From the outside looking in, any casual gaming fan would assume that,to make an open-world game, you would need hundreds of employees and endless funds to create something of that scope and scale.
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However, as with just about any genre in the gaming industry, there are teams and studios that punch well above their weight tooffer AA games with AAA appeal.
These studios have created vast open worlds with rich lore, amazing stories to tell, and a wealth of content for players to dive into, and in some cases, have put some AAA open worlds to shame.
So, we want to take a moment to give these AA projects their time in the spotlight, and inevitably add more games to your ever-growing backlog.
10Maneater
Jaws Theme Intensifies
Ever wanted to play a video game adaption of the classic movie, Jaws? Well, Maneater is about the closest thing you’ll ever get to that, and it’s a vengeance-fuelled bloodbath.
Cut from the belly of your Megalodon mother, you, a lowly minnow, must explore the coastal shores and beyond, grow into a fearsome beast of the deep blue sea, and then exact revenge on the nasty fisherman that would happily make you into a seafood scramble.
It’s a game that offers underwater combat and exploration that bucks the trend of other games and actually doesn’t suck. Plus, the sense of rewarding progression is excellent throughout, as is the slapstick and over-the-top carnage you can cause.
It’s relatively short, so as not to overstay its welcome, but it’s well worth checking out if you’re on the hunt for some cathartic and somewhat cartoonish violence.
9Conan Exiles
Conquer The Exiled Lands
Conan Exiles
Conan the Barbarian as a franchise is mainly known for a few rather mediocre Arnold Swartzeneger movies from back in the day, as most other forms of Conan media are of pretty niche interest.
However, Funcom aimed to change this by using the franchise as a way to deliver an incredibleopen-world survival sandboxsteeped in lore and intrigue. Which, as you might have guessed, they managed with aplomb.
The progression from a survivor with nothing but a rag covering their unmentionables to a warrior slaying mythical beings is a deeply satisfying experience, and this only gets better if you embrace the PvP and co-op functionality the game has to offer.
It’s a game that’s a little hard to get into due to the deep systems, and the wealth of updates and DLC content. But the time investment is worth it, as this is a truly underrated survival gem.
8Greedfall
Looks Can Be Deceiving
Despite the fact that most of Spyder’s games look like they are about a generation behind graphically, if you’re willing to overlook that, they tend to pump out a steady stream of ARPGs that are a blast to play.
Greedfall is no exception, offering an interesting rural setting, dynamic, fast-paced, and varied combat, and an open world that has loads of content to be getting on with.
It’s a little bit Dragon Age and a little bit Assassin’s Creed, never quite hitting the highs of those that inspire it, but doing a pretty respectable tribute.
It looks like Greedfall 2 is set to have a host of the same issues its predecessor had based on early-access first impressions, but hopefully, much like the original, it’s a game that is worth overlooking the clunky parts.
7Ghostwire Tokyo
The Demon In Me
Ghostwire: Tokyo
Perhaps it’s the Ubisoftification of open-world games over the years that deterred many from Ghostwire Tokyo. Or perhaps it was the surreal themes and inherent weirdness courtesy of its creator, Shinji Makami. However, no matter why you swerved this one, you made the wrong choice.
This is a game with incredible visuals that invites you to explore an imaginative, paranormal depiction of Tokyo, teeming with intriguing stories and quests. Plus, this game employs some of the finest sorcery-based combat systems of the era.
The narrative is trippy and a little hard to get your head around, but aside from this, Ghostwire Tokyo is a fantastic open-world game. Sure, if you boil It down, it’s your typical ‘clear the map markers’ busywork game we’ve seen before.
But, they’re popular for a reason, and this one is one of the most unique examples. So, even if you do have intense open-world fatigue, this one is still worth a try.
6The Witness
Puzzling On Your Terms
The Witness
When it comes to iconic puzzle games,perhaps aside from Tetris or Portal, there are not many that can match the sheer quality and excellence found in The Witness.
Due to the brilliance and demanding nature of each individual puzzle, it’s very easy to get hung up on the puzzle design and forget that this game is an open-world game.
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Players are free to explore the island and engage with puzzles in whatever order they wish, which allows players to leave a puzzle they are stuck on, progress another path, and come back later with a fresh mindset.
