Review of open world games on PC. Open world games on PC

Games with open world or, as they are also called, “sandboxes” are not such a broad genre among developers today. Distinctive feature Open world games on PC is that you need to spend a fairly large amount of time and resources to create such a game, and therefore they often turn out to be quite high quality.

Today, the genre is already filled with a huge number of interesting projects, each of which has its own advantages and features, but here we have selected the best open-world games on PC, some of which can be downloaded for free via torrent.

Far Cry game series

Far Cry can be called the most famous open-world shooter today, because its popularity came precisely thanks to the freedom of action for the player. In Far Cry, all parts are not united by any specific plot, but they do have one common feature – main character turns out to be a victim of circumstances and is left with himself on some tropical island filled with criminal gangs, drug dealers and, of course, predatory animals, and everyone will have to be confronted with the help of various weapons. For those who want to completely immerse themselves in the bosom of nature, the game Far Cry: Primal was released, in which the user finds himself in prehistoric times.

Fallout game series

Fallout is one of the oldest series that has remained popular to this day. The main feature of the game is a post-apocalyptic setting, in which the user is immersed in a dilapidated world where most people were destroyed or killed nuclear explosion, and most of the free land is occupied by radiation. In these conditions, the player will need to complete the main task, earning resources for himself, as well as producing new weapons and armor, but its most important advantage is the huge number of detailed side quests, many of which are not inferior even to the main one storyline.

Assassin's Creed series of games

The release of Assassin's Creed made two breakthroughs in the stealth-action genre. First of all, Ubisoft developed the first open-world stealth game, and in addition, it showed that secret assassinations are not only the work of modern special agents armed with last word techniques, and that in the Middle Ages similar things were also done using much more primitive tools. The main character turns out to be a hereditary assassin who, with the help of a special device, immerses himself in the memories of his ancestor, who is engaged in eliminating the most difficult targets. A well-developed semi-mystical plot and unique gameplay - here distinctive features AC series.

Mass Effect series

Series Mass Effect is much more limited in terms of freedom of action compared to other games of this genre, because here we are given the right to dispose of several space systems, but since there is no possibility of free flight, the player can only decide which planet to go to this time to fulfill his tasks. This series captivated users with its interesting gameplay, but even more so with its detailed plot and the characters of all the characters, from the player’s immediate partners to all kinds of NPCs.

Grand Theft Auto series

Probably the most famous, popular, and at the same time old game with an open world. The main character finds himself a victim of circumstances that push him onto the path of crime, where he must prove to others that even such a simple person like him can turn from a simple “pawn” into one of the leaders criminal world. Constant robberies, fights between gangs, escapes from the police and, of course, a huge pile of money that you can spend on whatever you want, from the most modern weapons to huge cottages and skyscrapers. Complete freedom of action without any restrictions - this is the whole GTA series.

Mafia game series

The Mafia series of games is as similar as possible to GTA, and its main feature is that if in Grand Theft Auto all the actions take place later than the 70s, then in Mafia the limit is the end of the 30s, that is, the period of time in which The mafia had truly enormous influence and opportunity, being a real problem for the surrounding society. Otherwise, everything is similar - the main character’s path from a pawn to the head of a criminal gang, constant escapes from the police, the ability to travel without restrictions throughout the city, stealing cars and much more.

The Elder Scrolls series of games

The Elder Scrolls series of games is published by Bethesda, which also developed Fallout, so it is not surprising that both games have the same main feature - many additional quests, each of which is so developed that some simply forget about the main storyline, completely immersed in its completion side quests. However, The Elder Scrolls is a fantasy world with its own unique races, deities and, of course, spells. Among other things, the game offers a largely unique gameplay that is not much like other RPGs.

Watch Dogs series

Watch Dogs is an open world game in the style of GTA with its own gameplay features. The key difference of this project is that the freedom of action of the protagonist is a little wider, because he is a professional hacker, in whose hands a program is capable of hacking any networks, thanks to which he freely receives information from any database, can view cameras at any distance and do a lot of other interesting things, including switching traffic lights at will. But if in GTA the player joins a criminal gang, then in WD the main character is a crime fighter who uses his abilities for the benefit of others.

Revelation

Dead Rising 3

A game about zombies with an open world, which differs significantly from the previous two parts, as in the case of The Witcher, precisely by the presence of a huge space for action. The player receives complete free will and can go to any location to destroy zombies using improvised means. It is worth noting that here you can combine weapons from various materials, as well as use a variety of vehicles, which you can not only control, but also construct even more powerful machines from. Thus, the result is a unique zombie game that will definitely appeal to all fans of the genre.

