Yeah we all like open world games a lot where we can go about doing practically anything we want to do. Many people just want to roam about doing the most insane of things and trying out new elements in the gameplay. But many are there who search for a story in the open world and want the story to be immersive and engrossing. I know that making a list of good open world games is tough, but when you are in search for a good story there are not many games that satisfy your thirst for epic storytelling. Here I’m going to take a single title of a franchise which is the best in the series and these will either be Third person or First person and can include RPGs (No racing games).
I’m going to list the top 10 open world games which “According to me” have the best story and I’ve enjoyed playing thoroughly:
Honorable Mentions
These games could not make it to my top 10 list because either their story was not so strong or the gameplay was clunky or both and this list does not include other games of the franchises mentioned above.
- Saints Row 4
- Godfather 2
- The Saboteur
- Dying Light
- Infamous: Second Son
#10 Assassins Creed Brotherhood
Many of you may ask why this game is in the list. But I personally think that this game was highly underrated. It had the making of a very good and detailed game. The story was gripping and Ezio could now train new assassins by sending to missions and then calling them when he needed support (Though he didn’t need them generally). This was one of the main reasons I like this game- we could create a brotherhood. Overall the presentation of the game was brilliant. The only thing that held it back from being one of the best games is the fact that sometimes the decisions or actions of others were so bizarre that one would like to bang his head into the screen. But this was also the last game I liked in the Assassins Creed series because its sequels just didn’t have the charm or content and on top of that they lost track of their main theme- the fight between Assassins and Templars.
#9 Sleeping Dogs
The most similar game to GTA on the list, yet different on the fundamental level, this game has taken open world games based in real life cities, to the next level. Instead of taking a popular city of America, we get to explore Hong Kong. Sleeping Dogs does have a great open world-you have the vehicles, the daily street criminals etc. This story of an undercover cop, is a great thriller as far as story is concerned with-the local mafia, the hostility and some other encounters with people confused with your identity. The most identifiable thing about this game is the close combat system. The semi-‘Kung-Fu’ style fighting is something no other game of similar nature has achieved. This game is very good but has a long way to go before reaching to the top spot.
#8 Farcry 3
Possibly the best open world FPS with a good story and a vast open world out there, it has all the elements of a good story. First you are stuck on a tropical island and then you and your friends are captured by a maniac named Vaas, whom we have started to like and also comes in the list of one of the best villains in games till date. The characters involved in the story feel very real. This game is one of those where character development really feels authentic and of much relevance. We can see the transformation of our character, i.e. Jason Brody from a scared survivor to a badass-one man army-killing machine. I’m not taking Farcry 4 because it is the same as Farcry 3 except in another location.
#7 Red Dead Redemption
Ok now who doesn’t want to become a cowboy and go bombastic on a bunch of wannabe horse riders. Now the Red Dead Redemption is neither a fantasy game nor a modern day based game, so the atmosphere is difficult to imagine. But Rockstar pulls it off brilliantly. The story, the voice acting, the graphics- all the elements are mixed in the right proportion. I can’t say much because we already know what a great game it is. But if you are looking for high content value this game is just perfect. This game has been critically acclaimed and proves its worth when we are put in the boots of John Marston, a former outlaw who is being blackmailed to hunt down his former partners in crime.
#6 Fallout 3
Every gamer has a dream of a post-apocalyptic world infested with zombies and you are surviving with a handful of people. Well this game is very well post-apocalyptic but instead of a zombie breakout it’s a post-nuclear war era. You are the son of an escaped scientist and you go in search of your father. Getting to his father is just the start of a long chain of events. The perfect RPG in a shooter franchise. The game offers about 30 hours of quests including side quests. The side quests are also fun and can vary in length of up to 1+ hour or so. The game is pretty fantastic and I’m waiting for its next installment which I hope is amazing as this.
