Upcoming Open-World Games That Will Blow You Away

First, there were levels: an 8-bit sprite-character would jump and shoot his way from the start point until the end, briefly celebrate his victory, and then begin again in a new level. Then came non-linear campaigns: the player could choose which missions to go on, and in what order. But at last, a revolution in game design emerged that did away with starts and ends altogether, that broke the medium out of the influence of traditional, linear media and into its own new style. This design could use the unique elements of video gaming to generate a brand-new experience, something other art forms had never been able to accomplish: to let the player travel to an exotic land, and explore wherever they wanted, however they wanted.

Such games are referred to as "open-world," where the character is simply placed in the middle of some enormous space and is free to roam at will. First tested in simple text adventure games, they have now grown to be some of the biggest and best-selling titles in the entire industry. Multiplayer open-world games like World of Warcraft rank among the highest-grossing entertainment products in history. Meanwhile, a game like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim can remain relevant years after its initial release, as it's ported from one system to another. What are the next massive megahits you have to know about? Here are upcoming open-world games that will blow you away.

For years now, the Far Cry franchise has been one of the defining open-world series. Renowned for their zany, over-the-top premises and inventive mechanical flourishes, the games have consistently challenged conventions and stolen the spotlight from their erstwhile competitors. The next entry will be Far Cry 5, and it's already making waves. Far Cry games have always gone to distant, dangerous locations, but the fifth title will be set somewhere a little bit more familiar: America. Players will be trapped in a rural area overrun by hard-right fanatics, in a story unafraid to tackle the current political climate.

The state of Montana lends itself nicely to the open-world format. Featuring mountains, forests, open plains, small cities, and even smaller towns, Big Sky Country gives developer Ubisoft Montreal a lot to play with. Ubisoft also wants to make this world feel more organic than game-y: there will be no towers to climb that miraculously give you information this time around. Rather, players will have to talk with local citizens and glean information the old-fashioned way, which is a new-fashioned idea for the open-world experience.

That's not to say the series' trademark kookiness won't be there. And if you need any help in that regard, the game will feature a co-op mode, so that you and a friend can wreak unholy havoc on just about everything. Plus, there will be a character creator, too, which opens up the potential for some player-made wackiness. Far Cry 5 can be serious, provocative, fascinating, or downright silly: it's all up to you. As an open-world game should be.

As one of Marvel's most iconic characters, Spider-Man has always deserved to have a great game built around him. With his trademark agility and web-slinging prowess, he's also a natural fit for an open-world environment. And while most open-world games are concerned with exploring vast wildernesses, the man-made canyons of New York City are more than capable of providing players with an endless variety of locations to visit. So it was with great joy that Sony announced that Insomniac Games was making a new Spider-Man game for the PlayStation 4.

Details about the game are being kept under tight wraps, but development is proceeding well and the game is expected in 2018. It's been confirmed that the game is not connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, nor any specific comic version of the character. It will star the original hero, Peter Parker, although the trailer indicates that newer Spider-Man Miles Morales may also have some role to play. Story-wise, the game will supposedly focus on struggling photographer Mr. Parker as much as it does crimefighting Spider-Man, although whether or not this will translate into any kind of gameplay is unknown.

Insomniac has produced a range of quality titles throughout its existence, from the very first Spyro the Dragon children's platformer to the gritty Resistance shooter games. With that much experience and versatility under their belt, the team ought to knock a Spider-Man game out of the park.

The Darksiders franchise was assumed to be dead after the collapse of its publisher, THQ. A slick third-person action series set in a world where the apocalypse really did come with the Four Horsemen, it gained a devoted following before following THQ into oblivion.

But in 2013, a new company called Nordic Games revealed that they had bought the rights to the series, along with a few other franchises and even the THQ brand itself. Renaming themselves THQ Nordic, in 2017 they finally debuted footage of the result of their purchase: Darksiders III. Picking up right where the series left off, the new game will put players in the high-heeled shoes of Fury, who wields a retractable, serrated whip. Once again, gamers will visit the destroyed ruins of our society, attempting to solve a mystery at the heart of what happened, while exploring what the husk of our civilization looks like when the world has fallen down.

If Darksiders III almost looks as if the original team never left, that's because they basically didn't. THQ Nordic's development studio, Gunfire Games, is largely composed of former Darksiders staff. This is, in other words, exactly the sequel that was always intended: it's just coming a few years late. The franchise really did survive its publisher's apocalypse.

The survival subgenre of open-world games is quickly becoming the hottest new direction in the industry. Beyond just fighting enemies and collecting loot, players must juggle the constant demands of hunger, thirst, the need for shelter, and a host of other elements. Mismanage your resources, and your character will die outright. Learn to thrive in the harsh terrain, however, and you can eventually build a towering fortress that commands the landscape.

If that sounds like a perfect fit for the Conan the Barbarian intellectual property, then developer Funcom agrees. Conan Exiles will combine the gritty, bloody world of the Cimmerian savage with the brutal demands of a survival game. Far from beginning as a mighty hero, your character will start the adventure nailed to a cross. Which is...intense.

From there, you'll have to scrape together just enough food and water to get by. As your character progresses, however, eventually you'll be able to build a base, and even an epic castle. And the many enemy characters out there can be captured and turned into thralls for you, so once you're powerful enough, it will be the world trying to survive you.

Funcom also made the online open-world Conan game Age of Conan, so they know that world and its lore as well as anyone. Capable of being played solo or in groups, with a variety of both human and supernatural enemies to fight, Conan Exiles promises dozens of hours of content at the least. If you can survive that long, that is.

Open-world games are all about letting you traverse the environment however you want. But in most games, that boils down to letting you go where you want. But The Crew 2 really does want to concentrate on the how: whether by car, boat, monster truck, or airplane, you're going to be able to go places the way that's the most fun for you.

And fun really is the key word here. While technically a racing game as well, this is not an ultrarealistic simulation. Rather, this is the kind of game where you can start on the ground, and then go leaping up onto the rooftops of skyscrapers, because why not? Rather than get bogged down by the laws of nature, The Crew 2 just wants players to have a good time. The racing itself ought to be fun, but is really just an excuse to get players to start getting around these open environments in the most creative ways possible.

The open-world itself is no less than the United States of America. While the digital version of the U.S. has obviously been scoped down, you can nevertheless go from Los Angeles to New York in one trip, uninterrupted, if you want. And on the way, you can switch from off-road races in the desert to airplane shenanigans in the sky. The Crew 2 is about having a blast, whichever direction you want to go.