Open-world games are some of the best pieces of entertainment that video games can offer. They are vast and a great medium to not only tell a great story, but to have the player enjoy a riveting experience in an immersive world where the player is in control of where they go, and what equipment they use.
Due to the many mechanics and threats in open-world games, sometimes they can be extremely stressful. This stress comes from the difficulty of enemies, or the requirements that players need to maintain their health or prevent their weapons from degrading. This does not stop this open-world experience from being grandiose.
7 Elden Ring
When FromSoftware combines their talents of challenging combat into an open world, a brilliant yet stressful experience is bound to occur. Elden Ring gives players the experience that they deserve for fans of FromSoftware. Elden Ring might be overwhelming to players, as it is an incredibly sprawling experience in the Lands Between.
Not only is there a vastness to the map size in Elden Ring, but there is no real motive or direction other than what the player makes of it. The enemies can be extremely hard to fight, and quests are obscured. As such, players need to figure out their own journey.
6 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
As players return to Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, they are met with a ravished land, desolated by monsters, and a failed final battle. Breath of the Wild doesn’t present players with a straightforward venture because the lands are theirs to explore to the fullest degree. However, some areas are much harder than others, and the player will need to focus on their armor and weapons.
Many things can go wrong for the player in Breath of the Wild, but many things can go right. Through trial and error, this can be a great open-world experience, in which exploration and combat remain the focus of the player.
5 Fallout: New Vegas
Navigating a wasteland is never an easy experience, especially when said wasteland is a literal desert. Fallout: New Vegas is a classic open-world game, which brings a great yet stressful experience to players because there are a few unfamiliar and unfixed glitches. The lands are riveting with enemies for players to fight or run from.
Choices are important in Fallout: New Vegas, and there are many different factions that players can side with or start wars with. These can have the experience become harder, as players may be hunted across the Mojave wasteland, and may mercy save them if a deathclaw finds them undeveloped and underpowered.
4 Cyberpunk 2077
The beginning entry in Cyberpunk 2077 may have been a stressful experience for many, regarding the glitches that plagued the game’s release. However, with the latest updates from CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077 has been given the rightful love that it deserved upon release. The game is a great open-world experience, with plenty of deep themes layered in the writing and gameplay.
What makes Cyberpunk 2077 somewhat stressful is the bountiful content, occasional glitch, and the fact that every district has an enemy determined to kill the player. This does not stop Cyberpunk 2077 from being a great experience, as it heightens the sense of survival in this cyberpunk dystopia.
3 Red Dead Redemption 2
There’s something entirely immersive about being a cowboy in Red Dead Redemption 2. However, the Old West is no easy place to navigate, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is a pretty stressful land considering the hardships of nature and the people out there to kill the player. Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best open-world experiences, and the dangers and beauty of this open world prove just that.
There are a lot of stressful encounters in Red Dead Redemption 2, especially with the player’s horse. Players will develop a close bond with their horse, and if the horse is attacked by an animal, falls off a cliff, or is shot at, the player could lose the horse they love. This is just one example of the stresses of Red Dead Redemption 2.
2 Death Stranding
There’s tension, fear, and stress galore in Death Stranding. Not only is stress bound to Death Stranding’s experience for the player, but BB and Sam will both experience stress. These stressful situations extend to the player and the characters in Death Stranding, as players will need to keep themselves aware of their footing, footwear, stress levels for BB, and more.
There’s so much beauty in Death Stranding. Not only from the open world but for the emotional connection to other characters. This does not stop the game from being stressful, as they play as a glorified delivery man, trying to deliver parcels to people who are hidden away in bunkers while the player fights MULEs and BTs.
1 No Man’s Sky
There’s an infiniteness to No Man’s Sky. Within the game is an entire universe with limitless galaxies and planets for the player to explore. No Man’s Sky had a rocky start, but the developers constantly provide the game with brand-new and free updates. These updates are brilliant and keep the game new and fresh. However, the overwhelming aspects of the game make it pretty stressful.
Feeling alone in a vast universe can be as unpleasant as it sounds. There’s also the fact that players could find hostile planets and pirates, which could plunder their loot. There’s also a game mode where if players die, the game ends, meaning they lose everything they have worked for over the years.