5 Open World Games You Can Get Lost in For Years

It seems that with each passing year open world video games are becoming more and more extensive. And honestly, the times where you’d be able to mop up all there is to see and do in a matter of weeks are pretty much non-existent these days. Here, right now in this day and age, however, things are a whole lot different, and instead take months, and sometimes even years to explore the every nook and cranny on display.

On one hand, having a bite-sized world with a strict linear story can work wonders for those who just want a well-deserved breather between heavier titles. On the other, though, being able to fully immerse in a region of epic proportions can be a real treat, and can often make that $70 entry fee seem worthwhile. But what open world games have given us plenty of bang for our buck, and which do we still find ourselves trotting back to even to this day?

5. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Ubisoft really pushed the boat out with Black Flag, making it feature one of the most ambitious open worlds in the series to date. Using the West Indies to stage its pirate-themed endeavours, the overwhelmingly large map went on to cram in an entire network of explorable islands, all of which housed trove after trove of obtainable treasures and secrets.

Between the main DNA sequences, players could sail from island to island, unearthing historical artefacts, side quests, and collectibles. And then, of course, there were countless fortresses to conquer, towns to pillage, and rare sea monsters to defeat. All in all, Black Flag boasted a solid hundred-plus hours of content across both sea and land. The problem, though, was that only a fraction of its players spent enough time on the water to see it all in all its glory.

4. Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves is a gift that keeps on giving, thanks to Rare keeping the sea-based open world stocked up with DLC and evolving quest lines. At the time of writing, it features one of the most expansive story arcs in gaming, which is of course made twice as grand thanks to the regular add-ons that flesh out existing plotlines. Because of this, players can immerse themselves in a watery world that rarely ever freezes over.

At the moment, Sea of Thieves provides players with the opportunity to traverse a huge chain of islands as a treasure-loving pirate warlord. After forming a crew and crafting a ship, users can embark on epic voyages across the sea, picking up endless waves of quests for fame, fortune, upgrades, and reputation points. The reason why fellow privateers spend so much time out on such waters, of course, is for the perks that come with ascending the global ranks. To become a legend, you must first pillage til your heart’s content, hence the year-long journey. And that truly is just the tip of the iceberg to a long and prosperous timeline of epic exploits.

3. Grand Theft Auto V

Say, have you managed to spot the ghost of Jolene Cranley-Evans up on the Mount Gordo summit yet? No? What about the frozen alien up in North Yankton? Well, turns out, San Andreas isn’t exactly short on things to uncover. In fact, even after nine years of being on the market, players are still scouting out mysteries and finding easter eggs that Rockstar tucked away back in 2013. And so, you can see why we’re inclined to put the universally acclaimed action-adventure game up on the list.

Of course, the first forty hours of any game will be consumed by campaign missions. After that, you’ve got another hundred-plus waiting to be indulged in. From the Strangers & Freaks segments out in the sticks, to the deep sea shipwrecks off the coast of Los Santos — Grand Theft Auto V has a ludicrous amount of content to soak up. But if you devote a good year of your life to exploring its every nook and cranny, then you might just scratch the surface. Might, being the key word there.

2. No Man’s Sky

No Man’s Sky was build with one goal in mind: to establish a network of worlds vast enough to shuffle even the widest mountains. Although the game did launch with a number of bugs and a serious lack of direction, the open world game did eventually go on to patch up its flaws and come out stronger than ever. To cut the long story short, Hello Games’ intergalactic adventure is now one of the most ambitious non-linear games of all time.

If you bundle in the countless updates and expansions, No Man’s Sky actually makes up a whopping 18 quintillion planets, measuring a total of 31,7000,000,000,000,000,000,000 km2. So, even if you spent every waking moment of your life exploring the galaxy, you’d still find yourself short of about 99.5% of the content it has to offer. The bottom line is this: you can’t beat No Man’s Sky, nor should you even try to.

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Technically, we can take any of the Elder Scrolls games from the bucket and still reach the same outcome. That said, there is something truly special about Skyrim and its thought-out world chock-full of indescribable lore, family trees, dungeons, and myths. In fact, the fifth entry is so colossal, that it’s almost impossible to stick to the main storyline and refrain from traveling the much loved beaten path. And honestly, we’ve tried…multiple times.

The fact is, there aren’t many games that can tempt you into taking a road less traveled the same way Skyrim can. Even if you’ve endured the same tale a dozen times over, chances are, there are still more story arcs to unearth from the darkest corners of the open world. And, like Grand Theft Auto, players are still managing to dig up new secrets even today, over a decade after its initial release. Say what you want about the game, but we can’t ignore Bethesda’s impeccable eye for detail.

So, what’s your take? Do you agree with our top five? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.