The open world catalog of video games is too extensive for anyone to fully immerse themselves in, but for those who value their investment time and attention, they know what the bangers are. While the genre didn’t take off until later generations of consoles due to technological limitations, the seeds of its foundation were already there with earlier generations.
On the other hand, you had several proto-open-world titles that helped pave the way for many others outside of the genre. On the other hand, as the mid-2000s hit, you could already see the potential for developers to create large environments that players could almost immerse themselves in like real habitats.
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And to give you a history lesson in disguise, I’ve compiled a list of the best open world games from each console generation to find out how they’ve evolved in scale and scope.
8
Adventure (1980)
2nd generation
We’re going to cut some corners here and give our first foray into the Atari 2600 a bit, because you can make an understandable case for why Adventure can be considered for example with open world games. From the start, you are free to navigate the large interconnected multi-screen map in any direction.
There’s no forced linear path to force you in any way during gameplay, but neither is there the dynamic world simulation we’ve seen in recent seasons. However, small details like enemies that can move independently, and things that are left where they fall with each frame—come on, you can’t tell me that this wasn’t considered a small change at the time.
You obviously had no real objectives or markers to guide you, since your goal for the entire game was to find the Enchanted Chalice. Also, the game is infamous for having the very first Easter egg, which was credited and included in Ready Player One.
7
The Legend of Zelda
3rd generation
The original Legend of Zelda from the NES is one of the most influential video game releases of all time due to the fact that it introduced not only the in-house franchise but also an unconventional gameplay style.
It’s almost as if the game establishes a bond of trust with the player right out of the gate, because you can explore the world in any way you want, and tackle dungeons in any unusual way. And you just know that this wouldn’t be a “Zelda” game without encouraging you to try more complex details, like burning trees or blowing up certain walls with your bombs.
He also had a simple but deliberate combat system that required correct positioning manually, which was important when fighting late-game enemies like Blue Wizzrobes. While Ocarina of Time and modern entries such as BOTW and TOTOK improved this formula, the core design of the environmental puzzle and world exploration was truly established here.
6
Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millennium
4th generation
Despite titles like FF6 and A Link to the Past in my pool of choice here, to give everyone a worthy name, it finally came down to Phantasy Star IV, released on the SEGA Genesis. And make no mistake, it has the same impact as its open-world counterparts of the era.
For a 16-bit RPG, and at a time when we hadn’t reached the same level as many modern open world games, Phantasy Star IV managed to show a vast yet compact world with its Algor Star System. From your main setting of Motavia to intergalactic travel to the planetariums of Dezoris and Rykros, the scale was truly grand.
Although there was still structured storytelling, you can revisit regions and are almost encouraged to return to them for meaningful rewards and, most importantly, updated dialogue from NPCs that make the world feel more static than usual.
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5
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
5th generation
Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a textbook example of an open adventure progression. Also, it’s not a fully open world game by today’s standards, but in 1998? Create the illusion of a living and breathing world, all in 3D design.
The vast expanse of Hyrule Field seamlessly connected all the great realms together, many of which were influenced whenever the day and night cycle changed between their species. You could make the argument that other PS1 RPGs, or Shenmue, had more realistic, structured, or, indeed, larger overworlds, but scale alone doesn’t equal quality here.
Ocarina of Time had a great time travel feature that made the game stand out, like all in the series each game has a unique feature. Also, while I wholeheartedly love Majora’s Mask, this is my personal go-to game where dungeons test your creative abilities (still thinking of you, Water Temple).
4
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
6th generation
It’s no coincidence that GTA San Andreas also appeared on today’s list, right after being recognized as one of the best PS2 escape titles. And for this task, there is no better way to represent the 6th-gen console lineup than the game that became one of the best-selling PS2 titles.
Sure, the map is shortened by fog and distance limitations to make it seem bigger, but regardless of what you say here, it’s considered basic in retrospect compared to many games of the time.
This generation had plenty of bangers on every console, but the wizardry that Rockstar was able to put together here to create three cities, and an entire countryside and desert region to match them, was a level of scale that was unmatched at the time.
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7th generation
Bethesda has always been known for changing trends in the gaming space with its releases, so it was no surprise when it released Skyrim in 2011 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 players.
Previous entries like Oblivion had laid the groundwork for Skyrim to fly. It all led to this game being a lively exploration of the Elder Scrolls series, and a world that continues to give, especially when you join its large maintenance community, which, to this day, keeps this game feeling endlessly playable.
You can joke about the plethora of re-releases all you want, but that’s as low-key as a testament to how much of a cultural impact Skyrim has had on the playerbase. Most importantly, Skyrim captured the likes of few open worlds during that generation. Snow-capped peaks, eerie Nordic ruins, and Jeremy Soule’s soundtrack created a meditative immersion.
2
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
8th generation
Since I wanted to include Breath of the Wild or RDR2 here, I will let them in as an honorable mention, because in this case, CDPR deserves the spotlight for The Witcher 3. Before Arthur Morgan and the Van Der Linde team swept everyone with their rich storytelling, there was Geralt and the team leading one last charge across PS4 and Xbox One.
You can make valid arguments about how the combat felt is the weakest part of the game, but everything else, from the world building, progression, and overall writing was generally one of the best works created by CD Projekt Red. Even the side quests often have a lot of issues that contradict the quality of the main quests.
And when you combine the base game with the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansion, it gives one of the most polished and memorable video game packages of its generation, without a part of it that feels like filler to anyone.
1
Elden Ring
9th generation
For better or worse, FourceSoftware carved their name into history when it came to Elden Ring, their first-ever venture into the open-world genre, mixing their signature Dark Souls formula to create one of the most memorable games ever.
I just know that some may despise its name right now and even go so far as to call it overpriced, but the important thing is that this game has dominated this past generation of consoles and even PCs.
The vast world of The Lands Between was full of finds in every corner, each leading to everyone’s social media upon launch being flooded with clips and posts of funny deaths, boss battle victories, or just players revealing secrets.
The game has deservedly received critical acclaim amid all the hype leading up to its release. So much so that we quickly got treated to an expansion DLC after a while, and after that, the multiplayer game came out, which obviously wasn’t for everyone but still had its moments of magic.
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