Open-world games are the norm when it comes to today’s Triple-A experiences, but due to this saturation of open-world games, some brilliant titles perhaps don’t get the love they deserve.
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Despite never getting the accolades andpraise of yourSkyrimsandElden Ringsof this world, these games are excellent open-world adventures that arewell worth the price of admission.
So, in a bid to keep you well-stocked with vast virtual worlds to explore, here are ten underrated titles that you need to check out.
10Sleeping Dogs
As Gritty as it Gets
Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogswill forever be one of the most criminally underappreciated games, especially on the open-world front.
While the game starts in a seemingly linear fashion, it quickly opens up into a huge city to explore, with tons of secrets to uncover, side quests to take on, and open-world chaos to cause.
This gritty crime thriller puts you in the boots of Wei Shen, an undercover cop trying to take down a triad gang.
It’s got some of the besthand-to-hand combat everput into a game, and some of the levels, such as the wedding, will stick with you far after you’re done.
There are so many great side quests here as well, including one that throws you into a Bruce Lee movie as you compete in a martial arts tournament on an island. This comes complete with his iconic suit as well.
It’s a shame we haven’t seen a sequel to this one yet, but we remain hopeful of a revival later down the line.
Weird But Original
Elex 2is one of the stranger games out there, but that doesn’t stop it from being agreat open-world experience.
Big emphasis on the word ‘open’ here, as the open nature of this game is pretty staggering.
From the jump, you may go pretty much anywhere your heart desires. Unlike most open worlds, you can explore this one with a jetpack, which adds a level of verticality to the game that most in the genre can’t compete with.
The combat is a unique mix of melee and ranged combat, with a heavy sci-fi twist to switch it up.
One moment, you’ll be slicing up enemies with a two-handed sword; the next, you’ll be in full armor, shooting alien weaponry.
The mix is wild and keeps the game feeling fresh the entire way. The story is a bit convoluted, but it’s deep and carries the experience a considerable amount.
It lacks that triple-A polish in many areas, but for those who want to try something different, Elex 2 is a perfect opportunity to do so.
8The Forgotten City
Unravel the Past
The Forgotten City
The Forgotten Cityis a rare example of a mod that gets made into a full game. Coming from the famousSkyrimmod, The Forgotten City introduces you to a mysterious city that has fallen to ruin, and it’s up to you to travel through time to figure out what happened.
You do this through a highly creative mix of puzzle-solving, combat, and your own creativity.
The best part of the game is undoubtedly the writing and lack of hand-holding, giving it an old-school feel that believes in you as a gamer with a brain to figure out the right way forward.
There is also the aspect of a time loop that continually resets each time the game’s Golden Rule (I won’t spoil it) is broken.
This will require you to relive the day each time, change up your methods, predict the behaviors of certain characters, and, overall, know just a little more than the day before.
The result is a time-twisting journey to the past that is as original as it is surprising, and it’s easily the best example of what a mod can become when it has support behind it.
Mad Maxwas released under the radar in the wild gaming yearof 2015. While it couldn’t compete with mega hits likeThe Witcher 3,Fallout 4,andMetal Gear Solid: V, itinstead carved out a unique niche that it did very well in.
Mad Max will have you traversing the wasteland in multiple customized vehicles, engaging in some surprisingly awesome hand-to-hand combat, and having some epic vehicle combat that all sits comfortably well in the universe the game takes place in.
The quests are all appropriate within the theme of the game, too, tasking you with competing in insane races, searching for water, gathering materials to improve your car, and other things of that sort.
Movie tie-in games are generally a disaster, but Mad Max takes a unique approach and creates its own version of the iconic character that works just as well as any of the movies.
It likely won’t blow you away with its quality, but it sits comfortably in the ‘worth a try’ range that might not get the most hype, but is definitely worth your time.
Old School In a New World
Outwardis a game for those who hate hand-holding. Those types of players want to figure out the game they have in front of them without being told explicitly what to do.
It’s a unique thing in gaming these days, andOutward unabashedly provides you with just that.You start on a beach and must figure out how to pay back your family’s debt.
From there, things get a bit more complex story-wise, but the plot is not the point of the game; it’s the freedom the game provides.
From that starting area, the world is your oyster; there is so much to explore here.
Unlike most games in the open-world genre, this one has legitimate penalties for dying and wandering too far past your pay grade.
Itsometimes feels like a hardcore version ofSkyrim,andthe magic system here is among the best of any game.
The best part of it all, is that you can play the whole thing in couch co-op, a growing rarity in the gaming industry these days.
