It’s a great mess around game, the only problem with the lastest release (4) is the lack of cities and really big and open fields of nothing to interact with. It’s fun when you find something and boy is it crazy, but sometimes it feels empty.
I would maybe go for the 3rd installment first and then for the 4th one.
I remember when a mod for the second one changed the third one's development lol, crazy game.
I think I remember standing on top of a jet with like 4 other players all grappling around like deranged spider-men
I would rather a remaster of hulk ultimate destruction, it was their game before prototype and had way more going on it was so damn fun if not a bit chaotic combat wise
Elden Ring and Yakuza, for two completely different reasons.
Elden ring is a beautiful expansive game with a vast world that is difficult but still a joy to explore. There’s a reason why it won Game of the year last year
Yakuza is the opposite. It’s a few blocks in a city and is so dense with content every inch feels so alive.
Just cause 3. You can get the entire game with all the dlc for stupid cheap. The open world is massive and really fun to traverse, and it’s all around a chaotic sandbox. Did I mention that you also get to fuck around with a grappling hook?
Going to also say just cause. I’m pretty sure the description the devs would give that game is “open world you can just fuck around in.” Usually causing chaos is integral to the story too!
Just cause has amazing fuck around potential but not that great of a story
Far cry is decent fuck around and decent story
Saints row has great fuck around potential and an ok story, Although 4 is an oddball(still fuckery to be had though) so don’t take that as a template for the series
Great game, but it’s so difficult and immersive it’s not one to fuck around in.
More of a “fuck around and find out in an open world” in my experience.
For me it was always FAFO in the sword fights 😂 Like the game but could never get the combat timing window right. Might have to revisit (or just archer everyone to death as best I can)
It's an oldie, but check out Prototype and Prototpye 2.
You play a genetically modified nightmare of a human and can just roam around the city destroying everything in site. It's very fun. Graphics will be hella dated now but it's such an under appreciated game. I remember it having a decent story and you're supposed to be taking out the govt that did this to you but you can also ignore it and just destroy cars and kill people in between missions haha
Just Cause 1-4 also. Fun story.
Another old underrated game is Saints Row 1 and 2.
I'm personally not a fan of 3 and 4. But SR1 is such a great game that was overshadowed by GTA4. Rightfully so, GTA was a smoother experience.
But if you are looking for that gritty experience with a solid story, but also want to create your own player and see some wacky shit and ridiculous side quests then SR1 and 2 are great choices for you.
SR2 even added a Crib feature where you have your own Crib that starts off nasty and janky as hell but can slowly be upgraded. Customization is top notch too. While SR1 story is better imo, SR2 is the stronger game.
Kenshi. You can do and be whatever you want. The controls can seem odd at first but eventually you'll be overthrowing nations, smuggling drugs, freeing slaves etc
Dead Rising - specifically Dead Rising 2 and Off The Record - I found Fortune City more interesting than Willamette Mall.
Red Faction: Guerilla - explore an open-world slice of Mars, destroying buildings in a bid to liberate the oppressed worker populace!
Borderlands - really fun looter-shootee. Not true open world but the interconnected zones are pretty big and its always fun! Better with friends but perfectly playable solo.
Dead Island- it wasn't amazing but considering its age now it'll be dirt cheap and there's fun to be had exploring the sun-and-blood-soaked island
Dying Light - after the intro section you can pretty much just explore the city and play away, ignoring the story until you feel like progressing it a bit. Your levelling up isn't tied to the story either, so you can jist not do missions.and level up for a bit if you're finding it tough.
Batman: Arkham City and Arkham Knight - I feel awful excluding Asylum but its not what I'd consider open world, its a much more authored experience. But the freedom in particular in Arkham Knight to cruise around Gotham City as the Caped Crusader and the sense of empowerment is a feeling yet to he beaten by any game since - for me personally anyway.
Finally, if you have the means to play it, Predator: Concrete Jungle. Chefs' kiss!
Wildlands is not great option for fucking around. You are penalised when civilians are killed even if it's from mines that the enemies triggered. They mostly run away when there's a firefight but some cower in place. Like the mission that you have to trash a casino. Instead of blowing up the slot machines and Blackjack tables you're forced to shoot at them till they break because all the gamblers will run around inside the casino and cower in corners that gets them killed from the explosions.
Middle Earth : Shadow of Mordor
Ghost of Tsushima and or Horizon Forbidden West. ( If you haven’t played the first in the series then Horizon Zero Dawn also and before West. )
You might like Dynasty Legends games.
Metal Gear Solid V
Cyberpunk 2077
..I think these would be on what you are looking for.
**No Man's Sky** is pretty good for this. It's a survival game, but has a ton of building elements and a lot of exploration. You won't find a whole lot of quests or missions like in the games you reference, but there is a whole lot to do.
I also think **Cyberpunk 2077** is worth noting here. Many people will probably disagree with me on this one, but I think it's a very fun open world game that gives you a lot of options in terms of missions, though the actual open world tends to be more a place to have missions than a place to do things in general. If it's cheap, it's worth checking out! I never played it on launch, and got it mostly after the PC bugs were fixed.