Batman: Arkham City

Batman Arkham City is the latest installment in the Batman series from Rocksteady, which has gained immense popularity around the world. The game is as similar as possible to the previous parts, and this is not at all surprising, because they maintain almost perfect balance and harmony, but at the same time, the developers have added one element without which Batman simply cannot exist - the Batmobile, which is his constant companion in the fight with crime. With the help of the Batmobile, our hero moves around the city much faster, and can also use it to deal with criminals faster and more effectively.

Minecraft

An open-world sandbox game on PC that has captivated millions of users around the world, becoming one of the most popular not only in its genre, but also, in principle, among all existing projects today. This popularity is explained by the fact that the game, at first glance, seems simple - “square” graphics, convenient gameplay and no difficulties, but in the end it turns out that its capabilities can be used to achieve goals of enormous scale, even building your own Burj Khalifa, and it's truly fascinating.

DayZ

Another game about a zombie apocalypse with an open world, but no longer aimed at the “action” genre, but at “survival”, since the conditions here are truly difficult. To survive this huge world, the player will have to use the maximum of his resources, and also meet with many other users, many of whom may not be at all friendly, because each player here will always be faced with the question of whether to trust the other and go through this difficult path together or simply shoot him, replenishing his backpack with his supplies.

If you don't like going through missions and following directions in the game, take a look at the best open world games on PC.

An open world is the ability of the user to independently choose their path, and sometimes the outcome.

Some of them can change their ending depending on the user's decision.

Let's take a look at the list of the best and most popular open world games. In some of them you can also choose the mode of completing missions and campaigns.

No. 15. Sleeping Dogs

15 Sleeping Dogs was released in 20102.

The theme of the gameplay is a Chinese action movie, in which the main character must first of all have knowledge of martial arts in order to succeed in his business.

If you choose mission mode rather than open mode, keep in mind that there are virtually no weapons in the game.

The game emphasizes military equipment, so you only need to fight your opponents hand-to-hand.

Closer to the middle of the missions, the hero has the opportunity to purchase several types of weapons.

The game's terrain map is based on the example of the Chinese city of Hong Kong.

The main character is an undercover agent tasked with destroying the local mafia by infiltrating it.

You can also ignore the passage of missions and independently explore the boundless expanses of the metropolis and its environs.

Review of the game Sleeping Dogs

Awakened dogs burst into the airwaves and destroy the prolonged summer calm with their barking. We waited for them, we hoped for them, we went through them, we will now tell you about them.

No. 14. Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed is a popular action game with a huge number of adventure missions. There are six parts.

Each of them has a unique plot and interesting missions.

In each of the parts popular game actions take place in different centuries and in different places on Earth. The plot is no different.

The plot centers on two warring clans - the Assassins and the Templars.

The plot of the very first part takes place during the Crusades and at the same time in modern times, 2012.

The main character decides to go back in time to change the fate of his long-time ancestor.

The fifth part, for example, describes the events of India at a time when it was almost completely owned by pirates.

The game also features an open world in which the main character can move as he pleases.

You can capture ships and set off on a free voyage. However, it is impossible to independently select the bed outcome.

The main feature of the game: an unusual plot based on real historical events.

Review of the game Assassin's Creed: Rogue

No. 13. Prototype 2

The second part of the popular action game is one of the best open world games. All actions take place in the USA, New York.

There is a terrible epidemic in the city that kills a huge number of people every day.

The name of the main character is James Heller. After contracting the deadly virus, he did not die. He managed not only to survive, but also to gain superpowers.

The main character's entire family died from the virus.

This is what prompted the hero to find those who are to blame for the beginning of the epidemic and destroy them.

In the second part, just like in the first, it is possible to transform different parts of the main character’s body into powerful weapon.

James can also take on the appearance of any other character and all his memories.

Review of the game Prototype 2

I ask all minors, pregnant and impressionable viewers to move away from the screen, as the amount of blood and severed limbs is simply off the charts. Well, what else did you expect from Prototype 2?

No. 12. Shenmue

Shenmue 3 was released by a Japanese development team. The game genre is completely free. The player himself determines the boundaries of his actions.

The hero travels around the metropolis. On his way, he may encounter bandit groups that he needs to fight off.

Not only pistols and machine guns will help you fight off the enemy, but also martial arts, which every hero has by default.

The presence of a large number of Unlooked scenes is another important feature games. These are scenes that can only be seen under certain conditions.

This element is found in most games, however, in this game there are a lot of such scenes.

This adds a more interesting plot and allows you to not lose interest in the game for a long time.

There are also additional built-in mini-games. For example, you can play darts, racing, gallows and more.

In addition to the main disc, you will receive an additional disc that contains additional material (music, textures) that can be used in the game.

Also, with the help of ready-made short videos, you can learn how to play Shenmue.

Currently the developers are working on the third part.

