Summary
Open-world gaming is all the rage in modern times, with many titles striving to give players a reason to keep playing their titles for hundreds of hours. This is easier said than done, given the sheer number of games in the genre, but some sandbox titles manage to do just enough to stand out.
Players are swayed into investing these hours with unique content, fun side quests, entertaining minigames, and plenty of layered mechanics to find new and exciting things to do. If an open-world game clicks with players, then they can comfortably spend hours trying to master the game, even after the main story draws to a close.
Yakuza 0is perhaps the most loaded game in the series in terms of pure content, which is no mean feat. Both Kiryu and Majima have a dedicated side activity to explore along with their main stories, coupled with a ton of substories and minigames that are wildly entertaining in their own way.
Beating Mr. Shakedown multiple times, becoming a real estate mogul in Kamurocho, turning Club Sunshine into the No. 1 Cabaret Club in Sotenbori, and experiencing the emotional narratives of both protagonists will keep players busy for a while. This statement is especially true in the case of players who want to min-max their characters, leading to playthroughs that stretch well beyond a hundred hours.
Cyberpunk 2077is one of the most beautiful open-world games around, and fans were glad to see that CD Projekt Red didn’t give up on this game by removing most of the major bugs and performance issues and adding more content to the game. Along with this, some substantial updates did a great job of improving the gameplay systems, giving players another excuse to explore the beautiful world of Night City.
This will comfortably lead to playersinvesting hundreds of hours in this title, and this is before they even reach Dogtown. This dense and layered district serves as the setting ofPhantom Libertyand is one of the highlights of the game that will also bump up a player’s runtime considerably.
Fallout: New Vegasis one of the most captivating open-world RPGs that fans can get their hands on. The base game itself is jam-packed with content, but Obsidian Entertainment decided to give players more content to mess around with courtesy of four expansion packs that are riveting in their own way.
Withthe depth of role-playing optionspresent in the game, it’s easy to see why players can have a grand time inNew Vegasacross multiple playthroughs. It’s very easy to invest hundreds of hours in this game without getting bored, which is a testament to the brilliance of Obsidian’s magnum opus.
The Open World Is Massive And Becomes Even Bigger In The Epilogue
Rockstar wowed fans with their work inRed Dead Redemption 2, makingone of the most beautiful sandboxesthat fans will love to explore time and time again. After a lengthy prologue, players will finally access the open world in its entirety and be wowed by what’s on offer here.
Red Dead Redemption 2focuses on realism (almost to a fault), making gameplay a bit too slow at times. However, this measured approach enhances the game’s atmosphere and helps players immerse themselves in this gorgeous world for hundreds of hours.
WhileThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdommay tread some similar ground as its predecessor, it makes up for this with its layered gameplay systems that encourage players to spend a long time creating unique contraptions that are incredibly fun to mess around with. Players can spend a lot of hours with Ultrahand itself, showing just how malleable this power is.
It helps that the story is grander than ever and lets players explore both the Depths and the Sky Islands in a bid to help Link become as strong as possible. If players want to explore the world in its entirety, uncovering the countless secrets hidden away in every corner, then investing hundreds of hours inTears of the Kingdomis as easy as can be.
Elden Ringis a game loaded with so much content that players can easily spend hundreds of hours across multiple playthroughs before they even get to theShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion. This is a testament to the game’s massive world that gives players endless opportunities to explore, discover unique locations, weapons, and gear, and collect valuable Runes for leveling up.
The slow progression curve as players get stronger and invest in the build of their choice never gets old. Despite the recycling of minor dungeon bosses cheapening their impact somewhat, that should take nothing away fromElden Ring’s ability to keep players busy and entertained for hundreds of hours.
The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis one of the largest and most ambitious open-world games that fans will have a great time with. The base game itself can encourage players to spend hundreds of hours on end as they check out the many branching options in the story, but CD Projekt Red didn’t just stop there.
They also released two massive expansion packs in the form ofHearts of StoneandBlood & Winethat boast the same amount of time as many full-length video games. It’s a testament to the sheer amount of passion players have for this game that they can spend hundreds of hours in this title yet never get bored.
Fans were surprised and elated to see a remaster ofThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionsuddenly shadow-drop out of the blue, allowing players to gallivant across the varied regions of Cyrodil once again.The sheer amount of work put into remastering thisElder Scrollsgame was impressive, and it has done a great job of restoring some of Bethesda’s goodwill.
Oblivion’s janky charm and unintentionally hilarious dialogue are preserved in a remaster that has helped players enjoy the nostalgia of exploring Cyrodil once again. It helps that Bethesda has done just enough to modernize some of the game’s dated systems, giving players endless reasons to get lost in this fantastic and beloved open world.
