Highlights
- In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, rain can cause Link to lose his grip when climbing, adding an element of unpredictability and frustration.
- In Grand Theft Auto 5, cars pose a significant danger to the player, often running them over without hesitation, emphasizing the game's disregard for human life.
- Far Cry 3 introduces deadly wildlife that can ruin stealth and attack the protagonist, highlighting the dangers of venturing alone in exotic environments.
Open-world games come in all shapes and sizes. Players can swing through New York as Spider-Man or go through a realistic crime simulator. Depending on the main character and the genre, the environment alone will present varying levels of danger. The games below are not all realistic open-world games, but they have realistic dangers around every corner.
Best Open-World Games On The PlayStation 2, Ranked
Some of the best PS2 games on the platform were open-world titles. These games are still worth exploring despite their advanced age.
Sometimes, it is a hazard one would never even think of as dangerous, but these games remind fans that even the most mundane things can harm the player character. Knowing these ahead of time will also prevent them from being overly frustrating, especially when they are unique, unexpected hazards.
1 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Rain Can Loosen Your Grip And Weather Can Harm Link
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U , Switch
- Released
- March 3, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Genre(s)
- Action , Adventure
Few open-world games offer a level of environmental interaction as deep as Breath of the Wild. Players use the objects around them to solve puzzles and craft weapons. This system is taken even further in the sequel, Tears of the Kingdom. The environment also strikes back against Link, however. Various weather changes make traversal harder, and certain areas are too cold or too hot to travel through without the right gear.
The most frustrating thing for players is the way rain causes Link to lose his grip when climbing up the side of a mountain. Players are never in control of when it happens and it always feels like it comes at the worst possible time. Fortunately, there are ways to better one's grip during the rain, but it takes a while to earn the right equipment to counter the slippery rocks.
2 Grand Theft Auto 5
Cars Can And Will Kill Players
Grand Theft Auto 5
- Platform(s)
- PS5 , PS4 , PS3 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One , Xbox 360 , PC
- Released
- September 17, 2013
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Genre(s)
- Open-World , Action
Grand Theft Auto 5 and its predecessors take place in a heightened reality that parodies the real world. It is a dangerous sandbox where almost everyone is hostile and players are free to hijack anyone's car. Cars themselves present a large danger to the player, however. They will run over the protagonist as if wherever they need to be is far more important than a single human life. To be fair to the car, life is pretty cheap in Grand Theft Auto.
14 Grand Theft Auto Characters Who Appear In Multiple Games
While Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto games generally introduce new casts, some characters have made appearances in multiple entries.
It is often hard to get hit by cars in other open-world games set in modern environments such as Like a Dragon, but it is pretty difficult not to get smacked by an automobile when crossing a street in Los Santos. It's a reminder to always look both ways before crossing the street.
3 Far Cry 3
Wild Animals Are Everywhere
Far Cry tries to change it up with each entry by going to a different setting, which is why the series has taken players from islands in the Caribbean to Middle America and almost everything in between. There are a few constants throughout the series, though, and one of these is deadly wildlife.
Everyone remembers their first time playing Far Cry 3 and coming face to face with a large tiger while sneaking up on an enemy camp. These can ruin stealth and rip the protagonist to shreds. It is not much different than how dangerous it can be to venture alone through an exotic environment. Smart players can at least use these animals to their advantage and let them loose upon enemies.
4 Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
The Sea Is A Deadly Muse
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
- Released
- October 29, 2013
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure , Open-World
Assassin's Creed 3 introduced naval battles and the sequel, Black Flag, significantly expanded upon this concept. Sailing the high seas as a pirate was so popular that Ubisoft is set to release a game based entirely around it, Skull and Bones. Being a pirate is not all fun and games though, since the open water can be highly dangerous.
Players sometimes have to participate in sea combat while hurricanes are throwing water all over the ship. Then, they have to deal with rogue waves that can damage the vessel. At least it is not real life where the stakes on the high seas are literal life and death.
5 Red Dead Redemption 2
Bears And Mountain Lions
The Wild West was deadly for many reasons, such as outlaws with itchy trigger fingers. Red Dead Redemption 2 has all one would expect from the period and then some. Some players probably did not expect to get mauled by a bear or a mountain lion but this is a very real possibility when playing the 2018 Rockstar Games hit.
Red Dead Redemption 2: 14 Powerful Quotes By Dutch Van Der Linde
Dutch van der Linde always has powerful words to say across Red Dead Redemption 2, whether that's to show his descent or his pride.
Arthur Morgan does not have a machine gun with him either, so facing down some of these large animals is no easy task. It is rewarding to take their meat and skin after a kill though. Probably not the greatest pastime for a vegetarian, but they might change their tune if not hunting the animal means becoming their next meal.
6 Death Stranding
Some Mountains Are Too Steep
Hideo Kojima crafted a wholly unique sci-fi world in Death Stranding filled with hazards unique to the game's story. In addition to the Timefall, BTs, and Mules, natural landscapes are also the biggest hazard for Sam Porter Bridges. Players should not get too ambitious when it comes to scaling mountains.
Without the proper equipment and with too much on their backs, a steep mountain can cause the player to tumble down to the bottom, hurting them and scattering the delivery. This type of obstacle and the player's ability to overcome it with forethought and planning is what makes Death Stranding so unique. Few other games make the simple act of getting from point A to point B so compelling.
Best Open-World Game From Every Year in the 2010s
The 2010s saw a boom of open-world games on the market. Here's which titles rose to the top each year between 2010 and 2019.