{{Short description|Type of video game design}} {{Other uses|Open world (disambiguation)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}} {{Video games}} [[File:A Short Hike Screenshot 5.png|thumb|Screenshot of the 2019 video game ''A Short Hike'', in which the player can freely explore the game world]]
In video games, an '''open world''' is a virtual world in which the player can approach objectives freely, as opposed to a world with more linear and structured gameplay.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.kotaku.com.au/2008/07/pandemic_working_on_new_open_world_sandbox_ip/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130127014927/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2008/07/pandemic_working_on_new_open_world_sandbox_ip/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = January 27, 2013 | title = Pandemic Working On New 'Open World / Sandbox' IP | first = Logan | last = Booker | publisher = Kotaku | date = July 14, 2008 | access-date = July 25, 2008}}</ref><ref name=cvg_history2>{{cite magazine | title = The complete history of open-world games (part 2) | magazine = Computer and Video Games | date = May 25, 2008 | url = http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=189599 | access-date = July 25, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080526073334/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=189599 | archive-date = May 26, 2008 | url-status = dead}}</ref> Notable games in this category include ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' (2004), ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' (2018), and ''Minecraft'' (2011).<ref>{{Cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/2015/12/open-world-games-2015/ | title = Open-World Games Are Changing the Way We Play | first = Jake | last = Muncy | date = December 3, 2015 | access-date = June 6, 2017 | magazine = Wired | archive-date = November 8, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201108142211/http://www.wired.com/2015/12/open-world-games-2015/ | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="gameopedia_openworld">{{cite web | title = The Evolution of Open-World Games | first = Karthik | last = Balasubramanian | date = August 22, 2022 | website = Gameopedia | url = https://www.gameopedia.com/the-evolution-of-open-world-games/ | access-date = July 25, 2023 | archive-date = March 30, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240330073056/https://www.gameopedia.com/the-evolution-of-open-world-games/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
Games with open or free-roaming worlds typically lack level structures like walls and locked doors, or the invisible walls in more open areas that prevent the player from venturing beyond them; only at the bounds of an open-world game will players be limited by geographic features like vast oceans or impassable mountains. Players typically do not encounter loading screens common in linear level designs when moving about the game world, with the open-world game using strategic storage and memory techniques to load the game world dynamically and seamlessly. Open-world games still enforce many restrictions in the game environment, either because of absolute technical limitations or in-game limitations imposed by a game's linearity.<ref name="gsutra_20games">{{cite web | last = Harris | first = John | title = Game Design Essentials: 20 Open World Games | website = Gamasutra | date = September 26, 2007 | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1902/game_design_essentials_20_open_.php | access-date = July 25, 2008 | archive-date = November 11, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201111210554/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1902/game_design_essentials_20_open_.php | url-status = live }}</ref>
While the openness of the game world is an important facet to games featuring open worlds, the main draw of open-world games is about providing the player with autonomy—not so much the freedom to do anything they want in the game (which is nearly impossible with current computing technology), but the ability to choose how to approach the game and its challenges in the order and manner as the player desires while still constrained by gameplay rules.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/video-looking-at-open-world-games-to-understand-player-autonomy | title = Video: Looking at open world games to understand player autonomy | first = Emma | last = Kidwell | date = March 13, 2018 | access-date = January 15, 2020 | work = Gamasutra | archive-date = February 9, 2026 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20260209121807/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/video-looking-at-open-world-games-to-understand-player-autonomy | url-status = live }}</ref> Examples of high level of autonomy in computer games can be found in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) or in single-player games adhering to the open-world concept such as the ''Fallout'' series. The main appeal of open-world gameplay is that it provides a simulated reality and allows players to develop their character and its behavior in the direction and pace of their own choosing. In these cases, there is often no concrete goal or end to the game, although there may be the main storyline, such as with games like ''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim''.
== Gameplay and design == An open world is a level or game designed as nonlinear, open areas with many ways to reach an objective.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/2008/01/assassins-creed-2/ | title = Assassin's Creed And The Future Of Sandbox Games | magazine = Wired | first = Chris | last = Kohler | date = January 4, 2008 | access-date = July 26, 2008 | archive-date = June 22, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180622193012/https://www.wired.com/2008/01/assassins-creed-2/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Some games are designed with both traditional and open-world levels.<ref>{{cite web | last = Harris | first = John | title = Game Design Essentials: 20 Open World Games - Air Fortress | website = Gamasutra | date = September 26, 2007 | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1902/game_design_essentials_20_open_.php | archive-url = https://archive.today/20121205181448/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1902/game_design_essentials_20_open_.php | url-status = dead | archive-date = December 5, 2012 | access-date = August 2, 2008}}</ref> An open world facilitates greater exploration than a series of smaller levels,<ref name=gsutra_20games/> or a level with more linear challenges.<ref name= "assassinfails">{{cite magazine | url = http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/11/review-why-assa.html | title = Review: Why Assassin's Creed Fails | first = Chris | last = Kohler | magazine = Wired | date = November 23, 2007 | access-date = July 26, 2008 | archive-date = April 3, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090403150448/http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/11/review-why-assa.html | url-status = live }}</ref> Reviewers have judged the quality of an open world based on whether there are interesting ways for the player to interact with the broader level when they ignore their main objective.<ref name="assassinfails"/> Some games actually use real settings to model an open world, such as New York City.<ref>{{Cite web|author=James Ransom-Wiley|date=August 10, 2007|title=Sierra unveils Prototype, not the first sandbox adventure|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/10/sierra-unveils-prototype-not-the-first-sandbox-adventure/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113165019/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/10/sierra-unveils-prototype-not-the-first-sandbox-adventure/|archive-date=November 13, 2013|access-date=July 26, 2008|publisher=Joystiq}}</ref>
