Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The gaming world continues to evolve, providing increasingly immersive interactive experiences for players.
One of the most popular genres is the open-world game, where players are given extensive freedom to explore environments, complete missions, and create their own adventures.
Advertisement
This genre offers unlimited freedom of exploration, allowing players to interact with richly detailed and secretive virtual worlds.
Let's see the five best open-world games of all time based on Metacritic scores, highlighting their key features and the reasons behind their incredible success.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Metacritic Score: 99)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure game released in 1998, following the journey of young Link, who is deceived by the Gerudo Thief King, Ganondorf.
Ganondorf uses Link to gain access to the Sacred Realm, turning Hyrule into a wasteland.
Link then sets out to fix the problems he created, traveling through time to gather the power of the Seven Sages.
The game was acclaimed by critics and consumers alike, praising its visuals, sound, gameplay, soundtrack, and writing.
Ocarina of Time has been ranked by various publications as the greatest video game of all time and is the highest-rated game on review aggregator Metacritic.
Its key innovations include the introduction of a target lock-on system and context-sensitive buttons, which have since become standard in subsequent 3D adventure games.
Grand Theft Auto IV (Metacritic Score: 98)
Grand Theft Auto IV, released in April 2008, revolutionized the open-world genre with a darker, more realistic narrative.
The game centers on Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant who arrives in Liberty City, a city modeled after New York, hoping for the "American Dream."
However, he soon finds himself drawn into a violent criminal underworld, facing difficult moral choices and the harsh realities of a city dominated by money and power.
When GTA IV was released, it represented a complete reinvention of the open-world genre.
Set in a beautifully realized Liberty City, the story follows Niko Bellic as he seeks a better life in America.
What players get instead is a deeply human tale of crime, loyalty, and disappointment in a city that promises everything but delivers nothing.
GTA IV was praised for its deep storytelling, detailed world, and immersive gameplay, earning it one of the highest-rated games on Metacritic.
Grand Theft Auto V (Metacritic Score: 97)
Released in 2013, Grand Theft Auto V is an open-world action-adventure game set in the fictional state of San Andreas, which is based on Southern California.
The sprawling, sun-drenched metropolis of Los Santos is teeming with self-help coaches, movie stars, and C-list celebrities.
The single-player story follows three playable protagonists—Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton, and Trevor Philips—as they pull off a series of heists amidst pressure from corrupt government agencies and powerful criminals.
Finally out of options, the crew risks everything in a series of daring and dangerous heists that could set them up for life.
The game's complex narrative, featuring three interconnected main characters, and meticulously crafted heist missions are the game's main draw.
Grand Theft Auto V received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Metacritic Score: 97)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, released in 2017, redefined the Zelda series formula by introducing a vast, boundless open world.
Players were invited to abandon everything they knew about previous The Legend of Zelda games and enter a world of discovery, exploration, and adventure in a ruined Hyrule.
Players could explore the ruins of the kingdom of Hyrule, climb any structure, and discover hidden secrets with unprecedented freedom.
The game's world was immersive, filled with wonder, and absolutely teeming with unique things to do.
The game was praised for its immersive world design, filled with unique wonders and activities, and providing a deep adventure experience.
Breath of the Wild received widespread critical acclaim, often cited as one of the best games of all time for its innovation and freedom.
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Metacritic Score: 97)
Red Dead Redemption 2, released in 2018, is a Wild West-themed action-adventure game developed by Rockstar Games.
Set in 1899 America, the game follows Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang, as they struggle to survive amidst the end of the Wild West.
The game's expansive and atmospheric world also provides the foundation for a new online multiplayer experience.
After a robbery goes horribly wrong in the town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee.
The game was highly praised for its richly detailed and atmospheric open world, immersive storytelling, complex characters, and incredible attention to detail in the environment and interactions.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is considered a masterpiece in open-world design and narrative, earning a very high Metacritic score.