Summary

  • Open-world games like The Getaway focus on story over exploration.
  • Red Faction: Guerrilla offers destructible environments but lacks meaningful secrets outside missions.
  • Shadow of the Colossus focuses on simple gameplay and minimal exploration with few hidden secrets.

Open-world games are not only about giving the player choices, the format also offers a ton of possibilities for game designers. As such, not all games aim for players to explore every nook and cranny. The titles detailed below still qualify as open-world games, but they are not for those who want an experience like Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring, or even Grand Theft Auto 5.

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Instead, their open worlds are more about molding a story around its setting. The environment is still a character in this story and the game feels more immersive because of the open world, but it is not made with exploration in mind.

8 The Getaway

One Of The Most Realistic Games On The PS2

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The Getaway

Systems
Platform(s)
PS2
Released
January 19, 2003
Publisher(s)
Sony Computer Entertainment

The Getaway feels like Guy Ritchie: The Video Game. The fast-talking characters and even faster plot feel right at home among Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch. The game's 24 missions take place in a fully-realized open-world London.

The game does not allow players to freely roam through its streets until they have beaten the game. There are free moments during the campaign where players can drive around freely if they wish before going to the next objective, but there is nothing of interest to do or see.

7 Red Faction: Guerrilla

A Playground Of Destruction

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Platform(s)
PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Released
June 2, 2009
Developer(s)
Volition, Reactor Zero, Kaiko Games
Publisher(s)
THQ, THQ Nordic

The third Red Faction game did away with the linear first-person shooter structure of the first two titles. Red Faction Guerrilla takes place in an open-world Mars environment. It connects to its origins through the story and the dedication to destructible environments.

There are objectives and side quests off the beaten path, but it is all laid out for players in menus. There is nothing to be gained from running around the environment looking for secrets. The side missions are still a lot of fun since they involve creatively destroying buildings.

6 Shadow Of The Colossus

An Artful Open-World Experience

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Platform(s)
PlayStation 2
Released
October 18, 2005
Developer(s)
Team Ico
Publisher(s)
Sony Computer Entertainment

The spiritual successor to Ico is built around a simple gameplay loop; follow the waypoint given by the protagonist's sword and slay the beast at the destination. The gameplay is set in a barren open-world landscape, but it is not meant to be explored in the way one can do it Breath of the Wild's Hyrule.

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Other than the main objective, there are lizards players can hunt to extend their grip gauge and health and one easter egg at the top of a high spot on the map. Filling the map with little secrets and hints of life would go against everything Shadow of the Colossus's design aims for. There is a certain sadness behind the idea of players killing potentially the last living beings in the land.

5 Mafia

The Antithesis To Grand Theft Auto's Liberty City

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Mafia (2002)

Systems
Platform(s)
PC, PS2, Xbox (Original)
Released
August 28, 2002
Developer(s)
Illusion Softworks
Publisher(s)
Gathering of Developers

The first Mafia game feels like the anti-Grand Theft Auto. It creates a grounded 1930s setting for its serious tale about organized crime. Minor traffic offensives draw police attention, unlike the reckless speeding that's allowed in the Rockstar Series.

This is what Mafia's open world is all about versus the spectacle of other open-world titles - the world aims to feel real and lived in. A free-roam mode is available with some diversions, but it is a bonus and not a main feature of the experience.

4 Far Cry 2

The Precursor To The Ubisoft Open-World Formula

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Systems
Platform(s)
PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Released
October 21, 2008
Developer(s)
Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher(s)
Ubisoft

The first Far Cry is a predecessor to Crysis with open combat arenas, whereas Far Cry 2 was the series' first step into true open-world territory. It is not the Ubisoft formula players got with Far Cry 3, though. Far Cry 2's world is still limited and best enjoyed if players go from mission to mission without dilly-dallying in between.

There are safe houses to conquer, but it is not as engaging as later Far Cry games. While not the most beloved entry in the series, Far Cry 2 introduces a lot of elements and systems that would go on to influence the series.

3 The Godfather

Relive The Classic Movie In An Open-World Game

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The Godfather

Systems
Platform(s)
PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox (Original), Xbox 360, Wii
Released
March 21, 2006
Developer(s)
EA Redwood Shores
Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts

Coming out all the way back in 2006, the adaptation of the legendary 1972 films is the precursor to a lot of the tropes seen in many modern open-world games. The bonus content consists of simple side quests related to organized crime like extortion and taking over rackets controlled by other families.

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The map is not complex enough to encourage freely exploring its hidden parts and the world is not reactive enough to make going on a rampage like Grand Theft Auto entertaining.

2 Assassin's Creed

Before The Series Indulged In The Open-World Format

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