A major design challenge is to balance the freedom of an open world with the structure of a dramatic storyline.<ref>{{cite book|last=Poole|first=Steven|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8NGzkDOZljIC|title=Trigger Happy|publisher=Arcade Publishing|year=2000|isbn=9781559705981|page=101}}</ref> Since players may perform actions that the game designer did not expect,<ref name="cvg_fl">{{Cite web|last1=Bishop|first1=Stuart|date=March 5, 2003|title=Interview: Freelancer|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=88288|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819235917/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/88288/interviews/interview-freelancer/|archive-date=August 19, 2012|access-date=December 30, 2007|publisher=ComputerAndVideoGames.com}}</ref> the game's writers must find creative ways to impose a storyline on the player without interfering with their freedom.<ref>{{Cite web|author1=Chris Remo|author2=Brandon Sheffield|author2-link=Brandon Sheffield|date=July 18, 2008|title=Redefining Game Narrative: Ubisoft's Patrick Redding On Far Cry 2|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3727/redefining_game_narrative_.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719085332/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3727/redefining_game_narrative_.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 19, 2008|access-date=August 2, 2008|publisher=GamaSutra}}</ref> As such, games with open worlds will sometimes break the game's story into a series of missions, or have a much simpler storyline altogether.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18545 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080513170757/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18545 | url-status = dead | archive-date = May 13, 2008 | title = Opinion: 'All The World's A Sandbox' | publisher = GamaSutra | date = May 12, 2008 | first = Chris | last = Plante | access-date = July 26, 2008}}</ref> Other games instead offer side-missions to the player that do not disrupt the main storyline. Most open-world games make the character a blank slate that players can project their own thoughts onto, although several games such as ''Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole'' offer more character development and dialogue.<ref name=gsutra_20games/> Writing in 2005, David Braben described the narrative structure of current video games as "little different to the stories of those Harold Lloyd films of the 1920s", and considered genuinely open-ended stories to be the "Holy Grail" for the fifth generation of gaming.<ref name="braben_bbc">{{cite news | last = Braben | first = David | title = Towards games with the wow factor | work = BBC News | date = December 31, 2005 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4553620.stm | access-date = December 27, 2009 | archive-date = April 7, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190407161044/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4553620.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> Gameplay designer Manveer Heir, who worked on ''Mass Effect 3'' and ''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' for Electronic Arts, said that there are difficulties in the design of an open-world game since it is difficult to predict how players will approach solving gameplay challenges offered by a design, in contrast to a linear progression, and needs to be a factor in the game's development from its onset. Heir opined that some of the critical failings of ''Andromeda'' were due to the open world being added late in development.<ref name="eg heir me">{{Cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-23-manveer-heir-bioware-mass-effect-ea-monetisation|title=I've seen people literally spend $15,000 on Mass Effect multiplayer cards|first=Robert|last=Purchase|date=October 23, 2017|access-date=October 23, 2017|work=Eurogamer|archive-date=October 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023163641/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-23-manveer-heir-bioware-mass-effect-ea-monetisation|url-status=live}}</ref>
Some open-world games, to guide the player towards major story events, do not provide the world's entire map at the start of the game, but require the player to complete a task to obtain part of that map, often identifying missions and points of interest when they view the map. This has been derogatorily referred to as "Ubisoft towers", as this mechanic was promoted in Ubisoft's ''Assassin's Creed'' series (the player climbing a large tower as to observe the landscape around it and identify waypoints nearby) and reused in other Ubisoft games, including ''Far Cry'', ''Might & Magic X: Legacy'' and ''Watch Dogs''. Other games that use this approach include ''Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor'', ''The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'', and ''Marvel's Spider-Man''.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.usgamer.net/articles/exploring-the-dreaded-ubisoft-tower | title = Exploring and Uncovering the Dreaded Ubisoft Tower | first = Mike | last = Williams | date = March 27, 2017 | access-date = March 27, 2017 | work = US Gamer | archive-date = March 28, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170328105341/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/exploring-the-dreaded-ubisoft-tower | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/far-cry-5/guns-for-hire | title = How Far Cry 5 is shaking itself free from Ubisoft's open-world template | first = Ben | last = Maxwell | date = June 28, 2017 | access-date = June 28, 2017 | work = PCGamesN | archive-date = April 7, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190407164057/https://www.pcgamesn.com/far-cry-5/guns-for-hire | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.pcgamer.com/how-collectibles-stealth-and-climbing-came-to-define-the-ubisoft-open-world-game/ | title = How collectibles, stealth and climbing came to define the Ubisoft open world game | first = Dave | last = Meikleham | date = January 21, 2017 | access-date = January 21, 2017 | work = PC Gamer | archive-date = September 22, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170922050757/http://www.pcgamer.com/how-collectibles-stealth-and-climbing-came-to-define-the-ubisoft-open-world-game/ | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Carter |first1=Chris |title=Here's a tip for easily descrambling Spider-Man PS4's towers |url=https://www.destructoid.com/here-s-a-tip-for-easily-descrambling-spider-man-ps4-s-towers-520310.phtml#disqus_thread |website=Destructoid |date=September 6, 2018 |access-date=September 12, 2018 |archive-date=April 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407161043/https://www.destructoid.com/here-s-a-tip-for-easily-descrambling-spider-man-ps4-s-towers-520310.phtml#disqus_thread |url-status=live }}</ref> Rockstar games like ''GTA: San Andreas'' and ''GTA IV'' series lock out sections of the map as "barricaded by law enforcement" until a specific point in the story has been reached.
