Most Original Open-World Games Of All Time

Most gamers are familiar with what to expect from open-world games. They usually feature huge maps you can explore freely, lots of ways to get around, characters wandering around, lively towns, and plenty of items to find. Although the huge surge in popularity of these games has slowed down since the early 2010s, they remain incredibly popular.

It’s rare for a new open-world game to feel genuinely fresh. Because this type of game is so common, and players have come to expect certain features, it’s hard to be innovative. The games listed aren’t necessarily revolutionary, but they’re the most original open-world titles ever made, successfully combining new concepts with familiar elements to deliver truly standout experiences.

Shadow Of The Colossus

Still The Undisputed King

Wow, can you believe it’s almost been 20 years since Shadow of the Colossus came out? It’s still one of my all-time favorite open-world games, and honestly, nothing really feels quite like it. It created this really unique vibe – a huge, beautiful world that feels almost empty, but in a good way. And in all the years since, I haven’t seen many games even try to do what it did, let alone succeed. It’s still king, and that’s saying something!

The game’s success is mainly thanks to its clear direction and incredibly well-designed battles. Though the game largely revolves around fighting the sixteen massive colossi, each encounter is a unique and brilliant challenge, and none of them disappoint. Figuring out how to climb and defeat each colossus adds a clever puzzle element, creating a true David versus Goliath dynamic, making each win feel truly rewarding. However, watching these majestic creatures fall also raises a question: are players the heroes, or are they becoming the villains?

Baby Steps

The Depths Of Despair And The Heights Of Elation

Lately, game developers have noticed that players enjoy the feeling of accomplishment from overcoming difficult challenges far more than they dislike the frustration of failing. Few games exemplify this better than Getting Over It by Bennett Foddy, where players control a character climbing a massive structure with only a pickaxe – a single mistake can send them falling back to the beginning, potentially losing hours of work. Foddy explored this same idea in his later game, Baby Steps, but within an open-world environment.

Okay, so I just played this game called Baby Steps, and it’s… something else. You play as Nate, this totally average guy in his thirties who somehow gets sucked into his TV. He ends up in this weird, wild place wearing just a dirty onesie and no shoes! The whole goal? He desperately needs a toilet and a place to chill, but he’s way too awkward to even ask anyone. Instead, you control his every move – seriously, one step at a time – as he tries to climb this mountain. There’s no fighting or anything, the challenge is just… walking. It sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly hard! The ground is all uneven, and you really have to focus on where you place his feet. If you mess up, he falls, and it’s so frustrating because you lose all your progress. It’s a really weird take on open-world games, but honestly? It’s incredibly powerful. Falling after a long climb feels awful, but finally making it to safe ground is such a rush. I’ve never played anything quite like it, but it’s absolutely spectacular.

Sable

Nothing But The Sand For Company

Unlike open-world games with lots of activity, Sable focuses entirely on exploration. While Shadow of the Colossus centers around fighting and navigating obstacles, Sable lets you freely roam the world on a hoverbike, choosing your own path and discovering things at your own pace. There isn’t a main story or a set destination – you simply explore.

Like another game on this list, the real pleasure of playing Sable comes from exploring its world. You’ll meet characters who share bits of story, telling you about the world and the ancient civilization that once lived there. While there are puzzles and platforming sections, they aren’t overly challenging – they’re more about adding to the main character’s personal journey as she searches for the right mask. The game is generally lighthearted, peaceful, and even meditative. Despite the lonely, futuristic setting and the personal nature of the story, there’s a sense of urgency that makes up for the lack of fighting or big, dramatic scenes. It’s a unique and surprisingly emotional experience unlike most others.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Patchwork Perfection

What’s really interesting about Horizon Zero Dawn is how it skillfully blends elements from other popular games. While many games explore post-apocalyptic worlds like Fallout and The Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn successfully combines those ideas with familiar gameplay mechanics. Aloy’s bow and arrow feel similar to Lara Croft’s in the recent Tomb Raider games, and the way you target enemy weak points is reminiscent of Dead Space. The fluid movement and climbing, including parkour, are clearly inspired by Uncharted, and the emphasis on stealth and climbing towers echoes Assassin’s Creed. Even the unique robot dinosaurs seem to draw inspiration from the classic Beast Wars series. It’s a game built on successful foundations, expertly combined into something new.

What truly sets Horizon Zero Dawn apart is its masterful blend of inspirations. While the game draws from many sources, it doesn’t feel like a copy of anything else. Aloy’s journey is captivating, seamlessly weaving together the mystery of a fallen civilization – revealed through recovered data – with the challenge of uncovering the secrets within ancient facilities. The ability to reprogram machines, shifting them from enemies to allies, and the experience of exploring a breathtaking world that feels both alien and strangely relatable, all come together beautifully. It’s like a perfect recipe: familiar elements combined to create something exceptional, where the final result is far greater than what you’d expect from its individual parts.

Grand Theft Auto 3

An Original Sound Makes A Hundred Echoes

When considering the first truly open-world games, it’s impossible to overlook the game that started it all. Today, we instantly recognize the common elements of open-world design, even in short trailers. But in 2001, the idea of a game allowing players complete freedom to explore anywhere at any time was considered unrealistic by many developers. It seemed like a distant hope for the future of video games, and then Grand Theft Auto 3 changed everything.

While the graphics and gameplay of GTA 3 feel outdated now, it’s impossible to overstate its impact on open-world games. It essentially created the genre, establishing the core elements that are still used in games today. With GTA 6 expected to be a massive success, it’s clear just how much GTA 3 built the foundation for the franchise’s dominance. Though it may not feel as groundbreaking now after inspiring so many other games over the past 25 years, GTA 3 wasn’t just original when it launched—it completely changed the game.