#5 Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Ok many of you might not have expected this game high up in the Top 5. But this game is very close to a masterpiece. Arkham style combat, Assassins Creed style movement, an open world and a badass (rejected by death) guy in the search of his wife’s and son’s killer Sauron- what else do you want. This game is based on the Lord of the Rings series. But let that be for now. The gameplay is solid and the story also doesn’t let you down. This game has a newly introduced concept of the enemies getting stronger if they kill you or you are killed by one of their uruks. So you can’t die in vain. This adds up to the story a lot and does not let you breathe freely even in the open world. The character development is quite simple and there are very few passive ability upgrades, so the upgrades are directly usable. Overall this game is fantastic if someone wants a good story along with some
#4 Batman Arkham City
No top 10 open world games list can be complete without this game somewhere in the list. The open world gliding, diving and doing various other things is quite fun in this game. Combine this with the intense dark storyline of Batman and we get one of the most awesome games of all times (Don’t mention Arkham Origins- It was very bad and I sincerely thank God that Rocksteady didn’t make it). The various side-missions with various super villains of the Batman universe make this game one of the best experiences ever. We can also play as Catwoman in some parts of the main quest whose fighting mechanics are significantly distinct. This game is known for its combat mechanics and is quite easy to understand. It feels fluidic and flawless. Though it becomes repetitive at times it does not feel boring. The only thing that disappointed me a bit is the fact that we can’t fight Bane even though he is in the game. Pun intended. (I didn’t take Arkham Knight because its biggest problem is that the tank mode of batmobile which is not so much of a batman-ish thing)
#3 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Here we are entering the Top 3 and the competition is tough. Being a game of 2011 it surpasses the beauty of many games till date. The large map with thousands of things to do, thousands of places to discover and many skills to learn is the perfect way to let a gamer indulge in the game with any path he chooses. Just like Minecraft there is very little possibility that two players have played the game in a similar fashion. There is no doubt that the story is epic because we have to save the continent from dragons and on top of that there are other monsters and gods to defeat in side quests. As far as gameplay is concerned Skyrim can be a dull game to play if you rely solely on any one of- melee, archery or magic combat types, because it’s highly repetitive and our character is just too rigid. Sometimes you may find the world too big just because of the restriction of movement. And the combat variation is very little in a single type. This is one of the main reasons it’s not #2 or #1. The skill tree in the game is huge. You can choose from various skills which have been detailed for gamers of different kind, verifying the proverb- “Everybody is unique”. Overall Skyrim is fantastic and gives us a true experience into the open world genre.
#2 Grand Theft Auto 5
Yeah all of you must have expected this. Well there is no doubt that Rockstar has created a masterpiece in the third person action adventure shooting genre and it is the best in it. Three protagonists, three lives and three totally different personalities, Rockstar has pulled the strings at the right place. The writing, the gameplay, the graphics, most significant of all dialogue delivery. The dialogue delivery is so good that GTA 5 feels like a movie in your control. The city of Los Santos is nicely detailed and feels lively. The biggest improvement of GTA 5 over GTA 4 is that it brought planes into the game again that too in a much distinctive way. GTA 5 is by far the best game in its genre and sits on top with no competitors in the recent future. It takes on the open world in modern cities and pulls it off with style.
And now…
#1 Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
Released this year, it is, according to me the perfect open world game with the best story line. The only game which has kept increasing its standard as per time. I love this game. The graphics, the dialogues, the gameplay, the open world everything feels right and on top of that, with this game we really have entered the next generation of gaming. Witcher 3 has exactly the right amount of everything. The side quests are worth doing and the fact that your one single decision can change the world around is simply awesome and whenever something goes wrong the game makes you feel guilty for making a wrong decision. The combat has been improved a lot and a thing or two have been added. Overall the combat is pretty enjoyable. The character development and crafting is pretty much like the previous title in the franchise. Many of you may argue that Witcher 3 has many aspects of Skyrim, so why isn’t Skyrim on top even though Skyrim is also larger in scope? Well Witcher 3 is simply enjoyable as far as the vastness goes, it may not be as large as Skyrim but there are enough elements in the game that can vary the type of Geralt every person develops.
I’ve put games of different genre in the top 2. It’s up to you, whether you prefer shooting as in GTA 5 or sword fighting as in Witcher 3. It’s up to you. If you would like to add any other game to list your comments would be valuable.