Review of the great game Shenmue

Best open world games on PC - TOP 15

No. 11. Dragon Age

Dragon Age consists of three cult parts. The gameplay is designed in the fantasy genre. The game was developed by the Canadian company BioWare.

The action takes place in a fictional Middle Ages. The main continent is called Tedes. The main kingdom is Ferelden.

You can independently choose the race you will play for. These can be the following characters:

• orcs;
• demons;
• gnomes;
• People;
• Qunari.

In addition to the world of living beings, the game also features a world of spirits, which is home to a race of demons.

It is worth noting that gnomes, unlike other heroes, do not have magical abilities and are an inferior race.

In the game you can choose a free mode and determine the plot yourself. There is also an option for pre-defined gameplay, the total time of which takes more than 80 hours.

The main goal is to become the main and most powerful race, defeat opponents using spells and arranging fights with them.

Review of the game Dragon Age: Inquisition

StopGame.ru is broadcasting a video review of one of the most anticipated games of this year, which also became BioWare’s last chance to regain the favor of RPG fans after the failures with Dragon Age 2 and the ending of Mass Effect 3.

No. 10. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Batman: Arkham Asylum is developed in today's popular adventure genre with fantasy elements. The plot of the game is as follows: Batman managed to catch the Joker.

He brings him to a psychiatric hospital called Arkham.

Batman is surprised that his opponent gave up so easily. That is why he does not leave it even after coming to the clinic.

However, the Joker still manages to escape and hide. He frees all the clinic's patients, hoping to use them to take over the island.

The Joker steals a drug previously developed by scientists that gives a person superpowers and gives it to his subordinates.

In the process, Batman must cope with all the difficulties and save the island from uncontrollable psychopaths and from the Joker.

Batman: Arkham Asylum review

Best open world games on PC - TOP 15

No. 9. Fallout 4

Fallout is a whole series of the best games about life on Earth after the apocalypse. The first part was released back in 1997. She gave the start to everyone's success the following parts.

The most successful was the fourth part, in which it is possible to play in open mode.

You yourself can decide what kind of main character you will have, determine his skills, abilities and abilities.

Fallout 4 - Big review

Best open world games on PC - TOP 15

No. 8. Dead Island: Riptide

This game is developed in the popular zombie action style.

The plot here is as follows: one of the tropical resorts has been invaded by zombie killers who begin to destroy vacationers and only one hero is able to resist them and save the surviving people.

The graphics of this game are unique: the weather here can change depending on the actions of your character.

The third part was developed on a completely new engine. This ensures its speed.

No. 7. Far Cry 3

The third part of the cult game allows gamers to decide for themselves what to do and where to go.

The main character is still looking for enemies, however, you don’t have to follow the usual missions, but simply explore the area and use various items.

In this game, the main character gets freedom of action. You can move around the game world as you please.

Remember that not only bandits inhabit the island. You also have to fight wild animals that can attack at any moment.

They are especially active at night, so the main character must build himself a shelter in order to survive.

Review of the game Far Cry 3

Best open world games on PC - TOP 15

No. 6. Gothic 2

This game is a continuation of the popular tactical strategy and horror game "Gothic". Compared to the previous version, many new missions and campaigns have appeared.

Also, the main character can independently choose his own development path. You can play as tribes of orcs, barbarians or humans.

The second part provides the user with the opportunity to choose free gameplay.

Most games can be divided into linear and open. The second ones are longer, more varied and more addictive, especially if there are well-developed locations. But the developers need to convince you that the world is alive - only then will you want to study it. We present ten such games.

Red Dead Redemption

This is a more adult Grand Theft Auto. Adult not in the sense that there is more blood, shooting and girls greedy for the sound of coins. It's about the world and the story being told. GTA is pure satire, which sometimes includes drama, albeit quite successfully. Red Dead Redemption is completely different. Cowboy John Marston, who caused trouble in his youth, must help important officials in capturing his former gang comrades, otherwise his family will literally be in trouble.

The hero, who has given up crime, goes against old acquaintances and, in a sense, against himself. At the same time, the world around is changing: progress is progressing, cars are appearing that leave no chance for horses, and Marston realizes that the era of the Wild West will soon end, and he does not know and does not want any other life. The story is skillfully diluted with comical characters (like a completely insane gravedigger) and funny situations.

Red Dead Redemption features a large area with a variety of things to do: non-story mini-stories, side quests, gambling, interesting duels - the Wild West is dangerous, but too good not to explore. The sequel is expected to be released this fall.

Far Cry

The series has experienced a rise, a fall and another rise. After the unexpectedly high-quality first part, fairly passable console versions followed, and then the terrible Far Cry 2 came out. It was a ready-made guide on “How not to make an open world”: the same type of tasks, a minimum of random events, boring roadblocks. It was time to bury the series.

