There are more than three billion gamers across the world with 1.5 billion of these being located on the continent of Asia. By 2025, it is expected that this huge and quickly growing industry will be worth more than $268 billion US dollars.
But why is gaming so popular? Gaming offers players of all ages the opportunity to immerse themselves in a new reality, have fun and develop new skills. It is the perfect distraction from everyday life and there are now games to suit every individual’s interests.
Whether it’s playing a casino game like the eye of horus slot on a smartphone or jumping into a first person shooter game on Xbox, gaming is an enjoyable form of entertainment for everyone. Some types of games such as open world games also provide players with a great social experience too.
If you are looking for a new game to try, checking out some of these top rated open world games is a great place to start:
Hogwarts Legacy
Released earlier this year, Warner Bros. Games title Hogwarts Legacy is a popular choice that is part of the Wizarding World Harry Potter franchise. Within a couple of weeks of its launch, the game had been downloaded more than 12 million times.
Set at Hogwarts in the 1800s, you take the role of a character entering the school as a fifth year student. This character is no ordinary student, they hold the key to an ancient secret that has the potential to destroy life in the wizarding world.
With the help of fellow students and professors, the main character learns a variety of magical skills and abilities as they embark on a quest to unearth the secret. As an open world game, players are free to explore the map and different locations present different activities and challenges, such as learning to fly on a broom.
The game received favourable reviews on release and is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Windows.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
First released in 2017, the action adventure game The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild was published specifically for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U by Nintendo. Following a century long slumber, character Link wakes to discover that he must save Princess Zelda and put a stop to the evil Calamity Ganon and his world ending plans.
Hyrule is an open world that players can freely explore as they complete side quests, puzzles and collect important objects. Limited instructions are given to players in order to give them the freedom to roam around and participate as they see fit.
Some items that you might collect as Link include wooden shields and wooden weapons, many objects have multiple uses and you can burn these wooden weapons to light fires as necessary. You are also able to create meals and elixirs to improve the characters stamina and health as it degrades.
This game is one of the most highly rated in the entire Zelda series. It is the most downloaded and sold more than 30 million copies around the world by 2022.
Outer Wilds
Another great action and adventure title in the open world format is Outer Wilds. Released in 2019, this space themed game explores a scenario in which a player travelling the solar system becomes stuck in a 22 minute long time loop as a star goes supernova.
The player, an unnamed character, must try to work out why this is happening and is led to find out more about an extinct race, the Nomai, and uncover their secrets. Some areas of the game require a logic puzzle be solved in order to access them.
Every time the player dies by misadventure or runs out of time, they wake up at the beginning of the loop on their home planet. Outer Wilds is highly rated and has won a number of recognised industry awards. It can be played on either Windows, Playstation or Xbox.
This is a well liked game that remains popular in the gaming charts today.
Death Stranding
Another 2019 release is the action title Death Stranding in which the main character is stuck in a post-apocalyptic world that is now haunted by destructive creatures. You are tasked with delivering much needed supplies to small communities and connecting them together once again.
As an open world game, the player is free to explore different areas of the map and use blueprints to collect their world objects. This game was highly anticipated throughout its long development and has become one of the best selling games in Japan.
These are just four options for playing in open world games, each with their own plot, characters and opportunities to explore something new.
