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[stn]

No Morrowind? It had so much more to randomly see and do than Skyrim. Exploration in that game actually had real rewards.

 

[Alucrid]

Whitcher 3 where half the open world is islands with a shitty boat system.

 

[Karl Hawk]

Whitcher 3 where half the open world is islands with a shitty boat system.

I weep for anyone who doesn't like Skellige

 

[Exploratory]

San Andreas is better than GTA V.

 

[Eidan]

I can't find myself disagreeing with any of the choices on GT's list. I'd probably rank Fallout 3 above New Vegas. GTAV is really the game to beat when it comes to open worlds, and I don't see it being beaten until Rockstar's next outing.

 

[Patapwn]

No shadow of the colossus is a criminal act

 

[Eidan]

No shadow of the colossus is a criminal act

I love Shadow of the Colossus. It doesn't belong anywhere near a list of greatest open worlds.

 

[inky]

Batman doesn't belong in that list. It looks great, it has some neat locations but it's a boring, formulaic open world. Much of the same could've been achieved with a smaller, more tight environment design.

 

[bryanee]

If any of the Lego games open worlds should be on there its Lego Batman 2's or Lego City Undercover's.

 

[Auctopus]

If people watch the video, they clearly state they are rating the WORLD, not the game.

 

[killroy87]

Dumb list. This whole "one game per franchise rule" is lame because it makes things like Lego Marvel make the list while Vice City doesn't.

At least Fallout was represented correctly.

 

[Eidan]

Batman doesn't belong in that list. It looks great, it has some neat locations but it's a boring, formulaic open world. Much of the same could've been achieved with a smaller, more tight environment design.

I don't see how someone can say something like this when considering how densely packed Arkham City is. I mean, do people just love the hallways of Asylum that much?

 

[killroy87]

I don't see how someone can say something like this when considering how densely packed Arkham City is. I mean, do people just love the hallways of Asylum that much?

He never said Asylum should be up there instead. And he's right, City was a poorly designed world, the horseshoe shape made getting around a chore. Knight would have been a better choice from Arkham

 

[IdreamofHIME]

Also with everyone saying what games are missing, just note that Minecraft was #11 as talked about on GT live, so your choice (morrowind, mgsv, etc) didn't even just miss out on the 10.




For me the one that stand out is Lego Marvel, as Lego City shits all over Lego New York. Marvel is the better and more focused campaign...but City is the better...city. Only thing Marvel has over city is being able to fly or swing about freely, but with a city so boring...that even loses its charm quickly.

 

[Patapwn]

I love Shadow of the Colossus. It doesn't belong anywhere near a list of greatest open worlds.

I highly disagree. SotC apes all those other games with its minimalism. The world is absolutely beautiful and mysterious. One of the few times I got lost in a virtual world.

I don't agree with the typical criteria for judging open world games. An open world is not better because it has more checkmarks on the map or it has the most sq miles or it has the most npcs. It should be about crafting a truely wonderful world ripe for meaningful exploration.

And with that said I think Shadow of the Collosus does that significantly than games in the vain of Ubisoft Game(TM).

And where morrowind?! Ugh

 

[2+2=5]

When a "best of" list is made of almost only fairly recent games it's hardly reliable imo, surprised for the lack of FO4 though, i was expecting this chart to be made for it.

Imo Might & Magic VI should have been there, it's how a map should be, maybe not huge but SUPER FULL and VARIED.

 

[Vanillalite]

Terrible list that reads like a console player that only started playing games on the 360 and has heard of WoW.

 

[illadelph]

GTA III deserves recognition for its impact on the industry.

 

[Gaffi]

Whitcher 3 where half the open world is islands with a shitty boat system.

Pretty sure there is a merchant on the first island that sells you a map that will let you fast travel to any island. Sure there are a few quests that require you to use a boat but most of the time in skellige is spent on the islands, most of which are fairly large.

 

[Starfield]

Witcher 3 and open-world exploration yeah okay....

 

[inky]

I don't see how someone can say something like this when considering how densely packed Arkham City is. I mean, do people just love the hallways of Asylum that much?

