When crafting a living open world, developers have many things to consider. They begin by creating a terrain or landscape as the environment's foundation. After that, there are many possibilities, such as dynamic weather, diverse flora, realistic wildlife behaviors, unique biomes, and more. Careful attention to detail is what makes these worlds feel alive.

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Many titles make the environment something to conquer or overcome, with character progression or a story that makes the player the most powerful being around. Others flip this narrative by emphasizing the player character's insignificance compared to creatures or forces with a much larger influence on the ecosystem, like in these open-world games where the ecosystem lives on in spite of the player's actions.

6 Minecraft

An Adventure For Everyone

There is little more that can be said about the massive success of Minecraft. Each new world creates a vibrant and seemingly endless landscape through procedural generation. Many different biomes can occur, from snowy mountains to dense jungles to deep oceans. While the terrain is impressive, the dynamic inhabitants are the main attraction.

The game's plants and animals all have traits that add to immersion; carnivores like wolves will hunt herbivores like sheep, who eat grass that can't grow without light. There are many similar examples seen in Minecraft's wildlife. Other mobs also have dynamic interactions, such as villagers running to their homes at night to avoid hostile zombies. All of this takes place without player input, and will continue to do so regardless of the player's actions.

5 Rain World

A Rich And Mysterious World

Rain World puts players in the paws of a small feline creature trying to survive in a hostile world. Every night, deadly monsoons flood the world, so the player must look for safety in a vault. When the rain subsides, the player can explore the incredibly diverse world for food and their next shelter.

Countless plants and animals interact with the player and one another. The game has several species of lizards, carnivorous plants in disguise, intelligent and varied scavengers, and so much more. The diverse speciation and crafty AI are paired with a relatively weak player character who must use their wits to survive.

4 Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey

Return To Simpler Times

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey puts the player in the shoes of an early human ancestor 10 million years ago. They must progress through the millennia, acquiring new adaptations to survive in the beautiful but dangerous setting. This ancient landscape is awe-inspiring, and the dynamic ecosystem makes gameplay immersive and engaging.

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The world is fully realized, from giant elephants and deadly sabertooth cats on the Savannah to the fish in streams and insects on the forest floor. Players may search for safety in the canopy, only to be targeted by colossal birds of prey. The animals interact independently of players, with carnivores like huge pythons hunting for smaller animals like warthogs.

3 Horizon Forbidden West

Organic Wildlife Has Been Replaced

Following up on Horizon Zero Dawn, 2022's Horizon Forbidden West continues Aloy's journey on a much larger scale. As with the previous game, the wildlife consists of robotic creatures that mimic the behaviors of animals, from birds to giraffes to huge dinosaurs. These beings take the natural place of the animals that are no longer around.

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Alongside the diverse robotic life is stunning plant life stretching as far as the eye can see. It's a post-post-apocalyptic world, with concrete cityscapes barely recognizable beneath the dense greenery. The deadly ecosystem paints a picture of a world where artificially intelligent beings survive long after human civilization withdraws its influence over nature.

2 Red Dead Redemption 2

A Faithful Recreation Of Frontier America

Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 is iconic for many reasons. One reason is the visuals, with stunning landscapes no matter where the player looks. The beauty of the largely-untouched wilderness is a testament to the overall ideology of the game, which often criticizes the idea of industrialization at the cost of nature and freedom.

Arthur, the protagonist, can hunt animals in the game, but he's not the only one who can do so. A deep wildlife system allows for unique animal interactions. Eagles, wolves, and other predators will hunt for their own prey. Vultures and crows will descend on anything or anyone dead and left behind. It is a beautiful and brutal world that pays close, almost unbelievable attention to detail.

1 Subnautica

An Underwater World Like No Other

Plunge into Subnautica's Planet 4546B, a world rich in ocean life. The game has a wealth of biodiversity, all with thoughtful and creative visual design. Animals are all adapted to their respective environments, and plants and coral have an equal level of care, forming dense forests and ecosystems beneath the waves.

Huge creatures swim across the oceans, reminding players of how small they are in the grand scheme of the planet. The colossal but peaceful Reefback is an example, slowly moving through the water while making complex sounds that suggest a deeper understanding. These creatures are huge, but they're far from the biggest fish around, with much more terrifying sights to be found in the depths.

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The scale and level of detail found in open-world games' worlds, can be make or break for the title.