The open-world genre houses some of the most popular video games of all time. The allure of this genre is so massive that any half-decent game with a great open world is bound to be a success more often than not. Unfortunately, this has led to the unwanted situation of this genre being saturated with several mediocre games that are a pain to complete. As a result, most people have started rolling their eyes at the mention of the term "open-world."

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That being said, there are still several amazing games out there that show just how impressive open worlds can be with the right design ethos. The following video games are especially notable in this regard, serving as a shining example to illustrate how impactful open-world games can really be.

10 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

How to get flint in Breath of the Wild

Breath of the Wild is considered by many to be one of the most important and revolutionary open worlds of all time. It was released during a time when open worlds in gaming had become downright boring, making Breath of the Wild even more of an impressive masterpiece.

The latest game in the Zelda series brought back the sense of discovery and adventure that had been missing in open worlds for quite some time. The title is a blast to play through, with its nonlinear approach being lauded by fans and critics alike.

9 Assassin's Creed 2

ezio auditore in assassin's creed 2 Cropped

There was a time when Ubisoft's name was held in high regard in the gaming landscape. This was around the same time when the revolutionary Assassin's Creed 2 was launched.

While the first Assassin's Creed title definitely set the base for the series, its sequel improved upon all aspects of its gameplay in the best way possible. The end result is a brilliant title with an amazing sense of verticality that every other game in the series has adapted to this day.

8 Grand Theft Auto 3

grand theft auto 3

It was only a matter of time before Grand Theft Auto 3 would make its way on this list. After all, this legendary Rockstar title set the base for open-world gaming for the years to come.

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Grand Theft Auto 3's world is a blast to explore and still holds up to this day. Even the much-derided release of the Definitive Edition has done nothing to take away from the immense quality of this game, the series' first 3D outing.

7 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

Skyrim Anniversary Editon Best Spells Pride of Hirstaang Forest Solstheim

Bethesda has released a bunch of iconic open-world games, but none of these titles hold the same allure as The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. The game was a major phenomenon upon release and catapulted Bethesda to the realm of superstardom.

The Creation Engine showed all of its strengths in this landmark open-world title that people still love to explore despite its growing age. It's an amazing game that people still can't enough of to this day.

6 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

the witcher 3 - geralt fighting a griffin

Geralt's video game trilogy is nothing short of a narrative masterpiece. However, the final game in this series is especially notable for pushing the boundaries of open-world gaming to new heights.

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features a massive open world that is filled to the brim with activities to perform and places to discover. Fans of great open-world titles will have a great time with this amazing game.

5 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain

The idea of the Metal Gear series going open-world was something that worried fans quite a bit. However, the release of The Phantom Pain put an end to all these concerns.

Metal Gear's amazing stealth and espionage gameplay merged perfectly with the amazing fidelity of its open world, making for a grand time as players completed missions and explored the depths of this visually impressive landscape. It's a shame that this was Kojima's last hurrah with Metal Gear before leaving Konami for good.

4 Shadow Of The Colossus

Fighting a boss in Shadow Of The Colossus

Shadow of the Colossus is easily one of the most unique games on this list. The world of this game is absolutely massive and beautiful, especially in the remake by Bluepoint Studios.

The game only featured a total of sixteen colossi to beat, but exploring the world to encounter these enemies was still a blast. In fact, given the story in the game, it makes sense as to why Wander would be riding across such vast yet beautiful landscapes in the game.

3 Far Cry 3

far cry 3

Another amazing open-world game released during Ubisoft's glory years was the amazing Far Cry 3. The game revamped the open-world nature of the title in the most memorable and exciting manner possible.

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The game also features one of the most iconic antagonists of all time in the form of Vaas. All in all, Far Cry 3 is a game that fans of iconic games shouldn't miss out on...even with the now-dated nature of its open-world design.

2 Batman: Arkham City

Batman from Batman: Arkham City

Rocksteady developed a trilogy of amazing Arkham games that have stood the test of time to be one of the greatest trilogies of all time. Each game in the series marked a massive step ahead in terms of game development, with the franchise setting the bar for what superhero games are capable of.

Arkham City is a fan-favorite that most people rate as the best of the bunch. It was the first Batman game to dabble in an open world and it did so in impressive fashion.

1 The Sims 3

The map of The Sims 3

While The Sims 4 has certainly improved over time after its disastrous launch, there are still many fans of the series who don't enjoy this game at all. There's simply one reason for this — it's not as impressive as The Sims 3 and its revolutionary open world.

It's still surprising to this day as to why The Sims 4 ditched the amazing open world of its predecessor. It was this creative inclusion to the series that made the games more dynamic and engaging than ever before, after all!

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