Summary
- Some open-world games increase difficulty at night to challenge players to be productive during the day.
- Games like “Dying Light” introduce dangerous enemies like Volatiles and Night Walkers at night.
- “Minecraft” and “Valheim” also feature more enemies, poor visibility, and unique variants at night.
There’s no shortage of great open-world games for players to enjoy. Some offer a world where time doesn’t really matter, while others put time pressure on the player by introducing extra threats that only appear at night. From increased enemy spawns to unique zombie variants, there are a handful of games that increase the difficulty as soon as the sun goes down.
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By having extra threats that come out at night, players are forced to be more productive during the day to not get caught short when the sun sets. This topic will go over some of the best open-world games with dangerous nights.
1
7 Days To Die
All Zombies Run At Night
- Released
-
December 13, 2013
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
7 Days To Die is a game where players must do their best to survive amid a zombie apocalypse. However, by default, every seventh night, the player will be relentlessly hunted by endless waves of running zombies. Not only that, but provided the player hasn’t tweaked the settings, zombies will automatically run at night. During the day, all non-feral zombies will walk.
However, as soon as 10 pm hits, every zombie enemy will start to run. To avoid becoming a meal for the undead, players need to build and fortify bases to make it through the night.
2
Dying Light (1 & 2)
Volatiles And Night Walkers
Action
RPG
Survival Horror
- Released
-
February 4, 2022
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
The Dying Light series combines parkour abilities with a world filled with the undead. Players need to make use of their environment to fight, dodge, and evade enemies wandering the streets below.
While the game is dangerous during the day, it gets much more dangerous at night. As soon as it’s dark, Volatiles and Night Walkers will roam around the map. Should the player find themselves outside of a safe zone, then they might end up being chased by these incredibly tanky enemies.
3
Minecraft
An All-Time Classic
- Released
-
November 18, 2011
- ESRB
-
E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
It’s impossible to make a list of games with difficult nights without mentioning Minecraft. Venturing out at night can be a pretty good way of getting resources from enemies, such as gunpowder from Creepers and arrows from Skeletons. However, this can be very risky due to the abundance of enemies that spawn in dark places.
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While enemies will still spawn in the day in caves and any dark areas, during the night, they make their way to the surface and attack the player on sight. If the player has a decent set of armor and a good weapon, then these enemies typically won’t pose much of a threat. However, during the early stages of the game, the nights can be very dangerous.
4
Valheim
More Enemies & Poor Visibility
- Released
-
February 2, 2021
- ESRB
-
r
Valheim does a great job of making the nights feel pretty terrifying. Visibility is poor, enemies are tougher, and there are even some enemies that exclusively spawn during the night.
Starred enemy variants also like to pop up at night, which can cause unexpected players to panic. It’s often best to simply sleep through the night. However, some players may enjoy the thrill of venturing out into the darkness to take on some of the more difficult enemies that the game has to offer.
5
Days Gone
Freaker Hordes Become More Active
Open-World
Action
Adventure
- Released
-
April 26, 2019
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
Days Gone is a challenging game with lots of infected enemies that don’t hesitate to attack the player on sight. Should the player decide to do some late-night exploration, then they should be prepared for a fight. During the day, Freaker hordes mostly stay in caves. However, at night, they venture out. Also, Freakers are stronger, so players should be extra careful.
One advantage of venturing out at night is that the player will encounter fewer human enemies. However, due to the increase in Freaker activity, going out at night unprepared is not the best idea. So be sure to bring a good weapon or two.
6
State Of Decay (1 & 2)
Tougher Zombies At Night
- Released
-
May 22, 2018
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Both State of Decay games give players plenty of sweaty-palm moments. Encounters with zombies are rarely pleasant, and in State of Decay, they can be outright horrific. Surviving the day can be a challenge all in itself, but it’s the night when things take a more sinister turn.
During the night, the number of zombies that can be found roaming the world dramatically increases. Not only that, but they are more aggressive and alert when compared to typical “daytime” zombies. Also, visibility during the night is pretty poor in certain situations, making it relatively easy to end up getting surprised by some unwanted undead foes.
7
The Forest
Aggressive Cannibals & Poor Visibility
- Released
-
April 30, 2018
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ Due To Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity
The Forest is a game that requires players to search for clues about their missing son while attempting to avoid the hungry cannibals that inhabit the island. There are also horrific Mutants that are significantly more dangerous than the standard cannibals. Needless to say, surviving isn’t easy. However, as soon as night hits, things get much more difficult.
The first thing to note about nighttime in The Forest is the darkness. While nights are supposed to be dark, some areas offer players virtually zero visibility. Nighttime also happens to be the preferred time for cannibals and Mutants to venture out, which can take players by surprise if they aren’t careful. To survive the nights, players should build a shelter out of sight of the locals in the hopes of avoiding any unwanted conflict.
8
Don’t Starve
A Light Source Is A Must
- Released
-
April 23, 2013
- ESRB
-
T For Teen due to Fantasy, Violence, Crude Humor
In Don’t Starve, the darkness is a slippery slope into insanity. Stepping out without a light source is a good way to have a bad day. The most dangerous enemies are the ones that can’t be seen. Without a light source, the player will begin taking damage and could quickly end up in a very deadly situation.
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Even with a light source, players will only be able to see within a small radius of their light. Outside of that radius, it’s pitch-black darkness. This makes navigating pretty tricky.
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