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It’s worth pointing out that this article will only include one game per franchise to avoid it essentially becoming a ranking of Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption franchises.
Updated on August 24, 2022, by Jack Pursey: It’s hard to deny that 2022 has been a slow year for gaming releases. The year started on a high with the release of FromSoftware’s Elden Ring but has since struggled when it comes to AAA releases, largely due to numerous delays. Although 2023 now looks stacked, fans of big-budget AAA releases are struggling to find something to play currently. So, to give gamers some ideas of what to play next, we’ve updated this list of open-world shooters to include a few more entries.
18 Mass Effect: Andromeda
• Initial Release Date: March 21, 2017
• Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
It wouldn’t be too harsh to say that Mass Effect: Andromeda’s launch was nothing short of disastrous. The game was inundated with bugs and glitches upon release, which painfully disappointed the franchise’s many die-hard fans. The game’s narrative also took criticism, as many players complained that they didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters.
Although the bugs were inexcusable, it’s fair to say that much of the game was unfairly criticized due to the unrealistic expectations placed on its shoulders. Mass Effect: Andromeda certainly doesn’t reach the heights of the iconic Mass Effect 2, but it earns a spot on this list nonetheless for having the best combat in the series, as well as an open-world for the first time in the franchise.
17 Just Cause 4
• Initial Release Date: December 4, 2018
• Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Just Cause 4 is the third game in a row on this list that will appeal to players who just want their games to focus on fun, regardless of how ridiculous and unrealistic it may be. Similar to Saints Row, the Just Cause franchise ramped up its extreme elements to a whole new level with its fourth installment, exemplified by the constant extreme weather conditions and ridiculous weaponry like the Lightning Gun.
Just Cause 4’s action gameplay didn’t go unnoticed, as the game picked up the 2019 Webby for Action Game.
16 Ghost Recon Wildlands
• Initial Release Date: March 7, 2017
• Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlandsmade two very interesting and very divisive changes to the Ghost Recon franchise. For starters, it was the first game in the series to implement an open-world, and secondly, it reverts to a modern setting, rather than a futuristic setting like the one that that Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter introduced.
The two changes have divided fans, but one aspect that can’t be denied is how impressive the open world is, with breathtaking visuals that make the game a joy to look at and explore.
15 Days Gone
• Initial Release Date: April 26, 2019
• Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4
Days Gone was developed by Bend Studio and first released exclusively on PlayStation 4 in April 2019, before, like many PlayStation games lately, arriving on PC a couple of years later in May 2021.
The action-adventure game is set in a post-apocalyptic world and follows bounty hunter Deacon St. John as he searches for his wife and completes numerous side quests along the way. The game split opinion among fans and critics, but picked up a handful of awards, including PlayStation Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards.
14 Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
• Initial Release Date: August 31, 2008
• Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames was developed by Pandemic Studios and offers an over-the-top action game that is a blast to play with tons of weapons and vehicles to use, much like the Just Cause series.
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Interestingly, the action gamewas a surprising source of political issues in 2008 due to its narrative. The game takes place in Venezuela, which is in a fictional war-torn state, and tasks players with killing the country’s president. Unsurprisingly, this didn’t go down too well in the country, with accusations of propaganda being directed towards the game.
13 Crackdown
• Initial Release Date: February 20, 2007
• Available Platforms: Xbox 360
2007’s Xbox 360 exclusive Crackdown was developed by Realtime Worlds and turned heads with its playable demo. The game’s Grand Theft Auto-inspired over-the-top fun made the game an absolute blast to just pick up and play, with missions being something as an afterthought for players due to how enjoyable it is in Crackdown to simply explore and cause mayhem.
Crackdown has received two sequels, though neither game could quite capture the magic of the original.
12 The Saboteur
• Initial Release Date: November 19, 2009
• Available Platforms: BlackBerry, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS
Just like The Mercenaries 2, 2009’s The Saboteur was developed by Pandemic Studios and published by industry giants Electronic Arts. Instead of Venezuela, The Saboteur takes place in Nazi-occupied Paris back in World War II.
The game features an interesting art design that intertwines with the gameplay, as areas that are significantly controlled by Nazi forces are displayed in black and white, with only a small handful of features being in color, such as certain symbols and blood.
11 Red Faction: Guerrilla
• Initial Release Date: June 2, 2009
• Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Red Faction: Guerrilla is a sci-fi game that takes players to the planet Mars. The game stood out in 2009 for its destructible environments, which may not seem like much today but were an impressive innovation at the time, and many players enjoyed simply firing at buildings and watching them fall.
Red Faction: Guerrilla recently received a remastered edition which was quietly brilliantly named Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered. The game was released in June 2018 and gives a perfect excuse for another playthrough.
10 Watch Dogs 2
• Initial Release Date: November 15, 2016
• Available Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia
It’s easy to forget now just how highly anticipated the original Watch Dogs was before its 2014 release. Much like the aforementioned Mass Effect:Andromeda, the game was heavily criticized upon release for failing to live up to expectations, though players are now beginning to appreciate the game for what it was.
Watch Dogs 2 was released just over two years after its predecessor and attempted to improve upon many of its shortcomings, such as the dull open-world. Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs 2, like the trilogy’s other two installments, feels like it could have been so much more; but it does still offer a solid open-world experience.