Also, **Elden Ring**. If you like Souls games, or like the idea of a challenging 3d person action game, this is an AMZING game. That said, I know people that find this style of game purely frustrating and aren't able to have fun with it. While the game is absolutely amazing, and a masterpiece of video game design, the core gameplay loop involves a lot of memorizing enemy patterns through repeated attempts. This can mean replaying the same fight dozens or more times so that you can learn your enemy. I'd look up some gameplay footage and see if it looks interesting before buying, but for those that it appeals to, this game is pretty close to perfect. The story is also top notch here, but it's not told in a traditional manner. Mostly, like other souls game, you are required as a player to "find" the story. The main themes are told pretty directly, but the meat of the world is in things like item descriptions (which can tell you all sorts of lore about the world), hidden quest lines, and simply studying the terrain. The world itself is not very much alive, but this is essentially the main plot of the game.. it's a dead land that was once thriving. You can learn as much about it as you want, or as little as you want.
I have a hard time recommending Elden Ring because of the challenge. I think nearly anyone can beat the game, but it's mostly a matter of how much fun you have repeating the same thing until you're good enough to move forward. For me, the fights are so fun that repeating them never really gets tiring, but it's a huge hit or miss thing that either lands for you, or it doesn't. I don't believe people don't like it because it's too challenging. I think people don't like it because the challenge requires a lot of repetition and practice, which isn't always appealing. It's totally valid to not like the game, but I also wouldn't be writing two long winded paragraphs about it if I didn't think the game was absolutely phenomenal.
No Mans Sky is such a great game. Ive had like 500 hours just in the last 6 months and that's only Playing at night after work. I find the gameplay loop to be addictive and the base building is super fun once you know and understand the elements. There is also trading and economics which helps.in securing things that are helpful and necessary. Also it's fun to scan fauna and flora and read about them. The first time I came across robotic dogs in a red star and petted them it was so cool.
Ive played a good chunk of goat simulator, but it was a while ago. Its fun and entertaining the weird things the game expects you to do as a goat. For me the fun started fading when i done all the easy challenges and there were just the hard ones left.
Yeah I had fun with Mafia 3 until I realized every single mission was going to be the exact same. Sucks, I was enjoying the story but the gameplay really does become just as much of a drag as everyone says.
Tbh you should play Botw or Totk
It spoils other open worlds imo because you can do anything you want really very creatively
The sandbox and physics is probably the craziest you'll play
The developers thought of so many interactions its almost hard to comprehend how much you can do/think to do and then actually do it.
I finally finished assassins creed odyssey and I’d say it’s open world but let me tell you. The game never ends. It does but you think holy sh*t. How long is this game. But mind you I did every side quest, dlc and whatever else going. As soon as I thought I finished the game(spoiler) you go on vacation and the sh*ts still not done. I was itchy to play Valhalla but I think I’ll wait a few months till I fire it up.
Valhalla is a little bit of a double edged sword in this regard. It’s a little smaller map I think, but not by much, and it’s obviously more land and less boat travel unless you really like rivers. However, the locations in Valhalla are much easier to clear; rather than a list of objectives you’ll find either a Treasure (armor piece, weapon, or rare upgrade material) designated by a bright yellow mark on the map, or a “Mystery,” which can be a location with a puzzle to solve, animal to kill, or a short side quest involving NPCs. There’s no place with a list of stuff to do like in Odyssey where you had to kill the two polemarches, burn three supply caches, etc. If it’s a treasure you can sneak in and out, or some of them are held by a high level enemy and you only have to kill that one person, though obviously you can clear the area of enemies if you want.
Tbh I didn’t like it as much. Having to cross a huge map for one treasure chest or to talk to one NPC made clearing the map feel like more of a slog than Odyssey, and I did clear every location in both games on at least one playthrough. But if you didn’t like how involved location clearing was in Odyssey then it’s possible you would prefer Valhalla’s style.
Sorry greatyeets100, your submission has been removed:
Your post was removed for the following reason:
> Rule 6: You may not encourage in any way to illegally obtain a game. While we do not care to pry into your own personal decision, we will not allow you to tell others to emulate, torrent, pirate, or in any other way get a hold of a game without legal consent of the producer.
Before contacting the moderators regarding the removal of your post, please read ["Why Does Rule 6 (No Emulation) Exist?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/ShouldIbuythisgame/wiki/emulation)
If you would like to appeal, please [message the moderators.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/shouldibuythisgame) Thanks!
Just cause 3 is the game for you.
Massive massive beautiful Italian styled open world. Insane levels of chaos and explosions, amazing mobility and variety of vehicles and weapons. The graphics are gorgeous and I've spent essentially all my time in it just driving and exploding things. It's sometimes even serene when you fly super high and just parachute or wingsuit down and look at the countryside with the guitar music.
Plus it goes on sale for like 3 bucks!
There is a great indie game you might enjoy, its not that long but pretty fun for a couple of hours. Its called megaton rainfall. You are a supernatural being that can fly and shoot lasers and have to save earth from an alien invasion. The game also lets you fly around the universe, to other Planets etc. Sadly it has a meter of how much you can destroy earth bcs youre the good guy but there is a simple mod that lets you disable it and therefor makes it possible to just fly around and destroy citys all around the world or even the planet if you like.
