Best Open-World Games To Play If You Love Taking Photos

Best Open-World Games To Play If You Love Taking Photos

Key Takeaways

  • Capture breathtaking landscapes in beloved games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn offers a built-in Photo Mode with different weather scenarios for diverse snapshots.
  • Ghost of Tsushima provides realistic physics and beautiful Japanese landscapes to immortalize with photos.

As a seasoned gamer and photographer with an eye for the beautiful and the gritty, I can confidently say that these three games – Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2, and The Witcher 3 – are absolute masterpieces when it comes to providing the perfect settings for capturing stunning in-game photography.


Photography is one of the finest arts in the world, as it has allowed people to record pieces of history and beautiful moments ever since it was invented. While it’s always better to experience things first-hand, having a snapshot of an iconic moment is priceless—and with the Photo Mode in many open-world games, that’s now possible in players’ favorite titles.

Are you looking for an experience that ranges from serene horseback rides with breathtaking sunsets to intense battles between formidable adversaries? Capturing these moments through stunning photographs adds a whole new level of enjoyment, making the gameplay and exploration even more captivating. If you’re one of those players who cherish photography, here are some exceptional open worlds designed especially for photographers to savor.

5 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Capture Every Moment In Link’s Journey

  • Breathtaking views of Hyrule
  • Players must get the camera Rune to be able to take photos

In the acclaimed game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the kingdom of Hyrule showcases breathtaking landscapes that include towering structures, sprawling green spaces, enigmatic ruins, and an abundance of magical elements for gamers to explore and capture in photos. To snap these pictures within the game, players must initially acquire the valuable Camera Rune, a task not overly challenging and highly rewarding.

The game’s shifting weather patterns alter the scene’s illumination, influencing how pictures appear when they are snapped. Link has the opportunity to exploit numerous strategic viewpoints and cliffs to seize the ideal instant and preserve the memory for future reflection.

4 Horizon: Zero Dawn

Take Beautiful Snapshots Of A Post-apocalyptic World

  • Different weather presents a great opportunity to snap various kinds of photographs
  • Beautiful graphics set the scene for Photo Mode and all the possibilities it offers

In a post-apocalyptic rendition of Earth, long after technologically advanced humans annihilated each other, Horizon: Zero Dawn offers an idyllic setting for various photographic ventures. One captivating visual aspect of this game lies in the striking contrast between a world predominantly reclaimed by nature and the mechanical creatures that populate it.

Unlike “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” where I had to unlock specific abilities or items to snap photos, “Horizon: Zero Dawn” allows me to dive right into capturing stunning images with its built-in Photo Mode from the start of the game’s narrative. Kudos to Guerrilla Games for crafting such visually appealing graphics that make it a breeze to find the perfect angle or subject matter for my photos. Plus, the diverse weather conditions in “Horizon: Zero Dawn,” ranging from sunny and warm to snowy and cold, offer an array of breathtaking backdrops for my snapshots.

3 Ghost Of Tsushima

Immortalize An Epic Duel Between Two Enemies

  • Tsushima Island has beautiful natural landscapes
  • The game’s particle and vegetation physics provide a more realistic look to the pictures taken

For many who have watched an anime or a Japanese documentary, the country’s beauty and picture-perfect landscapes are well-known. Ghost of Tsushima, in particular, mirrors the true-to-life Tsushima Island with its lush greenery, expansive vistas, and breathtaking green plains. Traditional Japanese architecture is also present, not only maintaining historical accuracy but also enhancing the game’s visual aesthetics.

What truly sets Ghost of Tsushima apart is its exceptionally realistic depiction of particle effects and vegetation movements, which respond convincingly to the wind, creating an immersive and authentic atmosphere. Add to that the game’s superb horseback riding mechanics and stunning graphics, and you have a photography enthusiast’s dream come true, thanks to the integrated Photo Mode feature. Players can capture the breathtaking beauty of Tsushima’s landscapes, its quaint towns, or even dramatic showdowns between Jin Sakai and adversaries, knowing they’ll always find an abundance of unique photo opportunities.

2 Red Dead Redemption 2

The Wild West Offers The Perfect Scenery For Photography

  • Photo Mode allows players to capture both calm moments in nature, and adrenaline-rushing shootouts
  • The game offers a large variety of sceneries, from mountainous regions to massive cities

For decades, the Wild West has been the favorite setting for storytellers, moviemakers, and photographers to create art that the general population has frequently loved and enjoyed. Red Dead Redemption 2 is not only regarded by players as one of the greatest games Rockstar has ever released, but one of the greatest games of all time. This is due to its incredible story, amazing game mechanics, vast open world, and, of course, complete Photo Mode.

In “Red Dead Redemption 2”, the game map is expansive enough to let you traverse a significant portion of the United States landscape as it was during that time. From the city of Saint Denis, which bears resemblance to New Orleans in its French-influenced architecture, to the mountainous town of Valentine, inspired by Valentine, Nebraska, there’s an abundance of locations for you to explore and appreciate as scenery. Based on your taste, you might choose to use the Photo Mode feature to snap pictures of Arthur Morgan galloping across the American frontier on his horse or to capture thrilling moments filled with gunfire and action.

Regardless of the circumstances, it’s indisputable that enthusiasts of photography will find plenty of enjoyment exploring the intricate details within the Photo Mode of the game, Red Dead Redemption 2.

1 The Witcher 3

Killing Monsters And Capturing Moments Can Go Hand In Hand

  • Variety of settings, including open prairies, bogs, and huge cities
  • Players can take pictures in combat to capture epic moments

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is widely regarded as one of the finest open-world role-playing games set during medieval times, and it stands out as the best entry in the series thus far. The game offers a perfect blend of fantasy elements along with an engaging narrative that complements all the side quests available, as well as two exceptional DLCs. Exploring on horseback or on foot is exhilarating, and the combat mechanics are thoughtfully designed, providing sufficient control for experienced players to conquer the game in Death March, its most challenging mode of difficulty.

The Witcher 3 is enriched by an outstanding Photo Mode, ideal for photography enthusiasts who can snap shots from anywhere within the game and during any scenario. This game offers stunning landscapes dotted with dirt tracks, vast meadows, massive cities, haunting caves, and ominous boglands inhabited by witches. Players can capture Geralt maneuvering through the bustling streets of Novigrad or battling for survival in the foreboding von Everec estate, knowing they’ll always have a wealth of photo opportunities available to them.

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2024-09-25 03:33