Incredible Open-World Games You Won’t Believe You Missed

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Games like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Far Cry 3 were incredibly influential in the early 2010s and really defined what open-world games could be. They inspired many games that followed, including sequels and similar titles. Open-world games remain incredibly popular today, but even longtime players sometimes make mistakes.

Open-world games are often very long, taking anywhere from forty to eighty hours to complete, making it unrealistic to play them all. Even if you missed these games when they first came out, or if they didn’t receive the highest scores, they’re still worth experiencing.

Red Faction: Guerrilla

Make Or Break

If you’re looking for a game to blow off some steam, Red Faction: Guerrilla is a great choice. Set on Mars, you join a rebellion fighting against a powerful corporation, and the game features a really impressive physics engine. You can use a variety of weapons and methods to demolish buildings as part of your revolution, and it’s incredibly satisfying to watch them fall, even after many hours of gameplay. While Mars isn’t the most beautiful open-world environment, it provides a fun and destructive playground.

Judgment

Phoenix Wright Meets Yakuza

The Judgment series often gets overlooked by Yakuza fans, despite being set in the same universe and sharing the same fighting style. It’s full of the quirky side missions the series is known for. You play as Yagami, a former lawyer turned private detective who takes on cases to help people in need. The game features engaging detective work at crime scenes, but still delivers plenty of action-packed combat like other Yakuza titles.

Far Cry Primal

Back To B.C.

Far Cry Primal is a unique entry in the Far Cry series, set thousands of years in the past, before civilization as we know it. Players take on the role of a hunter in the prehistoric world, facing off against creatures like saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths. While the story and weapons aren’t as developed as in other Far Cry games, the game’s incredibly immersive historical setting makes it stand out. It’s worth playing for that experience alone, as few games offer this level of detail and scale in a prehistoric setting.

Dragon Quest Builders 2

Build Me Up Buttercup

While Minecraft remains incredibly popular, Dragon Quest Builders 2 could become just as well-known if more people gave it a try. It features more detailed characters and creatures, and like Minecraft, lets you build things using blocks.

In Dragon Quest Builders 2, you can gather resources by digging and mining, then use those materials to create new equipment and help restore civilization. Compared to Minecraft, this game offers a storyline – though it follows familiar tropes, it will appeal to Dragon Quest fans – and more dynamic combat.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

Kid Icarus 4*

Immortals Fenyx Rising was Ubisoft’s take on a fun, open-world action-adventure game, drawing inspiration from titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the less famous Kid Icarus. Players customize their hero and embark on a journey through a fantastical Greece, battling mythical creatures like cyclops and minotaurs with plenty of freedom to explore. Unfortunately, it launched in December 2020 – a notoriously difficult time for new games to gain attention.

Cat Quest 3

Kitty Konnections

I have to say, the Cat Quest games really surprised me! They look super cute, like they’re just for kids, but they’re genuinely fun for anyone. Cat Quest 3 especially is awesome if you love open-world games and pirates. You get a ship pretty early on and can explore the whole world by sea – there are even ship battles! When you’re on land or in dungeons, the combat is action-packed and you’re always searching for treasure. Plus, it’s great because a friend can join in on the couch for some co-op action!

The Good Life

Transformative Countrysides

Okay, so I just finished playing The Good Life, and it’s from the same creator as Deadly Premonition – Swery65, who’s known for being totally out there. It’s not quite as mind-bending as Deadly Premonition, but the setup is still really unique. You play as a reporter who moves to this quiet little village, and you quickly discover you can turn into a dog or a cat! Seriously. As a human or an animal, you spend your time investigating the townspeople, trying to solve a murder and figure out all the weird stuff going on. It’s a really cool experience being able to sniff around for clues as a dog!

Sand Land

Anime Fallout

I was so excited to hear about Sand Land – it’s incredibly special because it was one of the last things Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, worked on before he passed away. The story is set in a really unique world where water is practically gone, and it’s about this unlikely team-up between humans and demons who are trying to fix things. It’s a pretty cool concept!

As a player, you get to either jump right into fast-paced combat as Beelzebub, the demon prince, or hop into a bunch of different vehicles like tanks and robots. Seriously, the game is packed with cool gadgets, crazy machines, and some really unique characters. If you’re a fan of Dragon Ball‘s energy or you’ve been craving a *Falloutstyle world with more action, this game is definitely for you.

Mad Max (2015)

The Phantom Game

The video game Mad Max unfortunately faced tough competition when it was released. Initially, it was delayed and missed being released alongside the highly successful Mad Max: Fury Road movie. When it finally launched, it had to compete with the popular Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. Despite not being as relentlessly action-packed as the film it’s based on, Mad Max is still considered the best game in the franchise. It features exciting car combat, a dangerous and gritty world, and solid shooting mechanics.

Rage 2

One Last Chance

I remember playing the original Rage back in 2011, and honestly, it didn’t quite explode onto the scene. So, I was really excited when Rage 2 finally came out after almost ten years! It felt like they were trying to recapture that post-apocalyptic vibe, but this time with a lot more personality – almost like they took a cue from Borderlands. Everything was just… wilder. The guns, the characters, the enemies – all totally unhinged, which made the world so much more interesting. Whether I was clearing out raider camps or fighting them on the open road, things always felt intense and chaotic, and I loved it!

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2025-12-15 08:38