10 Most Hostile Open World Games

Open world games have always been about adventure at its core, encouraging exploration around every corner of the map; but there are some games that make this map incredibly hostile. In fact, it's not only full of enemies, but they're going to be incredibly difficult to actually get through (at least, without dying a couple of times).

It's through this world's hostility that you have to adapt to the game and its surroundings, taking on a play style that's comfortable to you while also being organic with the world itself. Either way, it's going to take you a hot second of frequent do-overs before you actually get to that point.

These games have vast, rich worlds, but they're incredibly hostile to even traverse through. Just anticipate a good amount of challenge (and potentially dying to the world itself in one-in-a-playthrough ways).

Regardless of how long it will take you to beat, you're going to be fighting for your life the entire way to the finish line.

10 Death Stranding

The Literal Environment Shifted

On the surface, Death Stranding seems like a moody walking simulator, but once you actually dive in for yourself, you're going to struggle with the realization that the world is particularly brutal. Right off the bat, we see this: a world overrun with BTs, where you have to hide at the soonest sign of rain because it won't actually be rain — where humans can't even die without endangering everyone around them.

So when you get to playing the game for yourself, the established rules of the world that we're quickly introduced to are the very rules you have to immediately adhere to if you want to actually get Sam (and his packages) from Point A to Point B. Needless to say, you're going to forget at least of these rules a couple of times, and then immediately pay the price for it.

On top of this, you have to actually be timely with your package delivery, as well as keep the packages in proper condition — so in order to play this game properly and play it well, you're going to be putting in a lot of work. This isn't even touching on the story of the game itself; the world is just that ruthless right off the bat.

Things get much easier once you have a grasp of things, but don't be ashamed if it takes a while before you actually get a good grasp.

9 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Get Used to the Death Screen

While Breath of the Wild isn't the first open world entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise, it is one of, arguably, the richest versions of Hyrule to date. That being said, that doesn't mean adventuring throughout Hyrule is a walk in the park — the game is technically post-apocalyptic, after all.

Sure, some of the enemies are hypothetically simple, but that doesn't stop them from absolutely one-hitting you when you're still at a low number of hearts. Then there are the terrifying enemies that traumatized players everywhere, such as Guardians or Lynels, that will completely no-diff you even at your strongest. And, of course, this isn't even mentioning how you can just die after running out of stamina mid-climb or mid-swim.

Needless to say, you're going to hear that piano jingle that comes with the death/game over screen so often, you'll start to hear it before it properly plays after a while. Thankfully, dying in this game is often hilarious as well, so you'll be having a genuinely great time in spite of it all.

It's equal parts a great open world game for beginners, while also being one of the toughest for beginners, and that's something that only makes sense if you've played through Breath of the Wild.

8 Fallout: New Vegas

Quarry Junction Alone

When comparing the worlds in the Fallout series, many would easily point to Fallout: New Vegas as one of the most unforgiving, with all kinds of enemies that won't hesitate to tear you to shreds (Quarry Junction alone is proof of that). Regardless of where you're going, you're going to run into clusters of hostiles that will pounce on sight, so you have to stay on guard.

This gets especially challenging as you're going about the game and taking sides with the different factions. They can send hitmen after you if they hate you enough, which is just another thing to worry about on top of the horrors that already reside in the Mojave.

This game already completely re-invents the open world formula, especially as your choices completely influence how this game even plays out, but that exact power in choice adds a healthy amount of challenge on top of a world that's already hostile. And if you're playing for the first time without knowledge of any lore, you're likely to make some bad choices.

Even still, it creates an experience unlike anything else, and it remains one of open world's defining pillars, so it's well worth the struggle.

7 Rain World

The World is Not Cat-Friendly

Rain World has you playing as a cute little cat, travelling through an incredibly rich ecosystem in terms of both flora and fauna ... but it's a 1-to-1 mirror of actual nature: completely ruthless and indifferent to your own well-being. You're basically in a Mother Nature documentary, where you have to be both predator and prey.

There are several different creatures (such as various lizards, spiders, and other giants) that won't hesitate to devour you as a light snack — not even a full meal. On the flipside, you're the terrifying monster to other creatures that you're able to eat for yourself. It's one of nature's oldest truths, played out right in front of you: eat or be eaten, kill or be killed.

You're going to be killed more often than not; that's a fact that you might as well get used to now before you're 15-attempts deep and questioning your own sanity.

Needless to say, this is a difficult game, but you're going to be so encapsulated by everything in the world around you, you're going to be in awe more often than not ... even when you're running for your life.

6 Far Cry 3

It's All Enemies Here

As you witness during the opening of Far Cry 3, you, your brother, and your friends are all having a great time on vacation, before you accidentally land and all get captured by island pirates. While you manage to escape, that doesn't mean the rest of the island isn't absolutely crawling with more pirates who will just take you back (if they don't just take you for themselves).

