Summary
The ability to explore open worlds has been a dream in video games sinceElitethrilled microcomputer owners. But it wasTheLegend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timethat expanded that experience, offering a whole world to run around in. However, getting around it could be a problem as, until Epona pops up, Link had to side-hop across Hyrule Field to move faster. So, the likes ofGrand Theft AutoandDriverdid somethingOcarina of Timereally couldn’t: add cars to the mix.
There have been other travel-mitigating options, like fast travel options, but they’re not as fun or as immersive as just riding around and seeing what the world offers. Some worlds just happen to offer more for players who take to the road. These are thebest open-world games for driving around freely. This list will limit the games to one entry per franchise to prevent franchises from dominating the whole deal.
The Truck Simulator games are surprisingly popular for fairly accurate recreations of what driving an HGV is like. Players have to transport cargo from one location to another on time. However, they do get to pick their routes, and the routesare based on real highways, byways, and anywhere else that’ll fit a truck. It’s surprisingly relaxing once players get out onto the road.
There are quite a few examples out there, includingAmerican Truck Simulatorfor those who’d rather stick to the States. ButEuro Truck Simulator 2is generally regarded as the best. It comes with more varied locations, and road laws to switch things up. It also came with expansion packs that took players to Scandinavia, the Balkans, Corsica, and Sardinia, among others, providing more bang for the player’s buck.
SnowRunneroffers a similar cargo delivery experience toEuro Truck Simulator 2, but it turns up the proverbial heat. This time, players have to drive to areas stricken by disasters and deliver equipment meant to help fix the damage. They’ll have to brave rough terrain to get to their location, risking floods, crashes, and other vehicular damage until they can make their delivery.
If they succeed, they’ll complete the job and earn enough money to upgrade their vehicle or switch to sturdier machines. If they fail, they’ll have to try again. Set in locations spread across North America and Russia, players can drive freely. They just have to think more carefully about the routes they have to take, as the consequences could be worse than just getting stuck on the Autobahn.
Completing objectives can be fun, though if would-be drivers prefer to race around at their own pace,BeamNG.driveoffers a more free-form experience. Originallymade as a tech demoin 2013, it’s one of the more realistic driving simulators out there, featuring authentic handling and damage via its soft-body physics. Only the cars are fictional, using made-up brands inspired by real cars, but players can mod in real Fords, Chevrolets, and other famous cars.
On top of a rudimentary career mode and time trials, there’s a Free Roam mode players can tinker around with. The player can customize the maps however they like before racing around them. They can add extra objects, or even change the gravity and wind. So, if they’re tired of Earth-like conditions, they could use literal moon physics instead, or see how they’d handle driving through a hurricane.
If players would rather have something more wild than realistic,Burnout Paradisecranks things up to 11. The prior games were all about pushing the pedal to the metal and pulling off the craziest crashes.Paradisemoves things to an open city where players can race around tracks at the right intersections or burn rubber through the streets freely.
Then they could activate Showtime Mode, where players could gain points for each time they bounce around after a crash. If they’re lucky, they’ll be intact enough to drive away. Otherwise, they’ll get wrecked and have to hang around until they can reset. It also comes with a bundle of customizable options, DLC with extra modes and cars, and a Remastered edition that supports 4K and 60fps.
The open-world term can cover a lot of other genres, including driving and racing games. When most people imagine the genre, they’re thinking of action games where players can roam around on foot or ride around in a variety of vehicles. They just usually happen to be in third-person rather than first-person, but that latter approach has worked well for theFar Crygames.
The game’s physics aren’t as dedicated asBeamNG.drive, it’s a more realistic view of what getting behind the wheel is like. Even if it throws in an armed terrorist cult and a couple of armories’ worth of weapons in the mix likeFar Cry 5does. There are a wide variety of vehicles to ride on-road, off-road, in the air, or on the water, and plenty of activities. Then, if the players get tired of the Montana setting, theycan create their own mapsvia ‘Far Cry Arcade’ mode.
Saints Row 2doesn’t offer the most realistic physics, nor the best driving controls in the series. But it does offer the best driving experience in the series. Even without causing mayhem with the APCs, helicopters, boats, etc., moving around Stilwater itself is rather nice. It’s a neatly designed city, where its different locales stand out so well that players might not even need the minimap after a while. They’d be able to navigate via the landmarks alone.
This is because each district has different features that give it some personality, from the rundown trailer park being a stone’s throw away from the preppy suburbs to the University District with its singing cheerleaders. Combine that with a wide variety of tunes and music genres to listen to on the radio, and it makes driving all the more fun. It makes the sequels’ gradual gutting of these features that much sadder.
That said, there wouldn’t be aSaints Rowat all withoutGrand Theft Auto. Riding around the city to some classic tunes is as much a trademark of the series as shooting gangsters and cops. But which game has the best driving experience?GTA: Vice Cityhad some great 1980s songs on the radio to go with the Miami-esque setting, andGTA: San Andreasincluded two more cities and a wide-open wilderness between them to go off-road in.
Perhaps predictably, it’s the series’ second outing to Los Santos,Grand Theft Auto 5, that gets the mention here. It only features one city but, even outside the multitude of vehicles and side activities, it’s packed with a variety of different localesand different sights to see, like the ghost on Mount Gordo, or CJ fromGTA: SA. The radio stations are just as varied, with rap, pop, classic rock, soul, and more to keep players occupied as they explore.
The biggest name in open-world driving nowadays has to be theForza Horizonseries. They drop the player on a large map, let them customize whatever they want about the car, and then they can race around to their heart’s content. Settling on one top game is also tricky, as some prefer how the cars handled inForza Horizon 3, whileForza Horizon 4gave them real cities like Edinburgh to explore.
Forza Horizon 5goes fora fictional section of Mexicowith volcanoes, jungles, temples, and more across a gigantic map. However, it does include the very real city of Guanajuato. These different locations come with their own climates and weather effects, from heavy rainfall to giant dust storms. It offers a different driving experience each time the game gets booted up, making it the ultimate open-world driving game.