Who would have thought that after this a fantastically cool third part would appear. Tropical island, stunning villain Vaas and spectacular leader of the Citra tribe, hurricane missions with choice, interesting idea with animal hunting - Ubisoft was on a roll. Even Far Cry 4, which only moved the action to the Himalayas without offering anything new, also went off with a bang.

Then came a sharp change in concept: Far Cry Primal is dedicated to primeval time. The step is controversial, but in general it turned out well - albeit not so spectacular, but extremely original. Ubisoft has learned to fill its worlds with interesting events, which it proved again in Watch Dogs 2.

Saints Row

Open-world action games are sometimes casually referred to as "GTA clones." To avoid such comparisons, Volition has chosen its own path. Realizing that it would not be possible to surpass Rockstar in the level of production and elaboration of the world, the developers set out to make the most trashy action movie possible. Oddly enough, the idea turned out to be successful.

Saints Row is GTA gone crazy. Seriously, if you suddenly think that the height of madness is to dress up in a funny costume, throw a grenade at cars standing at a traffic light, and shoot the arriving policemen with a machine gun, then just launch the action game from Volition. Take the hero of Saints Row, for example. He has come a long way - from the leader of a street gang to the President of the United States.

In the fourth part of the game, an alien invasion occurs. Who, if not the head of state elected by the people, should be the first to protect his population? Moreover, there is no need to persuade him: the fighter, seasoned by courtyard showdowns, declares war on the aliens. The hero flies over the city, runs at incredible speed, incinerates and freezes enemies. This is trash in in a good way, like Robert Rodriguez's Machete. You just need to not take what is happening seriously.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

In racing, an open world is often not needed: there is practically nothing to do between competitions. One of the few exceptions is NFS: Most Wanted. Freedom of movement was first introduced in Underground 2, but the concept is best presented in the next game.

The project is dedicated to street racing - it was still fashionable back then. The hero needs to be at the top of the list of the best street racers in the sunny city of Rockport. Starting with something like a VW Golf GTI, the character rose higher and higher. At the end of the game, Lamborghinis and other exotics were revealed. At the same time, the BMW M3 GTR was chosen as the car of the best racer; it also appears on the cover of the game. It turned out funny: the hero drives the most powerful supercars, but dreams of defeating an upstart in some kind of BMW.

Most Wanted is packed with events: time trials, establishing maximum speed on the radar, sprints, circuit races, boss battles, long police chases - not every open-world action game will offer such variety.

Mafia

Mafia 3, released in the fall of 2016, was a complete failure: weak graphics, dead atmosphere and complete monotony of missions. If publisher 2K Games plans a new part, then the developers will have to try hard to restore trust in the franchise. But once upon a time everything was different.

Mafia: City of the Lost Heaven was released the same year as the PC version of GTA 3. The competition was fierce. The world of Rockstar's action was more alive, passers-by responded better to the player's intervention in their usual way of life. Mafia, from little-known Czechs from Illusion Softworks, offered a special atmosphere and well-developed characters.

Taxi driver Tommy Angelo accidentally received a ticket to the world of the mafia: he helped serious people escape and they offered to help him in the future. The hero enters a new world for himself and carries out tasks for major authorities. It's the 30s of the 20th century, men in hats drive huge cars and talk about loyalty to a mafia family. The second part took us to the middle of the last century. The atmosphere had changed, but the game was still addictive, although it was too short.

The Witcher

RPG is a genre for which an open world is almost mandatory. Complete freedom of action sometimes turns into total boredom: nothing happens in the game, the quests are already boring. The Polish Witcher series was spared the troubles of role-playing projects. A routine walk from one village to another can lead to a new investigation involving an ancient curse, star-crossed lovers, local drunks, ghosts, witches and the village elder - sometimes all at once.

The Witcher Geralt is a medieval freelancer and a complete parasite. He doesn’t have a permanent source of income, he’s not a fool to drink, party and spend time playing dice, he works from time to time, as orders appear. True, it would be difficult for tax collectors to get a refund from him in royal treasury, and even more difficult - to be sent to forced labor. The hero wields a sword better than any person, fights well with his fists, and knows how to approach magical creatures.

The world of the third game turned out to be especially large and alive. Adventures happen at every turn. Having climbed into the thick of the forest, you will find a hermit's hut, wander into a gateway - you will have to save an inept guard from bandits, and so on all the time. The Witcher constantly calling you somewhere, and you just need to turn off the path.

Fallout

The game was not the first RPG in a post-apocalyptic setting. Nine years before the release of the debut part, Wasteland was released, which has now been revived. But it was Fallout that gained the greatest fame and popularity.