And considering how essential stealth is in order to make progress, you're going to have to proceed with a lot more caution than you'd expect. This, of course, is without counting how you can instantly fail missions if you aren't on a rigid and perfectly stealthy pathway (as was the trend of open world stealth games from the early 2010s).

Yet, the beauty of the game is taking this hostile world and turning it into your own paradise, or at least, a paradise under your new and evolving delusions.

5 Red Dead Redemption 2

The Slowness Requires Getting Used to

Admittedly, both Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 have incredibly hostile worlds, and it was actually tough to properly choose between the two. Yet, Red Dead Redemption 2 is just perfectly more grounded in realism, and by extension of that realism, grounded in absolute challenge.

Not to mention, the controls require an intense learning curve from new players — sure, you can get used to those controls and get good at the game, but that will take a few missions (and a few instances of being shot to death).

But while you're playing, just going about the open world, you can run into all kinds of hostiles, whether they be animal or human. Just saying, after a while, you stop being worried about bandits and start looking over your shoulder more at the potential sighting of a cougar (or even a bear).

Even while you're in the middle of a mission, don't assume you're safe, because all kinds of shenanigans can happen to get in your way (and potentially bring someone into the crossfire). My advice: have multiple different saves at different points in the game, just in case.

4 Dying Light

The Zombies Start Coming, and They Don't Stop Coming

The core gameplay loop of Dying Light is simple: explore and collect stuff for your survival during the day, and use those materials to actively fight back against hordes upon hordes of zombies coming after you at night. While it's easy on paper, it's definitely a lot harder to actually execute.

You don't really get a proper break with this loop; you're going to have to constantly be on the lookout for anything that can help improve your chances of making it to the next sunrise. The last thing you need is to think you're actually safe enough to keep exploring for just a little longer before another horde is upon you.

Simply put, it's survival horror at its most literal. The next thing you know, you'll be in this loop for literal hours, and while it will constantly push you to creative thinking and challenge you in new ways, you're going to enjoy every second of it.

3 The Long Dark

Survival at its Rawest

There's trying to survive in a brutal world that's actively hostile against you, and then there's trying to survive in The Long Dark: somehow, it's ten times harder.

In The Long Dark, there are beasts that will rip you to shreds with their teeth, but the real threat comes from the world itself; it's a completely frozen tundra, cold and suffocating to any life that dares to try and persevere. Yet, you try to survive in this frigid land anyway — in fact, you'll even find it comforting.

Seriously, in spite of the fact that this world is actively conspiring for your failure and slow, shivering death, you're going to feel a sense of coziness unlike anything you'll ever feel in any other survival game. Even though this game is survival at its purest and at its most raw, if you want to genuinely just relax while playing, you can tinker with difficulty in the settings.

Even on standard difficulties, though, you're going to be struggling through each day and night, desperate for warmth, yet you're going to feel a unique kind of warmth while playing.

2 Kenshi

Genuinely, Good Luck

Despite how tempted you'll be to save-scum in Kenshi (and it's arguably an easy choice for particularly devastating consequences you can face), the point of the game is just immersing yourself and experiencing the game as authentically as possible. This also means you'll be watching yourself fail in real-time, but there's a beauty to it all.

You have all kinds of freedom in this game, with how you can build and play as your character (as well as additional choices you can make while you play, including with factions), but once you're out in this freedom, you're mortified by all the catastrophe you can find yourself in.

This game isn't just a light struggle through progress; it's straight-up driving the struggle bus and frantically crashing. Yet, the crash feels like a roller coaster ride, and the adrenaline rush is addictive enough for you to get back on the ride again and again.

Just saying, players tend to give newcomers warnings about its difficulty, yet they hype up the experience anyway; and to that, I say: hopefully, you've been warned.

1 Elden Ring

Nobody Said Souls Games Were Easy

Elden Ring, being a Souls game, is notoriously hard; I know, real "fork found in kitchen" moment here. Yet, you underestimate just how hard of a time you're going to have until you dive in for yourself, and then you're going to feel your ego drop with each boss casually humbling you.

And while some of these bosses can just be out and about in the world, the real pain will actually come from your standard, everyday enemies that you'll deal with while farming for runes. Even on a repeat playthrough, a completely different build will have you struggling against enemies that you used to knock out of the park.

Even after just a little bit of time in the game, you're going to get the feeling that everything and everyone here might be hostile, and that's honestly a good instinct to have. It will protect you in the future.

While it's a no-brainer that Elden Ring is going to be hard, the exact extent of that difficulty is for you to feel for yourself (and eventually learn the healthy habit of taking a break from the game after you've died so many times and all you feel is frustration).