Open-world gaming has become one of the most common genres that major studios dabble in with varying degrees of success. Given how homogenous this genre has become, it can be truly difficult to develop a title that stands out from the crowd to actually become something worth investing a lot of time and effort in.
As a result, there are some open-world games that many people consider to be dead in the water from the get-go simply because it seems at first glance that they have nothing new or interesting to offer. However, the following titles managed to surprise everyone upon release and actually lived up to the hype they generated instead of languishing in mediocrity.
10 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
The idea of everyone's favorite action-adventure series turning into an open-world title worried many Nintendo fans. There were fears that the identity of the series would be lost in an attempt to attract more players to this series.
However, the innovative and groundbreaking mechanics of Breath of the Wild allowed players to experience a Zelda game in a way that they could've only dreamt of. The departure from the series' established formula may be slightly drastic, but it's a step in the right direction that proved to be quite helpful in the long run.
9 Elden Ring
Elden Ring is another series made by a developer that was more used to creating action-adventure titles with a defined scope and areas that were interconnected neatly and flawlessly. Trying to translate that formula into an open world sounded like a recipe for disaster.
However, it was clear that FromSoftware took this shift pretty seriously and strove to create a game that would cater to both new and classic gameplay elements the Soulsborne series was known for. This led to the release of Elden Ring, which is considered by many to be one of the greatest open-world games ever made.
8 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
With talks of Kojima and Konami splitting, it was hard for fans to not worry about the fate of The Phantom Pain. Given how short yet promising the gameplay of Ground Zeroes had been, fans were pining to see a title that would do justice to the sheer potential of this new engine.
The end result was Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, which is easily one of the best stealth-action open-world games of all time. Hunting down foes and uncovering the story of Naked Snake made for a great time, even if the final moments of the game were hampered by the lack of that special Kojima magic.
7 Marvel's Spider-Man
Spider-Man games had a fairly bad reputation prior to Marvel's Spider-Man, with most major titles featuring great swinging mechanics and very little else. However, even with all these doubts, there was no denying that Marvel's Spider-Man was shaping up to be something special.
Despite featuring some standard open-world activities and uninspired mission design, Marvel's Spider-Man was still a blast from start to end. The game is a relentless rollercoaster that can also get pretty emotional at times, showing just how far Insomniac Games has come.
6 Death Stranding
The idea of an open-world walking simulator is something that doesn't excite many fans. Even with Kojima's name attached to the game, it was hard to think that Death Stranding could be anything but a boring series of fetch quests with no purpose whatsoever.
It took a little while for people to realize just how fascinating Death Stranding can really be if played correctly. Setting up bridges and pathways for fellow porters to navigate makes for a great time and helps this abandoned world feel alive in its own unique way.
5 No Man's Sky
No Man's Sky absolutely bombed upon launch, with Hello Games being bombarded for failing to meet the lofty promises set by Sean Murray. However, instead of giving up on this game, the studio kept its head down and never stopped working on the title.
This led to a steady stream of content updates that brought a ton of content promised for No Man's Sky, finally helping the game reach the grand heights it promised early on. It's easily one of the most immersive intergalactic adventures anyone can embark on, with the sheer love and passion of Hello Games felt in each and every part of this grand experience.
4 Far Cry 5
The Far Cry series felt like a disappointment after a fourth entry that seemed more like a glorified expansion of its predecessor than a true successor. While Far Cry 5 seemed like a fun title, it was the lack of innovation that led to players being rather wary of this game and its release.
Thankfully, Far Cry 5 managed to set itself apart from other titles in the series by addressing many valid complaints and changing some dated aspects of its gameplay. The end result is a wonderful open-world FPS that boasts some incredible action indeed.
3 Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy was being developed under the label of Portkey Games, a brand mostly known for making mobile titles. So, the idea of them making a full-blown open-world Harry Potter game sounded like a far-fetched idea.
Thankfully, Hogwarts Legacy managed to be a pretty competent and exciting role-playing game that is an absolute blast. The story may not be all that interesting or inspiring, but being able to play as a custom-made magical student and engage in a pretty interesting combat system more than made up for these issues.
2 Dragon Age: Inquisition
After the disappointing release of Dragon Age 2, fans were tempering their expectations for the next game in the series. Despite the promise the game was showing up to that point, BioWare's once-flawless track record had been marred quite a bit since, which worried many fans.
Thankfully, despite a rushed development cycle, Dragon Age: Inquisition served as a return to form for the series in more ways than one. Inquisition's boring fetch quests were the only negative in what was otherwise an absorbing experience that rewarded long-time fans of the series who remembered most of its intricate details.
1 Metro Exodus
The Metro series initially consisted of two atmospheric FPS games that were quite hard and scary to boot. When Metro Exodus was announced as an open-world game, some fans were worried that this title would sacrifice its core aspects to cater to a more mainstream crowd.
Nothing of the sort happened, however, with Metro Exodus being just as nerve-wracking and terrifying as past titles. The larger scope actually served the title well in many ways, making it a great FPS for fans to check out.