What better way to spend time than dive deep into a game’s world? It’s the perfect escape any gamer could hope for. With so many incredible open-world titles out there’s plenty to choose from, depending on the genre and type of story.
However, even the biggest open-world games can feel empty if they’re not paired with immersive lore. World-building is one of the main concerns of many game designers these days as it’s what can make or break a game in the eyes of players. These 10 open-world games absolutely nailed lore and immersion, which is why they continue to dominate in popularity.
15 Dark Souls: Remastered
Some players might disagree with the inclusion of Dark Souls, but it checks out in many ways. Dark Souls gives players the freedom to roam the twisted world they’ve been dropped into, and there are plenty of hints and interactions that allow people to discover more about the setting.
Lordran is simply unique. Dark Souls has inspired so many other developers and open-world titles, which is why it deserves its spot here. Although the game can be quite punishing, it gives a real sense of reward to the player when they outwit the world and its enemies.
14 Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
The Legend of Zelda is one of the oldest ongoing franchises in gaming, and as such, it benefits from a deep lore thanks to its longevity. Newcomers to the franchise can still easily grab Breath of the Wild and get sucked into its in-depth story.
The story is nothing surprising, but still effective, as it focuses on Link who sets out to beat Calamity Ganon and save the kingdom once more after awakening from a very long slumber. With a world open for discovery and adventure, lore is hiding around every corner.
13 Ghost Of Tsushima
An absolutely breathtaking game in graphics, gameplay, and story, Ghost of Tsushima is to many fans the uncrowned king of video games from 2020. Taking inspiration from the Souls games, it focuses on the story of Jin Sakai, tasked with defending his island of Tsushima.
The world is absolutely gorgeous and filled with the historical lore of its time period. It’s one of those games that players get lost in despite the challenge it poses in its combat system, which is known for being difficult to master.
12 Death Stranding
Released in 2019, Death Stranding was another highly anticipated game, coming from the artist himself, Hideo Kojima. Death Stranding is one of those games that is both incredibly immersive and bizarre at the same time, with that trademark Kojima signature at the end.
In terms of story, Sam Bridges’ adventure is full of hints, lore, and strange sights that give insight into the new world players find themselves in, a world plagued by what is known as the Death Stranding. For a different kind of world and story, Death Stranding is the perfect lore-heavy game.
11 Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain
The Metal Gear Solid franchise is best known for its emphasis on stealth rather than aggressive combat. In its fifth installment, Snake’s primary mission is to get his well-deserved revenge after the events that took place in the prologue, Ground Zero.
While the MGS universe isn’t similarly heavy as a fantasy medieval RPG game world would be, it makes its mark as one of the most detailed and immersive worlds in gaming history thanks to its well-defined characters and long history.
10 Cyberpunk 2077
The most highly anticipated game of 2020, Cyberpunk 2077’s promise was foiled by a sloppy release. That being said, and all bugs aside, CD Projekt Red is actively pumping resources to ensure the game will be playable for everyone. This is good because, in terms of story depth and lore, Cyberpunk 2077 really delivers.
Cyberpunk 2077 derives much of its lore from a tabletop RPG known as Cyberpunk 2020, and fans of that genre will know just how incredibly lore-heavy these titles tend to be. Shards, dialogues, and all sorts of logs found on terminals as well tell the story of the year 2077 in Night City, and how humanity got there in the first place. Even if the player doesn’t read it all, the game still manages to suck anyone in for hours upon hours of dystopian fun.
9 Fallout 4
The fourth installment in the Fallout series takes the player to the Commonwealth, where the Sole Survivor awakens after being in cryostasis for 200 years. Their only goal is to go out and find where their son Shaun was taken.
Much like any other series, Fallout benefits from being able to tell the story of an alternate future thanks to the numerous installments in its franchise. Each game depicts a different side of the United States in the post-nuclear world, with tons of small quests and great characters to fill in the details.
8 Mass Effect: Andromeda
Mass Effect as a series is incredibly popular, mainly thanks to all the intelligent world-building that has solidified its universe in the hearts of fans. However, Andromeda didn’t quite reach expectations with all of its bugs and flaws.
That being said, Andromeda emphasizes exploration in its open-world and gives the player so much to work with. The game is essentially all about finding a new home for humanity, and with so much lore already from the previous games, it’s stock full of content.
7 Elder Scrolls Online
Most open-world games are known to be single-player experiences. It’s unfortunate but true that there aren’t any significantly good multiplayer games with incredible lore and an open-world — except, of course, for Elder Scrolls Online.
All of its caveats aside, Elder Scrolls Online comes from a long tradition of medieval fantasy RPG. All the lore from previous games like Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim hold very much true. For anyone wanting to share a lore-filled adventure with friends, this is the best experience.
6 Dragon Age: Inquisition
If sci-fi doesn’t sound appealing, a franchise like Dragon Age has just the right mix of RPG and adventure. Its latest installment, Dragon Age: Inquisition, is particularly entertaining with a vast open-world environment and rich, vibrant lore.
With a classic fantasy plot involving defeating a dark force that has opened a Breach over the continent of Thedas, the game takes the player across an incredibly detailed world with one of the most colorful and inclusive cast of characters and enemies.
5 Red Dead Redemption 2
Set in an alternate Wild West reality, the plot of Red Dead Redemption 2 is centered around gang member and outlaw Arthur Morgan, and his interactions with the local government and other factions and characters.
One of the most gorgeous worlds in gaming history is definitely found in RDR2. Arthur can traverse it by foot or by horse, and through the myriad of quests and interactions with NPCs, the Wild West dimension of RDR2 naturally comes to life.
4 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Whether the player plays as a female or male mercenary in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, this game is bound to delight anyone looking for the ideal open-world experience. Set in ancient Greece, the player can travel between Sparta and Athens.
Not only does the lore involve some of the traditional Assassin’s Creed lore, but it also introduces the players to the ins and outs of ancient Greece. Through various NPCs that replicate actual historical figures to various monsters inspired by Atlantis, the player is fully immersed in the setting almost instantly.
3 Horizon Zero Dawn
One of the more unique games to have surfaced in the past years is without a doubt Horizon Zero Dawn. In a world where technology is scarce and related to massive robotic monsters known as Old Ones, Aloy adventures across the lands in search of her past.
There’s so much to learn from Horizon Zero Dawn. As a brand new world and a standalone game, it brings players deep into its story and background. The main quest and the side quests help to answer many of the pressing questions related to why the world is the way it is.
2 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
When it comes to successful open-world games, no list would be complete without a mention of Skyrim. This game, although repackaged and sold for far too many platforms in the past decade, left a significant mark in the world of gaming.
The province of Skyrim is massive in size, filled with side quests, characters, books, and notes to paint the picture of a province belonging to the Nords. It also references a lot of previous Elder Scrolls lore, and with so many different enemies, mysterious areas, and ruins, this game is guaranteed to keep a player busy for weeks.
1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
While Skyrim is definitely one of the best and most immersive open-world games out there due to the amount of lore it has, it easily loses to CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Where Skyrim fails miserably to keep the player engaged, The Witcher 3 excels.
The Witcher 3 has easily the richest world out there, not only thanks to the efforts of the developers to include Polish mythology and politics of the medieval fantasy world in the game, but also because it’s based on a series of highly successful books. Unique and special, The Witcher 3 is ideal for any lore-hungry gamers who dream of exploring a vibrant open-world setting.
NEXT: 10 Best Combat Systems In Open World Action Games, Ranked