Freedom of action is elevated to absolute: no one cares what you do. More and more new quests appear, characters entice you with intriguing stories, but you can simply walk off into the sunset towards your destiny. Fallout is imbued with the spirit of adventurism - you want to explore this world in detail, and it’s nice that there are many secrets hidden in it.

Despite the consequences of nuclear war, the world of Fallout lives on. With complete freedom, you won’t be bored - events, like in The Witcher, will appear on their own.

The Elder Scrolls

The action changes from part to part: the central region of the world of Tamriel - Cyrodiil - is shown in TES IV: Oblivion, we find ourselves in northern Skyrim in TES V, we walk through the province of Morrowind in the third numbered game, and so on. All locations are terribly interesting to explore.

The Elder Scrolls has a lot of shortcomings: the same type of tasks, a strange role-playing system. Let's say, nothing prevents a warrior character from undergoing training at the Guild of Mages - this is approximately how a humanities student will receive a physics and mathematics diploma. And so much can be said about balance: about the automatic increase in enemy levels relative to your hero (see Oblivion), and about killing a dragon with one arrow (see Skyrim).

We live in a golden age where there are no shortage of great open world games on the market. Here is a list of our favorites.

It's a great time for games with an open world and many virtual sandboxes, in which everything depends solely on the player's choice. Of course, they have their own stories, story missions quests and objectives, but players are free to complete them in the order in which they enter.

From fantasy worlds to entire gaming galaxies, from modern cities to post-apocalyptic wastelands, the best open world games give gamers absolute decision-making freedom to do whatever they want, whenever they want, while enjoying a compelling story along the way. your own adventure. So, Here are the most outstanding open world games for PC.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Assassin's Creed Odyssey was a significant milestone for the franchise, changing much of what the Assassin's Creed series was known for. Odyssey has transformed itself into a full-fledged RPG. At the same time, it follows the tradition of having an incredibly large open world, filled with small details, colorful landscapes and a variety of quests.

“They say that size doesn’t matter, but Odyssey benefits from its sheer scale Ancient Greece, especially due to the fact that each location is different from the previous one, as written in our review.

It's a vast world to explore and explore, and every part of it has its own unique atmosphere, from the arid wastelands of Crete to the lush green plains of Arcadia. This is not only the largest, but also the most beautiful game from Ubisoft."

Subnautica's vast underwater world and diverse underwater life make up the industry's most stunning and astonishingly large open world. computer games. Games literally are rarely this flawless.

I admire the way the light rendering and rendering make each biome a distinct underwater creation, so alien and yet so familiar. I like to swim after different creatures, even aggressive ones. At such moments, I happily explore the underwater cave system, forgetting to leave glowing signs that would help me get back.

Honestly, the imitation of life here is at the most basic level. However, Subnautica receives rave reviews for its incredible creation of the illusion of an ecosystem. Big fish eat small fish, and their respective characteristics and physical features matter. And it doesn’t matter that most of them look pretty good against the backdrop of deep sea ​​abyss. And between these studies, at the call of natural curiosity, you can follow the plot. Say no more so as not to spoil the sci-fi mystery.

The game is definitely worth the money: the developers managed to transfer real locations into the virtual world with such precision and attention to detail, as well as such a wonderful atmosphere, that they turned out to be even more attractive than their real prototypes.

Los Santos looks much larger than GTA 4's Liberty City, and even than the entire state of San Andreas that we first saw in 2004 - as a result, Rockstar have given us a game made to such a high standard that they have clearly outdone themselves myself.

In addition to the excellent storyline and the real madness going on in the open spaces GTA Online, everyone will enjoy about 100 hours of chases and shootouts on land, on water and in the air, which will appeal to all connoisseurs of the genre.

Assassin's Creed: Origins

The world of Origins is by far the best in the entire game series and one of the best open ones that has ever existed. Our reviewer Chris liked the way Ubisoft designed the locations Ancient Egypt and made them lively, despite the huge area.

Cities and towns are teeming with locals, farmers, workers and soldiers. There is a huge amount of wild life (which can eventually be tamed): from the evil crocodiles and hippos that live in the waters of the Nile, to lions and hymens that wander along the sand dunes of the mountains and flamingos with egrets that fly into the sky when you rush on your horse near them.

Gold can be found in the Thar Desert. After playing for 35 hours trying to complete the main quest, Chris was still unable to visit every location on the map. This means that there are some quests, characters, and societies left in the game that you can still look at. Assassin's Creed: Origins proves that Ubisoft can reinvigorate the tired franchise through sheer skill.

At the same time, the company does not have to add dubious and low-quality content. Nevertheless, it is wonderful to be in the areas of Ancient Egypt. Now you can explore every centimeter of it without killing people, thanks to this educational mod.