I don't see how "densely packed" is just arbitrarily a positive net. Ubisoft games are densely packed with map objectives and that doesn't make them better. It's about the quality of such content, and the purpose of them being there.

And killroy is correct:

He never said Asylum should be up there instead. And he's right, City was a poorly designed world, the horseshoe shape made getting around a chore. Knight would have been a better choice from Arkham

I don't think Asylum is a better fit either if that is what you were wondering with your "hallways" comment. AC mission design forces you to do a lot of back and forth, and the design of the city and flow of the quests make it tedious. It's not completely without merit, like I said, some locations are fun and a few of the riddler puzzle stuff is interesting, but this is about the best of the best open worlds. It doesn't belong in the list because the "open world" is the worst thing about it. Or at least, you could say the open-worldlesness doesn't improve the game at all. It's a hindrance most of the time.

 

[Karl Hawk]

Witcher 3 and open-world exploration yeah okay....

My time exploring around Skellige and Velen must have been a lie.

 

[Dangansona]

You really fucking hate Fallout 4, huh?

Ding ding.

Look, New Vegas is a great game, but it isn't because of its boring open world (sans Vegas itself).

I'd almost put a 3D Zelda over some on these list. Also Skyrim certainly doesn't belong.

 

[GoldandBlue]

05. Batman: Arkham City

City was great. It blows my mind how they managed to make Arkham Knight feel so empty and dead in comparison.

 

[dreamer3kx]

Witcher 3, everyone else fall back in line.

 

[jem0208]

GTA V's world is massively overrated.

 

[RespectThySole]

Witcher 3's atmosphere is unparalleled for an open world.

 

[Choomp]

Skyrim deserves a lot more credit than you people are giving it. It's really enjoyable for what it is, you don't have to immerse yourself too much but there's still quite a bit to do and a ton of lore, I kind of appreciate that.

 

[Edwardo]

Where the f is Star Wars Galaxies.

 

[Messypandas]

Lego Marvel Super Heroes? Really? Is it really that good?

I would have put the open world Lego Gotham over it. The open world was alot more stylised and pretty, and the avant garde giant mini-figs were hilarious. New York in Lego Marvel was very plain in comparison.

 

[lightchris]

I highly disagree. SotC apes all those other games with its minimalism. The world is absolutely beautiful and mysterious. One of the few times I got lost in a virtual world.

Same here, still my favorite open world. The only one where pure exploration without a goal was fun to me.

I guess GameTrailers' list is much closer to how most other people feel about it though.

 

[Mad Season]

having MMOs and single player games in the same list is stupid

 

[Kacho]

It amazes me how overrated the Witcher 3 continues to be. The open world felt so bland and lifeless. It was very similar to Dragon Age Inquisition to me, where you have a bunch of markers on your map, but none of them are all that interesting. If the combat had been better and the Witcher Sense hadn't been so overused, I think I would have enjoyed that world more. Th Witcher 3 will be a game I never get.

WoW as number one is a good pick. Modern WoW doesn't have the same magic as Vanilla + the first two expansions. But it's hard to think of a game that matches that magical feeling that WoW had years ago.

I enjoy Rockstar games a lot and while their open worlds are far from bad, they feel empty and sometimes boring. I'm never compelled to explore. It's just moving from one mission marker to the next.

 

[WrenchNinja]

Terrible list that reads like a console player that only started playing games on the 360 and has heard of WoW.

It really does come off like that.

 

[bengraven]

I'm torn on whether GTAV or WOW should be at the top, but I agree that they are my favorite open worlds. I would KILL for a single player WOW re-using the actual maps from the MMO.

Also, I was upset to see RDR in the middle, but as great of a game as that is, it could use a bit more pizazz in the open world aspects.

 

[killroy87]

Legend of Zelda (NES) really should have made this list based on influence alone. Glaring omission

 

[Karl Hawk]

It amazes me how overrated the Witcher 3 continues to be. The open world felt so bland and lifeless. It was very similar to Dragon Age Inquisition to me, where you have a bunch of markers on your map, but none of them are all that interesting. If the combat had been better and the Witcher Sense hadn't been so overused, I think I would have enjoyed that world more. Th Witcher 3 will be a game I never get.

Overrated is nowadays just a word to define games that we simply don't like.

