8 Open-World Games With The Best Atmosphere, Ranked

Open-world titles are some of the most compelling games on the shelves today, promising a host of experiences utterly unique to video games as a medium. Whether huge and sprawling worlds or intimately detailed, small-scale titles, open-worlds satiate the player’s wanderlust and are at their best when every moment of exploration and navigation feels compelling and engaging, not like a chore or task.

The most immersive open-world titles are thus the ones that receive the highest praise. Few things can be as engaging as the open worlds that truly let players lose themselves and explore a setting unlike anything else. Atmosphere is key in an open-world title, and these games absolutely nail their respective atmospheres with grace.

A Vibrant And Beautiful Open World

The world of the Elder Scrolls Online is one of the most vibrant and storied fantasy worlds available to date. There’s something for every kind of player here, from esoteric high fantasy religious content or classic questing as a mercenary or mage.

The fantastic visual design of this game is essential to its atmosphere. Each region of Tamriel, even within the same Kingdom, feels so unique and lived in. Players can find cultures and races realized in a way they could only dream of in the single-player titles, and traveling across Tamriel, doing quests, and slaying foes, has an amazing atmospheric feel to it unmatched by other open-world MMOs.

7 Far Cry Primal

A Lush And Wild World With Many Dangers

A wholly unique setting, both by Far Cry standards and for open worlds in general, Far Cry Primal is the often overlooked spin-off to the Far Cry series that absolutely nails the lush and untamed wilds of a world where man is not yet the dominant creature.

Everything from the sounds of primordial insects droning to the birdsong of creatures no longer living just instills this open world with a mysterious, wistful atmosphere that isn’t found in any other Far Cry title.

6 Kingdom Come: Deliverance

A Faithfully Realized Historical Open World

With hype for the upcoming sequel higher than ever, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a faithfully authentic tile with so much heart and immersion to give. Wandering the idyllic countryside in this game has an atmosphere that immerses players like nothing else.

It’s not just the quiet moments in the wilderness that give this game atmosphere. Every NPC is so well-realized and reactive that it makes the ambiance in this game come alive.

5 Metro Exodus

A Grim And Stark Open World

Where other games might use birdsong or natural ambiance to serve the atmosphere, Metro Exodus uses silence. Throughout this lengthy title, it’s the oppressive and crushing silence of a world long-since destroyed that truly makes Metro Exodus have an atmosphere worthy of praise.

The wind howling through snow droves, the sound of boots crunching through debris on the ground, the long-since abandoned buildings of a bygone age, few post-apocalyptic games have the same atmosphere as Metro Exodus.

4 Elden Ring

The Lands Between Is A Perilous And Beautiful World

The hugely successful Elden Ring has represented a new age for soulslikes, open-world games, and what the two genres can accomplish. Players who have stuck with FromSoft for a long time were rewarded with one of the best and most atmospheric soulslike titles to date.

The surreal ambiance and world design of Elden Ring lend greatly to its atmosphere, and the game is a fantastic vehicle for conveying the story of the gods’ tragic betrayal through ambient elements rather than overt storytelling.

3 Red Dead Redemption 2

Few Worlds Have An Authenticity Like This One

An idea that comes up frequently in Red Dead Redemption 2‘s world design is the Sublime. Romantic novelists (that’s capital R Romantic, think Oscar Wilde, not Colleen Hoover) used the Sublime as a way to capture the unique, very powerful feelings of awe that nature could inspire within people.

Nature can make people feel small. Looking out over huge mountainous landscapes can grant a poignant sense of perspective. Few open-world games have managed to capture this feeling of the Sublime, beauty, and mild bittersweetness mingled together, like the atmosphere of Red Dead Redemption 2.

No Other Game Perfectly Captures An Alien Atmosphere

A legendary open-world title that is still inspiring games today, The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind enthralls players with its atmosphere. Even with graphics that are over 20 years old, no game has managed to make the player feel as alien or foreign as Morrowind.

With the soft and wistful exploration music, the alien landscape, and the quiet threat of danger around every corner, Morrowind is a somewhat ironic testament to the fact that million-dollar graphics and engines can’t compete with strong worldbuilding and world design.

1 Cyberpunk: 2077

A Slick And Stylish Expansive Open World

…Having said that, however… Cyberpunk 2077 just feels like a living, breathing environment, a slick neon world of corruption and consumption, alluring and enthralling players with its atmosphere even while they know it’s wrong.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a warning and an exploration of humanity. It’s a game with a vital, pressing message about the human condition. It reflects the human condition, with all its peaks and troughs, through the grimy alleys, glitzy streets, and magical atmosphere of Night City.