I found myself watching a Welsh police drama the other day, it is called Hinterland, or Y Gwyll in Welsh, which means ‘the dusk’. It is a slow-paced detective series that takes place in rural Wales. Long story short, a once successful Detective Chief Inspector Tom Mathias is sent to a town called Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, for reasons I won’t spoil. One thing that immediately stood out for me was the locations used throughout the episodes. You got to see the hills, rivers, forests, and natural beauties of rural Wales. You also get to see the lovely, yet mysterious small town, witness to a once vibrant life, victim of an ageing populace.

Certainly, the locations used on the set are the hidden character of the show; it immediately puts you in the mood for some hot cocoa and biscuits. I binged on the whole series during winter, which was the best decision I’ve made. Nothing like snuggling up during a cold evening to watch the series, which takes place in cold places as well.

The big impact the cinematography of the series made on me, through the use of establishing, and panning shots of the locations got me thinking about the many times video games produced the same effect in me. I asked myself; what games have incredibly well-crafted worlds? Locations that stand out on their own? Not merely because of its size, but also because of its beauty and variety? The answer lies in a few open-world games that I have played over the span of a few years.

Open-world games provide the player with a sense of freedom; when you embark on your journey, you realize that there is so much to do: characters to meet, quests to do, secrets to find, areas to explore.

The pace of open-world games is controlled by the player. How fast they want to go, or how much time they want to dedicate to exploring, it is all up to them, or you. That is why open-world games are a staple in the industry, especially in AAA productions.

Open-world games take many hours to complete, and do not require you to do every quest, or explore every crevice in order to finish the main story. That is why open-world games can be one of the most fulfilling experiences a gamer can have.

Here is a list of a few open-world games that stand out because of the beauty of its worlds:

Death Stranding

Perhaps this is the most unusual game on the list. Hideo Kojima’s latest production is a blend of a bizarre sci-fi story-driven narrative, and open-world exploration. In it, you will partake in the story of Sam Bridges whose mission is to reconnect a country that has been decimated by a cataclismic event: the Death Stranding.

Its game mechanics centers on exploration. You will have to prepare yourself before you embark on your journey. Each mission requires you to plan your route, cargo load, tools, vehicles and weapons that can help you succeed.

The game is more oriented towards exploring, but it also has an action element to it. You will encounter enemies that will require you to neutralize them. It is up to you if you decide to kill them or knock them out. There are also boss fights that will further enhance the experience.

Death Stranding features one of the best stories in recent years. Its ensemble of actors includes the likes of Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Mads Mikkelsen and familiar faces like Troy Baker.

Definitely check this game out. Its pace can be very soothing, and the visuals are incredible, the world itself is the concealed character of the game. The Kojima Productions team took a lot time doing research on various locations around the world to implement them into the game, like Iceland for instance.

Elden Ring

This is the most ambitious game developed and produced by From Software. Don’t let the name drive you away from it. Games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne or Sekiro can be quite challenging if you are not used to them. One of their core mechanics is difficulty: scenarios are built in such a way that the player will be at a disadvantage. It is made like this purposefully so that the player can strategize before engaging in combat.

Elden Ring is a bit different than that. Its main focus is not difficulty but exploration. Even the boss fights, except for Melania, are fairer than in other titles. The game has a huge map with different biomes to explore. You will encounter secret areas, amazing loot, and even characters that require our help. All of these elements further enrich the world of Elden Ring, which takes place in called The Lands Between.

You will build your character from scratch and determine its looks and class. You can choose a typical sword and shield warrior, a sneaky, dual-weilding bandit, or even a mage whose ranged attacks can be quite useful.

Make sure to grab a guide like Fextralife or something so that you know where to go first. The game barely tells you where to go, and it does not forbid you to explore areas that have very powerful enemies that require you to level up before fighting them.

Red Dead Redemption 2

One of the most ambitious projects by Rockstar is Red Dead Redemption 2. The game is visually stunning, and has a very powerful story. It features a huge map that requires you to explore it. You can find secrets that unlock sub-plots, characters that require help, and many other elements like hunting for rare animals or finding unique plants.

Red Dead Redemption 2 will have you exploring the many areas the map has. There are different biomes like desert, mountains, prairies, and even a vibrant city. There are plenty of things to do in this game. You can choose to savor it slowly; you can go hunting, fishing, or enjoy your time at Saint Dennis. You can go to the theater, play poker, and partake in many fun activities while progressing in the main story.

