Features That Need To Be In Every New Open-World Game

Open-world games are incredibly popular, and for good reason. They offer a lot of gameplay for your money, letting you discover huge worlds filled with things to do. While some games let you explore better than others, the core appeal remains the same: a massive world to roam and enjoy.

I’m really excited for some of the huge open-world games coming in 2026, like *Grand Theft Auto 6* and *The Blood of Dawnwalker*. As a fan, I’ve been thinking about what would *really* make those worlds feel alive, and I think a few key features could take things to the next level. It’s not that every open-world game needs to be identical, but I believe adding these elements would just make the experience so much more captivating. I hope the developers consider them!

Worlds Without Borders

And Make The Environments Varied And Interesting

As a huge fan of open-world games, I’ve been playing *Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth* and it’s amazing – the world is just beautiful and so much fun to explore! But I did run into some frustrating moments where the game kind of *forced* me down a certain path before I could explore everything. I noticed something similar in *Borderlands 4*, which is even more open, but still had those roadblocks. Both games are fantastic, honestly, but I really wish developers would push for truly open worlds where you can just *go* anywhere and discover things. It would make these worlds even more immersive and exciting!

While Forspoken is enjoyable to move around in thanks to its fast-paced protagonist, Frey, the world itself feels a bit empty and lacks compelling activities. Truly great open-world games, like *The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim* and *The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*, let you explore and do almost anything right from the beginning. Games like *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* and *Xenoblade Chronicles X* do have some areas blocked off until you reach a certain level, but you can still attempt them if you’re willing to face the challenge. The ideal is a completely open world, and features like changing day/night cycles and seasons would make it even better.

Multiple Traversal Methods

From Climbing To Gliding

When *The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild* came out with the Switch in 2017, it really redefined open-world games. It introduced the ability to climb almost anything, but with a stamina limit that made it challenging. Once players reached the top of a cliff, they could then paraglide down. Since then, several other games, like *Rise of the Ronin*, have included similar gliding mechanics. Others, such as *Anthem* and *Hogwarts Legacy*, have gone even further by adding full flight to their open worlds.

The first *Marvel’s Spider-Man* game made it feel great to climb and swing through the city. *Marvel’s Spider-Man 2* added gliding with the suits, which was a nice improvement. To really expand how players get around, the next game should include a mount or vehicle, something many other games already do – think horses in *Ghost of Tsushima* or the vehicles in *Borderlands 4*. It feels like a logical step, but some games, like *Fallout 4*, don’t offer much beyond running on foot.

Quests That Matter

Or Compelling Stories

What truly makes an open-world game great isn’t just the size of the world, but the characters within it. A game can have tons of things to do, but if the people you interact with aren’t interesting, it falls flat. *The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt* really raised the bar by making even minor characters feel important and giving their side quests real depth. The main story is also fantastic, offering players a lot to experience. Other games that do this well include *Avowed* and *Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth*.

Open-world games don’t need to have amazing side quests, but they should at least have a captivating main story. It’s best when a game excels at both, but that’s not always possible. Some games, like *Deadly Premonition*, might not be fun to explore, but still offer a great experience thanks to interesting characters and a compelling story. Developers should aim for this balance in future open-world titles.

Character Customization

And Crafting

As a gamer, one of my favorite things is making characters that truly feel like *mine*. And honestly, *Baldur’s Gate 3* has some of the best character creation I’ve seen in ages – you can tweak everything from gender and race to appearance and class. *Biomutant* is awesome too, letting you build a totally unique little creature every time. I get that in story-focused single-player games, developers can’t always make *every* character fully customizable, but even small touches to those characters can really add to the experience.

I really loved how *Donkey Kong Bananza* let you change Donkey Kong’s fur color and dress him up, along with Pauline! Honestly, any way a game lets me customize my characters is a huge win. I’m also a big fan of crafting, but it doesn’t need to be a massive base-building thing like *Palworld* or *Minecraft*. Something simpler, like the weapon crafting you could do in *Fallout 4*, is perfect – it’s enough to let me get creative without being overwhelming.

Difficulty Settings

And Monsters That Are Terrifying

Games that aren’t open-world really benefit from having different difficulty settings. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a good example – it can be incredibly challenging, and the difficulty options help you truly feel like a courier trekking across tough terrain. Assassin’s Creed Shadows also lets you adjust the difficulty, though even the easiest mode can still be pretty hard due to the game’s leveling system. Elden Ring, being a challenging “Soulslike” game made by FromSoftware, doesn’t offer difficulty settings, which is typical for that genre. Soulslike games are meant to be difficult, but some, like Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, do include options to make the game easier or offer assistance.

I think every game should really nail the difficulty options. It’s not just about letting everyone play, but letting *everyone* have a good time. Casual players want to relax and enjoy the story, while the rest of us want a real challenge – something that pushes us to our limits! But even on the easiest setting, I want to feel a little scared sometimes. Like stumbling into an area with enemies way stronger than me – think those huge monsters in *Monster Hunter Wilds*, or facing a Colossus in *Shadow of the Colossus*. That’s what makes a world feel truly alive and engaging – when the game balances how things work with how they *look* to create something special.

Save Anytime, Anywhere

Keep Data Safe

Open-world games should let players save their progress whenever they want, or at least offer a reasonable save point nearby. *Death Stranding 2: On the Beach* does this well, with exceptions during story moments or when enemies are close, which is logical. *The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim* and *Fallout 4* are also good examples – Bethesda games usually allow for manual saves. It’s really convenient to be able to pause the game at any time and pick up exactly where you left off.

A good example of a frustrating save system is in *Borderlands 4*. While the game frequently saves progress, it doesn’t let players pause the action, exit, and resume exactly where they were. Crucially, it also lacks manual saving, a feature many gamers rely on to revisit favorite moments – like challenging boss fights or to explore different choices in conversations. *Borderlands 4* does allow for mission replays, which is a plus for open-world games, but a reliable and flexible save system should always be a priority.

2025-10-16 07:35