The latest main series entry in the iconicLegend of Zeldafranchise,Breath of the Wild,was released on the Nintendo Switch and Wii U in March 2017. The game was a huge hit with fans and critics, best exemplified by its whopping97 Metascoreand top-spot placement onIGN’s recent greatest games of all-time list.
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Along with the excellent gameplay mechanics that encourage experimentation and an impressive range of activities and quests to complete,Breath of the Wild’sopen-world is one of the main reasons why the game is so highly praised.Breath of the Wild’sopen-world is huge, features a wide range of visually impressive biomes, and is a joy to traverse.
WithBreath of the Wild 2’srelease date still unknown as things stand, many people are looking for other open-world games to try. For those who want to play in an open world that is even bigger than that ofBreath of the Wild, then the following games are worth checking out.
7Far Cry 2
The second mainlineFar Crygame was released in October 2008 and took players to a fictional country in Africa that is in the midst of a civil war.Far Cry 2was the first game in the series to implement an open-world, though it certainly didn’t take baby steps into the genre, asFar Cry 2has a huge map that players are free to explore once theycomplete the tutorial.
Far Cry 2is largely overlooked today due toFar Cry3overshadowing it in many aspects, though it’s still an enjoyable experience for those who like Ubisoft’s style of open-world games.
6Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisitionwas released in November 2014 and was developed by RPG experts BioWare, who are best known for theMass Effectseries,Baldur’s Gate,andStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
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Dragon Age: Inquisitionwas a huge hit with critics, exemplified by itsMetascore of 89and numerous award wins that includedGame of the Year at 2014’s The Game AwardsandBest Role-Playing Game at the Game Critic Awards.
5Grand Theft Auto 5
Although it may seem hard to believe, it has nearly been an entire decade sinceGrand Theft Auto 5first hit stores. The 2013 gameblew players away with its visuals, variety of side activities, and of course, the size of its meticulously designed open-world.
GTA 5’s campaign was a huge hit at the time and its online multiplayer has helped the game be a continued success. AlthoughGrand Theft Auto5’smap isn’t the biggest on this list, it is the most varied and densely packed.
4Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlandssaw theGhost Reconseries take a huge shift in direction, as the usual linear level design and advanced warfare was ditched in favor of an enormous open-world set in the modern-day.
AlthoughGhost Recon Wildlands’gameplay and story struggled to impress fans and critics, many people were blown away by the size of the game world and how varied it was thanks to the huge range of different biomes, offering great variety to the visuals.
3Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Assassin’s Creed Odysseyis yet another game on this list from Ubisoft, which is a testament to how influential the company has been to the open-world genre of gaming.
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Assassin’s Creed Odysseywas released in October 2018 and is widely regarded as one ofthe best entries in the long-runningAssassin’s Creedfranchise. For those looking foran open-world game that will impress them visually,Odysseyis one of the best options available today as it implements a stunning interpretation of Classical Age Greece with a great balance of realism and mythological history.
2Burnout Paradise
It may surprise some people to learn thatBurnout Paradise- the first open-world game in astreet racing seriesfeaturing over-the-top, cinematic action - is one of the most influential open-world games of all time.
Many people at the time thought that the open world was just a gimmick and that players would just see it as a nuisance as they drove from one event to the other. However, it turned out that90 percent of players were opting to drive aroundParadise’sopen world and utilize its social features instead of partaking in the events. This shocked many people, and game studios took notice, leading to a shift in how open-world games were designed.
Despite originally releasing back in January 2008,Burnout Paradise’sgiant map is still a joy to drive around today, and 2018’sBurnout Paradise Remastereddid a fantastic job of making the game look spectacular once again.
1Fuel
Fuelis an obvious choice for this list as the size of the game’s open-world was its major selling point upon release. Asobo Studio’s game boasts an enormous map that featuresapproximately 5,560 square miles of accessible in-game terrain, which earnedFuela Guinness World Record.
Fuelis set in a post-apocalyptic United States and lets players freely drive around the baron wasteland that features a day and night cycle and extreme weather conditions. The game has no loading times in its free-roaming mode, which was an impressive technical achievement at the time.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis out now for Nintendo Switch and Wii U.
