There is something aboutopen worldgames that just fuel a sense of exploration and adventure that linear games can’t even compare to. However, that doesn’t mean there’s a unanimous audience for these games – since, for some, these games aretoobig.
Exploration is one of the most fun components inadventuregames, and thankfully, some games manage to incorporate this adventure without having a map larger than the game itself.
10 Best Open World Stealth Games
Explore the world from the shadows.
These games aren’t quite linear, but they aren’t outright open world either. These games, dubbed semi-open world, offer a vast world to look around and soak in, but not so large that players will become lost or overwhelmed.
These semi-open world games are the perfect goldilocks of adventure for players who want to stay on track, but want to go off the beaten path every once in a while.
10Dragon Age: Inquisition
Large Regions Feel Like an Open World
Dragon Age: Inquisition
TheDragon Agegames are some of the most infamous in theRPGsphere, withDragon Age: Inquisitionin particular being one of the best in the franchise. It wasGame of the Year in 2014, after all, often referred to as one ofBioWare’sgreatest hits.
Dragon Age: Inquisitionisn’t an open world in the traditional sense, as it’s not one massive world where players can go anywhere.The map is connected by several large regionsthat players are able to explore in the two different countries that the game takes place in.
Players aren’t able to run around doing whatever they want in whatever order they want, as there is an overall structure in each area (and in themassive main story).
Instead of being able to travel between cities, each region is more of a true, lived-in RPG that’s rich in opportunity,one that’s cozy enoughfor players to revisit again and again.
While many players will consider it an open world at first glance, it’s not until you play that you realize that the formula is just different enough to not qualify. This formula simply keeps the adventure contained.
9Metro Exodus
Only Some Levels Are Open World
Metro Exodus
After splitting from theS.T.A.L.K.E.R.development team,4A Gamesutilized theirpost-apocalypticinspiration to create a new horror series,Metro, withMetro Exodusbeingconsidered the best in the franchiseby far.
Metro Exodusis a semi-open world in the purest sense, withsome levels (six specifically) being strictly linear, and others being openand able to be explored.
Plus, as it switched to a survival shooter rather than horror, it ended upreinventing the entire franchisewith its grim depictions of staying alive.
In the open world areas, your gun is your lifeline, and every single bullet in your arsenal is assigned with a sewer rat’s name, so it’s important to keep your weapons in top shape.
This isn’t even considering how you’re able to make the game significantly harder with theRanger Hardcore Full Dive mode, an insane setting for an insane survival experience.
This is an excellent game for those who want heavily linear storytelling, with ample amount of exploration to make up for the lost time.
8Dishonored 2
Individual Maps are Individual “Worlds”
Dishonored 2
TheDishonoredgames are a unique approach tobeing a stealthy assassin, withDishonored 2hosting different levels providing different maps for players – and these areas can be explored, but only within this level.
The maps, firstly, arefar more vertical, with yousneaking (or fighting) throughdifferent apartment buildings and working your way up multiple stories.
Thesestealth missionsare dense, immersive, and fun in every moment of gameplay, regardless of how the player approaches the level.
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These worlds are fun to explore, but you don’t have to get lost in them.
That said, you can only truly explore while in the area, unable to backtrack or skip ahead like what you would be able to in traditional open world games.
Thesteampunk world of Dunwallis full of secrets to uncover, but players will only be able to find them in their designated spots, not while out and about.
So, forthe series' beginners(and in the stealth genre as a whole), just keep in mind that once you progress, that’s it – so do everything you want to do before you move on.
7Like a Dragon/Yakuza Series
Confined to Inner Tokyo
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
While it is easy to think that theYakuza/Like a Dragonseries are open-world games, most of them actually aren’t. The games are semi-open, keeping players confined to Tokyo – mostly, in theKamurochō District(which is supposed to be based onthe real location of Kabukichō).
And as someone who has actually been to Tokyo (including Kabukichō), it’s identical, even down to the constant chorus ofDon Quijoteplaying on the loudspeakers. TheYakuzadevelopers, clearly, know what they’re doing when it comes torepresenting Japan.
The world design is just excellent in these games, and considering how massive Tokyo is,it leaves tons of time for free-reign exploration.
Thankfully, though, you’re not going through the entirety of Tokyo, because that’s something you’ll need several months to dedicate your time to. For reference, I was there for a week, and I didn’t even get to experience a full 1 percent of the city in that timeframe. It’s gargantuan.
Because of the game’s story, characters, setting, and literally everything else surrounding it, it’s ideal to play the games in theirnative language of Japanese, to really make players feel like they’re walking through the alleys of Tokyo.
That is, until you get up to some absolutely insane wacky hijinks, and then you remember you’re playing aYakuzagame.
6Thief (2014)
Chapter-Based Open World
Stealing, obviously, is wrong, and illegal to do literally everywhere – which is probably why theThiefgames are as popular and beloved as they are, allowing players to indulge in the sticky finger taboo.