One thing that I want to point out is that the game has not received the ‘next-gen’ treatment; if you play this game on your PS5 or Xbox Series X, you will not reap the 4k visuals with 60fps frame rate. I would recommend playing this on PC just because of the graphical customization options. Maybe it is more noticeable because many of the modern open-world games play at 60fps, or provide you the option to choose between visuals and performance.

Despite this issue, give it a try if you see the game at a discount on PlayStation, or Xbox. If you have a good gaming PC, I suggest you pick that version.

Days Gone

Perhaps the most underrated game on the list. Unfortunately, this hidden gem suffered a blow from the ill-intended cancel culture. It was a time where white-male protagonists were targeted due to the ‘lack of diversity’ in video games. The mainstream media irresponsibly criticized the game because of this utter stupidity.

So-called game journalists did not review the game objectively, nor took the time to notice about all the great things this game has; instead, they obsessively focused on the fact that the main character is a white man.

Idiocy aside, this game is one of the best experiences in last, and current-gen consoles. It even got a PC port available on Steam! It is a no-brainer to pick this one up. The story is compelling; it deals with redemption, love, trust, betrayal, and there is an underlying problem that can shape the face of humanity for good.

The main story is about a virus that turns people into aggressive ‘zombies’, although in the game they don’t call them like that. During the chaos, Deacon, the main character, is estranged from his wife Sarah, and his best friend, Boozer. In the game you will embark on a journey through Oregon to try and find her, hoping that she is alive.

Through the journey you will unravel a hidden plot that will keep you hooked for hours. While you traverse, you will encounter enemies, places to free, and characters to help. The game relies on a motor bike as a means of transportation; mind the fuel because it can run out. This mechanic is certainly one of its main features, and one of the best implementations in video games. You can personalize your chopper as you like with a great variety of cosmetic elements, but also useful parts that add resistance or can help you ram through hordes of enemies.

There is a great list of weapons and explosives that you can use to strategize when dealing with the hordes, which have a hive-mind characteristic to it. They seem to move in unison, and react to the noises you make. Beware if you go guns-blazing, you might attract the wrong crowd.

One thing to mention is that this game received the ‘next-gen’ treatment on PS5. You can play this game with 4k visuals at 60 frames per second. It is also available on PC through platforms like Steam or Epic Games, which is quite incredible in my opinion. I will always be happy to see PlayStation Studios games on PC.

Unfortunately, this game suffered an apparently irreversible blow because of the industry media, and its teenage-like mentality. No DLC has been released for the game, and it looks like there is no sequel on the horizon. Hopefully this game starts to gain momentum, and the community kindly requests a sequel. Gamers are smart, and they will to this true-gem the justice it deserves. I am sure we will have a sequel sooner than later.

Ghost of Tsushima

Another underrated gem in the list is Ghost of Tsushima. It is yet another game whose world is a character of its own. The island of Tsushima has one of the most incredibly stunning visuals in video game history. Its vegetation is varied, you find your typical grass, reeds, flower fields and a variety of trees. The game takes you around many areas like meadows, mountains, and of course the sea.

You will find many settlements occupied by the Huns, it is your task to liberate them from the influence of Khotun Khan, who is a descendant of Genhis Khan. Through your journey you will meet allies, liberate towns, and gain strength to fight back and take what’s yours. The game has a heavily artistic element in its visuals. It was inspired by Japanese culture and cinematic gems like Akira Kurosawa’s movies, specifically, Seven Samurai.

You will build your character from scratch and determine its looks and class. You can choose a typical sword and shield warrior, a sneaky, dual-wielding bandit, or even a mage whose ranged attacks can be quite useful.s whose mission is to reconnect a country that has been decimated by a cataclysmic event: the Death Stranding.

Apart from that, the game has plenty of armor, weapons, and other customizable parts that you can use to fit your character. Each of them possesses unique characteristics that might help your defensive or offensive stats. The RPG elements present in this game add a layer of depth that is most welcomed by the players.

The Witcher 3

CD Projekt Red made an instant classic with this one. This game has one of the lushest vegetation on the list. It is incredible to see the huge variety of plants and trees you can find in the game. It seems like each one was carefully placed to further enrich the immersive experience. The game takes place in Temeria, a continent that is occupied by the Nilfgaardians. You can witness the contrast between the inhabitants of the land.

