With the help of iconic franchises likeThe Elder Scrolls,Grand Theft Auto, andFallout, the open-world subgenre of gaming has skyrocketed to the forefront of the gaming industry in recent years. Numerous factors make open-world games so appealing, particularly the level of freedom and the sheer amount of content available, often making the games great value for the money.
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The success of open-world games has, unsurprisingly, led to numerous publishers releasing such games, which can often result in some enjoyable titles getting lost in the crowd. The games on this list, which were all released from 2016 onwards, either didn’t get the attention that they deserved upon release or were perhaps unfairly dismissed by fans and critics.
8Just Cause 4
The latest entry in theJust Causeseries didn’t attempt to re-invent the wheel, opting instead to keep the same over-the-top gameplay that its predecessors were beloved for.Just Cause 4differentiates itself from the previous entries, however, by ramping up the ridiculous elements of its gameplay even further with frequent extreme weather conditions and bizarre weapons like the lightning gun being thrown into the mix.
Just Cause 4’s Metascores ranged from 65 to 70, a noticeable drop from the previous three games which scored in the 70s and 80s. Granted, the story and campaign aren’t the best, but messing around withthe sandbox side of the gameplaycan provide hours of entertainment.
7Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum to the action-heavyJust Cause 4is Prideful Sloth’s 2017 releaseYonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, a game that features no combat whatsoever.
Following a dramatic boat crash, players find themselves on aBreath of the Wild-like island.Yonder’s gameplay predominantly consists of fetch questing and exploration, which may sound tedious and uninteresting to some people, but for those that want to play a laid back, casual open-world game,Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chroniclesis certainly worth checking out.
6No Man’s Sky
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what the perception ofNo Man’s Skyand its creator Hello Games is in 2021. Some would say that the company burnt all bridges with fans afterNo Man’s Sky’s disastrous launch, whereas others would say that the developer has fully redeemed itself for the frequent improvements to the game that have greatly improved the product for no extra cost to consumers.
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The redemption arc that the game has been on is whyNo Man’s Skyhas found itself leaving articles with “overrated” in the title and winding up on ones such as this. The fact that manyCyberpunk 2077owners are hoping that the game ends up likeNo Man’sSkyis one of the most telling factors as to how far the space exploration game has come.
5The Witness
The Witnessis the latest release from game designer Jonathan Blow, who is best known for theclassic indie puzzle-platformerBraid.2016’sThe Witnessis a common case of fans and critics being divided on a game, as many critics lovedThe Witness, including IGN who included the game in theirTop 100 Video Games of All Time list, but many consumers were very vocal about their dislike.
This dislike is exemplified by the game’s user scores on Metacritic, which are as low as6.9 on Xbox One. Granted,the tricky puzzle gamewon’t appeal to everyone, but the creativity and ingenious design of the line puzzles and beautiful open-world ensures thatThe Witnesscan be classed as underrated, as it deserves to be considered among the best open-world and best puzzle games of all time.
4Eastshade
Eastshade Studios' indie adventure gameEastshadeis the second game on this list that begins with players being involved in a boat crash that takes them to an island. Much like the aforementionedYonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, a boat crash isn’t indicative of the gameplay inEastshade,as the pace soon shifts to a more relaxing and meditative one.
Eastshadeputs players on abeautiful, immersive islandand lets them explore and paint the scenery around them. Painting isn’t all that the player can do, however, as there are numerous NPCs to interact with who often provide side quests.
3Death Stranding
Death Strandingwas released in 2019, making it Kojima Productions' first game sincetheir public breakup with Konami— which caused the ending ofMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Painto be rushed, andSilent Hillsto be canceled.
To say thatDeath Strandingwas divisive upon release would be an understatement, as struggling to traverse the game’s rocky and bumpy terrain was enough for some people to completely dismiss it. The game certainly didn’t deserve such dismissal, as although the gameplay is understandably not for everyone,Death Strandingprovides a memorable adventure that will encapsulate many people.
2Watch Dogs 2
In many ways, Ubisoft’s originalWatch Dogsgame was reminiscent of another title from the French company,the originalAssassin’s Creed;in the sense that both games were rough around the edges, but clearly had tons of potential.
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Watch Dogs 2doesn’t manage to instantly capture its predecessor’s potential like the classicAssassin’s Creed IIdid, but it still provides a fantastic open-world experience that will appeal to fans of Rockstar’sGrand Theft Auto V.
1A Short Hike
Adam Robinson-Yu’sA Short Hikewas released in 2019 and is another game on this list that prioritizes laid-back exploration over intense combat.A Short Hiketasks player with exploring its map to find golden feathers, which will help the player to scale the world’s peak.
Like any good open-world game, there are also a ton of side ventures to partake in, such as fishing, racing, and competing in the unique beachstickball mini-game. The indie title was awarded one of indie gaming’s most prestigious awards, theSeumas McNally Grand Prize from the Independent Games Festival Awards.