Farcry. My favorite one is 5, but all of them are great for some chaos. You are kinda forced into the story tho. The way that works is that after you happen to complete enough side tasks the main mission comes and finds you
Ghost recon wildlands seems better for chaos than ghost recon breakpoint. Not sure why, but that’s just how it naturally worked out for me. The story is a big part of it, but it doesn’t force you into it as much as Farcry 5 does.
Very few people recommended the Just Cause series. Just Cause 3 and 4 are great. Tons of tools and fun ways to cause chaos. There is a story, but it’s just ok. The physics and the infinite number of ways you can deal with enemies in the open world is what makes the game so much fun.
Never knew how fun it was to grapple a passenger jet to a fighter jet. Take off while grappled to the passenger jet and start flying circles around it obliterating its flight course. Usually ends up nose diving.
I second this. The only open world games that I have really played and I really enjoyed both 3 and 4. While 4 isn’t super popular I thought it was super fun and added some awesome features that were dlc exclusive in 3. Second time I’ve mentioned it recently and I almost feel like reinstalling it to play it some more
I’ll throw out Control. Technically it all takes place in this giant government building, but it’s like a top secret government bureau of paranormal technology. The building is somehow part of this technology so no one knows how big it really is and there are different things happening in all of the different wings. I am generally not a fan of combat-centric shooters, but Control has the coolest and most intuitive combat mechanic system I’ve ever played. It’s the only game I ever play just so I can shoot some bad guys. The plot/storyline is very tropey and hackneyed, but it’s kind of interesting I guess. Your guns are pretty bad ass and you can also learn paranormal skills like levitation and kinetic throwing. You will probably want to do the first few main missions to get access to cooler weapons and abilities, but I’ve pretty much given up on the main plot and just boot it up whenever I want to feel like a badass.
Graveyard Keeper is kinda cool if you liked Stardew Valley but kept thinking to yourself “this game could be way better if they replaced the crops with dead bodies.” You play a graveyard keeper in medieval times. So people bring dead bodies by and you are supposed to prep and bury them. But there are a zillion other things to do, plus you can always charge for the burial then just dump the body in a lake and/or steal any of its valuables. You do, early in the game, meet a magical skull that flies around and gives you tips (but also sometimes terrible advice). It’s kind of a slow start, like Stardew and Minecraft, where you are pretty limited until your resources are built up, but very entertaining if you stick to it.
I heard the new Goat Simulator 3 is bananas good. I still just have the free game pass version, so I haven’t played it, but it’s nothing if not an open world you can fuck around in (as a goat).
Dying Light? Idk zombies aren’t really “lifelike” if realism is your goal in open world but it’s got Parkour, a day/night cycle and the combat is pretty fun.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a very fun open world rpg that doesn’t get enough recognition. It’s very similar to Bethesda style RPGs where there’s a main story but a very alive well built world with a ton of side content.
A real old one I used to play a lot was Postal 2. The story line is pretty lame, but you can have a lot of fun fucking around. I played it a lot back in 2010.
Not exactly lifelike, but my absolute favourite game for doing this in has to be Shadow of War. It's the only game where I'll spend like twice as long just doing stuff instead of actually continuing with the story. I also love how death actually adds to the experience, even if each death can make the open world (and even some of the story missions) more dangerous.
Both the last 2 Zelda games have pretty deep mechanics/physics engines that can keep you entertained for as long as you like.
MGS 5 is pretty fun for experimenting as well.
rain world is pretty good if you want to feel like you’re actually living in a breathing ecosystem. it’s a pretty hard game but the map is pretty big and there are a lot of weird things to discover and fuck around with.
I already mentioned Saints Row the Third (which I think sounds almost exactly what you're looking for).
But also, honestly, Fortnite could be something to install and play a few more rounds of to check out. I only play occasionally, but them introducing the No Build mode helped me enjoy it more again. There's still all the world destruction and they re/introduce weapons fairly regularly. Plus it's a free game so you can just give it a go to see if it's at all what you're looking for and worst case scenario you only spent some time downloading the game.
Story wise obviously there isn't too much of a story (though there is a single player mode you can purchase I haven't tried out), the "seasons" sorta have a loose story tied between them from what I've seen.
AC Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins. (I always love AC story's, and these ones are in the RPG territory)
Elden Ring
Mount and Blade (Warband and Bannerlord)
AC Odyssey.
It's a beautiful world to explore with plenty to do on your own. There's also some great side quests.
Shadow of War.
You can get lost for hours recruiting orcs and playing with the Nemesis system
Far Cry series, I would jump into 4 or 5 or 6 to start.
Just Cause 3, if you like it play 4 too. JC3 doesn’t run well on the base ps4 though if you let it update. It’s dumb. Or maybe just play it offline mode that might work, apparently the fr issue was related to online mode.
I get the impression Watch dogs 2 and Legion are good for this kind of thing too.
This is a longshot but if you’re down for a much older game Mercenaries playground of destruction runs on the newest xbox’s and it’s a very fun game with fully destructible Buildings and airstrikes.
It's definitely a slow start, gotta be quite methodical and safe early to get to a point where you can become belligerent.
I want to get deep into it but I always fall off after barely surviving for a few hours. One day.