Most of the rural locations suffer from calamity and are ridden with sickness and hunger. On the other hand, the well-fortified locations where the rich people live are full of life and enjoy bonanza. They can even afford to be racist towards elves!

Rural or urban, the locations in the Witcher 3 stand out because of how well they are crafted. The map is divided into a handful of locations with plenty of activities to do. Geralt must find his protegee, Ciri, who is under threat. The heavy RPG elements in this game can be challenging at first, but taking the time to read the tutorials and entries will definitely help you enjoy this game. You can choose your difficulty level if you stumble upon an impossible mission.

Yet another game to receive the ‘next-gen’ treatment. Play it with 4k resolution running at 60 fps on your PS5 and Xbox Series X. It also has a ray-tracing option which will lock the game at 30 frames per second. The game is also available on PC.

Cyberpunk: 2077

Another great game by CD Projeckt Red. This game takes place in Night City, a place with incredible architecture containing all the tropes of the cyberpunk sub-genre. The game is inspired by literature, series, movies and games from the aforementioned genre. You can see its influence from movies like Bladerunner, and games like Deus Ex.

The game did not have a good start at all; it was ridden with bugs and performance issues on ‘last-gen’ consoles. However, the developers have tirelessly worked on the game, correcting all of its issues. The game is vastly different from its release version. Definitely give it go. You will immerse yourself in the world of Cyberpunk almost immediately.

There are plenty of activities to do in Night City, and you can even buy your own apartment! You also get to purchase a variety of cars and clothes that will give you the proper Night City fashion style.

The game borrows from RPG elements like weapon and armor levels, attachments and upgrades. Be sure to take the time to understand this mechanic because if you go without knowing how it works, you might find yourself suffering unnecesarily.

Far Cry 5

A game that we have talked about before in the blog. It is a beautiful open-world game that recently got the ‘next-gen’ treatment because of its 5-year anniversary. It is a first-person shooter like Cyberpunk: 2077 but with less RPG elements in it.

The game focuses on exploration and liberation, like all Far Cry games. You have the perfect excuse to wreak havoc on Hope County by stripping it from the evil influence of a religious cult. You must use weapons, explosives and everything available to slowly, but steadily liberate zones that are under the influence of said cult.

Far Cry 5 features a variety of locations and it's full of flora and fauna. The world is lush and you can hunt, fish and trail if you desire. You get a decent variety of land, air, and sea vehicles to aid you with the exploration. You meet a handful of characters that will help you with the task of liberating Hope County.

The Horizon universe takes place in a world where modern humans became heavily decimated by cataclysmic events. Its remnants proliferated in very scattered settlements throughout the world, and they lack the modern commodities we have today. They are tribe-like people and adopt many of its tropes like living in small groups, reliance on mysticism, and other things as well.

Bonus: Horizon Zero Dawn & Forbidden West

I put both of these games in the same part because one is the direct sequel of the other, and they take part in the same universe. Horizon Zero Dawn was well received in the industry despite being a new IP. Sony has certainly taken the initiative to introduce gamers to new worlds and characters, instead of merely focusing on remakes.

Sony has given us new games like Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, and the Horizon saga; other titles you can include are Detroit: Become Human, Bloodborne, and Uncharted, and the Spider-Man saga.

The Horizon universe takes place in a world where modern humans became heavily decimated by cataclysmic events. Its remnants proliferated in very scattered settlements throughout the world, and they lack the modern commodities we have today. They are tribe-like people and adopt many of its tropes like living in small groups, reliance on mysticism, and other things as well.

Animals have to share their place with robot-like beings that resemble them. Their purpose is to keep the ecosystem of the planet habitable, because humans might return to earth one day. An artificial intelligence is the one doing all the maintenance, through its ‘creations’.

The world is a mix of old and new. You fight with rudimentary weapons that have a spark of technology in it, harvested from fallen beasts. Humanity is doing what they can to survive, awaiting the return of the gods.

The game possesses great RPG elements like upgrading weapons and armor, leveling your character and unlocking abilities. There is plenty of exploration to do and you will find incredible sights on your journey. This game has a great photo mode so there are plenty of pictures to take.