If designed correctly, open world games should feel like settings where you can head off in any direction, play however you like, and the game will accommodate you at every turn.
There should be loads of things to do beyond the main story, lots of interactive elements that make the world a joy to exist in, and a wealth of side content that rivals the quality of the main story.
However, there are quite a few games out there that are indisputably open worlds, but somehow end up feeling like more streamlined and linear adventures where you can never stray too far from the path to the finish line.
This might suit some people and might aggravate others. But whether this list serves as a recommendation list or a series of warnings, these games don’t quite feel as open as most other games in the genre.
8 L.A. Noire
Press X To Doubt
LA Noire
Action Adventure
Released May 17, 2011 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence Developer(s) Team Bondi Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Engine havok Platform(s) PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Switch, PC Powered by
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It’s probably surprising to see a Rockstar game occupying a space, as the developer is widely regarded as the king of open-world sandbox design. However, L.A. Noire is definitely the black sheep of the Rockstar family.
The game is very focused on the main story and is segmented into various cases. You will need to search for clues, interrogate potential suspects, and, naturally, use that state-issued firearm.
But, when off-the-beat, the open-world gameplay is pretty drab, feeling like a paint-by-numbers imitation of games like Mafia and GTA. The driving is awkward, the world feels largely empty, and while the setting is neat to look at, there isn’t much that keeps you coming back for more.
This means players will naturally bomb through the main story, and quite frankly, doing anything else would make the game more tedious than it needs to be.
7 Infamous: Second Son
Great Traversal, Dull World
inFAMOUS Second Son
Action Adventure
OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg:82/100 Critics Rec:78% 8.5/ 10
Released March 21, 2014 ESRB T For Teen due to Blood, Drug Reference, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence Developer(s) Sucker Punch Publisher(s) Sony Engine Havok Engine Franchise Infamous Platform(s) PlayStation 4 How Long To Beat 10 Hours OpenCritic Rating Strong PS Plus Availability Extra & Premium How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs) 22 Hours Powered by
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I’ve always considered Infamous as a series to be one of the more underrated properties in gaming, as Cole McGrath’s two outings were the stuff of legend. However, Second Son, and by extension, Last Light, are far from that standard.
Don’t get me wrong, Second Son is a fun game, with satisfying traversal, tight combat, and a passable story to facilitate the action. However, the issue is that the open-world aspects are rather dull, and this leads to players being funnelled through a rather lukewarm story.
The story is nothing to write home about; the main character is a hard pill to swallow, and the only thing players can distract themselves from is a series of glorified collect-a-thons dotted around the city.
Plus, your powers are gated behind story progression, as are various zones of the map. So you’ll always feel like you need to engage with the plot just to have a character that feels satisfying to play as.
6 Hogwarts Legacy
Hollow Beyond Hogwarts
Hogwarts Legacy
Action RPG
OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg:84/100 Critics Rec:88% 7/ 10
Released February 10, 2023 ESRB T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol Developer(s) Avalanche Software Publisher(s) Warner Bros. Interactive Engine Unreal Engine 4 Cross-Platform Play Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t have crossplay or crossplatform support Cross Save you can freely use your saved data between each console as long as you are connected to the internet and signed into the same account where the saved data was created Franchise Harry Potter Number of Players Single-player Steam Deck Compatibility Verified PC Release Date February 10, 2023 Xbox Series X|S Release Date February 10, 2023 PS5 Release Date February 10, 2023 Nintendo Switch Release Date November 14, 2023 Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date June 5, 2025 Platform(s) PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC How Long To Beat 26 Hours X|S Optimized yes Metascore 84 PS Plus Availability N/A OpenCritic Rating Mighty Wiki
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I have a bit of a complicated relationship with Hogwarts Legacy, mainly because I loved what the initial ten hours had to offer, and then loathed everything that came after.
This ties into this topic nicely, as this keen sense of wonder, discovery, and exploration fades from existence as soon as the game lets you off the leash in the open world beyond the grounds of Hogwarts, which is a pretty dull, barren wasteland by comparison.
This leads players to stick to the school grounds and push onward with the main story. Plus, the level-gating in this game further negates player freedom.
Areas will be inaccessible due to the power of enemies, yet you still need to level up to access level-gated story missions. Which essentially leads to you tackling tasks and odd-jobs in the exact order the game wants you to.
Essentially, it’s the illusion of freedom and choice in this open world, and even if you were free, there isn’t much to see outside of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade anyway.
5 Horizon Zero Dawn
Who Needs Mechanical Flowers?
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Action RPG
OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg:89/100 Critics Rec:94% 9.1/ 10
Released February 28, 2017 ESRB T for Teen: Blood, Drug Reference, Language, Mild Sexual Themes, Violence Developer(s) Guerrilla Games Publisher(s) Sony Engine Decima Franchise Horizon Platform(s) PS4, PC How Long To Beat 30 Hours Metascore 89 PS Plus Availability Extra & Premium OpenCritic Rating Mighty Wiki
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Horizon Zero Dawn is an incredible game with a rich narrative packed with twists and turns, and features a post-apocalyptic setting with a difference. However, despite this solid foundation to build upon, the open-world framework is still a little lacking.
