Summary
Open-world games present players with lots of different opportunities in terms of playability, customization, and different areas to explore as they progress through the story. This genre is great for versatility, as it can accommodate many others, such as FPS, RPGs, puzzle games, and several more.
One of the most popular premises aroundopen-world gamesis the life of an outlaw, and it’s completely understandable. After all, what’s not exciting about the story of an individual living outside the confines of the law and doing what they want, when they want, in a vast, open environment that players can explore in any way they like? Here are some of thebest open-world games to play as an outlaw.
Many open-world outlaw stories are either set in the past or in the future. However, when they’re set close to home, in an era that most players are familiar with and can relate to their daily lives, something very interesting is created.Watch Dogs 2follows the story of hacker Marcus Holloway, as he joins the infamous DeadSec hacker group in an effort to clear his name after he’s framed for a crime he didn’t commit by the San Francisco security system, known as ctOS 2.0.
Although many outlaws in these kinds of games usually defy the law out of personal choice and unwillingness to conform, Marcus does so out of necessity.Watch Dogs 2features a vast, open world that players can interact with to complete the various missions and side quests available.
There are many ways to be branded an outlaw, and not all of them are related to being a criminal with ill intentions. InJust Cause 3, the leading character, Rico Rodriguez operates outside the confines of the law not for personal gain, but for the freedom of his homeland, the Mediterranean Island of Medici. Under the cruel rule of dictator Sebastiano Di Ravello, Medici has suffered terribly, which has forced a group of rebels to band together in an effort to try to take Di Ravello down and restore freedom and democracy to the island.
Just Cause 3features a wideopen worldwith tons of possibilities, different weapons, and a lot to explore as players progress through the story and reach every corner of the beautiful island of Medici.
Few titles present a futuristic setting as masterfully crafted asCyberpunk 2077. While the game had a bumpy launch and many players were reportedly upset about it not being polished enough, developer CD Projekt Red quickly corrected the course, and now this title is regarded as one of the greatest releases of the last decade. Set on the main character, “V”, who can either be male or female depending on players' preferences,Cyberpunk 2077explores the criminal underworld of a futuristic dystopia, where the government has yielded most of the power to large corporations.
V, along with their partner Jackie, are out to make a name for themselves in the infamous Night City, participating in different jobs for crime bosses and other criminal organizations in an effort to become well known and gain street cred.
While Rockstar Games was already a very popular studio with massive hits by 2013, none of the titles released by the company were ever as successful asGrand Theft Auto 5. This monster of a game is still relevant and extremely popular among gamers more than one decade after it was initially released. And while constant updates and its massive multiplayer,GTA Online,have contributed to keeping it relevant, the story is so rich, that even without them, the game would still be played by many today.
Following the three main characters: Franklin, Michael, and Trevor,Grand Theft Auto 5presents players with an amazing story about betrayal, adrenaline-rushing heists, and a man’s struggle to balance his life of crime with the needs of his family. Michael, Trevor, and Franklin are outlaws in every sense of the word, as they not only commit various crimes, but also do so merely for personal gain in most cases.
Stories from the American Wild West period are almost always set around an outlaw or a group of outlaws, and this isn’t the exception forRed Dead Redemption 2. Focusing on the player character Arthur Morgan and the van der Linde gang, the group travels throughout the American Wild West, fleeing the law and trying to set up camp on the outskirts of any town where their heads have no bounty on them.
What makes this open-world outlaw story so great, is that Arthur and several other characters have extremely complex storylines that make them likable and even feel like they’re real people. Like V fromCyberpunk 2077,Arthur isn’t a bad person, just someone who never knew a life outside of crime. In fact, most of the members of the van der Linde gang are good people who wouldn’t hurt a fly unless it shoots first.
Red Dead Redemption 2has beautiful open areas for players to explore on horseback. Along their journey, they can encounter many NPCs that trigger different questlines, and even members form opposing gangs and bounty hunters, whom they’ll have to kill to escape with their own lives.