Death Stranding

One Foot In Front Of The Other

Imagine being a fly on the wall during the creation of Death Stranding! The story is complex, but essentially, spirits from the afterlife are appearing in our world, causing a sort of apocalypse. As a result, people have retreated underground and lost connection with each other. The player, as Sam Bridges, takes on the role of a Porter, traveling across a desolate America to deliver supplies and reconnect isolated communities, hoping to rebuild society through a network called the Chiral Network.

While often called a “walking simulator,” Death Stranding is much more than that. It features combat, stealth, driving, building, and incredibly detailed inventory management. The game tells a compelling story about Sam and his unique connection with Lou, the Bridge Baby he carries, as their bond deepens throughout the long campaign. Death Stranding is truly one of a kind (aside from its sequel, of course), and though it was initially confusing for many players, it’s become a fan favorite and a standout achievement in Hideo Kojima’s career.

Pathologic 2

Cutting Your Losses

“Weird horror” is a unique and uncommon style, and it doesn’t often appear in video games. While titles like Alan Wake 2, Deadly Premonition, and Scorn have found success, it’s even rarer to see this type of horror combined with open-world gameplay – something most horror games avoid. This makes Pathologic 2 truly special. It’s an incredibly strange and surreal horror experience, deeply unsettling and profoundly despairing. It’s a challenging game that requires intense concentration to finish, but ultimately, it’s a work of art.

Pathologic 2 centers around Artemy Burakh, who returns to his hometown after his father, the town doctor, passes away. He’s meant to take over his father’s role, but a deadly plague quickly descends upon the town, causing widespread illness and decay. Artemy must investigate the outbreak and find a cure, but the game is unlike most others. Combat feels pointless, conversations are strangely intimate, and a mysterious figure puts on unsettling performances each night. The plague doesn’t discriminate – even key characters can get sick and die, changing the story based on the player’s actions. Artemy himself is also vulnerable. This combination of a bizarre setting, a seemingly unsolvable mystery, and the constant threat of death creates a uniquely tense and terrifying experience.

Outer Wilds

A Feast For The Curious

Existentialism – the feeling that everything ends, and even our accomplishments will eventually be forgotten – is a difficult concept to express through art. It’s more of a mood than a solid idea, making it hard to turn into something you can experience. However, the game Outer Wilds manages to do just that. You play as a nameless pilot, starting their first day on the job, exploring a solar system with a brand new spaceship. There’s a catch: after exactly 22 minutes, the sun explodes, destroying everything. Luckily, you’re stuck in a time loop! You’ll wake up on your home planet shortly after each explosion and get another 22 minutes to investigate what caused the sun to go supernova, as well as unravel other mysteries hidden throughout the planets, before the cycle begins again.

The game Outer Wilds immediately creates a feeling similar to the movie Groundhog Day: players repeatedly experience a time loop, but instead of being frustrating, it’s incredibly liberating. Unlike typical game respawns, each new loop provides a completely fresh start. The game offers no hand-holding – there are no quests to follow or characters to guide you. Instead, it relies entirely on your own curiosity and encourages you to experiment. This creates a unique sense of progression; you don’t advance by succeeding, but by learning. With each loop, you uncover more about the solar system, try new approaches, and gradually master its secrets.

Driver: San Francisco

Instead Of Being A Driver On The Road, How About Being Every Driver On The Road?

The Driver series was a surprising competitor in the racing game world of the mid-2000s, going up against popular titles like Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, Midnight Club, and Forza Motorsport. While it didn’t achieve the same level of fame as those games, it tried to differentiate itself with a stronger focus on storytelling. Sadly, what many consider the best story in the series, and its most innovative game, also turned out to be its last major release: Driver: San Francisco. This game continues the story of Driver 3, following FBI agent John Tanner as he chases his enemy, Charles Jericho, after Jericho escapes from prison. A car crash during the pursuit puts Tanner in a coma, and the rest of the game unfolds as his subconscious visualizations – he discovers he can take control of any driver in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The ability to switch between vehicles isn’t just a story element – players can do it whenever they want. What starts as a cool idea – letting you drive any car – quickly becomes a smart way to play. Car chases are central to Driver: San Francisco, and Tanner’s new power gives you tons of creative options for winning. If someone’s escaping, just jump into a car further ahead. Or, even better, take control of a semi-truck and block the road. You can bounce between cars, causing crashes to slow your target, then jump back into Tanner’s car for the final hit. It’s a fantastic system that’s incredibly enjoyable, and unfortunately, it hasn’t been developed further. Driver: San Francisco was the last main game in the series, with only one spin-off for the 3DS in 2011.

Gravity Rush

Freedom To Fly

It’s strange how rarely we see true flying in video games. While flight simulators exist, very few games let characters actually fly. We usually just get characters who can briefly hover, like Jesse Faden in Control or Cole MacGrath in InFamous. Some argue technical limitations prevent full flight, suggesting systems can’t load environments fast enough. However, Gravity Rush proved it was possible back in 2012 on the PlayStation 3, making its lack of recognition even more surprising.

Keiichiro Toyama, the creator of Silent Hill, brought us Gravity Rush, a unique open-world game starring Kat. Kat lives in the city of Hekseville and has amnesia, but she soon discovers she can control gravity. She uses this power to become a hero, protecting the city’s people from dangerous monsters called Nevi that appear during powerful storms. While not technically flying, Kat can fall with style in any direction, allowing her to move freely around the environment, chase enemies, and collect items. This movement system is a highlight and widely praised by those who have played the game. With a compelling story that becomes surprisingly emotional later on, and a sequel that builds on everything the first game did well, Gravity Rush is often considered one of the most original and underrated open-world games ever made.

2025-11-20 00:11