Open-World Games That Deserve A Sequel

Key Takeaways

• Not every open-world game becomes iconic; some successful titles fade into obscurity due to overshadowing or lower sales.
• Grim Dawn,
  a
  Diablo
  clone with open-ended gameplay, and
  LEGO City Undercover,
  a unique
  LEGO
  experience, are examples.
• Games like
  Vampyr, Sleeping Dogs,
  and
  Days Gone
  had potential for sequels to expand on their unique elements and reach a wider audience.

Games featuring an open world to explore have become more common as technology advances, as shown by Red Dead Redemption 2 and Batman: Arkham Knight becoming iconic games. However, not every open-world game explodes like a firework for everyone to witness its glory, with some fading into obscurity.

From RPGs to action-adventure titles, developers have created high-quality and fun open worlds that give gamers good experiences but could have done even better with a sequel. They either didn’t get as many sales as expected or didn’t stay in the spotlight as long as other games have.

8 Grim Dawn

A Diablo Clone That Hit All The Right Notes

Mixing gothic and Lovecraftian horror, Grim Dawn was meant to be the spiritual successor to the Diablo games after Diablo 3 disappointed players at launch. Crate Entertainment delivered a similar isometric hack-and-slash RPG. However, Grim Dawn is more open-ended than the Diablo games, with side quests to accept and massive maps to explore alongside the linear story.

Grim Dawn proved to be a successful indie game, with multiple DLCs, but still found itself overshadowed by Blizzard’s franchise. Diablo 4 would seemingly take inspiration from this more open-ended approach with their new take on Sanctuary. With Diablo 4 being a smash hit, Crate Entertainment could see another success as Blizzard proved that the genre is still alive and well.

7 LEGO City Undercover

Proof That LEGO Games Don’t Need A Famous IP To Be Good

Instead of Batman or Star Wars, LEGO City Undercover allowed players to roam the titular LEGO cCity alongside an original story and characters. It didn’t have to rely on famous characters to deliver a fun LEGO experience that even had unique gameplay mechanics when playing as the main character, Chase McCain.

Despite mostly strong reviews that praised the game for its humor and gameplay, LEGO City Undercover did not sell as well as some licensed LEGO games, as it was initially an exclusive for the Nintendo Wii U. A sequel would allow the team at Traveller’s Tales to expand on LEGO City, creating a bigger open world that can feel like LEGO Grand Theft Auto for more players to explore.

6 Vampyr

Often Considered The Mass Effect Of Vampire Games

As Dr. Jonathan Reid, players were able to freely roam London in 1918 amid a Spanish Flu epidemic to help patients and other civilians with their problems in Vampyr. However, as the title suggests, Jonathan is also a vampire, and the player is given the freedom to feed on or help anyone he comes across. Feeding on NPCs grants Jonathan the most power, but also permanently removes that NPC from the narrative.

Whether it is a direct sequel to Vampyr or a new story in the same universe, the idea of roaming freely as a vampire could be expanded with more abilities, different locations or time periods, and even room to explore more kinds of consequences caused by player choices. Dontnod Entertainment improved on their Life Is Strange games with sequels, so they could probably do the same with Vampyr.

5 Sleeping Dogs

Gamers Were Too Quick To Call It Unoriginal

Sleeping Dogs was preemptively written off when it came out as a wannabe Grand Theft Auto set in Hong Kong. While it does feature multiple similarities to Grand Theft Auto, it expanded the open-world crime drama genre before Grand Theft Auto 5 came out. It has more gameplay elements: gathering experience, getting upgrades, and even melee martial arts combat.

Over the years since it came out, Sleeping Dogs has since become a cult favorite, with dedicated fans still wishing for a sequel. There were plans for a sequel featuring a new protagonist and a whole new region of China to explore, but Square Enix canceled the game due to the disappointing sales of the first entry.

4 The Saboteur

A Hidden Gem Among The Many World War 2 Games

Rather than charging in guns blazing like in so many other World War 2 games, The Saboteur has the player roaming through Nazi-occupied Paris and its countryside as a car mechanic turned resistance fighter. Driving, free-running, and fighting in the 1940s allowed The Saboteur to stand out from most open-world games at the time and even now.

Unfortunately, it was simply a case of a game falling under the radar, causing it to have disappointing sales. The idea of The Saboteur could have allowed sequels in other war-torn areas in World War 2, such as North Africa, Italy, Russia, Poland, Greece, or Australia, just to name a few, but it never caught on enough at the time.

3 Maneater

Makes The Player Feel Like An Apex Predator

The idea of playing as a shark is not new, but Maneater takes it a step further by making an RPG in which players freely roam the ocean hunting humans and other aquatic predators to evolve into a superpowered animal. It was successful enough to warrant a DLC expansion and a cult following that appreciated the over-the-top style of the game.

The map in Maneater was already filled to the brim with gags, side quests, and Easter Eggs that showed love and care put in by its developers. With a budget increase, a sequel could take things even further with new kinds of sharks, other predators to play as, and even bigger oceanic maps to explore.

2 Days Gone

Deacon’s Zombie Survival Story Was Ripe For A Sequel

Not only did Days Gone suffer from an arduous development cycle, but it did not sell as well as expected. During a time when post-apocalyptic zombie games were everywhere with The Last Of Us, State Of Decay, and more, Days Gone was quickly forgotten, even though it provided a unique experience, from motorcycle mechanics, breakable weapons a la Breath Of The Wild, and embracing RPG elements.

Days Gone already presented a polished open-world zombie game, but a sequel had the potential to start a new franchise for Sony. It could have added more customization to Deacon St. John, brought the story to a new open-world area, and made the zombies even scarier than they already were.

1 Mad Max

If Batman And Borderlands Were Fused Together

Avalanche Games made the wise choice of making Mad Max a tribute to all the films in the franchise. It mixed combat akin to the Batman: Arkham games with a heavy emphasis on vehicular gameplay to traverse a massive punk-inspired apocalypse. Other elements from Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry made appearances as well, which made it feel mimetic, but never stopped it from being fun and addictive.

The developers at Avalanche Games have gone on to more successful titles, but a sequel to Mad Max could do for it what Batman: Arkham City did for Rocksteady after Batman: Arkham Asylum. Max could have new upgrades with even more abilities for his car and could explore even more of the Wasteland now that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga introduced new locations in the universe.