It’s this focus on emergent gameplay that makes Johnathan Blow’s games such a blast to play, and while The Talos Principle would have also been in with a shout here, we think The Witness is their magnum opus.
Putting Game Freak To Shame
I’ll be the first to admit that when Palworld was on the cusp of launch, I was very skeptical as to whether this game would even achieve moderate success. The whole ‘Pokemon with guns’ seemed like a pretty threadbare gimmick from the outside looking in. But when I got hands-on with this one, I was ready to admit I was wrong.
The game offers a vast open-world survival sandbox where players can build bases, capture pals, and use said pals to battle and explore the wider world. With an array of mounts, base-building mechanics, and secrets to discover, Palworld is a game that will keep you on the hook for hours on end.
Plus, because the game is still in EA, it means that updates are still coming thick and fast, meaning there is always an excuse to go back to this wonderful Pokemon rival.
It’s a better Pokemon game than Game Freak has produced in years, and there’s not a Pokemon in sight. At least, not until the lawsuit is settled and the courts have their say…
4Sleeping Dogs
Don’t Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Sleeping Dogs
I’m a sucker for a good GTA clone. Whether it’s something stupid like Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip, or a genuine rival like Saint’s Row, I have a lot of time for them all. But, I would argue that Sleeping Dogs might be one of, if not the best.
The game offers a happy middle ground between GTA, Yakuza, and the True Crime series, leaning heavily into unarmed martial arts as its primary form of combat to stand out from the crowd but still offering a wealth of mini-games, fun quests, and sandbox exploration to sate GTA fans.
Plus, the narrative focused on the seedy underbelly of Hong Kong, where you play as an undercover cop, is riveting.
Calling this game an underrated gem is such well-trodden ground that it’s probably not all that underrated anymore, but it’s still perhaps more niche than it should be. So, if you’re a GTA fan and want something similar, this is a great alternative.
3Dying Light
Shoot ‘Em In The Head
Dying Light
When the first Dying Light hit the shelves, it’s fair to say that almost everyone was fatigued by the influx of zombie-related media, and wasn’t all that keen to see another zombie-driven game come to the fore.
But that’s what makes the success of Dying Light all the more magnificent because it needed to be a game that took a lot of risks to stand out and be noticed, and my goodness, didn’t we all notice?
The game’s incredible use of a day-and-night cycle led to some of the most exhilarating gameplay imaginable. The world and the narrative within were packed with thrilling moments, and the parkour-focused traversal was deeply satisfying.
Sure, it was a little bit wonky in spots, and the writing was a little bit flat in spells. But all in all, Dying Light is a modern zombie game that shows that zombies, no matter how played out as a narrative device, will always be relevant.
2No Man’s Sky
The Ultimate Comeback Story
No Man’s Sky
As one of the most ludicrously hyped games in history, it’s easy to mistake No Man’s Sky for an AAA project when, in fact, it was an AA game that was backed to the hilt by Sony and other mainstream media. Which is perhaps why its launch was such a car crash.
It took a while for the game to repair its reputation and make No Man’s Sky the game it always had the potential to be, but now, it’s not only the biggest open world in existence. It’s one that actually has a lot of substance to it as well.
With rewarding exploration, base-building, crafting, multiplayer features, and so much more, No Man’s Sky is now the intergalactic epic we all dreamed of almost a decade ago.
It may still be a little too sparse for some, and others may still be bitter after being burned on launch. But I urge you to give it another shot, as it’s a stellar interstellar game that is well worth the price of admission.
1Fallout New Vegas
With The Big Iron On His Hip
Fallout: New Vegas
‘But Bethesda is a AAA company. Why are you being such an idiot, idiot?’ Hold on a minute, pitchforks down. Come with me on this one.
While Bethesda is a AAA company and Fallout is one of the biggest franchises on earth, Obsidian at the time was a small fish. A small fish with a near-impossible task to accomplish.
With an incredibly truncated development period, and the burden of being forced to work with Bethesda’s very dated creation engine, they did the unthinkable and produced a Fallout game many fans still consider the best of the bunch. Myself included.
The game is truer to the source material than Bethesda has ever been, the RPG systems are more refined, the setting is more zany and fun, and the faction system is inspired. It’s just the full package, and its existence is a small miracle.
The jury is still out on whether Avowedeven comes close to being an Elder Scrolls rival, but one thing is for sure. Obsidian left their mark on the Fallout series.
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