You play asGarett, a master sneak thief, as he gets roped up in a situation that’s larger than himself – but he still has rent to pay, after all.
You end up breaking into all kinds of homes, businesses, and other establishments andloot everythingthat isn’t nailed down, with greater upgrades and rewards the more money you accumulate.
The only thing to consider is that this isn’t a traditionalopen world stealth game, as it’s not fully open world. Rather,the world is open during each chapter, locking players out once they choose to progress forward.
For example, this means if a player progresses to chapter 3, they will not be able to backtrack to reap any of the benefits of chapter 2, forcing players to be thorough immediately.
That being said, you can take as much time as you want in each chapter, and even in some missions within those chapters. Players just have to be attentive to their surroundings and exploit every opportunity that they’re presented with.
5Tomb Raider (2013)
Linear with Open Exploration
Tomb Raider
The 2013 reboot ofTomb Raiderdid more than justsuccessfully revive the franchise, but it also brought so much more exploration than the classic games could manage.
The game (as well as the rest of the reboot trilogy) is incredibly linear, with the iconic protagonistLara Croftwrecking onto the island ofYamatai, which is discovered to be a lost kingdom of Feudal Japan.
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As you explore and try tokeep yourself from dying around every corner, you learn the secrets of the land, and watch as Lara slowly shifts into the Tomb Raider we all know and love.
There is one additional treat, too –after you beat the game, the map becomes fully openand explorable, so you can gather all the collectibles you want to hunt down. It’s similar toArkham Asylumin that regard.
4Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Free Reign Exploration of Favourite Planets
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
On the one hand, the officialStar Warssite claims thatStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicis an open-world game (the first in all theStar Warsgames, actually) – but once you sit down and actually play it, you’ll realize that the open world is … not really open.
It’s better to approach the game with the understanding that it’s an incrediblystory-driven CRPG, butit offers so much free-reign exploration that it ends up giving the illusion of an open worldwonderfully.
Additionally, with the endless role-play opportunities, it fills the world with so much life, players won’t realize it’s actually a semi-open world.
You can see the seeds of an open-world game being planted inKOTOR,and despite the small scale, the creative ingenuity to get around technological limitations ends up making the game “technically open world,” which is honestly impressive.
While it takes skill to make something, it takes even more skill to make an illusion.
While theKOTOR Remakeis still in development, players are excited (and left wondering) if the world is genuinely going to open up more, or if it’ll offer similar exploration to the classics.
Open-Ended Environments
Say whatever you want aboutControl,but it’s a genuinely cool game,weird and uniquein all the best ways.
Developed byRemedy Entertainment, the game has you playing asJesse Faden, the new directorof theFederal Bureau of Control,whichincludes various supernatural beings to study.
Theenvironment is massive and explorable, but it’s not an open world – it’s just absolutely massive, so it’s easy to see where that confusion stems from. Its endless corridors will have players lost like it’s an open world, that’s for sure.
The game follows a heavyMetroidvaniaformat, with an emphasis on puzzles, details, and all other delights within an adventure.
The best thing is,a recent (free!) patchnow allows the game to be played on PC, with it being additionally released to the current generation of consoles here soon – oh, and it includes aHideo Kojimacameo.
2God of War (2018)
Each Area Branches to Another
God of War
TheGod of Wargames like to follow a semi-linear, semi-open structure in their games, and themodernGod of Wargames follow that exact structure of designated pathways. Each area connects with each other, but they’re treated separately, distinctly so.
TheNorse Mythologygames are a near 50/50 blend of linear and open world, and it’s honestly wonderful – for both players, and forKratosand his story.
After beingdoomed by the fatesin trueGreek Mythologyfashion, the game has you going through each deity in their respective pantheon – and wiping them off the map.
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Youhave to go through a region in a linear quest first before you’re allowed to exploreit. Even then, there are set pathways in these regions, preventing it from being a fully open world, regardless of whichEuropean folkloreis being represented.
Either way, players are going to be blown away by the experiences they encounter in this series, and they’ll end up becoming more wrapped up in the story than the exploration anyway.
1Hitman (2016)
By Any Means Necessary
Hitman (2016)
Perhaps the best example of a semi-open world game, easily, isHitman. You play the iconic assassinAgent 47as he’s assigned multiple different targets he has to eliminate – and you can do so by any means necessary.
The games have youtraveling all around the worldfor each target, but you’re confined to those levels exclusively. you may explore the levels however you need, put on any costume, and use any weapon at your disposal. The opportunities are endless – however, only in the area.
Hitmanisa semi-open world game in the purest sense, giving the player countless different resources and avenues for their takedowns, but they’re limited to what the level is able to provide.
That being said, this leads to some equally creative outcomes – such as an entire town being taken out only armed with a rolled-up newspaper.
So long as players complete the mission, it doesn’t matter how they approach the area and what exactly they do. The only true rule is don’t get caught.
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