9 Mad Max
• Initial Release Date: September 1, 2015
• Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
There was once a time when movie tie-in games flooded the gaming industry. From Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings to just about every children’s movie, game publishers would often look to cash-in on the success of popular films with a 6-8 hour adventure. Such games have died out in recent years, however, as the often ridiculously short schedules that developers had to adhere to with tie-in games would unsurprisingly result in lackluster products.
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Despite the skepticism that players now have of movie tie-in games, there are some films and properties that are just crying out to be given the gaming treatment, including the Mad Max franchise. Mad Max was released just a few months after Mad Max: Fury Road, though the game isn’t a direct tie-in. This is likely why Mad Max proved to be a success, as the developers didn’t have the constraints of basing their game on a 90-160 minute film like most tie-in games do.
8 Saints Row 4
• Initial Release Date: August 20, 2013
• Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Although it seems like a distant memory now, there was once a time when the Saints Row franchise was viewed as having a more serious tone than its Grand Theft Auto counterpart. The complete opposite is now the case, with Saints Row 4 embracing the franchise’s new identity as essentially being Grand Theft Auto with every mod and cheat code enabled.
Saints Row 4 was well received by critics upon release, with the PC iteration scoring an impressive 86 on Metacritic.
7 Sunset Overdrive
• Initial Release Date: October 28, 2014
• Available Platforms: Xbox One, PC
From one over-the-top open-world shooter to another, Sunset Overdrive was published in 2014 by Microsoft Studios. The game was developed by Insomniac Games, who is best known for its Ratchet & Clank and Spider-Man games.
Much like Saints Row 4, Sunset Overdrive sacrifices realism for extreme and enjoyable action, with the simple intent of making the game as enjoyable as possible. Fans of the game have been eagerly awaiting news of a sequel since the game’s release, though there has been little concrete word as of yet.
6 The Division 2
• Initial Release Date: February 7, 2019
• Available Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, PC
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is an online action RPG set in Washington, D.C, that lets players compete in squads of up to four people. Shortly after the game’s release, Ubisoft revealed that the game had failed to meet sales expectations. However, through word of mouth and high praise from parts of its player base, The Division 2 has since surpassed 10 million sales.
Along with its impressive sales figures, The Division 2 performed well with critics, scoring 84 on Metacritic and earning a nomination for the Best Action/Adventure accolade at The Game Awards 2018.
5 L.A. Noire
• Initial Release Date: May 17, 2011
• Available Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch,
The first but certainly not the last Rockstar game to make an appearance in this discussion, L.A. Noire turned heads in 2011 with its unique crime scene investigation gameplay. The game wasn’t without its share of critics, and its facial animations haven’t aged particularly well, but L.A. Noire is still a fantastic option for players who are excited by the prospect of stepping into the shoes of a 1940s detective.
Many of L.A. Noire’s shortcomings were fixed in the recent remastering of the game, including changing the ambiguous options of “Truth,” “Doubt,” and “Lie” to “Good Cop,” “Bad Cop,” and “Accuse.”
4 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
• Initial Release Date: September 1, 2015
• Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Stealth sections in open-world games don’t tend to get much love. Consequently, when players heard that the legendary Metal Gear Solid series was implementing an open-world in its latest release, there were a fair few skeptics.
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Thankfully, Kojima Productions smashed it out of the park with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The studio not only did a great job of implementing stealth into the game’s huge map but also created one of the most visually impressive open-worlds in history.
3 Fallout: New Vegas
• Initial Release Date: October 19, 2010
• Available Platforms: PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox 360
Fallout: New Vegas is a unique entry on this list as players can seamlessly switch between a first-person perspective and a third-person one. Although the game is first-person by default, many people prefer to play through the entire game in third-person.
Fallout: New Vegas was initially dismissed by a large portion of the gaming community, as its lackluster visuals made it seem like little more than a glorified Fallout 3 DLC. However, such people were soon proven wrong when playing the game, as it soon became regarded as one of the greatest action RPGs of all time, largely thanks to the incredible amount of freedom that players have in the game, making it a shining example of the role-playing genre.
2 Red Dead Redemption 2
• Initial Release Date: October 26, 2018
• Available Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia
Many people were understandably disappointed that the gaming industry didn’t even get a whisper of Grand Theft Auto VI during the eighth generation of consoles. However, Rockstar did provide players with the next best thing, a sequel to their iconic Western Red Dead Redemption.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was released in 2018 and raised the bar for open-world realism with its incredible map that was filled with some of the truest to life weather effects and wildlife mechanics ever seen in a video game. Rockstar’s Western also surprised many people with its powerful story, which gave the gaming industry a new anti-hero to love in Arthur Morgan.
1 Grand Theft Auto 5
• Initial Release Date: September 17, 2013
• Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas were all strong contenders for this spot, but it’s the most recent GTA release that takes the cake.
Many games have tried to replicate the enormous success of Grand Theft Auto V since it was released in 2013, but none have been able to hold a candle to Rockstar’s modern classic. Numerous people predicted that Cyberpunk 2077 would be the game to finally surpass GTA V, but its disappointing launch only served as a reminder as to just how much praise Rockstar’s game still deserves today.
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