5Watch Dogs
Watch Dogs
Watch Dogsgot a ton of hype when it was first announced due to the graphics on show, but I think Ubisoft was hyping up the wrong thing.
What they should’ve been focusing on was the gameplay and the story.
To this day, I don’t think there is a tighter or more focused story in an open-world game like the one told in Watch Dogs.
Aiden Pierce is a fantastic protagonist, who sits comfortably in the gray area of morality and isn’t a quippy, incredibly friendly person that today’s games seem to force upon players for protagonists.
He feels real, and the world he inhabits feels the same. This is a gritty depiction of a near-future Chicago, and you get to use it as your personal playground for destruction.
The use of hacking in this game is brilliant, and the gunplay is excellent in its own right.
They don’t try to go too big here, which is a smart decision.
It’s usually on sale these days and remains a shining example of what the series could have been.
4Mass Effect: Andromeda
Still a Star
Mass Effect: Andromeda
Mass Effect: Andromedawas the butt of many jokes when it was first released due to the myriad of bugs that were present.
These days, most of that is fixed, and what remains isan extremely underrated title in the Mass Effect lexicon.
It’s a new story that spawns from the ending of the Mass Effect Trilogy, and you’ll be taking the reins of one of the Ryder twins on a mission to colonize a new galaxy.
The ambition of the plot is big, and it all gets complicated by the presence of a hostile alien race called the Kett, as well as an ancient race known as the Remnant that has revived.
It might not hit every mark with the story, but the gameplay more than makes up for it.
This is pound-for-pound the best combat in the series, with incredible movement systems and powers on display that the original trilogy could only dream of.
It’s also gorgeous, with environments that stand alone in their majesty 7 years later. If you’re craving more sci-fi goodness, while it might not hit the heights of the original, Mass Effect: Andromeda is still a great time.
3Ghostwire: Tokyo
How About Something Different?
Ghostwire Tokyo
Ghostwire: Tokyois a breath of fresh air in the open-world genre. No, we’re not dealing with swords, sorcery, or science fiction here. Instead, it’s somethingwholly unique and unseen in the gaming space.
The story places you in Tokyo following a cataclysmic event that finds you possessed by a spirit of some kind, and from there, you’re thrown into a bizarre story that feels nothing like anything you’ve played.
The combat is a standout here simply because it’s so different. The action is horror adjacent, and you’ll be taking on these creepy entities with a magic system of sorts that revolves around you using different elemental attacks and finishing enemies off but quite literally yanking their essence out of them.
Exploring this open world is awesome, too, with incredible visuals, side quests to do, and lore to discover about what led to the state of the world.
Ghostwire: Tokyowas perhaps a bit too weird to hit it big, but it definitely is worth a try for those wanting a much different open-world experience than they are used to.
2Days Gone
Open World Apocalypse
Days Gone Video Game
Days Goneis the definition of an underrated game. Hated on at launch, developer push-back, and eventually, cult-classic status. It’s all there.
While the game will likely never see a sequel, that doesn’t detract from its excellent content.
It’s an open-world zombie game, though here they’re called Freakers, and it’s easily the most terrifying video game zombies have ever been.
You will face down these monsters by the hundreds in massive swarms that pushed the PS4 to its limits.
There is also a very good main plot with a great character, Deacon St. John. It feels like a very realistic look at how a society could exist in the wake of a zombie apocalypse, and it manages to skip over most tropes you find in those types of games.
The world is huge and full of secrets, and side quests to complete. The best part is that once you feel like the game is ending, an entire new area opens up out of nowhere, providing some amazing story beats and concluding in an epic finale that ties the whole story together.
Maybe the game world was jaded by zombies at this point, butDays Gonehas a lot to offer to this day.
1Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
A New Take on Fantasy
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoningis a diamond in the rough. It was a game so ambitious and different, yet it hit those ambitions and still managed to go under the radar.
Why was this the case? Well, it was released just a few months after a behemoth known asThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Also, it was released shortly afterDark Souls. We were undergoing a gaming revolution when this was released, and it was unfortunately not part of the club.
That didn’t stop the rave reviews, though; it got quite a following of its own. At least, for a while.
With big names like R.A. Salvatore behind the plot and Todd McFarlane doing the art for the game, the recipe for success was loud and clear.
The player agency is clear from the offset, and the gameplay resembles classicGod of Wartitles far more than any Bethesda product. There is also a deep, original story that relies very little on common fantasy tropes.
There is an enormous world to explore, and the art style is one of a kind. You can get lost in this one for hours on end, and not regret it for a second.
It kind of feels like a Fable game that grew up and ditched some of its lamer qualities, and in its place, an epic and extremely underrated game lies waiting for you to dive in.
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