When you are engaging with the main story in order and simply moving from one mission to the next, the game plays like a dream. However, you can always feel the developer’s hand on your back.
Yet, when you try to regain your agency and simply explore and exist in the world around you, you’ll find that it’s all a little bit stale.
There are some highlights, like the hunting lodge trials, but generally, the exploration mainly consists of heading to map markers, doing a bit of busywork, and getting a lackluster reward as a result.
The side content is decent if you want to extend your playtime after the credits roll, but it’s nothing all that interesting compared to the linear story missions.
4 Borderlands
I Feel Clap Trapped
Borderlands
Action RPG FPS
OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg:77/100 Critics Rec:88%
Released October 20, 2009 ESRB m Developer(s) Gearbox Software Publisher(s) 2K Games, Feral Interactive Engine Unreal Engine 3 Multiplayer Local Multiplayer Franchise Borderlands Platform(s) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC How Long To Beat 23 Hours OpenCritic Rating Strong Powered by
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This is a bit of a wildcard, as many would consider Borderlands as a series to be Semi-Open-World, but allow me this one.
Borderlands is a series that has always given the players a chaotic playground to mess around in, dropping you into Pandora, giving you a stack of firearms, and asking you to fend for yourself against the psychos.
This aspect is great, and the game is jam-packed full of random drops, worthwhile side-quests, and awesome DLC. So, you may be wondering how this game ends up on the list.
Well, the simple fact of the matter is that the game segments a lot of the key areas, locking them behind story progression, meaning that you only really have access to a handful of tasks at any one time, rather than complete freedom to explore the world as you please.
You always feel like you’re in a perpetual loop of going to a marker, killing a boss, turning in a quest, and moving onto the next task. Which, to me, is about as linear as it gets.
3 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Linear Design Lingers
Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain
Stealth Action-AdventureShooter Adventure
OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg:93/100 Critics Rec:99%
Released September 1, 2015 ESRB m Developer(s) Konami, Kojima Productions Publisher(s) Konami Engine Fox Engine Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Prequel(s) Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004), Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Platform(s) PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows How Long To Beat 46 hours OpenCritic Rating Mighty Powered by
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I suppose this comes as no surprise, as the other games in the series were very linear experiences, but MGS5, despite being an open-world game, certainly retains a lot of that linear DNA.
Missions are never really discovered so much as triggered in this game, and they all feel like curated sandboxes rather than areas you happen upon like in other open worlds.
This then leads to a very rigid and linear mission structure, where you constantly finish one and routinely move onto the next. There’s always a clear beginning and end, with a short period to head back to base in between.
Sure, you can roam around and explore two unique maps, and there’s some interesting stuff to be found by doing so. But the real meat on the bone is the mission progression, and exploring the world won’t push you further along.
2 Assassin's Creed Shadows
Stay in the Safe Zone
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Action Stealth RPG
OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg:82/100 Critics Rec:83%
Released March 20, 2025 ESRB Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language Developer(s) Ubisoft Quebec Publisher(s) Ubisoft Engine AnvilNext Franchise Assassin's Creed Number of Players 1 Steam Deck Compatibility Unknown PC Release Date March 20, 2025 Xbox Series X|S Release Date March 20, 2025 PS5 Release Date March 20, 2025 Platform(s) PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC OpenCritic Rating Strong X|S Optimized Yes Powered by
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Assassin’s Creed has really changed a lot ever since the release of Origins, a game that promised players a vast open world that they were free to explore at their leisure. Which has led to every game in the series thereafter more or less using this framework.
But, while you can explore the world in full right from the start of these games, it’s a bit of a fool’s errand, and that remains the case in AC Shadows.
You see, level-gating is aggressive in this game, and if you stray outside the zone that the game wants you to work within, you’ll likely get killed in one hit from a grunt enemy.
It means that you need to stick to a very small area and work from there to conquer the map, which will be satisfying to some and constraining to others.
Couple this with the horse travel which usually leads to you climbing mountains or weaving through thickets of bamboo for what feels like an eternity, and the rather cookie-cutter side content, and you have a game that is best played for the main story content alone, and in the order the game all but demands you play.
1 Ghost of Tsushima
Keeps You Penned In
Ghosts of Tsushima
Action Adventure
OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg:84/100 Critics Rec:88%
Released July 17, 2020 ESRB m Developer(s) Sucker Punch Publisher(s) Sony Engine Proprietary Engine Platform(s) PS4, PS5 OpenCritic Rating Mighty Powered by
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If we are mentioning AC Shadows, we have to drop Ghost of Tsushima in here too, as the issues that lead to this game feeling linear are more or less the same. Which, is hardly a coincidence considering the other similarities at play here.
Admittedly, there is more worthwhile side content to seek out in Ghost of Tsushima, as some of the side quests and duels serve as the game’s highlights.
However, the game’s overall design always keeps you penned in, working within a safe zone due to the level-gating at play.
This means that you get to the content when the game decides, which ensures that the whole experience feels curated rather than emergent, going against the open-world mantra.
It’s definitely the more palatable of the two where GoT and AC Shadows are concerned, but it’s just as unwilling to truly let you off the leash.
