Best Open-World Games You Probably Missed

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was one of the first games that revolutionized the open-world genre, and decades later, players are still engaging with it. Some more modern examples include Elden Ring and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

While those games will probably stand the test of time decades and decades after this on the PS7 or something like that, these other open-world games had a smaller fanbase. Perhaps diehard fans checked them, or maybe they missed them for whatever reason. Let’s give them a special shout-out and explain why they deserve to hang with the likes of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim or some other epic equivalent.

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Sand Land

What Fallout Should Be

Sand Land is absolutely a must-play game for open-world fans because it is also the last project that famed anime/manga creator Akira Toriyama worked on before his untimely passing. Set in a post-apocalyptic desert world, players will assume the role of a demon prince, Beelzebub, leading a coalition of adventurers looking for a new water source to stop the war between humans and demons.

Players can attack enemies with various skills with Beelzebub, but the real hook of the game is finding vehicles to command like a trusty tank or mech suit. The vehicular combat is where this game excels, and while the open world isn’t as diverse, there’s still plenty to do.

Another Crab’s Story

Who Lives In A Soulslike Under The Sea?

Some of the most accessible Soulslike games include the recently released Nioh 3 and Elden Ring, but among the heavy hitters, players may have missed out on Another Crab’s Treasure. As a tiny crab, Krill, players will adventure through an undersea kingdom looking for their original shell, which was stolen.

In the meantime, players can find and equip garbage to use as shells, all of which have bonuses from pop cans to tennis balls. Finding and testing out these abilities is where the gameplay hooks start to sink in. The open-world isn’t that big and borders on the very definition, but either way, players will have a good time with this undersea Soulslike.

Fist Of The North Star: Lost Paradise

What If Yakuza, But It’s The Post-Apocalypse?

The Yakuza team at Sega, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, made a game based on the popular anime/manga, Fist of the North Star, which is undoubtedly the best adaptation. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise features a martial artist, Kenshiro, who happens upon a city in the post-apocalyptic desert called Sphere City. Players can take on jobs, like being a bartender, in between pounding the brains out of enemies, literally.

Kenshiro’s martial arts allow players to explode the heads off of enemies, so anyone who thought the violence was over the top in something like Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise clearly hasn’t played this anime adaptation. The city is small but quite dense with activity, and the surrounding desert isn’t that interesting, but it’s still a decent open-world. The bloody combat is the real hook, though.

The Good Life

It’s Raining Cats And Dogs

The Good Life is another strange game from Swery65, the infamous director of one of the best/worst games of all time: Deadly Premonition. Graphically and tonally, The Good Life is a much more pleasant experience. Naomi, a reporter, goes to a quiet country village to study it, only to find two big mysteries.

One, people can turn into cats and dogs, including Naomi, and there is a murder mystery afoot. As either her human or various animal forms, players will have to investigate the citizens and do requests for them. It’s a chill mystery game that is weirdly enjoyable thanks to the cast of characters and the ability to turn into a cat or dog.

The Saboteur

Who Needs Color?

The Saboteur is a cool black-and-white third-person shooter set during World War 2. Race car driver Sean Devlin decides to help a resistance within Paris to take it back from the Nazis. The more bases players set free, the more color will return to the world.

Players can use stealth tactics to remove Nazis, they can plant explosives to lure them into traps, or just gun them down with all manner of weaponry. Players can also drive outside Paris to explore the countryside, smaller villages, and have a few races. The black and white aspect helps the game stick out even to this day, and it is accessible on Steam for those still curious.

Mercenaries 2: World In Flames

Pay Me What You Owe

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is a chaos simulator pure and simple, with players able to pick a mercenary and then start their revenge tour. After getting two-timed by their employer, players will have to amass a small army of weapons and vehicles to wreak havoc until they can get what they are owed. With massive guns, grenades, or any manner of vehicle, players can overrun bases in an instant.

Square Enix may not fund a Just Cause sequel anytime soon, but if players are itching for an open-world game they missed with equally impressive destruction, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is it. The only trouble is getting it running on modern hardware, or even just finding a copy in the wild.

Sable

Another Sand Land

Sable, like The Good Life, is a more chill open-world experience. There is no combat to speak of, as this game focuses on exploration and puzzles instead. As a newly decreed explorer, players can take their futuristic bike across the open desert to take on missions for small village encampments, which usually lead to ancient ruins.

Like Sand Land, the scenery isn’t as diverse as something like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but the ruins are a sight to see on the inside. Plus, it looks incredible when flying through the desert on this futuristic bike, thanks to the cel-shaded art style. Puzzles are pretty basic, and the platforming shouldn’t be too frustrating for most player types.

Tchia

Breath Of The Wind Waker’s Odyssey

Tchia is a culmination of ideas from other sources, all jammed into one cozy open-world game that focuses on exploration and very rarely puts players in combat situations. As the titular Tchia, players can sail around various islands. Her biggest power is possession, allowing her to jump into nearly any animal, be it a dog, bug, bird, fish, or even a rock.

Players can jump between objects in a flash, chaining them together to create a bouncing effect to travel at fast speeds or just to get enough momentum to get a gliding head start. Not everything controls expertly, and at times, the world can feel a bit unfinished like an Early Access game, but no one can argue against Tchia’s inventiveness and ambition. Fans of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Super Mario Odyssey may want to check it out.