Games with open worlds typically give players infinite lives or continues, although some force the player to start from the beginning should they die too many times.<ref name=gsutra_20games/> There is also a risk that players may get lost as they explore an open world; thus designers sometimes try to break the open world into manageable sections.<ref>{{cite book | title = Game Design Complete | first = Patrick | last = O'Luanaigh | publisher = Paraglyph Press | year = 2006 | pages = 203, 218}}</ref> The scope of open-world games requires the developer to fully detail every possible section of the world the player may be able to access, unless methods like procedural generation are used. The design process, due to its scale, may leave numerous game world glitches, bugs, incomplete sections, or other irregularities that players may find and potentially take advantage of.<ref name="inverse 2020"/> The term "open world jank" has been used to apply to games where the incorporation of the open world gameplay elements may be poor, incomplete, or unnecessary to the game itself such that these glitches and bugs become more apparent, though are generally not game-breaking, such as the case for ''No Man's Sky'' near its launch.<ref name="inverse 2020"/>
=== Distinctions between open world and sandbox games === thumb|Open world flight simulator ''GeoFS''
The mechanics of open-world games are often overlapped with ideas of sandbox games, but these are considered different concepts. Whereas open world refers to the lack of limits for the player's exploration of the game's world, sandbox games are based on the ability of giving the player tools for creative freedom within the game to approach objectives, if such objectives are present.
For example, most flight simulators are considered to be open-world games as one can fly anywhere within the mapped world, but they are not considered a sandbox game as there are generally few creative aspects brought into the game.<ref name="gamasutra sandbox games">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-history-and-theory-of-sandbox-gameplay | title = The History and Theory of Sandbox Gameplay | first = Steve | last = Breslin | date = July 16, 2009 | access-date = May 2, 2020 | work = Gamasutra | archive-date = January 26, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210126033310/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132470/the_history_and_theory_of_sandbox_.php | url-status = live }}</ref>
=== Emergent gameplay === The combination of open world and sandbox mechanics can lead towards emergent gameplay, complex reactions that emerge (either expectedly or unexpectedly) from the interaction of relatively simple game mechanics.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Le Gameplay emergent | language = fr | work = jeuxvideo.com | date = January 19, 2006 | url = http://www.jeuxvideo.com/dossiers/00006203/le-gameplay-emergent.htm | access-date = July 19, 2016 | archive-date = April 8, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190408170356/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/dossiers/00006203/le-gameplay-emergent.htm | url-status = live }}</ref> According to Peter Molyneux, emergent gameplay appears wherever a game has a good simulation system that allows players to play in the world and have it respond realistically to their actions. It is what made ''SimCity'' and ''The Sims'' compelling to players. Similarly, being able to freely interact with the city's inhabitants in ''Grand Theft Auto'' added an extra dimension to the series.<ref name="moly_spy">{{cite news|last=Kosak |first=Dave |title=The Future of Games from a Design Perspective |publisher=gamespy.com |date=March 7, 2004 |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/march04/dice/molyneux/index.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114164207/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/march04/dice/molyneux/index.shtml |archive-date=January 14, 2009}}</ref>
In recent years game designers have attempted to encourage emergent play by providing players with tools to expand games through their own actions. Examples include in-game web browsers in ''EVE Online'' and ''The Matrix Online''; XML integration tools and programming languages in ''Second Life''; shifting exchange rates in ''Entropia Universe''; and the complex object-and-grammar system used to solve puzzles in ''Scribblenauts''. Other examples of emergence include interactions between physics and artificial intelligence. One challenge that remains to be solved, however, is how to tell a compelling story using only emergent technology.<ref name="moly_spy"/>
In an op-ed piece for BBC News, David Braben, co-creator of ''Elite'', called truly open-ended game design "The Holy Grail" of modern video gaming, citing games like ''Elite'' and the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series as early steps in that direction.<ref name="braben_bbc"/> Peter Molyneux has also stated that he believes emergence (or emergent gameplay) is where video game development is headed in the future. He has attempted to implement emergent gameplay to a great extent in some of his games, particularly ''Black & White'' and ''Fable''.<ref name="moly_spy"/>
=== Procedural generation of open worlds === Procedural generation refers to content generated algorithmically rather than manually, and is often used to generate game levels and other content. While procedural generation does not guarantee that a game or sequence of levels is nonlinear, it is an important factor in reducing game development time and opens up avenues making it possible to generate larger and more or less unique seamless game worlds on the fly and using fewer resources. This kind of procedural generation is known as worldbuilding, in which general rules are used to construct a believable world.