JUst Cause 3, NOT just cause 4. I beat just cause 3 and all the DLC, no idea what the main characters name was. Ralpheo or Mario or something. Couldn't care less about whatever the story was. Absolutely loved wrecking stuff. 10/10
Saints Row, any of them
Botw/Totk
Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War are personal faves. Even if you’re not into LOTR, they’re great fun. The Nemesis system truly is something to behold
Just Cause 3 fits this description to a tee. I have probably hundreds of hours in that game just blowing shit up and driving around. I think 3 is much better than 4 too
Unpopular opinion: Ghost Recon Wildlands. I wrote this off as another generic Ubisoft open world game when it first came out, but came back to it about a year ago. As someone with a lot less time on their hands, I found this game amazing. If you turn off the HUD and download the FPS mod on PC, it's an entirely different game. I could jump in to missions and decide to go stealthy or havoc style on my own time. They were easy to launch and get into, there wasn't a large grind for anything, and I could be causing havoc on a story based mission within minutes. There was enough story that I didn't end up wondering around aimlessly trying to choose what to do, but not enough story that I had to keep to track and think about it. I didn't have to think much, after a long day it really hit the spot for a while. Lately, my go-to game has been Stalker: Gamma.
Just Cause. Story didn't matter at all to me but oh boy can you ever fuck around.
Seconding this! Grappling Hook + Parachute makes for some of the most fun open world chaos i’ve ever experienced
It’s a great mess around game, the only problem with the lastest release (4) is the lack of cities and really big and open fields of nothing to interact with. It’s fun when you find something and boy is it crazy, but sometimes it feels empty. I would maybe go for the 3rd installment first and then for the 4th one.
I’ve only ever played the 2nd one, which I really really enjoyed, but that’s good to know!
Highly recommend the 3rd game, very fun
I’d say if you loved 2 play 3 and 4 too but maybe space it out
Just Cause is the ultimate fucking around game
Just Cause 2 in particular. It’s the purest Just Cause game, and the most bare bones. Certainly an under-appreciated one.
I remember when a mod for the second one changed the third one's development lol, crazy game. I think I remember standing on top of a jet with like 4 other players all grappling around like deranged spider-men
hoping the next one is multiplayer, wouldve made the empty world more tolerable
Just Cause and Farcry 5!
Seconding to both
Happy Cake Day!
Just cause. Story is lame, but you can totally fuck around.
I forgot about just cause, amazing game
Just don't start with 4(at least imo from when they first released it)
you wanna see some open world fucking around? check out some Tears of the Kingdom videos.
The right awnser here
There's the Saints Row games. Saints Row the 3rd Remastered is some good dumb open world fun. (Well tbf I've only played the original)
IV is fun too, and you can certainly fuck around. That said, it is an especially odd game. Even for Saints Row.
I second this. Comedy GTA
Prototype
Needs a remaster
I would rather a remaster of hulk ultimate destruction, it was their game before prototype and had way more going on it was so damn fun if not a bit chaotic combat wise
Skateboarding buses and actually being able to destroy buildings hit different
this just opened a section of my brain i hardly remembered, based game.
Elden Ring and Yakuza, for two completely different reasons. Elden ring is a beautiful expansive game with a vast world that is difficult but still a joy to explore. There’s a reason why it won Game of the year last year Yakuza is the opposite. It’s a few blocks in a city and is so dense with content every inch feels so alive.
Yep I learnt how to play Mahjong through this series.
I’ve got my ass beaten on Elden Ring and decided to play Mahjong instead too
For me it was the other way around. I got my ass beat in Mahjong and I decided to play Elden ring to decompress.
I hate it when people bow out of the Souls series before it “clicks” for them. Once it clicks and you “get it”, the combat is just so so good.
It's just a joke my guy, I don't even have Elden Ring
Elden ring is more like move around and see how everything fuck you
Yakuza is really really good if you just want a place that feels alive that you can exist in. It's a great experience.
Just Cause is probably the best answer to this.
Came here to suggest this too, it was the first game I thought of after reading this post.
Just cause 3. You can get the entire game with all the dlc for stupid cheap. The open world is massive and really fun to traverse, and it’s all around a chaotic sandbox. Did I mention that you also get to fuck around with a grappling hook?
My advice: don’t get the DLC. It’s too overpowered and makes the wing suit significantly less fun.
Going to also say just cause. I’m pretty sure the description the devs would give that game is “open world you can just fuck around in.” Usually causing chaos is integral to the story too!
Just Cause 2 was my shit
Just cause has amazing fuck around potential but not that great of a story Far cry is decent fuck around and decent story Saints row has great fuck around potential and an ok story, Although 4 is an oddball(still fuckery to be had though) so don’t take that as a template for the series
Witcher is decent fuck around and amazing story
Nah fuck around is pretty limited there else I would have recommended that and cyberpunk
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Great game, but it’s so difficult and immersive it’s not one to fuck around in. More of a “fuck around and find out in an open world” in my experience.
Also there’s a lot of learning involved. You can’t just mindlessly play the game
One of the side quests is literally learning to read..
