Far Cry 5 is almost upon us and it’s a game I have been eagerly anticipating since it was announced. I love the Far Cry games and what has always made them stand out for me are the enormous and detailed open worlds Ubisoft manages to craft every time. In celebration of Far Cry 5’s release, here’s a list of the best 5 Open World games available on current generation consoles. While none of them share Far Cry’s combination of FPS and emergent gameplay, all of them give you a great big open sandbox to play around in and the freedom to do what you want.
1.The Witcher 3 – A full three years after its release and nothing even comes close to The Witcher 3 as far as world building goes. Geralt of Rivia’s third outing sees him unleashed on a sprawling world with all the freedom to do anything you, the player, want – which is usually everything other than finishing the main quest line. The world feels complete and lived in in a way few others do.
2. Grand Theft Auto V – GTA V is the oldest game on this list having been released towards the end of the previous console generation. Still, Los Santos remains a great achievement in open world gaming with an incredible level of detail woven throughout the city and its surroundings. It’s a pleasure simply to grab a car and drive around, looking for mayhem. Rockstar has long been a pioneer of open world emergent gameplay so it’s exciting to see what they come up with next with Red Dead Redemption 2 due for release later this year.
3. Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Breath of the Wild is a little different from the other games on this list in that its huge world seems oddly empty at first glance. It’s filled with monsters and majestic chunks of scenery but it doesn’t have the dense population of NPCs that other games do. This fits in perfectly with the story and the world gradually reveals more and more of itself as you come across the towns, outposts and shrines scattered across it. It’s a game all about exploration and its minimalist world somehow works to pull you deeper into its mysteries.
4. Assassin’s Creed: Origins – Ubisoft’s other big open world series has never been scared to go big and Assassin’s Creed Origins goes huge with a stunning recreation of ancient Egypt. Widely considered a return to form for the series, Origins’ world is beautiful and as always, filled with an impressive mix of things to do.
5. Horizon Zero Dawn – One of the best reasons to own a PS4 is because of exclusives like Horizon Zero Dawn. Set in a future world populated by violent machines and humans reduced to tribal cultures, Horizon Zero Dawn delivers an impressively varied and gorgeous environment. It’s a place you’d want to visit in real life, if not for all the murderous robots.
Of course, this is nowhere near an exhaustive list, and I could spend all day listing honourable mentions. Will Far Cry 5 be edging its way into the top 5 in a matter of days? I’m looking forward to finding out.