Most 4X and roguelike games make use of procedural generation to some extent to generate game levels. SpeedTree is an example of a developer-oriented tool used in the development of ''The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion'' and aimed at speeding up the level design process. Procedural generation also made it possible for the developers of ''Elite'', David Braben and Ian Bell, to fit the entire game—including thousands of planets, dozens of trade commodities, multiple ship types and a plausible economic system—into less than 22 kilobytes of memory.<ref name=cavg_elite>{{cite magazine | last = Shoemaker | first = Richie | title = Games that changed the world: Elite | magazine = Computer and Video Games | date = August 14, 2002 | url = http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=78368 | access-date = June 20, 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070211011328/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=78368 | archive-date = February 11, 2007}}</ref> More recently, ''No Man's Sky'' procedurally generated over 18 quintillion planets including flora, fauna, and other features that can be researched and explored.<ref name="new yorker">{{cite magazine |first=Raffi |last=Khatchadourian |date=May 18, 2015 |title=World without end: creating a full-scale digital cosmos |department=Annals of Games |magazine=The New Yorker |volume=91 |issue=13 |pages=48–57 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/18/world-without-end-raffi-khatchadourian |access-date=August 5, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729185316/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/18/world-without-end-raffi-khatchadourian |archive-date=July 29, 2015}}</ref>
===Level streaming=== With more advanced computing hardware with faster input/output data transfer rates, such as optical drives, hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), and larger amounts of memory, game developers have been able to take advantage of continuously loading new level assets{{Snd}}models, textures, and audio{{Snd}}into the computer or console's memory as the player approaches the edge of one level and the start of a new one. This can effectively make the transition from one level to another level appear to be seamless and avoid the use of loading screens. This is known as level streaming or in-game streaming, and is often used for open world games to give the perception of a fully-interconnected space. There are often tricks used to give the computer hardware sufficient time to load the assets for the next area. The player's speed may be reduced, while story cues are presented to draw the player's attention. The player may be required to enter areas in which their view of the world is plausibly restricted, sometimes referred to as "loading tunnels".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamesradar.com/the-secret-art-of-the-video-game-loading-screen-and-why-they-wont-be-going-away-anytime-soon/ | title = The secret art of the video game loading screen, and why they won't be going away anytime soon | first = Alex | last = Avard | date = March 21, 2019 | access-date = January 13, 2021 | work = GamesRadar+ | archive-date = January 14, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210114173611/https://www.gamesradar.com/the-secret-art-of-the-video-game-loading-screen-and-why-they-wont-be-going-away-anytime-soon/ | url-status = live }}</ref> With newer consoles, such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S, special SSD arrays alongside software libraries that have a total high data throughput can eliminate the need for any loading tunnels in a seamless world game.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2020-playstation-5-specs-and-tech-that-deliver-sonys-next-gen-vision | title = Inside PlayStation 5: the specs and the tech that deliver Sony's next-gen vision | first = Richard | last = Leadbetter | date = March 18, 2020 | access-date = March 18, 2020 | work = Eurogamer | archive-date = March 18, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200318160911/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2020-playstation-5-specs-and-tech-that-deliver-sonys-next-gen-vision | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Leadbetter|first=Richard|date=March 16, 2020|title=Inside Xbox Series X: the full specs|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2020-inside-xbox-series-x-full-specs|access-date=March 16, 2020|work=Eurogamer|archive-date=August 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819083150/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2020-inside-xbox-series-x-full-specs|url-status=live}}</ref>
== History == === 20th century === There is no consensus on what the earliest open-world game is, due to differing definitions of how large or open a world needs to be.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/the-four-decade-history-of-open-world-games-1680367028|title=The Four-Decade History of Open World Games|first=András|last=Neltz|website=Kotaku.com|date=January 19, 2015|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=April 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224027/https://kotaku.com/the-four-decade-history-of-open-world-games-1680367028|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Inverse'' provides some early examples games that established elements of the open world: ''Jet Rocket'', a 1970 Sega electro-mechanical arcade game that, while not a video game, predated the flight simulator genre to give the player free roaming capabilities, and ''dnd'', a 1975 text-based adventure game for the PLATO system that offered non-linear gameplay.<ref name="inverse 2020">{{cite web | url = https://www.inverse.com/gaming/open-world-games-meaning-definition-history-ghost-tsushima-gta | title = How A Successful Game Genre Became The Butt Of An Internet Joke | first = Danny | last = Paez | date = July 19, 2020 | access-date = September 30, 2020 | work = Inverse | archive-date = October 15, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201015133748/https://www.inverse.com/gaming/open-world-games-meaning-definition-history-ghost-tsushima-gta | url-status = live }}</ref> ''Ars Technica'' traces the concept back to the free-roaming exploration of 1976 text adventure game ''Colossal Cave Adventure'',<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/03/youre-now-free-to-move-about-vice-city-a-history-of-open-world-gaming/ | title = Roam free: A history of open-world gaming | first = Richard | last = Moss | date = March 25, 2017 | access-date = October 6, 2017 | work = Ars Technica | quote = Amazingly, open-world games can be traced back to the days of mainframes—namely, to the 1976 text-only game ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' for the PDP-10. ''Adventure'' at its core wasn't much different to the ''GTA''s, ''Elite''s, and ''Minecraft''s of today: you could explore, freely, in any direction, and your only goals were to find treasure (which is scattered throughout the cave) and to escape with your life. | archive-date = April 10, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224026/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/03/youre-now-free-to-move-about-vice-city-a-history-of-open-world-gaming/ | url-status = live }}</ref> which inspired the free-roaming exploration of ''Adventure'' (1980),<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1902/game_design_essentials_20_open_.php?print=1 | title = Game Design Essentials: 20 Open World Games | first = John | last = Harris | date = September 26, 2007 | access-date = July 31, 2016 | work = Gamasutra | archive-date = August 16, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190816134347/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1902/game_design_essentials_20_open_.php%3Fprint%3D1 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/03/youre-now-free-to-move-about-vice-city-a-history-of-open-world-gaming/ | title = Roam free: A history of open-world gaming | first = Richard | last = Moss | date = March 25, 2017 | access-date = October 6, 2017 | work = Ars Technica | quote = ''Colossal Cave Adventure'' was a direct inspiration on 1980 Atari 2600 game ''Adventure''. Its open world may have been sparse and populated by little more than dragon-ducks and simple geometric shapes, but its relative vastness enabled players to imagine magnificent adventures of their own making. | archive-date = April 10, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224026/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/03/youre-now-free-to-move-about-vice-city-a-history-of-open-world-gaming/ | url-status = live }}</ref> but notes that it was not until 1984 that what "we now know as open-world gaming" took on a "definite shape" with 1984 space simulator ''Elite'',<ref name="arstechnica2">{{Cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/03/youre-now-free-to-move-about-vice-city-a-history-of-open-world-gaming/ | title = Roam free: A history of open-world gaming | first = Richard | last = Moss | date = March 25, 2017 | access-date = October 6, 2017 | work = Ars Technica | archive-date = April 10, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224026/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/03/youre-now-free-to-move-about-vice-city-a-history-of-open-world-gaming/ | url-status = live }}</ref> considered a pioneer of the open world;<ref name="gradar">{{Cite web | last = Sefton | first = Jamie | title = The roots of open-world games | publisher = GamesRadar | date = July 11, 2007 | url = https://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-roots-of-open-world-games/a-200807111086555044 | access-date = July 25, 2008 | archive-date = October 15, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081015215057/http://www.gamesradar.com/f/the-roots-of-open-world-games/a-200807111086555044 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="gamasutra_elite">{{cite web | last = Barton | first = Matt | author2 = Bill Loguidice | title = The History of Elite: Space, the Endless Frontier | website = Gamasutra | date = April 7, 2009 | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-history-of-elite-space-the-endless-frontier | access-date = December 27, 2009 | archive-date = February 9, 2026 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20260209121852/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-history-of-elite-space-the-endless-frontier | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="egamer">{{cite web | last = Whitehead | first = Dan | title = Born Free: the History of the Openworld Game | website = Eurogamer | date = February 4, 2008 | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=91968 | access-date = July 25, 2008 | archive-date = June 10, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220610084617/https://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=91968 | url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name="cvg_history1">{{cite magazine | title = The complete history of open-world games (part 1) | magazine = Computer and Video Games | date = May 24, 2008 | url = http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=189591 | access-date = July 25, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080527225959/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=189591 | archive-date = May 27, 2008 | url-status = dead}}</ref> ''Gamasutra'' argues that its open-ended sandbox style is rooted in flight simulators, such as SubLOGIC's ''Flight Simulator'' (1979/80), noting most flight sims "offer a 'free flight' mode that allows players to simply pilot the aircraft and explore the virtual world".<ref name="gamasutra_elite"/> Others trace the concept back to 1981 CRPG ''Ultima'',<ref name="hexopolis">{{Cite web|url=http://www.hexapolis.com/2014/11/05/10-biggest-open-world-video-games-terms-map-size/|title=10 Biggest Open-World Video Games - Hexapolis|work=HEXAPOLIS|date=November 5, 2014|access-date=September 25, 2015|archive-date=April 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410090016/http://www.hexapolis.com/2014/11/05/10-biggest-open-world-video-games-terms-map-size/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Ahoy">{{cite AV media | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdV_2svrDVc | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211104/EdV_2svrDVc | archive-date=November 4, 2021 | url-status=live | title=Open World Origins | date=January 18, 2015 | work=YouTube | access-date=September 25, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Engaget">{{Cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/ultima-most-important-game-series-ever/|title=Ultima: Most. Important. Game Series. Ever.|first=Rowan|last=Kaiser|website=Engadget.com|date=January 27, 2012|access-date=September 25, 2015|archive-date=April 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224028/https://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/ultima-most-important-game-series-ever/|url-status=live}}</ref> which had a free-roaming overworld map inspired by tabletop RPG ''Dungeons & Dragons''.<ref name="arstechnica2"/> The overworld maps of the first five ''Ultima'' games, released up to 1988, lacked a single, unified scale, with towns and other places represented as icons;<ref name="arstechnica2"/> this style was adopted by the first three ''Dragon Quest'' games, released from 1986 to 1988 in Japan.<ref name=kurt>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/the-history-of-dragon-quest |title=The History of ''Dragon Quest'' |first=Kurt |last=Kalata |website=Gamasutra |date=February 4, 2008 |access-date=March 26, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722102055/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3520/the_history_of_dragon_quest.php?print=1 |archive-date=July 22, 2015}}</ref><ref name=gsutra_20games/>
Early examples of open-world gameplay in adventure games include ''The Portopia Serial Murder Case'' (1983)<ref name="tieryas">{{citation|author=Peter Tieryas|author-link=Peter Tieryas|title=The Murder Mystery from the Creator of Dragon Quest|magazine=Entropy|url=https://entropymag.org/the-murder-mystery-from-the-creator-of-dragon-quest/|date=April 5, 2015|access-date=February 22, 2017|archive-date=February 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222201812/https://entropymag.org/the-murder-mystery-from-the-creator-of-dragon-quest/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="oxm">{{cite magazine|title=Megal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain|magazine=Official Xbox Magazine|date=Christmas 2015|url=https://archive.org/stream/Xbox_The_Official_Magazine_Xmas_2015#page/n107/mode/2up}}</ref> and ''The Lords of Midnight'' (1984),<ref name="egamer2">{{cite web | last = Mason | first = Graeme | title = 10 games that defined the ZX Spectrum | website = Eurogamer | date = April 9, 2017 | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-04-09-10-games-that-defined-the-zx-spectrum | access-date = October 14, 2017 | quote = ''Lords Of Midnight''{{'}}s wonderful storyline (inspired, unsurprisingly, by ''The Lord Of The Rings''), open-world gameplay and elegant graphics were one thing - its seemingly effortless welding of the traditional adventure game to these features set a new standard for software that remains an amazing feat over 30 years later. | archive-date = October 17, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171017012948/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-04-09-10-games-that-defined-the-zx-spectrum | url-status = live }}</ref> with open-world elements also found in ''The Hobbit'' (1982)<ref name="killscreen">{{cite magazine | last = McCasker | first = Toby | title = Revisiting the gloriously weird games of Australia's golden age | magazine = Kill Screen | date = March 31, 2016 | url = https://killscreen.com/articles/revisiting-the-gloriously-weird-games-of-australias-golden-age/ | access-date = October 14, 2017 | quote = The game's design even proved to be a precursor to key elements of modern day open world games like BioWare's ''Dragon Age'', ''Mass Effect'', and ''Baldur's Gate'' series. | archive-date = April 10, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224027/https://killscreen.com/articles/revisiting-the-gloriously-weird-games-of-australias-golden-age/ | url-status = live }}</ref> and ''Valhalla'' (1983).<ref name="hg101">{{Cite web | last = Jankiewicz | first = Joshua | title = Valhalla | publisher = Hardcore Gaming 101 | date = July 22, 2016 | url = http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/valhalla/valhalla.htm | access-date = October 14, 2017 | quote = Still, for a pre-''King's Quest'' graphic adventure, ''Valhalla'' remains pretty unique with its open-world aspects. Being able to kill anyone and anything can be great fun, and seeing what weird things the NPCs will do on autopilot is strangely endearing. | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161027224738/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/valhalla/valhalla.htm | archive-date = October 27, 2016}}</ref> The strategy video game, ''The Seven Cities of Gold'' (1984), is also cited as an early open-world game,<ref name = "Sid Meier">{{cite magazine | title = 'Civilization' Creator Sid Meier: 'I Didn't Really Expect to be a Game Designer' | first = Chris | last = Suellentrop | magazine = Rolling Stone | date = May 8, 2017 | quote = ''Pirates!'' was probably the second open-world game after ''Seven Cities of Gold''. | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/interviews/civilization-creator-sid-meier-i-didnt-really-expect-to-be-a-game-designer-w480988 | access-date = July 19, 2017 | archive-date = December 9, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171209073856/http://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/interviews/civilization-creator-sid-meier-i-didnt-really-expect-to-be-a-game-designer-w480988 | url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Dani Bunten changed video games forever | first = David | last = Koon | newspaper = Arkansas Times | date = February 8, 2012 | quote = ''Seven Cities of Gold'', an Ozark Softscape title produced for EA in 1984 that eventually became the best-selling game of Bunten's career, was one of the first video games to take a stab at an 'open world' concept, allowing players to explore a virtual continent and set their own path rather than follow a regimented series of events. | url = https://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/dani-bunten-changed-video-games-forever/Content?oid=2059426 | access-date = July 19, 2017 | archive-date = April 10, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224030/https://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/dani-bunten-changed-video-games-forever/Content?oid=2059426 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title = These games inspired Cliff Bleszinski, John Romero, Will Wright, and Sid Meier | first = Kat | last = Bailey | publisher = Engadget | date = March 9, 2012 | quote = ''Seven Cities of Gold'' was one of the first games with randomized maps and an open world... | url = https://www.engadget.com/2012/03/09/these-games-inspired-cliff-bleszinski-john-romero-will-wright/ | access-date = July 19, 2017 | archive-date = February 2, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170202004044/https://www.engadget.com/2012/03/09/these-games-inspired-cliff-bleszinski-john-romero-will-wright/ | url-status = live }}</ref> influencing ''Sid Meier's Pirates!'' (1987).<ref name="Sid Meier"/> ''Eurogamer'' also cites British computer games such as ''Ant Attack'' (1983) and ''Sabre Wulf'' (1984) as early examples.<ref name="egamer"/>
According to ''Game Informer''{{'}}s Kyle Hilliard, ''Hydlide'' (1984) and ''The Legend of Zelda'' (1986) were among the first open-world games, along with ''Ultima''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hilliard|first1=Kyle|title=Big Book of Zelda: The Unofficial Guide to Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda|date=2017|publisher=Triumph Books|isbn=9781633199569|page=27|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oq82DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT27|language=en|quote = ''Zelda'', alongside games like ''Ultima'' and ''Hydlide'', are among the first to be considered open world.}}</ref> ''IGN'' traces the roots of open-world game design to ''The Legend of Zelda'', which it argues is "the first really good game based on exploration", while noting that it was anticipated by ''Hydlide'', which it argues is "the first RPG that rewarded exploration".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://in.ign.com/india/82586/feature/ign-india-discusses-game-design-combat-in-open-world-games|title=IGN India discusses game design: Combat in open world games|website=IGN|date=November 2, 2015|access-date=November 13, 2021|archive-date=April 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224033/https://in.ign.com/india/82586/feature/ign-india-discusses-game-design-combat-in-open-world-games|url-status=live}}</ref> According to GameSpot, never "had a game so open-ended, nonlinear, and liberating been released for the mainstream market" before ''The Legend of Zelda''.<ref>{{cite web | title=15 Most Influential Games of All Time: The Legend of Zelda | website=GameSpot | url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/15influential/p9_01.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100515053341/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/15influential/p9_01.html | archive-date = May 15, 2010 | access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> According to ''The Escapist'', ''The Legend of Zelda'' was an early example of open-world, nonlinear gameplay, with an expansive and cohesive world, inspiring many games to adopt a similar open-world design.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/16779-How-The-Legend-of-Zelda-Changed-Gaming|title=How The Legend of Zelda Changed Video Games|access-date=March 30, 2017|archive-date=April 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224027/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/16779-How-The-Legend-of-Zelda-Changed-Gaming|url-status=dead}}</ref>
