Summary
Open-world gamesare now a standard in video gaming, allowing players to traverse a vast area in any way they see fit. NPCs, combat, and exploration are all part of the package, and the idea was popularized most notably by 1997’sGrand Theft Autofor PlayStation, a game that would not only spawn a massively successful franchise but an entirely new, immersive way to play video games.
However,GTAwas by no means the first game to do this. The idea of an open-world setting,especially one with a good story, is something that has been a part of video games for longer than some people might think. Here is a list ofeight titlesthat laid down the blueprint for open-world gaming as we now know it.
Many of these titles are not open-world games in the modern sense but may include separate elements that were adopted by more modern games, such as open-world levels or an open-world hub.
While it may seem primitive by today’s standards, there was nothing quite likeThe Legend Of Zeldawhen it first dropped nearly 40 years ago. The game set new standards for a pick-up-and-play experience that players could enjoy in their own homes. Its greatest contribution was an open-world hub, which allowed Link to travel in any direction and battle any enemy, health or special items permitting.
The very firstZeldagame also helped popularize the granular details that can only be shared if its players communicate with one another, such as hidden items or rooms. Any open-world game with its own set of Easter Eggs or secret unlockables owes it a big debt, and its go-anywhere-do-anything template is still alive in the present day thanks toBreath Of The WildandTears Of The Kingdom.
7Elite
Space Is The Place In This Technical Marvel
A miraculous feat of computer programming genius,Elitewas a game without equal and set the precedent forcontemporary space-based open-world titleslikeNo Man’s SkyandStarfield.In this case, the open world was the cosmos itself, as players could explore deep space by traveling across galaxies, trading goods, and engaging in battle with other spacecraft. Along with the open-world hub embodied by the game’s galactic map, it also utilized procedural generation - a mechanic still utilized today - to bring its world to life.
Elitedistinguishes itself by being one of the first games to use wire-frame 3D graphics, but it was also a pioneer in more ways than one. Completion of missions and set objectives enables the player to earn more funds in the game, a staple of open-world gaming up to the present day. The range of missions and the potential for exploration and discovery made this game a singularly unique experience at the time of release.
6Body Harvest
A Proof-Of-Concept That Would Lay The Foundations For Greatness
Body Harvestwas a well-received science fiction action that got decent reviews but not much else. What makes it special, however, is that it was designed by DMA Design, which created the firstGrand Theft Autoand then later became the video game industry behemothRockstar Studios.
The game, in which the player assumes the role of a future soldier battling an alien invasion, had an open map that allowed players to take missions in any order, and it also utilized vehicles in the same way thatGTAlater would. While it was released around the same time asGTA, it almost feels like a test run for the series, and a successful attempt to show how a modernistic open-world setting can make for a compelling gaming experience.
5Shadowrun
Cyberpunks Run Riot In This 16-bit Classic
It could be argued that there would be noCyberpunk 2077withoutShadowrun, one of the earliest video games to take the Cyberpunk aesthetic and run with it. The game was released on both Nintendo’s SNES and the Sega Mega Drive. The two versions were each handled by a different developer, so there was some difference between the two, but both offered flexibility and choice in how gamers could carve out a path in the game world. Along with the main campaign, there were also a host of side missions, contract jobs, and other optional objectives, similar to the open-world games of the present day.
Best described as hitting the sweet spot betweenBlade RunnerandDungeons & Dragons,Shadowrunsees players plunged into a murky future world where magic and advanced technology co-exist. Exploring the game world was crucial in order to discover information, grind, and obtain weapons, but it was left up to the player to explore and there was no one giving orders. Many different races and tribes populate the game’s world, and the amount of freedom that can be enjoyed feels very similar to open-world games in the present.
4Hunter
Hunterfeels now like an early prediction that foresawMetal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. The parallels are obvious; a lone soldier wanders a hostile landscape in a manner of his choosing, either on foot or by vehicle. He has a range of weapons and can interact with other characters and enemy soldiers, and there is more than one way to achieve his objectives. It was the game’s overworld that has the most similarity to more modern games, and it exists as a wide-open space that helped solidify the sandbox concept.
The game used a day-and-night cycle and offered players a level of immersion like no other game of the time. While only a handful of people worked on the project, it stood out on release due to its many unique features and its sheer scope, all of which meant the title was rapturously received by critics and gamers alike.
3Sid Meier’s Pirates!
Set Sail On The Wide Open Seas
Sid Meier made his name withCivilisationgames. Still, his particular brand of immersive simulation titles first came to prominence via this game, which also happens to be the first game he made with his name in the title. As its title implies, it is based around the world of pirates and had, for its time, a huge open-world map that enabled non-linear exploration. The choices the player made were reflected in the fact that the game had more than one ending.
The variety of mini-games and sidequests, which included everything from rescue missions to combat and treasure hunting, established the template used by the more modernGTAandRed Dead Redemptiongames The player can either play as a pirate, pirate hunter, or privateer across the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. The game gave players free rein not just in traversing oceans but also in their moral path, as it is possible to switch at any point from privateering to a more bloodthirsty pirate life.
2Mercenary
Fight Your Way To Freedom In This Futuristic Action Adventure
Mercenarywas another game that didn’t let the technological limits of the time hamper its ambition. Using 3D graphics, it brought to life the expansive planet Targ, where the player finds themselves stranded and must somehow fight across it and gather resources so they can safely make their way home. It was another game that utilized the sandbox mechanic, as well as the use of vehicles for exploration.
The game also predicts the role of AI as the player frequently interacts with a sentient computer named Benson, which delivers a series of dry, witty remarks as the action unfolds. Mercenary was such a success that it was widely ported to several systems and got two sequels.
1Wasteland
A Breakthrough In The RPG Genre
WhenWastelandwas first released, role-playing games on home computers followed a set, linear pattern going from A to B. That all changed with the arrival ofWasteland, which took the then-revolutionary approach of creating a persistent game world that kept track of the player’s movements in such a way that previous areas could be returned to with progress intact. In particular, it introduced a stack of NPCs to interact with, another mechanic replicated in theGTAseries.
The gameplay was very much in the mold of tabletop RPGs, and the player’s character had a number of attributes that could be leveled up via engaging in battle or utilizing various skills. Its in-game story of a desolate wasteland, which existed via an open-world hub similar to theZeldagames, was filled with survivors centuries after a global nuclear war. It paved the way for post-apocalyptic open-world gameplay which has since become a hallmark of the theFalloutseries.
