10 Unforgettable Open World Experiences

There are a lot of open-world games available, and many of them have beautiful worlds that you can get lost in. After all, exploring is one of the best parts of playing an open-world title.

However, there are some open-world games that you want to replay, but they hit differently when you know where everything is. When you don't have that itch to explore deeply, and instead want to take the most optimal route, the game loses some of its luster.

These are games that we wish we could wipe from our memories solely so we can replay them and get a feel for the open world all over again, as it made the experience that much better.

10 Dark Souls

Brutal Hardship

When you boot up Dark Souls, you are nothing more than a pitiful hollowed soul, trapped in a cell. Your existence is practically nothing. However, you are soon saved when a key falls into your cell, allowing you to break free.

You travel through the undead asylum, learning the ropes and getting your bearings. It isn't long after that you come face-to-face with the Asylum Demon. The first boss of many on your journey.

Once you have overcome this massive obstacle, you take hold of a bird that flies you to Lordran. The feeling of unlocking the open world of Dark Souls is one that I will never forget. There is no way of recapturing the strife of battling your way through the asylum and the relief of being carried off to Lordran.

9 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

An Expansive Journey

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has a massive open world full of many hidden secrets. The game is so big that it can take hundreds of hours to see everything it has to offer, and we aren't ashamed to admit that we have put our fair share of time into it.

With that being said, a game that takes that long to beat is great to play for the first time. When everything is new, you are excited to track down every monster, look for every hidden item, and more.

After spending countless hours in the game, restarting it just doesn't feel the same, making us long for that time we started it for the first time so that we may recapture that moment.

8 Fallout 4

Stepping Out Into the Wasteland

The introduction to Fallout 4 feels like it takes only a few moments. The bombs quickly drop, you are forced into the vault, and your son is stolen. You wake up disoriented, not knowing how long you have been asleep.

You wander around your old neighborhood, catch up with Codsworth, and question what to do with your life. Shortly after, you leave for the overarching world of the Commonwealth, and those first steps into the wasteland after leaving Sanctuary Hills are ones that we will never forget.

It feels like leaving your home behind, because you are. Everything your character once knew, and what you knew as normal at the start of the game, is gone, and replaying Fallout 4 doesn't capture that same feeling.

7 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Leaving the Great Plateau

When you first awaken in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you are confined to the Great Plateau region of the map. While this is great for the introduction, there isn't much to see here.

After about an hour, you reach the top of the church, and the old man finally gives you the paraglider, allowing you to escape the confines of the Great Plateau and venture into the expansive world of Hyrule.

The feeling of gliding down from the plateau is something that we will never forget, and it doesn't feel the same when you go back through and do it a second time. It's one of those moments we wish we could relive, as it has never felt the same since.

6 Ghost of Tsushima

Japan is Beautiful

Ghost of Tsushima is one of those games that comes once in a lifetime that you can't seem to recapture, even through a sequel. The beautiful world of Japan receives a major fantasy glow-up in Ghost of Tsushima, with spirit animals guiding you around the map.

The world doesn't hit hard at first, but then you hop on your horse and ride through a field of flowers, or rest near cherry blossom trees and it clicks. Every set piece in Ghost of Tsushima is just as beautiful as the last, and the cinematic nature of the game helps draw that out more, with changes in camera and lighting that match the environment perfectly.

Going back to this world after discovering all of its hidden secrets just doesn't capture the first playthrough, and it's something we wish we could relive.

5 Cyberpunk 2077

Relive Night City

Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the best open worlds we have seen in a long time, and there are many who go back to it over and over again. Night City is a place where dreams can come true if you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty.

After a fairly quick introduction, you are free to roam around, but nothing beats being able to grab a car, drive the city streets, and experience the city in all its glory.

All the lights, the glitz, the glamour, the refuge, and disdain. It is all there for you to take in. Replaying Cyberpunk 2077 is great, but nothing beats roaming the city for the first time, as you already know where to go and what you want to see.

4 Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth

Amazing Fantasy

Final Fantasy 7 is our favorite game in the series, with memorable characters like Cloud, Tifa, and Barrett, and beautiful set pieces like Midgar. Of course, the original game had a lot to be desired, as the technology really limited it.

That is why we were thankful that the Final Fantasy 7 Remake was released, but Rebirth did everything much better. It opened up the world outside Midgar, introducing everyone to the true beauty of Gaia.

Nothing compares to your first time corralling a Chocobo or stepping onto the sandy beaches of Costa Del Sol. The team put a lot of work into the world, and it shows, but subsequent playthroughs just don't capture the same emotional feeling.

3 Horizon Zero Dawn

A Post-Apocalyptic Masterpiece

It was easy to get pulled in by Horizon Zero Dawn from the very first trailer. After all, it is not every day you see robot dinosaurs, and it made us want to know why they existed.

At the beginning of the game, you play as a young Aloy, discovering old-world technology for the first time. This sparked a sense of adventure in us, similar to a child learning to walk for the first time.

After the story branches out, you leave your tribe and get access to the full world; the sensation is overwhelming. Of course, it is never captured again in subsequent playthroughs despite the game being just as fun.

Why Can't We Go Beyond Whiterun?

Growing up with Skyrim, the game hit hard when it was first released. Jumping into the land of Skyrim felt breathtaking. We had little direction and explored to our heart's content.

Nothing quite matched the thrill of diving into old ruins or discovering ancient catacombs full of skeletons, and the number of items to collect filled us with joy. It was like something new was waiting for us around every corner.

After putting countless hours into Skyrim, it is difficult to go back and get that same feeling of excitement after escaping death. Now, when we make it to Whiterun, we lose a great amount of interest in the world and want to get everything over with.

1 Elden Ring

Stepping Into The Lands Between

Elden Ring is one of the best open-world titles to be released within the last decade, with the game receiving amazing review scores across the board and attracting gamers from all over to The Lands Between.

After dying to the first boss, you awaken underground, but quickly make your way up an elevator. After a short jaunt, you step outside and are overwhelmed by the amount of land around you. From there, the world is your oyster, and you are free to explore however you want.

With little direction and a strong sense of exploration, you find yourself in this open world, and nothing beats seeing Limgrave for the first time, discovering your first hidden passageway, or taking down your first boss. Every replay is fun, but it never captures that first moment of freedom after stepping out of that crypt.