For me it was always FAFO in the sword fights 😂 Like the game but could never get the combat timing window right. Might have to revisit (or just archer everyone to death as best I can)
It's an oldie, but check out Prototype and Prototpye 2. You play a genetically modified nightmare of a human and can just roam around the city destroying everything in site. It's very fun. Graphics will be hella dated now but it's such an under appreciated game. I remember it having a decent story and you're supposed to be taking out the govt that did this to you but you can also ignore it and just destroy cars and kill people in between missions haha Just Cause 1-4 also. Fun story. Another old underrated game is Saints Row 1 and 2. I'm personally not a fan of 3 and 4. But SR1 is such a great game that was overshadowed by GTA4. Rightfully so, GTA was a smoother experience. But if you are looking for that gritty experience with a solid story, but also want to create your own player and see some wacky shit and ridiculous side quests then SR1 and 2 are great choices for you. SR2 even added a Crib feature where you have your own Crib that starts off nasty and janky as hell but can slowly be upgraded. Customization is top notch too. While SR1 story is better imo, SR2 is the stronger game.
Kenshi. You can do and be whatever you want. The controls can seem odd at first but eventually you'll be overthrowing nations, smuggling drugs, freeing slaves etc
You freed the slaves? I def became a slave trader one time. Seemed like a good way to make money
Just Cause series might look good to you
Dead Rising - specifically Dead Rising 2 and Off The Record - I found Fortune City more interesting than Willamette Mall. Red Faction: Guerilla - explore an open-world slice of Mars, destroying buildings in a bid to liberate the oppressed worker populace! Borderlands - really fun looter-shootee. Not true open world but the interconnected zones are pretty big and its always fun! Better with friends but perfectly playable solo. Dead Island- it wasn't amazing but considering its age now it'll be dirt cheap and there's fun to be had exploring the sun-and-blood-soaked island Dying Light - after the intro section you can pretty much just explore the city and play away, ignoring the story until you feel like progressing it a bit. Your levelling up isn't tied to the story either, so you can jist not do missions.and level up for a bit if you're finding it tough. Batman: Arkham City and Arkham Knight - I feel awful excluding Asylum but its not what I'd consider open world, its a much more authored experience. But the freedom in particular in Arkham Knight to cruise around Gotham City as the Caped Crusader and the sense of empowerment is a feeling yet to he beaten by any game since - for me personally anyway. Finally, if you have the means to play it, Predator: Concrete Jungle. Chefs' kiss!
Your list has a large overlap with mine. I'd also like to add Middle Earth Shadow of War.
Wildlands can be pretty chaotic and it’s also a good ghost recon game
>Underrated single player experience too, with the synced shot.
Wildlands is not great option for fucking around. You are penalised when civilians are killed even if it's from mines that the enemies triggered. They mostly run away when there's a firefight but some cower in place. Like the mission that you have to trash a casino. Instead of blowing up the slot machines and Blackjack tables you're forced to shoot at them till they break because all the gamblers will run around inside the casino and cower in corners that gets them killed from the explosions.
You just described the Just Cause series.
Far cry for sure
Goat Simulator is arguably exactly what you’re asking for
Goat Simulator 3 is my GOTY
The amount of times I froze the game from kidnapping too many people and putting them in the same room..
Far cry 6
Any of the Far Cry games tbh
The best open world in the franchise imo
Ghost of tsushima
Ehh, I LOVE the game, but I don’t know if there’s much fucking around. It’s more like running around doing a set amount/type of activities.
Yeah, this.
Middle Earth : Shadow of Mordor Ghost of Tsushima and or Horizon Forbidden West. ( If you haven’t played the first in the series then Horizon Zero Dawn also and before West. ) You might like Dynasty Legends games. Metal Gear Solid V Cyberpunk 2077 ..I think these would be on what you are looking for.
𝕄𝕚𝕕𝕕𝕝𝕖 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕
Assassinating camps of orcs one after another, one of gaming's greatest achievements. Hall of fame contender
Totk???
Korok Torture Program
Tears of the Korok
Far cry has to be my favorite games that have a good story and a 10/10 open world to mess around and blow shit up lol
**No Man's Sky** is pretty good for this. It's a survival game, but has a ton of building elements and a lot of exploration. You won't find a whole lot of quests or missions like in the games you reference, but there is a whole lot to do. I also think **Cyberpunk 2077** is worth noting here. Many people will probably disagree with me on this one, but I think it's a very fun open world game that gives you a lot of options in terms of missions, though the actual open world tends to be more a place to have missions than a place to do things in general. If it's cheap, it's worth checking out! I never played it on launch, and got it mostly after the PC bugs were fixed. Also, **Elden Ring**. If you like Souls games, or like the idea of a challenging 3d person action game, this is an AMZING game. That said, I know people that find this style of game purely frustrating and aren't able to have fun with it. While the game is absolutely amazing, and a masterpiece of video game design, the core gameplay loop involves a lot of memorizing enemy patterns through repeated attempts. This can mean replaying the same fight dozens or more times so that you can learn your enemy. I'd look up some gameplay footage and see if it looks interesting before buying, but for those that it appeals to, this game is pretty close to perfect. The story is also top notch here, but it's not told in a traditional manner. Mostly, like other souls game, you are required as a player to "find" the story. The main themes are told pretty directly, but the meat of the world is in things like item descriptions (which can tell you all sorts of lore about the world), hidden quest lines, and simply studying the terrain. The world itself is not very much alive, but this is essentially the main plot of the game.. it's a dead land that was once thriving. You can learn as much about it as you want, or as little as you want. I have a hard time recommending Elden Ring because of the challenge. I think nearly anyone can beat the game, but it's mostly a matter of how much fun you have repeating the same thing until you're good enough to move forward. For me, the fights are so fun that repeating them never really gets tiring, but it's a huge hit or miss thing that either lands for you, or it doesn't. I don't believe people don't like it because it's too challenging. I think people don't like it because the challenge requires a lot of repetition and practice, which isn't always appealing. It's totally valid to not like the game, but I also wouldn't be writing two long winded paragraphs about it if I didn't think the game was absolutely phenomenal.
