2020 was quite a unique year with this coronavirus health pandemic outbreak. It caused so many development studios to shut their doors and work remotely. As a result, some games got pushed back so we’re expecting 2021 to be quite filled with new exciting video games. Likewise, with the latest generation platforms available, there’s bound to be some titles well worth purchasing for the new console hardware. With all that said, Hogwarts Legacy is a game we were looking to come out this year but that’s been delayed into 2022. Likewise, we won’t see Ark 2 or The Elder Scrolls VI this year.
Click Here For The Best Open World Games Of 2020
Update Disclaimer: Atomic Heart, Stalker 2, Skull & Bones, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Everwild, Gotham Knights, Avowed, Tchia, Starfield, Elden Ring, Hazel Sky, State of Decay 3, Dying Light 2, and Fable were removed. Unfortunately these games did not make it out into the marketplace this year.
#11 Biomutant
- Developer: Experiment 101
- Publisher: THQ Nordic
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
- Release Date: May 25, 2021 (PC, PS4, XBO)
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
Biomutant might have caught your attention this year. It’s a mash-up of so many elements. Overall it’s a blend of martial arts and ascience-fiction open world game where you take the role of a raccoon-like critter. Speaking of the protagonist, you’ll be able to customize this character right at the start of the game. You’ll determine the class and some of the basic stats like strength and agility. However, as you progress through the game, you’ll be able to level these different areas up as well. Combat is pretty diverse as you’ll have a mixture of melee and gunplay. However, additional special abilities like area effect ice attack also cause the ground to become slippery. The game world is fairly large and ranges from basic forests, rivers, and even mountainous terrains. It’s worth exploring to find hidden secrets and hitting up some side quests.
#10 Riders Republic
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
- Release Date: October 28, 2021
- Co-op: Online
- Competitive Multiplayer: Online
If you enjoy extreme sports, then you might find an interest in Riders Republic. It’s a game being developed over at Ubisoft which will mesh together multiple different national parks. However, this game brings out several extreme sports so you can race down mountains or freely roam around on snowboards, bikes, wingsuits, skis, among other helpful equipment. Because this game stitches together all kinds of parks such as Zion, Yosemite Valley, and Mammoth Mountain, we should get a reasonably large map to explore, but we’re still waiting for this game to drop. Unfortunately, we had to endure some delays, which pushed the game to October 28, 2021. Just how well it holds up compared to past extreme sports titles like Steep remains to be seen, but this is one game to keep tabs on.
#9 Valheim
- Developer: Iron Gate Studio
- Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: February 2, 2021 (Early Access)
- Co-op: Online
- Competitive Multiplayer: Online
Valheim is a game that’s out now, but it’s not entirely done. It’s in early access, but when this game came out, it blew up. Everyone was talking about Valheim, which was developed by a five-person team, Iron Gate Studio. This is a bit of a procedural generation survival title. Here the premise is that Vikings that perish in life, such as the character you’ll be taking on, get sent to Valheim. It’s here that you’ll prove worthy of passing on to the halls of Valhalla. However, to do that, you’ll need to take on the different enemies that roam the lands. This is a big world to explore with several biomes. All of which have their unique enemies and bosses. Similar to other survival games, players will have to craft up items and hunt down food. There is cooperative gameplay and some PvP, but again this is not a complete game. You’ll find that there will be updates as developers continue to finish the project.
#8 Scarlet Nexus
- Developer: Bandai Namco Studios
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
- Release Date: June 25, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
Scarlet Nexus is a bit of a unique game. The game is like an anime series. It’s out there, but it grips you. You can’t quite drop this game when you pick it up. Overall the premise is set in an alternate world where massive mutated monsters have sprung up. Fortunately, there is a military unit that has supernatural powers. So players are not only skilled in combat, but they’ll have the abilities like psychokinesis to launch objects at targets. Then to top it off, there are additional party members that join in with their unique abilities which you can start to string a series of attacks or strategies to take out an enemy. With that said, the open world is a bit like Monster Hunter Rise. You’re given large sections to explore. They are large enough to roam around, but unfortunately, it’s not an actual open-world experience. Still, I think you can get quite a bit of enjoyment of this title.
#7 The Ascent
- Developer: Neon Giant
- Publisher: Curve Digital
- Platforms: PC, XBO, X/S
- Release Date: July 29, 2021
- Co-op: Online
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
The Ascent is a cyberpunk-esque video game. This title is a top-down twin-stick shooter RPG. Here the premise is that players are essentially an enslaved worker for a mega-corporation. Forced into grunt work, things suddenly take a turn for potentially the worse. Your employer mysteriously crumbles, and it leaves the area into a bloodbath. Everyone is looking to take a piece of the area from factions to other corporations. Players can freely roam around and talk with NPCs to get more backstory, and as you progress, you’ll gain XP to make some tweaks towards your character. While exploring this neon dystopia, players can hunt down for goods, grind, or even grab up some side quests.
#6 Lost Judgment
- Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Publisher: Sega
- Platforms: PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
- Release Date: September 24, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
If you enjoyed Judgment, then there’s a new installment available this year called Lost Judgment. Although, you don’t necessarily have to play the previous game to jump into this installment. Like before, you’re an investigator trying to solve some crimes, ranging from gruesome murders to sexual assault. This is a Yakuza spin-off game as well, so you can expect the flashy over-the-top melee combat. With that said, this is a reasonably large map for players to explore, which adapts Japan. In Lost Judgment, you’ll have two regions to explore, which are Kamurocho and Isezaki.
