8 Best Open-World Games For Fast-Paced Gameplay

Summary

• Sunset Overdrive offers fast-paced movement mechanics inspired by popular skating games, keeping players constantly moving.
• Far Cry 5 provides rural America-inspired settings with fast-paced action and plenty to explore.
• Cyberpunk 2077 offers a rich atmosphere with continuous updates, exciting combat, and diverse activities.

Open-world games are amazing thanks to how versatile they can be. Between the immersive sound design, various characters, NPCs, weapons, armor and challenges they offer players, games in this genre are always a blast to play and can keep anyone busy for months.

Some titles in the open-world genre present players with the possibility to pick an evil route for their character, which can impact the outcome. Others focus more on character customization and class systems, which are also very entertaining. What seems to be an ever-present factor in titles like these is thrilling combat and interactions. Here are some of the best open-world games for fast-paced gameplay.

8 Sunset Overdrive

An Exciting Game That’s Always In Motion

• Players must keep moving at all times
• The game mechanics are reminiscent of skating games from the early 2000s

Sunset Overdrive is one of those games that takes a very original concept and combines it with popular game mechanics that were present in the early 2000s. The game’s premise is quite unique, however, the way in which The Player moves and explores the city is reminiscent of the popular skating games that everyone loved back in the day.

Players will have to slide on railings, jump on storefronts and use every element at their disposal to fight off the mutants taking over the city. This makes Sunset Overdrive a game that will keep players on their toes at all times.

7 Far Cry 5

Rural America Always Has Something To Keep Players On Their Toes

• Set in a region that’s inspired by rural America
• Fast-paced action and lots to discover

The Far Cry franchise is known for setting each one of its games in different locations, usually based on real life places. This is not the exception for Far Cry 5, which takes place in Hope County, a fictional location that could be based on a region from real life Montana in the United States.

Similar to other Far Cry games, this title will have players sneaking around their enemies and firing weapons, which is nothing new for the franchise, but as they say, if something’s not broken, there’s no reason to fix it.

6 Cyberpunk 2077

Exploring A Dystopian Futuristic City Is Always Thrilling

• Immersive atmosphere
• The game is constantly being updated, and new things are frequently added to it

Although Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough start to its life due to various performance bugs, it’s now safe to say that it’s one of the best open-world games with the greatest atmospheres out there. Set in the dystopian Night City, this game always offers players something new to discover. Whether it is interesting NPC interactions, fun side quests, street races, or infiltration missions, players will find that there’s no shortage of activities or challenges.

Even if they’ve already completed the main story and the DLC, new things are always being added to the game, and thanks to its fast-paced combat mechanics, Cyberpunk 2077 seems to have a long life ahead of it.

5 Ghost Of Tsushima

A Combination Of Peaceful Horseback Rides And Exhilerating Combat

• Detailed environments that are both peaceful and beautiful
• When Jin engages in combat, players will have to stay on their toes

Some would argue that Ghost of Tsushima is a peculiar choice for this list, as it has many moments that aren’t fast-paced, but quite the opposite. A good chunk of the game will have players riding on horseback through peaceful fields, admiring the beautiful landscapes that developer Sucker Punch Studios crafted for them.

However, when Jin gets down to business and fights the invading Mongols, things take a quick turn. Ghost of Tsushima’s combat mechanics are complex and complete, requiring players to learn the ropes quickly and develop catlike reflexes to survive.

4 Elden Ring

It’s Critical To Be Always On The Move

• The more Sites of Grace players discover, the more streamlined gameplay becomes
• Challenging bosses and an original world full of wonders

Many players agree that Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s magnum opus. This title took many of the already popular game mechanics from the Dark Souls franchise and implemented them into a vast open world full of possibilities and dangerous enemies.

At the beginning, players might feel like discovering The Lands Between is a bit tedious given the size of the map. However, when they discover new Sites of Grace and can fast travel throughout various locations, the gameplay experience picks up significantly, delivering fast-paced action through area enemies and mighty bosses at every turn.

3 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Hyrule Has Much To Offer Players

• The Kingdom of Hyrule is vast
• Not the first open-world of its franchise

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is arguably one of the best open-world Nintendo exclusive games to have ever been released. While this title isn’t the first to be set in an open world in the Legend of Zelda universe, it does present players with new, daring game mechanics that make it fun, complex, and entertaining to play.

This game presented players with what was probably the largest depiction of the Kingdom of Hyrule up to that point, opening a new world of possibilities for the franchise.

2 Red Dead Redemption 2

The Wild West Forbids Sedentary Lifestyles

• Exciting shootouts in the final years of the American Wild West
• Tons of NPC side quests and interactions

By the time Red Dead Redemption 2 was first released, Rockstar Games was already a critically acclaimed developer. However, this title and its massive success helped the studio grow even more and establish itself as one of the greatest in the world.

Even when players are dozens of hours into a game, Red Dead Redemption 2 still has many things to offer, making it one of the best open-world games of all time. While some players have gone as far as calling Red Dead Redemption 2 a walking horse simulator, a wider number of people agree that that’s part of its charm, and that the game almost always feels exciting and fast-paced.

1 Grand Theft Auto 5

Rockstar Games’ Most Successful Game To Date

• Tons of NPC interactions, cars, weapons, and locations
• Los Santos is vast and takes inspiration from real-life LA

Grand Theft Auto 5 is, without a doubt, Rockstar Games’ most popular title to date. The game has been out for more than 10 years, and it still retains a recurrent player count that’s well into the hundreds of thousands every month. Based on various real-life locations in Los Angeles, Los Santos remains one of the most complete and complex maps in open-world gaming.

As players drive through Los Santos, they’ll find no shortage of things to do. Whether it is helping a rogue reporter get some compromising pictures of a celebrity, collaborating with an elderly couple of tourists to collect Hollywood memorabilia, or saving a damsel in distress’ day by recovering her stolen purse, the fun never stops.