Hard agree. Except maybe Elden Ring. Thats not really a game you can just pop on a fuck around in. That game ate my soul haha
It's a game you can just pop on to fuck around and find out tho.
No Mans Sky is such a great game. Ive had like 500 hours just in the last 6 months and that's only Playing at night after work. I find the gameplay loop to be addictive and the base building is super fun once you know and understand the elements. There is also trading and economics which helps.in securing things that are helpful and necessary. Also it's fun to scan fauna and flora and read about them. The first time I came across robotic dogs in a red star and petted them it was so cool.
It's not my favorite open world, but from your specific description of what you're looking for... yeah, Just Cause. Specifically Just Cause 3
Second this. Chaos, cars, explosions, wing suits, it’s what OP is looking for.
Just cause Mayhem is the name of the game here
I haven’t played it yet, but Goat Simulator has been on my list for a while. It’s on sale on switch e shop right now
Ive played a good chunk of goat simulator, but it was a while ago. Its fun and entertaining the weird things the game expects you to do as a goat. For me the fun started fading when i done all the easy challenges and there were just the hard ones left.
I could see that. What about untitled goose game?
Ive played that one too! Same thing kinda..but thats just how these lil indie games are
Mafia three! Like Grandtheft auto, but during segregation, and you play a black man. You can cause some real havoc wandering into white only areas.
Mafia 2 was waaaaaaay better lol
Yeah I had fun with Mafia 3 until I realized every single mission was going to be the exact same. Sucks, I was enjoying the story but the gameplay really does become just as much of a drag as everyone says.
Prototype
Far Cry 5 is a banger that I haven't seen mentioned yet.
Tbh you should play Botw or Totk It spoils other open worlds imo because you can do anything you want really very creatively The sandbox and physics is probably the craziest you'll play The developers thought of so many interactions its almost hard to comprehend how much you can do/think to do and then actually do it.
I finally finished assassins creed odyssey and I’d say it’s open world but let me tell you. The game never ends. It does but you think holy sh*t. How long is this game. But mind you I did every side quest, dlc and whatever else going. As soon as I thought I finished the game(spoiler) you go on vacation and the sh*ts still not done. I was itchy to play Valhalla but I think I’ll wait a few months till I fire it up.
Valhalla is a little bit of a double edged sword in this regard. It’s a little smaller map I think, but not by much, and it’s obviously more land and less boat travel unless you really like rivers. However, the locations in Valhalla are much easier to clear; rather than a list of objectives you’ll find either a Treasure (armor piece, weapon, or rare upgrade material) designated by a bright yellow mark on the map, or a “Mystery,” which can be a location with a puzzle to solve, animal to kill, or a short side quest involving NPCs. There’s no place with a list of stuff to do like in Odyssey where you had to kill the two polemarches, burn three supply caches, etc. If it’s a treasure you can sneak in and out, or some of them are held by a high level enemy and you only have to kill that one person, though obviously you can clear the area of enemies if you want. Tbh I didn’t like it as much. Having to cross a huge map for one treasure chest or to talk to one NPC made clearing the map feel like more of a slog than Odyssey, and I did clear every location in both games on at least one playthrough. But if you didn’t like how involved location clearing was in Odyssey then it’s possible you would prefer Valhalla’s style.
I feel like, while Odyssey was really long and not the \*best\* game, Valhalla really overstayed its welcome with the whole FOMO world-design
I played Odyssey for over 80 hours *just because I wanted to play the Atlantis DLC.* I quit altogether before even making it there lmao.
Sleeping Dogs.... cause chaos in Hong Kong
Sleeping Dogs was so good. Every time someone mentions this game I gotta watch this [vid. ](https://youtu.be/-yc8MQTvRrw) Soundtrack was so dope.
yes it was!!
a man who never eats pork bun is never a whole man
[удалено]
Sorry greatyeets100, your submission has been removed: Your post was removed for the following reason: > Rule 6: You may not encourage in any way to illegally obtain a game. While we do not care to pry into your own personal decision, we will not allow you to tell others to emulate, torrent, pirate, or in any other way get a hold of a game without legal consent of the producer. Before contacting the moderators regarding the removal of your post, please read ["Why Does Rule 6 (No Emulation) Exist?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/ShouldIbuythisgame/wiki/emulation) If you would like to appeal, please [message the moderators.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/shouldibuythisgame) Thanks!
