Highlights
- Open world games set on a big island allow for more freedom and creativity in design, leading to memorable settings.
- ARK: Survival Evolved, Dead Island, and Just Cause 3 are fun and immersive open-world games set on diverse and expansive islands.
- Ghost of Tsushima and Far Cry 3 offer stunning visuals, rich history, captivating stories, and thrilling gameplay on their respective islands.
When an open world game is based in a bustling city or densely populated area, it can restrict the amount of chaos and mayhem a player can cause, which is why a lot of developers have decided to set their games on a gigantic island instead to allow for more freedom. Doing this also allows developers to get as creative as they want in terms of design and aesthetic, which has led to some extremely memorable settings over the years.
Game Franchises That Should Try Open World
There are a lot of great game franchises out there that have yet to enter the open-world space.
Luckily, there are many open world games out there that grant the player their own little personal paradise where they can explore, complete quests, and engage in combat while venturing through a big and beautiful island. With that being said, it's time to take a look at which of these games have stood the test of time as the most memorable, and what makes them so fun to play.
6 Ark: Survival Evolved
Metascore: 70
While there are several maps that players can choose to jump into when booting up a game of ARK: Survival Evolved, by far the most popular, and the one that has raised the most discussion among the fanbase, is The Island. The actual island itself is extremely varied in its environments, featuring a plethora of glistening waterfalls, snowy mountains, and lush rainforests which all include their own unique dinosaurs that can be tamed and kept as allies.
Admittedly, the heavy focus on survival and immersion can be a little off-putting to some people because of the extreme challenge it presents, but if players can get to grips with the mechanics, they'll have an incredibly fun open-world experience on their hands.
5 Dead Island
Metascore: 71
After waking up from a pretty chaotic party, four survivors come to find out that almost the entire population of the Banoi Island has become infected by a virus that has turned them into mindless flesh-hungry zombies. While the player starts off with next to nothing to defend themselves, they'll gradually be able to upgrade weapons, enhance their skills, and earn special rewards by helping other survivors, which can make staying alive a lot easier.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora - 6 Ways The Game Does Open World Right
In many ways, Frontiers of Pandora is a shining example of how to make a fun, engaging, and immersive open-world experience for players.
While the story isn't anything to write home about, it's largely overshadowed by the extremely satisfying combat, and of course, the beautiful open world which is packed full of secrets and bits of lore that the player can seek out if they so desire. Fun, addictive, and an absolute blast to play in co-op, Dead Island is a great open-world game for anyone who loves hacking and slashing zombies to pieces during their adventures.
4 Just Cause 3
Metascore: 74
Just Cause 3
- Released
- November 30, 2015
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Studios
- Genre(s)
- Open-World , Third-Person Shooter
The Just Cause series has always been about causing as much chaos as possible to rack up high scores, and while each game is fun in its own unique way, Just Cause 3 is a particular highlight because of its amazing setting. After landing on the small remote island of Medici that has been taken over by a ruthless dictator, Rico makes it his mission to liberate the people by helping them out with his massive arsenal of weaponry and powerful gadgets.
While the map itself is extremely big, being made up of five completely unique biomes, it's also extremely easy to navigate thanks to the parachute and grappling hook, which allow Rico to stay in the air without ever needing to touch the ground. He also has a ton of explosive weapons that can be used to blow up tanks, cars, or even entire buildings if a mission calls for it. Just Cause 3 also focuses a lot more on Rico as a character and his personal connection to his family, which does make the story quite interesting, but it's the vast and expansive island of Medici that really steals the show here.
3 Salt
No Score Available
Salt gives players the opportunity to live out their swashbuckling dreams by placing them in the shoes of a pirate who's been stranded on a mysterious island. Despite having a very bright and colorful art style and aesthetic, the game is surprisingly difficult, especially when coming up against other pirates who are similarly looking for any loot they can get their hands on to survive.
What really makes the game so enjoyable to play is how it never pushes the player in one direction or the other, allowing them to explore at their own pace without having to worry about any quests or other obligations. If the player manages to gather enough resources and equipment, they can even set out into the open seas to search for other resources, so long as they manage to get past the ravenous sharks, that is.
2 Ghost Of Tsushima
Metascore: 83
Many people have referred to Ghost of Tsushima as the best looking game ever made, and it's hard to disagree when standing on a cliffside and taking in the natural beauty of Tsushima in all its glory. It's not just all looks though, as the island also has an incredibly long and rich history which Jin can learn more about by acquiring the many ornaments hidden around the environments, alongside Mongol equipment which also sheds some light on the history of the enemy forces.
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There's also a plethora of activities to get up to, whether it's liberating a small village from a squad of Mongol soldiers, participating in a heart-pounding duel, or even just seeking out Fox Charms, there's never a dull moment when playing Ghost of Tsushima. Pair this with a staggering amount of obtainable loot and a captivating story that is full of emotional moments and plot twists, and it results in one of Sucker Punch's best titles to date.
1 Far Cry 3
Metascore: 88
There's a few reasons why many fans of the Far Cry series often cite the third game as being a standout, with one of the biggest being the absolutely amazing Rook Islands. These tropical environments initially look like beautiful holiday destinations, but as the player ventures deeper into the map, they'll come across dangerous rebel groups which are being led by one of the most menacing yet charismatic villains in all of video games, Vaas. What might be even more intimidating than the regular soldiers though is the animals, which can range from cute and cuddly, to absolutely terrifying, with a prime example being the ferocious crocodiles.
While the exploration is top-notch, Far Cry 3 also offers an extremely satisfying progression system which gradually gifts the player with new abilities and techniques that can drastically change the gameplay, keeping the experience fresh and fun. The story is also unexpectedly deep for a Far Cry game, with the entire game centering on the character of Jason and how the island slowly transforms his mind, making the environment a character within itself.