 

[Eidan]

He never said Asylum should be up there instead. And he's right, City was a poorly designed world, the horseshoe shape made getting around a chore. Knight would have been a better choice from Arkham

Please. Getting around City was a fucking breeze. Literally. Gliding made going from one end of the map to another simplicity personified. It's easily one of the smallest maps on GT's list.

 

[Hero Prinny]

Id say new vega's world is better than skyrim. Everything about skyrim is pretty dull imo

 

[What A Time To Be Alive]

We got so many open world games now we making top 10 lists outta them.

What's next? Open World Game Awards 2016 :S

 

[Fury451]

Interesting choices, and I largely agree.

Would probably swap AC2 with Black Flag, Unity (despite it's issues) or Syndicate though.

Good to see they chose the superior modern Fallout game.

 

[Eidan]

I don't see how "densely packed" is just arbitrarily a positive net. Ubisoft games are densely packed with map objectives and that doesn't make them better. It's about the quality of such content, and the purpose of them being there.

And killroy is correct:



I don't think Asylum is a better fit either if that is what you were wondering with your "hallways" comment. AC mission design forces you to do a lot of back and forth, and the design of the city and flow of the quests make it tedious. It's not completely without merit, like I said, some locations are fun and a few of the riddler puzzle stuff is interesting, but this is about the best of the best open worlds. It doesn't belong in the list because the "open world" is the worst thing about it. Or at least, you could say the open-worldlesness doesn't improve the game at all. It's a hindrance most of the time.

Then I guess you and I fundamentally disagree on the quality of the content, and the tediousness of traversing the world. I thought all of the side content in City was amazing, enriched the world, and never felt that getting anywhere was a chore. Far from it.

 

[Kosma]

It amazes me how overrated the Witcher 3 continues to be. The open world felt so bland and lifeless. It was very similar to Dragon Age Inquisition to me, where you have a bunch of markers on your map, but none of them are all that interesting. If the combat had been better and the Witcher Sense hadn't been so overused, I think I would have enjoyed that world more. Th Witcher 3 will be a game I never get.

WoW as number one is a good pick. Modern WoW doesn't have the same magic as Vanilla + the first two expansions. But it's hard to think of a game that matches that magical feeling that WoW had years ago.

I enjoy Rockstar games a lot and while their open worlds are far from bad, they feel empty and sometimes boring. I'm never compelled to explore. It's just moving from one mission marker to the next.

Holy fuck Putting Witcher 3 and Drag On Age Inquisition in the same sentence

Also you could turn off all markers in the Witcher

 

[Machinehead]

Game is alright, but I was surprised quite honestly to see it ranked cause its open world is nothing special.

I would have put the open world Lego Gotham over it. The open world was alot more stylised and pretty, and the avant garde giant mini-figs were hilarious. New York in Lego Marvel was very plain in comparison.

Thanks; I thought so.
Lego Gotham is cool, but nothing special. GT is crazy.

 

[More_Badass]

No Just Cause 2? Come on GT.

Size doesn't make a good open world. Just Cause is massive and colorful but it's just big sandbox. It doesn't have that lived-in, living feel of GTA V/Witcher 3's worlds

 

[UrbanRats]

I love Shadow of the Colossus. It doesn't belong anywhere near a list of greatest open worlds.

I disagree, the way they interpreted minimalism and emptiness without feeling cheap, is utterly unique.
That world feels sparse yet alive, with relatively little detail put in.

I think it's a fantastic accomplishment.

 

[Kenzodielocke]

Dark Souls and Bloodborne have the best Open Worlds. ( ͡º ͜ʖ ͡º)

 

[Triggerhappytel]

No Fallout 4? Hmm.

They should have waited for Xenoblade to make this list.

And Just Cause 3. Seems like they jumped the gun instead of waiting like 4 weeks for a couple of likely entries and enough time to judge if Fallout 4 belongs there.

 

[Alebrije]

So no love for Morrowind the one that opened open world on consoles on a serious form...

 

[TheXbox]

Lists like this are always controversial and dumb, but Wind Waker really is an odd, glaring omission. You'd have to assume they just forgot about it, putting shit like Batman and Deus Ex on there.