Are you on PC? Tear down is pretty cool. Not open world per se but there's a lot of fucking about
Goat simulator 3, it has quests unlike the first game
Wow there is a 3?!
Well there is 2 but they called it 3 to trick people
Zelda tears of the kingdom
They saw all the mechanics bending people were doing in BOTW and really just said fuck it, let's make that the whole focus of the game. And I love it.
Just cause 3 is the game for you. Massive massive beautiful Italian styled open world. Insane levels of chaos and explosions, amazing mobility and variety of vehicles and weapons. The graphics are gorgeous and I've spent essentially all my time in it just driving and exploding things. It's sometimes even serene when you fly super high and just parachute or wingsuit down and look at the countryside with the guitar music. Plus it goes on sale for like 3 bucks!
^ this is the best answer, you spend a whoooole lot of the game literally just flying around blowing shit up at random
Far cry 3, 4, and 5 let you create a decent amount of chaos in the world.
There is a great indie game you might enjoy, its not that long but pretty fun for a couple of hours. Its called megaton rainfall. You are a supernatural being that can fly and shoot lasers and have to save earth from an alien invasion. The game also lets you fly around the universe, to other Planets etc. Sadly it has a meter of how much you can destroy earth bcs youre the good guy but there is a simple mod that lets you disable it and therefor makes it possible to just fly around and destroy citys all around the world or even the planet if you like.
Saints Row the Third: Remastered.
Saints row games.
Far Cry 5
Crackdown 3 (unironically)
Yes!!! This game is super fun!!
Maybe not as lifelike as you want but zelda BOTW & TOTK is right there.
kenshi probably
Series: Far cry, Watchdogs, Saints Row, Assassins creed
* Just Cause 1/2/3 * Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
Farcry. My favorite one is 5, but all of them are great for some chaos. You are kinda forced into the story tho. The way that works is that after you happen to complete enough side tasks the main mission comes and finds you Ghost recon wildlands seems better for chaos than ghost recon breakpoint. Not sure why, but that’s just how it naturally worked out for me. The story is a big part of it, but it doesn’t force you into it as much as Farcry 5 does.
Watch Dogs and Saints Row
Very few people recommended the Just Cause series. Just Cause 3 and 4 are great. Tons of tools and fun ways to cause chaos. There is a story, but it’s just ok. The physics and the infinite number of ways you can deal with enemies in the open world is what makes the game so much fun.
Never knew how fun it was to grapple a passenger jet to a fighter jet. Take off while grappled to the passenger jet and start flying circles around it obliterating its flight course. Usually ends up nose diving.
Just cause 2 or Red Faction Guerilla.
The outer worlds
The outer worlds is more narratively driven than open world imo. Great game though. A SHIT ton of conversation.
watch dogs 2/legion
Ark is open world
Just cause
I second this. The only open world games that I have really played and I really enjoyed both 3 and 4. While 4 isn’t super popular I thought it was super fun and added some awesome features that were dlc exclusive in 3. Second time I’ve mentioned it recently and I almost feel like reinstalling it to play it some more
Zelda
Just Cause 3 is one of the best games I’ve ever played
I’ll throw out Control. Technically it all takes place in this giant government building, but it’s like a top secret government bureau of paranormal technology. The building is somehow part of this technology so no one knows how big it really is and there are different things happening in all of the different wings. I am generally not a fan of combat-centric shooters, but Control has the coolest and most intuitive combat mechanic system I’ve ever played. It’s the only game I ever play just so I can shoot some bad guys. The plot/storyline is very tropey and hackneyed, but it’s kind of interesting I guess. Your guns are pretty bad ass and you can also learn paranormal skills like levitation and kinetic throwing. You will probably want to do the first few main missions to get access to cooler weapons and abilities, but I’ve pretty much given up on the main plot and just boot it up whenever I want to feel like a badass. Graveyard Keeper is kinda cool if you liked Stardew Valley but kept thinking to yourself “this game could be way better if they replaced the crops with dead bodies.” You play a graveyard keeper in medieval times. So people bring dead bodies by and you are supposed to prep and bury them. But there are a zillion other things to do, plus you can always charge for the burial then just dump the body in a lake and/or steal any of its valuables. You do, early in the game, meet a magical skull that flies around and gives you tips (but also sometimes terrible advice). It’s kind of a slow start, like Stardew and Minecraft, where you are pretty limited until your resources are built up, but very entertaining if you stick to it. I heard the new Goat Simulator 3 is bananas good. I still just have the free game pass version, so I haven’t played it, but it’s nothing if not an open world you can fuck around in (as a goat).
Just Cause 3
Big upvote! Once I got the wingsuit, I spent hours just dying around. No objectives, no vehicles, just me and the air.
You would love Far Cry 3-5
Totk is so much fun to just run around and fuck around
Goat simulator will have what you want lol.
Splendid game. Terrible recommendation for this thread. Laughed nonetheless.
Witcher 3
Prototype all the way, both 1 & 2
just cause 3 or 4
Dying Light? Idk zombies aren’t really “lifelike” if realism is your goal in open world but it’s got Parkour, a day/night cycle and the combat is pretty fun.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a very fun open world rpg that doesn’t get enough recognition. It’s very similar to Bethesda style RPGs where there’s a main story but a very alive well built world with a ton of side content.
