8 Open-World Games With Highly Interactive Environments

Summary

• Watch Dogs 2: Interactive city environment immerses players, engaging with various story elements.
• Cyberpunk 2077: Choose lifestyles, interact with NPCs, explore Night City’s busy streets.
• Red Dead Redemption 2: Interact with various NPCs, manners impact gameplay.

Open-world games are known for presenting players with various elements, including a broad range of weapons, armor, NPCs, side quests, and likable characters throughout the story. Some also feature massive cities and towns that players can explore to discover all their secrets and find valuable items to help them throughout their journey.

While many open-world titles feature various elements that can sometimes be overwhelming, others like to keep it simple. Whatever the case, it’s undeniable that games with environments that feel alive and provide players with an extra layer of immersion are amazing. Here are some of the best open-world games with highly interactive environments.

8

Watch Dogs 2

The City Feels Alive At Every Turn

• Marcus Holloway must clear his name
• Interactive environments that make the game feel immersive

Watch Dogs 2 follows the story of Marcus Holloway, who is framed for a crime he didn’t commit by his city’s security system, known as CTOS 2.0. To clear his name, he will join the infamous DedSec hacker organization.

This title presents players with a city that’s full of life and things to do, allowing them to interact with various elements throughout the story that make things feel more realistic. Sure, there are other titles that have more interactive environments, but Watch Dogs 2 still manages to deliver a great experience.

7

Cyberpunk 2077

Night City Is Always Busy

• Players can choose different lifestyles
• Various NPC interactions throughout the game

One of the greatest things about Cyberpunk 2077, is that it allows players to both explore the busy streets of Night City and also ride on their favorite motorcycle or car through the deserted areas on the outskirts. This allows them to choose to live the quiet life of a Nomad, or surround themselves in excess and perpetual lights as Corpos.

Cyberpunk 2077 has one of the most interactive environments of its genre, and it complements that wonderfully with superb voice acting, great weapon sounds, and an outstanding soundtrack. Players who can enjoy this game with headphones should take advantage of this opportunity.

6

Fallout 4

Even In The Wasteland, There Are People And Other Things To Interact With

• Tons of NPCs and companions to interact with
• Vicious creatures await players who want a challenge

One would think that, given that Fallout 4 is set in a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland, there wouldn’t be any elements to interact with. However, every player that starts the game quickly realizes that this is not the case and that the environments are actually full of potential interactions, both hostile and friendly.

Players looking for a friendly conversation and a couple of drinks can head on out to Diamond City, whereas those looking for danger and the glory of combat, will have no shortage of opportunities as they explore the Boston Commonwealth.

5

The Witcher 3

The Continent Has No Shortage Of Things For Players To Do

• Large cities packed with life and potential interactions
• Unique gameplay that makes monster-hunting very interesting

When the game starts, players could be tricked into thinking that most of The Witcher 3‘s story will happen in rural areas, requiring several hours of horseback riding. However, this isn’t the case, as there are also huge cities, like Novigrad, that not only contain various main and side quests, but are also full of life.

As they make their way through the busiest streets of Novigrad, players can interact with many vendors, guards, and other NPCs, making the experience feel very realistic and fun. Although the concept of monster-hunting was nothing new when The Witcher video game franchise first came along, CD Projekt RED managed to give its titles unique gameplay that has positioned them among the best games of the 2000s.

4

Elden Ring

Most Interactions Are Hostile, But Even That’s Interesting

• Players will have to defend themselves from the various threats in The Lands Between
• Some friendly NPCs let players upgrade and purchase armor and weapons

If players are looking for a game that allows them to interact with various friendly NPCs, Elden Ring is probably not what they want. FromSoftware titles are known for pitting players against insurmountable odds and making them feel like it’s them against the world. This means that most of the interactions in this game will be hostile, challenging players’ survival at every turn.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it keeps players on their toes and makes the gameplay experience interesting. Besides, there are some friendly NPCs that players can talk to for upgrading weapons, purchasing items, and more.

3

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

The Kingdom Of Hyrule Is Packed With Life

• Friendly NPCs scattered across the Kingdom of Hyrule
• Outstanding open-world game mechanics

Being a Nintendo game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is arguably one of the coziest open-world titles out there. Now, this doesn’t mean that players won’t be tried and tested at every turn as they explore the Kingdom of Hyrule—quite the opposite.

There are many combat opportunities, lots of things to discover, and various NPCs scattered across the land that make interaction a key aspect of the game. While The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn’t the first game in its universe to be open-world, it certainly took advantage of modern game mechanics to become a masterpiece.

2

Grand Theft Auto 5

Los Santos’ Citizens Never Have A Dull Moment

• Los Santos has a highly interactive atmosphere
• Players can explore the map for hours and will always find something to do

Grand Theft Auto V has been out for 11 years at the time of writing this article. There are many reasons why it’s still popular to this day, and one of those is how much players can interact with their environment. Throughout the game, players can participate in foot, bicycle and even car races, as well as in Rampage shootings, armored truck heists, citizen’s arrests, and more.

The city of Los Santos is full of life and things to do, and considering that it’s a satire of Los Angeles, the game doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is one of its best qualities.

1

Red Dead Redemption 2

Manners In The Wild West Are Important

• Greeting strangers is an excellent way to raise Arthur’s Honor
• Players can interact with every NPC in this fictional version of the Wild West

Red Dead Redemption 2 is considered by many to be the best Western title to have ever been released. Not only does the game have a compelling narrative and an extremely charismatic leading man, but there are also a lot of things to do throughout the story. No matter where players go, there will always be a chance to interact with the various NPCs scattered across the world.

If players are doing a Low Honor run, they can rob as many innocent people as they want while walking down the street. And if they’re doing a High Honor run, there’s nothing quite as effective to raise it as greeting every citizen of Saint Denis on a beautiful morning. Yet another thing that makes Red Dead Redemption 2 so great, is that Arthur isn’t overpowered by any means. He’s just a man trying to make his way in a world that’s changing too much, too quickly.