Meanwhile, you’ll be searching for clues and talking with characters to gain some more clues about your case. There are some extra little bits of content available while roaming around the map. For instance, since Sega brought out this game, you typically find an arcade to visit. Within the arcade, there are several classic Sega games emulated to play so you could go through titles like Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Penguin Land, and Fantasy Zone, to name a few.
#5 Subnautica Below Zero
- Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Publisher: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Platforms: PC, NS, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
- Release Date: May 14, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
Subnautica Below Zero launched in May of 2020. This video game brought out the same gameplay style as the original Subnautica title but with some new twists. In this game, players are going through the arctic region of Planet 4546B as you set out to investigate what happened to your sister. If you played the past game, then you can expect more biomes although a smaller map. Still, there’s plenty to explore, and as you roam around, you’ll find that there’s not much in terms of empty locations. Overall this is still a survival game, so you’ll need to gather resources to ensure your survival. As a result, you’ll need to explore icy caves, snowy peaks, and the ocean depths below. Although, you’ll still have to be wary of the hostile alien creatures that roam around the area.
#4 Ratchet & Clank Rifts Apart
- Developer: Insomniac Games
- Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Platforms: PS5
- Release Date: June 11, 2021
- Co-op: N/A
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
A new Ratchet & Clank game came out this year. Called Ratchet & Clank: Rifts Apart, the main focus of this title is that you’re able to transport around areas quickly. Essentially players can open up teleports and pop right into a new world. Overall, the game is still a third-person platformer with plenty of action and exploration. However, the narrative and jokes seem a bit toned down this time around for those of you who had played previous Ratchet & Clank games. After all, we’re talking about games that had titles like Up Your Arsenal and Size Matters. Still, it’s a solid video game experience and a PlayStation 5 exclusive to pick up if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a PlayStation 5. It’s a trend with this list but Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is not an open-world video game experience. That said, there are open areas to explore, which can be reasonably large. Still, it’s a bit linear, and you’ll know where exactly you’ll need to be. Now, if you’re entirely new to the Ratchet & Clank franchise, then this installment is still fine to jump into. There is no real need to go back to complete past games, although you might get a bit more appreciation from this latest installment if you’re coming in with some prior Ratchet & Clank experience.
#3 Forza Horizon 5
- Developer: Playground Games
- Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
- Platforms: PC, XBO, X/S
- Release Date: November 9, 2021
- Co-op: Online
- Competitive Multiplayer: Online
How many of you expected the next Forza game to be the Forza Motorsport installment? Instead, we got a bit of a surprise when Forza Horizon 5 came out. This is a racing game series, but it blends simulation and arcade-style racing a bit together. It’s easy to get the controls and figure out just how to race around the tracks. Likewise, the games feature some rather significant and impressive maps to race around in. When it comes to Forza Horizon 5 from Playground Games, we’re getting tossed into an open-world based around Mexico. As a result, this means having quite a diverse set of environments to travel around in. These could range from an active volcano, jungle, beaches to cities, just to name a few areas. That should mean a relatively large map this time around and even dynamic weather systems. You’ll have anything from dust to tropical storms rolling in, which should play a role in driving conditions.
#2 Monster Hunter Rise
- Developer: Capcom
- Publisher: Capcom
- Platforms: NS, PC
- Release Date: March 26, 2021 (NS)
- Co-op: Online
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
Monster Hunter Rise was released this year, although it’s worth pointing out that this game launched for the Nintendo Switch. PC players will receive this game sometime in 2022. With that said, it’s your typical Monster Hunter video game experience. It’s all about the grind as you hunt down big behemoth monsters roaming around the areas. You’re actively seeking resources to get better armor, weapons, traps, and buffs. With that said, the name does suggest verticality. With this installment, there is more focus on climbing up to heights which you can do with a grappling hook. While it’s listed here as an open-world game, it’s not necessarily a massive open world. Instead, this game offers players maps to load into. Once you’re in the section of the map there are no loading screens, and you’ll have quite a big area to explore, which is a bit like Monster Hunter World. So you can picture this game with multiple larger sandbox areas rather than a sprawling open world.
#1 Far Cry 6
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, X/S
- Release Date: October 7, 2021
- Co-op: Online
- Competitive Multiplayer: N/A
Far Cry fans are getting the sixth mainline installment release this year. Far Cry 6 is taking players to a more tropical location. Set on a fictional Caribbean island called Yara, the game centers on a dictator, El Presidente Anton Castillo. Players are stepping into the role of a guerrilla fighter that seems reluctant to take on the battle, Dani Rojas. However, forced into the fight, Dani begins their journey in overthrowing the regime. Like with past Far Cry games, you can expect plenty of characters to meet and wildlife as well. We’re still waiting on the game, but so far, we do know that this installment will be the most extensive map in the franchise. Fortunately, because you are a guerrilla fighter, Dani can blend in as a typical average citizen. If you holster your weapon, guards might not take much care of you in the open. This could also mean the ability to explore this large open world map without the worry of jumping right into battle.
