sprawling and varied, but it’s the finer details of the open world that make it feel real. Red Dead Redemption was a phenomenal open world game for its time, and is one of few games that has stood the test of time, so it should come as no surprise that Red Dead Redemption 2 has set a new standard for open world games.