''Mercenary'' (1985) has been cited as the first open world 3D action-adventure game.<ref name="usgamer">{{Cite web|url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/origins-of-the-open-world-mercenary|title=Origins of the Open World: Mercenary|work=USGAMER|date=July 12, 2013|access-date=August 5, 2016|archive-date=October 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012182348/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/origins-of-the-open-world-mercenary|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="electrondance">{{Cite web |date=September 23, 2014 |title=The First Open World, Part One |url=http://www.electrondance.com/the-first-open-world-part-one/ |access-date=August 5, 2016 |work=ELECTRONDANCE |archive-date=April 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224027/http://www.electrondance.com/the-first-open-world-part-one/ |url-status=live }}</ref> There were also other open-world games in the 1980s, such as ''Back to Skool'' (1985),<ref>{{Cite web | title = Retro console battle: Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega vs. The Recreated Sinclair ZX Spectrum – plus the 10 best Spectrum games ever | last = GameCentral | publisher = Metro.co.uk | date = September 11, 2015 | quote = The sequel to ''Skool Daze'' is even better than the first and a prime example of the '80s approach to open world adventure. | url = http://metro.co.uk/2015/09/11/retro-console-battle-sinclair-zx-spectrum-vega-vs-the-recreated-sinclair-zx-spectrum-plus-the-10-best-spectrum-games-ever-5386121/ | access-date = October 14, 2017 | archive-date = October 14, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171014183451/http://metro.co.uk/2015/09/11/retro-console-battle-sinclair-zx-spectrum-vega-vs-the-recreated-sinclair-zx-spectrum-plus-the-10-best-spectrum-games-ever-5386121/ | url-status = live }}</ref> ''Turbo Esprit'' (1986)<ref>{{Cite web | title = Open World Games Make me Drive Like an Idiot | first = Jaz | last = Rignall | publisher = USGamer | date = February 8, 2017 | quote = While ''Turbo Esprit'' sounds like a racing game, this quite revolutionary release is actually a very early example of an open-world driving game. | url = http://www.usgamer.net/articles/open-world-games-make-me-drive-like-an-idiot | access-date = October 6, 2017 | archive-date = August 12, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170812213115/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/open-world-games-make-me-drive-like-an-idiot | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title = First open-world driving videogame | publisher = Guinness World Records | quote = The first game to feature an open-world environment was the 1986 ''Turbo Esprit'' for the ZX Spectrum. | url = http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-driving-game-to-feature-an-open-world-environment | access-date = October 6, 2017 | archive-date = June 25, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180625001337/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-driving-game-to-feature-an-open-world-environment | url-status = live }}</ref> and ''Alternate Reality: The City'' (1985).<ref>{{Cite web | last = Davison | first = Pete | title = Origins of the Open World: Alternate Reality | publisher = USGamer | date = July 7, 2013 | url = http://www.usgamer.net/articles/origins-of-the-open-world-alternate-reality | access-date = October 6, 2017 | archive-date = October 6, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171006112218/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/origins-of-the-open-world-alternate-reality | url-status = dead }}</ref> ''Wasteland'', released in 1988, is also considered an open-world game.<ref>{{cite web | title = Original Wasteland released on Steam and GOG | website = Eurogamer | date = November 14, 2013 | quote = ''Wasteland'', which launched in 1988, spawned the ''Fallout'' series and won plaudits for its open-world design. | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-14-original-wasteland-released-on-steam-and-gog | access-date = October 13, 2017 | archive-date = October 13, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171013224715/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-14-original-wasteland-released-on-steam-and-gog | url-status = live }}</ref> The early 1990s saw open-world games such as ''The Terminator'' (1990),<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Cobbett | first = Richard | title = Saturday Crapshoot: The Terminator | magazine = PC Gamer | date = December 31, 2011 | url = http://www.pcgamer.com/saturday-crapshoot-the-terminator/ | access-date = October 14, 2017 | quote = With nothing but 1990s 3D technology, it presented an open world action game set in modern-day Los Angeles... | archive-date = July 9, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150709152420/http://www.pcgamer.com/saturday-crapshoot-the-terminator/ | url-status = live }}</ref> ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1991),<ref name="arstechnica2"/> and ''Hunter'' (1991), which ''IGN'' describes as the first sandbox game to feature full 3D, third-person graphics,<ref name="fahs">Fahs, Travis (March 24, 2008). [https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/03/24/the-leif-ericson-awards The Leif Ericson Awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309041726/http://retro.ign.com/articles/861/861550p2.html |date=March 9, 2012 }}, IGN, Retrieved on November 13, 2021</ref> and ''Ars Technica'' argues "has one of the strongest claims to the title of ''GTA'' forebear".<ref name="arstechnica2"/> Sierra On-Line's 1992 adventure game ''King's Quest VI'' has an open world; almost half of the quests are optional, many have multiple solutions, and players can solve most in any order.<ref name="miller199301">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=102 | title=''King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow'' | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=January 1993 | access-date=July 5, 2014 | author=Miller, Chuck | page=12 | archive-date=July 2, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702201302/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=102 | url-status=live }}</ref> Atari Jaguar launch title, ''Cybermorph'' (1993), was notable for its open 3D polygonal-world and non-linear gameplay. ''Quarantine'' (1994) is an example of an open-world driving game from this period,<ref>{{Cite web | last = O'Connor | first = Alice | title = Have You Played… Quarantine? | journal = Rock Paper Shotgun | date = January 15, 2015 | url = https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/01/15/have-you-played-quarantine/ | access-date = October 14, 2017 | quote = An open-world taxi game set in a hyperviolent dystopian futurecity, 1994's ''Quarantine'' is hugely exciting in my foggy memory. | archive-date = October 14, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171014182953/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/01/15/have-you-played-quarantine/ | url-status = live }}</ref> while ''Iron Soldier'' (1994) is an open-world mech game.<ref>{{cite news|title=The History Of: Iron Soldier|work=Retro Gamer|issue=165|publisher=Future Publishing|date=March 2017|page=79|quote = Sean Patten was on board to produce and Atari was adamant that the game be open world. "Those were the three pillars that formed ''Iron soldier''", explains Marc, 'heavy property damage, a mech theme and a game that was open world and not on rails.'}}</ref> The director of 1997's ''Blade Runner'' argues that that game was the first open world three-dimensional action adventure game.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Ars Technica | website = YouTube | date = February 12, 2019 | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkwpa5YPhx8 | access-date = February 24, 2021}}</ref>
