Over the years, open-world games like Elden Ring have undeniably changed how people play and perceive video games as a whole. Usually granting a degree of freedom that is not possible in other genres, open-world games allow the player to make their own decisions and tailor the experience to their preferences, ensuring no two playthroughs are the same. While there is an abundance of open-world titles on the market, four of them in particular stand out as having had a significant impact not only on the genre but the industry itself. These four titles have carved their names onto the Mount Rushmore of open-world games.
Open-world games have lately been met with equal criticism and excitement due to how they are designed. It seems too easy for some developers to simply fill an open world with content bloat that players can spend an indefinite amount of time trying to work their way through, while at the same time, other open worlds could be far too empty. This Mount Rushmore is not without its own mistakes in how their open worlds were portrayed, but with over 20 years between their releases, the four games in question are titles that have left an indelible mark on the industry.
Grand Theft Auto 3
It was a very different time when Grand Theft Auto 3 was unleashed on the world back in October 2001. Putting players in the shoes of silent protagonist Claude, the game takes place in a sprawling 3D metropolis known as Liberty City, one of GTA's most beloved locations. At the time, it offered players a level of freedom the likes of which had never really been seen before.
Players are able to freely roam the city between missions, tackling side quests such as becoming a taxi driver or committing petty crimes, all in between a lengthy main campaign that spans three distinct sections of the city. Players can move around either on foot or in a plethora of different vehicles and can use a variety of weapons to accomplish tasks ranging from quick missions to lengthy heists and car chases.
Introducing many concepts that would become commonplace in open-world titles thereafter, GTA 3 was a true landmark moment for the industry and offered gamers a unique glimpse of what the future of video games would look like. The game drew critical acclaim and won several Game of the Year awards for 2001. While it may not have aged particularly well, with its various gameplay shortcomings now much more apparent by modern standards, nobody can deny what an important game Grand Theft Auto 3 was, and its influence on hundreds of titles that came afterward is clear to see.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
To truly understand the popularity of Bethesda's Skyrim, one only needs to realize the number of times the 2011 Game of the Year winner has been re-released in the 12 years since its original launch. Originally released during the seventh generation of video game consoles, Skyrim has been remastered or relaunched for both the eighth and ninth generations, with the most recent Anniversary Edition bringing the game to current-day consoles in 2021 and 2022. It also received its own VR port in 2017, making the game completely playable in virtual reality.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim takes the concept of getting sidetracked to a whole new level. Roaming off the beaten path becomes the norm, and players will regularly forgo the main campaign for hours on end while exploring everything the detailed world has to offer. Skyrim is rich with towns, cities, caves, and dungeons all waiting to be explored, and the game received almost universal acclaim on its release, with many agreeing that it's one of the best games of all time.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo's popular The Legend of Zelda franchise has been running since 1986. The adventures of Link, another silent protagonist, as he attempts to free Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon, have captivated gamers for over three decades. Up until 2017, the series was primarily known for its intelligent puzzles and world-building, but then Breath of the Wild came along and changed all of that. The game drops Link, unarmed with no equipment, in the middle of Hyrule, and tasks the player with venturing out into the world and discovering exactly what's going on.
With almost no hand-holding, the player is left to their own devices and can tackle the game however they wish, either by making an immediate beeline for Ganon or attempting to soak up everything the game has to offer first. Exploration in an open-world game has rarely felt so liberating, and the game's sense of escapism is truly impressive.
Harsh terrain, weather conditions, and the ability to cook meals all play a key role in the player's immersion, and it was no surprise when Breath of the Wild won Game of the Year in 2017. A sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, was released earlier this year, and proved to be every bit as good as its predecessor—in fact, many would argue it's even better.
Elden Ring
In many ways, Elden Ring is seen as the culmination of everything that has been learned from open-world games in the past 25 years. Taking the already impressive Dark Souls blueprint and building on it, Elden Ring manages to keep the same robust, fluid, and deep gameplay mechanics that developer FromSoftware has made its name on while scaling pretty much everything up exponentially. Elden Ring's rich lore was pieced together with help from fantasy writer George R.R Martin, the creator of the fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire, which was adapted into the award-winning TV show Game of Thrones.
Elden Ring's open world is vast and beautiful, with danger and discovery hidden around every corner. Players are free to tackle it almost however they see fit, with very few barriers to block the player's exploration. Build variety is something FromSoftware has always done well, and Elden Ring is no exception. Rarely, if ever, has an open-world map been so intelligently crafted, and Elden Ring stands as not just one of the absolute best games in the genre, but one of the greatest of all time.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
