Open-world games have seen remarkable growth, transitioning from ambitious concepts to standard features in modern gaming genres. The ability to freely navigate expansive worlds at one's own pace is an experience every gamer should enjoy. The creation of a captivating open world can take various forms.
Survival has become a key element in many open-world games, leading developers to set their games in challenging environments, both on Earth and in space, to offer players new and demanding experiences. The concept of weather and climate serving as formidable foes has introduced innovative gameplay mechanics.
7 Conan Exiles
Metacritic Score: 68
Funcom's Conan Exiles brings the harsh world of Conan the Barbarian to life in a vast survival setting. The game's updates have transformed it into a brutal survival experience, complete with challenging climate conditions. Players begin by struggling to survive in a blistering desert, with subsequent biomes like frozen tundras and volcanic regions adding to the unforgiving environment.
6 Sea Of Thieves
Metacritic Score: 69
Sea of Thieves offers players a breathtaking oceanic playground with hidden dangers. While the tropical setting seems inviting, treacherous storms and other perils challenge players navigating the seas as pirates. The game focuses on exploration and enjoyment, immersing players in the harsh beauty of its world.
5 The Long Dark
Metacritic Score: 77
The Long Dark thrusts players into a realistic survival scenario following a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness. The game's relentless cold and attention to detail, from calorie management to body temperature, create a uniquely intense experience.
4 Green Hell
Metacritic Score: 78
Green Hell challenges players to survive in the perilous Amazon Rainforest, navigating threats from both nature and local tribes. Realism is key as players must contend with hallucinations and scarce resources in this hostile environment.
3 Subnautica: Below Zero
Metacritic Score: 82
Subnautica: Below Zero challenges players to survive in an icy alien world, requiring them to build tools and shelters to endure the cold and oceanic threats. Exploration leads to encounters with even more extreme environments, offering a thrilling adventure.
2 Starfield
Metacritic Score: 83
Starfield by Bethesda presents players with diverse planets to explore, each with its own harsh climate and unique flora and fauna. The game's vastness immerses players in a cosmic journey, emphasizing the challenges of surviving in space and on alien worlds.
1 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Metacritic Score: 96
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim plunges players into a harsh Nordic realm filled with frozen wastelands and challenging terrains. Recent updates have introduced a survival mode, adding a new layer of difficulty as players must battle the elements to survive in this unforgiving landscape.