The game Kingdom Come: Deliverance is quite buggy - rpg game with an open world whose ambitions outstrip its own problems, mostly. Here is not only part of the bohemian Middle Ages, but also a complex of imitation of (conditionally historical) life and death.

If you are caught stealing, you will have to spend some time behind bars. If you draw your sword during fist fight, your opponent will most likely back down or even apologize. Nobles will be more willing to communicate with you after you take a shower. If your reputation in the city is high enough, local residents, seeing you on the street, will exclaim your name and praise you.

He continues and barely touches on everything else. The detail in the life simulation here is pretty absurd, but Kingdom Come manages to tie it all together to a pretty good standard. From start to finish, you play as a naive, vulnerable and unremarkable young man. The shadows of small dangers hang over the lovable fool Henry, filling the world with mysteries and dangers that we are looking for in a huge open world.

Forza Horizon 3 is a racing simulator, but the game is not limited to just racing. Players are presented with a huge and beautiful sandbox, full of city streets, picturesque beaches, green forests and giant deserts, recreating a large part of Australia.

Here we always have something to do: races, special tasks, special tricks, collecting bonuses, not to mention a decent fleet of vehicles, where each car is worked out to the smallest detail. Forza Horizon 3 is a series staple because of its scope, variety, and enjoyment.

In the game Stalker, the main enemy of the gamer can be called the open world. Gamma radiation, many anomalies and radioactive storms can shorten the life of beginners to a few moments. In every building there is a high probability of stumbling upon looters or terrible mutated creatures. Ammo and armor are a rarity in this world, and a feeling of alienation reigns here in almost every location.

But many experienced stalkers will confirm that the Zone inexplicably attracts them. Explore abandoned Ukrainian factories and try to come to terms with the lifeless silence. After some time, you will understand that the destroyed world of Stalker is beautiful in its own way.

Being outstanding achievement technically, The Witcher 3 was a real milestone in the history of open-world games, because it uses all the capabilities of modern gaming systems on full blast to create a convincing environment where every detail is designed and looks natural. The gloomy swamps of Velen are just an aperitif, after which the main courses await you in the form of the huge Novigrad and northern region Skellige is one of the most beautiful locations in the history of gaming.

You can spend hundreds of hours here, moving between islands, completing various quests, encountering witches, slaying monsters and playing Gwent with the rowdy locals. Yes, the cities in The Witcher 3 are bustling with life, unlike other free world games which can seem rather dull in comparison.

Here you can simply direct the hero in any direction at any time and still find something - and this speaks of the quality of detail in the open world.

Not every game has an open world as expansive as Elite: Dangerous. You have to take the helm spaceship and fly across the entire Milky Way galaxy, simultaneously fighting pirates (or becoming one of them), blowing up asteroids, transporting and selling goods, or simply discovering uncharted stars of the planet, as well as entire systems.

Whether you're playing solo or online, you'll find adventure among the 400 billion solar systems featured in Elite. Of course, it won't happen without aliens.

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag

One of the most exciting Assassin's Creed entries since the second game, Black Flag masterfully combines the familiar elements of parkour and sailing through a lush Caribbean archipelago. Small islands, whales, various forts and colonial fortifications - all this awaits you in the vast ocean, and on the largest islands events standard for the Assassin’s Creed series will unfold. Against the backdrop of the frankly weak third part, Black Flag looked like a breath of fresh sea air.

The cities have become smaller, and the plot is more pointless, but not every game allows you to destroy the port with your own hands. Imagine your ship's guns tearing apart seemingly solid walls as you run across the battlefield, hunting down enemy commanders with pistols at the ready. It is in moments like these that you realize how good the local open world is. In addition, storms are perfectly recreated here.

Walking through the world of Morrowind is very similar to walking through the streets of the Victorian era - it is clear that technology was not used to recreate the image, but everything looks surprisingly realistic. A kind of look at the world, frozen in time, which is both frightening and attractive. Morrowind became a real bridge between the spectacular but soulless 3D blockbusters of today and the enchanting role-playing games of the last century.

Thanks to well-known mods like OpenMW and Skywind, it's possible that Morrowind's popularity will continue to grow in the coming years. The game world continues to surprise and delight just as it did 15 years ago.

The full potential of the open world in Metal Gear Solid 5 is only revealed when the player stops using a helicopter for each mission and starts moving on foot through two huge locations (Afghanistan and the border between Angola and Zaire), acting in RPG style. The stealth action game from Kojima Productions encourages freedom of action, and the progression system generously rewards the player for making the most decisions.

It all starts modestly: with a weak pistol in the hand and futile attempts to get into the heads of enemies, but by the end of the game, gamers can already attract opponents with a mechanical arm, lift tanks with the help of balloons and call in an artillery strike on bears. Perhaps all the components are in place great game.

