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[Chase Lebowski]

Does Pokemon Red count?

If not, GTA Vice City.

 

[JohnSpartanLee]

Hunter (Amiga)

Groundbreaking game.

 

[sixteen-bit]

true crime streets of la

 

[Ahasverus]

Driver 2 maybe? I'm sure there were others first, but Driver was the first one that made me go out and explore a virtual city. When I first saw GTA3 I was like "Cool, it's like Driver but I can kill people now!" So I wasn't that shocked haha.

It looked very respectable for the time.

Shortly after Driver 2 I played GTA 2 which was lots of fun.

 

[Jo Shishido's Cheeks]

For what we now commonly consider open world mine was the OG, Shenmue.

 

[DevilSnake]

The first Grand Theft Auto. Although Driver was the first 3D open world I played, that series used to be unrivalled before GTA III hit.

 

[Rellik]

The first GTA followed by GTA 2, Driver and GTA III

 

[Shinigami]

GTA 2 on the Sega Dreamcast.

 

[Paertan]

GTA but never really played it much. Never been a fan of any GTA really. First I really played was Morrowind I think. Or are JRPG:s like Suikoden open world? In that case Suikoden 1.

 

[ZAMtendo]

Metroid II if that counts.

 

[Taliban Stan]

I only played Zelda for minutes but technically that's it. Shenmue was my first one that was like they are today.

However, it didn't have mission structure and the genre was narrow but there was a SNES Super FX game called Dirt Trax FX which had tracks in an arena but you jump off the track and just drive around the arena. You could skip over parts of the track. Is never played a game that was open like that. Driving in open world games always makes me remember that game because you can go anywhere in the environment that a motorcycle would be able to go in real life.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

Probably Daggerfall.

Mostly because I don't see how Zelda is an open world game.

 

[OldMan]

GTA 3, there's a reason it's in everyone's top 10.

 

[Liquid_Bike]

body harvest technically i think, but really gta3

Same here followed by Morrowind. Then the flood gates opened.

 

[Vindicator]

Hunter (Amiga)

Groundbreaking game.

Same here

 

[TenCentCoast]

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Still my favorite game of all time.

 

[Brutal Deluxe]

Hunter (Amiga)

Groundbreaking game.

This!

 

[Thabass]

If Zelda 1 counts, then that's it. Otherwise it's GTA III.

 

[Apt101]

Zelda on NES for me.

 

[RipperGrim]

I suppose Final Fantasy 2 but I really see GTA 3 as my first open world game that we all recognise today. Being able to run around and cause chaos in a city for the first time in city that felt lived in was amazing.

 

[jm89]

GTA 1 on the PS1, i was mind blow with the freedom.

 

[Morat]

Link's Awakening on the original greyscale GB.

 

[PandaPedinte]

GTA Vice City

 

[JimmyRustler]

I think my first true Open World game was Oblivion. God, I loved that game so much.

Before that I wasn't really into OpenWorld.

 

[Tyaren]

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

It made me fall in love and from then on crave open worlds. I thought it looked so amazing and already near perfection back then.

The game's visuals aged so poorly.

 

[ISee]

C-64:

 

[Herb Alpert]

It was the first Zelda. Can't wait for BotW to go back to the series'roots.

 

[lawtowler]

Shenmue. The level of detail has yet to be surpassed

 

[Jimnymebob]

C-64:

If we're counting this, the Amiga version of this was probably mine.

 

[Luxorek]

Gothic 3. Also my first real video game dissapointment. Though, I recall playing about an hour of Morrowind before that happened, never finished it though.

 

[Theslammer]

Mine is GTA II <3

It counts right?

Of course! That was open-world even if it's top-down 2D.

Pirates! right?

The true GOAT.

Even on the 6128+ it was amazing.

And that thick manual..

Yup, Pirates! Gold.

 

[what-ok]

The Legend Of Zelda

 

[ErMerGerd]

The first Saints Row, god I was hooked on that game. I'll always hold a special place in my heart for Stilwater :'(

 

[Haloid1177]

I think Red Dead? Still my fave too.

 

[Yohane]

Zelda 1 or Morrowind

 

[Martinski43]

A Link to the Past in the very early 90's, that count as open world game.

 

[Truant]

In terms of how OW games are today?

GTA 3 on PS2. It was a gamechanger, but nobody really talks about it today.

 

[MetalliCabombination]

if ff8 counts, that. then gta 2.

 

[phanphare]

if Zelda 1 and JRPGs don't count

GTA III

 

[xrnzaaas]

Hard to remember, maybe Frontier on an Amiga?

 

[ch4fx_]

or

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

It made me fall in love and from then on crave open worlds.

I think my first true Open World game was Oblivion. God, I loved that game so much.

Love seeing Oblivion mentioned. The game certainly didn't age well, but it will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the first RPG I ever put my hands on.

 

[SPCTRE]

2D:

3D:

(probably)

 

[Air]

I played oblivion but didn't like it. First real one with time spent was probably red dead redemption.great game.

 

[Mithos]

Zelda on NES.

 

[Swimmer9800]

Gta, red dead, assassins creed are the ones that come to mind. Fallout 3 was the one that REALLY left an impression on me.

 

[LiQuid!]

TES: Arena

My BFF's older brother had this game and he copied it for me on the 8 or 10 floppy disks (starting my life of crime as a prepubescent) and it was the single most life-altering video game I'd played in my life up to that point.

I remember the game had some old school PC copy protection where you had to type in the name of the X word on page Y, line Z in the game's physical manual and I didn't have access to it, but I got so good at guessing and then memorizing enough of the words that I could start new games at will and bypass it within minutes.

When Daggerfall came out a few years later it was the first game I bought with my own money and is still today probably my favorite game of all time. But Arena started the lifetime love affair I have with Bethesda games, even at their most mediocre and janky.

 

[PaulBizkit]

GTA 3

 

[Dinjoralo]

I think it might have been Skyrim. Not a great first foray into the genre. :v

 

[Exteromate]

GTA 3 on the ps2 with cheats enabled. Good times!

 

[Auto-Reply]

Hunter on Amiga but I don't think I've finished the game, at some point I was not certain how to progress...that point was relatively early on lol

Played Elite on C64 before that but only for a couple of minutes, wasn't my cup of tea.