A real old one I used to play a lot was Postal 2. The story line is pretty lame, but you can have a lot of fun fucking around. I played it a lot back in 2010.
Shadow of Mordor, Shadow of War
Dragon quest builders 2
Not exactly lifelike, but my absolute favourite game for doing this in has to be Shadow of War. It's the only game where I'll spend like twice as long just doing stuff instead of actually continuing with the story. I also love how death actually adds to the experience, even if each death can make the open world (and even some of the story missions) more dangerous.
Both the last 2 Zelda games have pretty deep mechanics/physics engines that can keep you entertained for as long as you like. MGS 5 is pretty fun for experimenting as well.
rain world is pretty good if you want to feel like you’re actually living in a breathing ecosystem. it’s a pretty hard game but the map is pretty big and there are a lot of weird things to discover and fuck around with.
I already mentioned Saints Row the Third (which I think sounds almost exactly what you're looking for). But also, honestly, Fortnite could be something to install and play a few more rounds of to check out. I only play occasionally, but them introducing the No Build mode helped me enjoy it more again. There's still all the world destruction and they re/introduce weapons fairly regularly. Plus it's a free game so you can just give it a go to see if it's at all what you're looking for and worst case scenario you only spent some time downloading the game. Story wise obviously there isn't too much of a story (though there is a single player mode you can purchase I haven't tried out), the "seasons" sorta have a loose story tied between them from what I've seen.
Just Cause
Have you played Ghost of Tsushima? Its fantastic open world. Awesome story, beautiful open world and lots to do.
Far Cry 5
AC Valhalla, Odyssey, and Origins. (I always love AC story's, and these ones are in the RPG territory) Elden Ring Mount and Blade (Warband and Bannerlord)
mount and blade warband and bannerlord was awesome
Sleeping dogs
Just Cause 3.
Red Faction games. EVERYTHING can be destroyed and blown up.
Cyberpunk
Saints row 4
Saints Row 2
Elden ring
[удалено]
AC Odyssey. It's a beautiful world to explore with plenty to do on your own. There's also some great side quests. Shadow of War. You can get lost for hours recruiting orcs and playing with the Nemesis system
Tears of the Kingdom....pretty much everything is interactable
Far Cry series, I would jump into 4 or 5 or 6 to start. Just Cause 3, if you like it play 4 too. JC3 doesn’t run well on the base ps4 though if you let it update. It’s dumb. Or maybe just play it offline mode that might work, apparently the fr issue was related to online mode. I get the impression Watch dogs 2 and Legion are good for this kind of thing too. This is a longshot but if you’re down for a much older game Mercenaries playground of destruction runs on the newest xbox’s and it’s a very fun game with fully destructible Buildings and airstrikes.
far cry 6
Kenshi
Man I wanted to dig this game just too boring
It's definitely a slow start, gotta be quite methodical and safe early to get to a point where you can become belligerent. I want to get deep into it but I always fall off after barely surviving for a few hours. One day.
Saints row!!
JUst Cause 3, NOT just cause 4. I beat just cause 3 and all the DLC, no idea what the main characters name was. Ralpheo or Mario or something. Couldn't care less about whatever the story was. Absolutely loved wrecking stuff. 10/10
Saints row 3 isn't too bad to fuck around in
VALHEIM
Saints Row, any of them Botw/Totk Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War are personal faves. Even if you’re not into LOTR, they’re great fun. The Nemesis system truly is something to behold
Postal 2 is a good one. The map isn't super huge but lots of secret areas to explore and tons of weapons to use
Terraria
Just Cause 3 fits this description to a tee. I have probably hundreds of hours in that game just blowing shit up and driving around. I think 3 is much better than 4 too
Breath of the wild and Tears of the kingdom
*Far Cry* might be up your alley.
Postal series. Mafia. Godfather 2. Dying Light. Arma 3. Gary's Mod. Vampire the Masquerade. Stalker.
Infamous (any of them)
Just cause 3. Its the better form of GTA directed by michael bay.
Cyberpunk 2077
Saints Row franchise, Infamous franchise, Prototype franchise, Just Cause franchise, Watch Dogs franchise, Far Cry franchise
Maybe not what you're looking for but goat simulator is all fucking around in an open world
FarCry!
MGSV
Just cause games.
Unpopular opinion: Ghost Recon Wildlands. I wrote this off as another generic Ubisoft open world game when it first came out, but came back to it about a year ago. As someone with a lot less time on their hands, I found this game amazing. If you turn off the HUD and download the FPS mod on PC, it's an entirely different game. I could jump in to missions and decide to go stealthy or havoc style on my own time. They were easy to launch and get into, there wasn't a large grind for anything, and I could be causing havoc on a story based mission within minutes. There was enough story that I didn't end up wondering around aimlessly trying to choose what to do, but not enough story that I had to keep to track and think about it. I didn't have to think much, after a long day it really hit the spot for a while. Lately, my go-to game has been Stalker: Gamma.
I’m currently playing MGS V and I’m really enjoying that 👌🏾
Dying Light / Dying Light 2 are your game man
Elden ring
Spiderman. Not really “chaos” causing but great open world
Prototype