The stylish and pixelated 2D universe presented in Starbound is richer than it seems. You will find quests, battles with regular enemies and bosses, exploration, and interplanetary travel. Whether you're excavating another planet, exploring new solar systems, or building your own town with friendly NPCs, you'll realize that the world (or rather, worlds) of Starbound is so enjoyable that you want to spend as much time as possible in it.

It's certainly not the deepest game on the list, but it's engaging because of its wildness and level of fun. It's not always possible to see such a huge open world, which is a real playground for experiments, and the famous grappling hook and endless parachutes help you easily move around all corners of this tropical paradise.

I'm sure you'll barely touch the ground, quickly moving through the air from one point to another, causing chaos and destruction along the way. In Just Cause 3 we saw a more impressive scale, but in this game the open world is much more interesting.

There's something appealing about a ruined world, and Mad Max's wasteland is a stunning sight to behold. From industrial locations to lifeless deserts and filled toxic waste lakes - the local world is fraught with danger, but the whole world is built on this. In addition, you can explore the local expanses in a homemade car, whose body is covered with spikes, which will be very useful when colliding with all the madmen that inhabit the local expanses.

The gameplay in Mad Max may seem monotonous and quickly boring to some, especially when the game forces us to get out of the car and move on foot, but, nevertheless, the adventures of Mad Max are a real high-octane pleasure.

The entire Saints Row series is an inventive satire of the entire gaming industry, but don't rush to conclusions after seeing the slightly empty city from Saints Row 4. Superpowers like Hulk-style long-distance jumping, running high speeds, as well as a set unique weapons and techniques straight from wrestling allow us to call the game the closest project in spirit to Crackdown that can only be found on a PC, but at the same time there is also a ton of humor.

The game is favored by a cannon that allows you to inflate enemies until they explode, and a dubstep gun, the firing speed of which depends on the costume the character is wearing. These facts alone are enough to at least try the game.

Looks can be deceiving: Westerado is a stunning open world game that gives the player an incredible level of freedom. The plot here does not shine with originality - we are looking for a certain madman who killed our entire family, but the identity of the criminal changes with each new playthrough.

As you explore a dusty, Wild West-style world and search for the killer, you're free to do whatever you want—you can accuse anyone you meet of the aforementioned crime at any time. If you wish, you can even shoot any NPC right during the dialogue. Be a hero, a bandit or anything else. The choice is entirely yours.

A harsh post-apocalyptic wasteland is supposed to be boring by definition, but Bethesda has spent decades honing its own formula to make Fallout 4 as rich a place as possible. Yes, the game ended up not being as revolutionary as its predecessors, but participating in military operations in Boston, densely populated by people and mutants, is still interesting. On the outskirts of Diamond City, endless battles rage, while in the wasteland, survivors fight brutal mutants who are trying to devour everything that moves.

With the exception of Minecraft, this is the only game where gamers can change the world around us. Villages are liberated to use the property of local residents to build cities with amenities such as running water and turrets designed to ward off intruders. And since the game was based on an advanced version of the Creation engine, which underlay Skyrim and Oblivion, it became a real paradise for modders.

And, of course, it only gets better with mods. Follow the link to find a selection.

Thanks to PlayStation Now and backwards compatibility Xbox One this masterpiece from Bethesda managed to make it onto our list. Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion has stood the test of time. It's filled with enough quests and memorable characters (yes, I'm talking about you, Glarthir) that you'll immediately want to shut yourself out from the rest of the world and spend hours trying to achieve the highest rank in the Thieves Guild or return giant potatoes to their rightful owner.

Once you get out of prison in the prologue, you can do whatever your heart desires, even postponing the mission to save the world indefinitely. That would be it real life it could have been the same.

This is the best game in existence, if, of course, you get the hang of it. Like Minecraft, Dwarf Fortress generates entire planets in a matter of seconds. And everything is not limited to just creating realistic rivers and continents. The local system generates real civilizations with their own stories, wars, heroes and even religious beliefs. Sometimes civilizations do not even survive the world generation process.

In these cases, we stumble upon the ruins of their buildings, restoring them for our fortress, or find hidden treasures in the mode role playing game. Many will be put off by the ASCII interface, and before starting the game it is worth watching a couple of training videos, but it is worth recognizing that at the moment this is one of the most advanced open worlds, which, moreover, is regularly updated with fresh updates and patches.

The open world is usually equated with complete freedom and carefree fun, but Sunless Sea smashes this concept to smithereens. An intriguing plot and complex (and sometimes cruel) gameplay build your character so much that you involuntarily step into the role of the character. The ominous atmosphere will not appeal to everyone - and certainly not to those who do not like to read, but the game maintains the set pace from the very first seconds, and the recently released DLC is another reason to return to adventures full of dark humor in the sea.

Starting with Far Cry 2, the series each time offered the player shootouts in new exotic locations - from Africa and tropical islands to the Himalayas. Far Cry 2's setting, unique approach to action sequences, and partnership system quickly made the game a source of critical admiration. It still looks decent today, but since then Far Cry has introduced excellent stealth and added a cooperative mode, and the mesmerizing snowy peaks from Far Cry 4 simply cannot be ignored.

With each new part, the game became more and more intense, so in parts 3 and 4, great attention was paid to capturing and holding various checkpoints. You can approach this task in an open world in different ways - combining an extensive arsenal and stealth kills in close combat. Like its predecessors, Far Cry 4 boasts excellent fire physics. It is especially noticeable in moments when everything is not going completely according to plan.

What if we imagined the open world not as a hostile environment where you need to focus on survival, but as a foundation for building your own world? Many games have tried to replicate the success of Minecraft over the years. Some of them, like Terraria and Starbound, have notably succeeded, but the original, which has become a symbol of an entire generation, continues to grow before our eyes with each new patch.

It's quite simple for the survival genre, but great as an interactive construction set - people build worlds of incredible detail in it. Minecraft is not just a great open world game, but a true cultural phenomenon.

This game may not have the most beautiful of worlds, but the complete freedom of action that is given to the player in Mount & Blade: Warband more than compensates for any shortcomings. You will travel through gigantic locations with medieval villages, cities and castles, where you can gather your own army to fight your enemies (you can, of course, do this alone, but it’s not as fun).

The combat system here is one of the best on PC, and the list of advantages of the game includes the ability to choose your own style of play. Complete quests, join any faction and become its leader... or just explore the world to your heart's content. And if you pay attention to the many mods, you can transfer your adventures to the worlds of “ Star Wars", " " and other iconic universes.

The world of Skyrim doesn't revolve around you. Somewhere in the wilderness, a necromancer is trying to revive a skeleton. At the same time, during the day you meet a gang of bandits trying to defeat a giant (rest in peace to them) or wander into a nearby village, which is attacked by a dragon at the very moment when you, well-fed and satisfied, leave the tavern. Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim consists of many such stories that surround you everywhere: even if you avoid any major settlements, you will still complete at least 30% of the quests along the way.

The game world is replete with various interesting activities: here you can see so many amazing things, chop so many things into pieces unusual creatures, steal so much goods from so many merchants and explore so many creepy Dwemer ruins... oh yeah, and fight dragons. Having played Skyrim even for 100 hours (this is a beginner level), you will not complete all the quests and not kill all the bosses. It is difficult to overestimate the influence of this game on the gaming industry around the world. To understand the bar he's set for the next Elder Scrolls 6, we recommend you dive into the world of Skyrim right now.

Once upon a time, the worlds in video games were no larger than your neighborhood, but technology does not stand still; progress allows developers to create virtual universes of simply fantastic proportions. How big they can be may make your jaw drop, so hold it tight, now, in our top, I will tell you about the largest gaming worlds.

Third place: Fuel

The third position of our top is occupied by the post-apocalyptic race Fuel. The developers placed 14,000 km (sq. km) of devastated global warming American soil. This is more than the area of ​​one of the largest cities in the world, Sydney. To drive a car from one end of the location to the other, you will have to spend more than one hour of time (if you drive in a straight line). There is a really huge world in Fuel, and that is why it gets into our top. However, its developers cheated a little, and some locations are too similar to one another, and it is for this reason that it is in third place.

Second place: The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

What will happen if you take Austria and Hungary and connect them?! It will turn out... no, not the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but Daggerfall, the second part of the famous RPG series of games The Elder Scrolls. The size of the location in this game is equal to the size of the above countries combined. The approximate area of ​​all locations available to the player is 160,000 km (sq. km), and to cross the map on foot, you will need more than three real days. At the same time, you will be able to meet 750,000 characters along the way. Due to its incredible scale, the world of Daggerfall makes it into our top, but the game is limited to just one planet. And that's why it's in second place.

First place: No Man's Sky

But the world of this game has no boundaries at all, No Man's Sky is not only not stuck on one planet, there are a whole nunnillion of them. As the developer of this game, Sean Murray, said: “To visit all the planets in our game though for one second, you will need 585 billion years." And what total area have planets, I didn’t even want to count them (you can count them yourself), since no PC can handle such numbers. And even without taking into account the fact that most of the planets are not as interesting as the creators promised us, No Man's Sky still rightfully takes the gold of our top, because its world is incredibly huge.

Well, that’s all, the top games with the largest gaming world are completed, all games are recommended for review. (There is no Minecraft here, since the original had an infinite world, and this does not fit into our framework of understanding.) Good luck to you on the battlefields!