{{quote box | quote = I think ''The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall'' is one of those games that people can 'project' themselves on. It does so many things and allows [for] so many play styles that people can easily imagine what type of person they'd like to be in game. | source = —Todd Howard<ref name="1up_chasing">{{cite web | last = Crigger | first = Lara | title = Chasing D&D: A History of RPGs | website = 1UP.com | year = 2008 | url = http://www.psu.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-136810.html | access-date = 2010-11-09 | archive-date = October 12, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141012061416/http://www.psu.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-136810.html | url-status = live }}</ref> | align = left | width = 25em }}
''IGN'' considers Nintendo's ''Super Mario 64'' (1996) revolutionary for its 3D open-ended free-roaming worlds, which had rarely been seen in 3D games before, along with its analog stick controls and camera control.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/10/super-mario-64-vc-review|title=Super Mario 64 VC Review|first=Lucas M.|last=Thomas|date=January 10, 2007|website=IGN|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=October 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009203556/http://wii.ign.com/articles/754/754372p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Other 3D examples include ''Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon'' (1997),<ref>{{cite web |title=Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/04/17/mystical-ninja-starring-goemon |website=IGN |date=April 17, 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981205090615/http://www.ign64.com/reviews/608.html |archive-date=December 5, 1998|accessdate=November 13, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Import Arena - Ganbare Goeman |journal=N64 Magazine |date=October 1997 |issue=7 |page=56 |url=https://archive.org/details/N64_Magazine_Issue_007_1997-10_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n55 |access-date=May 18, 2019 |publisher=Future Publishing}}</ref> ''Ocarina of Time'' (1998),<ref name="gsutra_20games" /> the DMA Design (Rockstar North) game ''Body Harvest'' (1998), the Angel Studios (Rockstar San Diego) games ''Midtown Madness'' (1999) and ''Midnight Club: Street Racing'' (2000), the Reflections Interactive (Ubisoft Reflections) game ''Driver'' (1999),<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/driver-4-working-title/697084p1.html |title=GameSpy: Driver: Parallel Lines - Page 1 |publisher=GameSpy |author=Guzman, Hector |date=March 20, 2006 |access-date=December 29, 2009 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224055115/http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/driver-4-working-title/697084p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the Rareware games ''Banjo-Kazooie'' (1998), ''Donkey Kong 64'' (1999), and ''Banjo-Tooie'' (2000).{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
''1UP'' considers Sega's adventure ''Shenmue'' (1999) the originator of the "open city" subgenre,<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 5 Underappreciated Innovators: Five genre-defining games that didn't get their due|first=Scott|last=Sharkey|website=1UP.com|url=http://www.1up.com/features/top-5-underappreciated-innovators|access-date=April 1, 2011|archive-date=October 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018143104/http://www.1up.com/features/top-5-underappreciated-innovators|url-status=dead}}</ref> touted as a "FREE" ("Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment") game giving players the freedom to explore an expansive sandbox city with its own day-night cycles, changing weather, and fully voiced non-player characters going about their daily routines. The game's large interactive environments, wealth of options, level of detail and the scope of its urban sandbox exploration has been compared to later sandbox games like ''Grand Theft Auto III'' and its sequels, Sega's own ''Jet Set Radio'' and ''Yakuza'' series, ''Fallout 3'', and ''Deadly Premonition''.<ref name=Escapist>Brendan Main, [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_285/8455-Lost-in-Yokosuka Lost in Yokosuka] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022094537/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_285/8455-Lost-in-Yokosuka |date=October 22, 2013}}, ''The Escapist''</ref><ref name=GTM>[http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1148/interview-with-shenmue-creator-yu-suzuki Shenmue: Creator Yu Suzuki Speaks Out] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102193343/http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1148/interview-with-shenmue-creator-yu-suzuki |date=January 2, 2011}}, ''GamesTM''</ref><ref name=IGN>{{cite web|url=http://uk.games.ign.com/top-100-game-creators/9.html|title=Yu Suzuki|website=IGN|access-date=November 2, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204162343/http://uk.games.ign.com/top-100-game-creators/9.html|archive-date=February 4, 2012}}</ref><ref name=1UP>{{Cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=3&cId=3182648|title=The Disappearance of Yu Suzuki: Part 1|website=1up.com|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=December 6, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121206045152/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=3&cId=3182648|url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== 21st century === [[File:Oolite galactic map.png|thumb|right|Galactic trade route map of the space trading and combat simulator, ''Oolite'']] ''Grand Theft Auto'' has had over 200 million sales.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Makuch|first=Eddie|title=Grand Theft Auto shipments reach 125 million|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-series-shipments-reach-125-million/1100-6400652/|website=Gamespot.com|access-date=August 5, 2013|archive-date=October 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022100809/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grand-theft-auto-series-shipments-reach-125-million/1100-6400652/|url-status=live}}</ref> Creative director Gary Penn, who previously worked on ''Frontier: Elite II'', cited ''Elite'' as a key influence, calling it "basically ''Elite'' in a city", and mentioned other team members being influenced by ''Syndicate'' and ''Mercenary''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-replay-interviews-gary-penn|title=The Replay Interviews: Gary Penn|first=Tristan|last=Donovan|date=January 31, 2011|website=Gamasutra|access-date=May 2, 2025|archive-date=July 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708081202/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134644/the_replay_interviews_gary_penn.php?page=2|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Grand Theft Auto III'' combined elements from previous games, and fused them together into a new immersive 3D experience that helped define open-world games for a new generation. Executive producer Sam Houser described it as "''Zelda'' meets ''Goodfellas''",<ref name="ign">{{Cite web|url=https://ign.com/articles/2001/09/10/rockstars-sam-houser-mouths-off|title=Rockstar's Sam Houser Mouths Off|author=IGN Staff|date=September 10, 2001|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115234129/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/09/10/rockstars-sam-houser-mouths-off|url-status=live}}</ref> while producer Dan Houser also cited ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'' and ''Super Mario 64'' as influences.<ref name="Americana">{{cite interview | title=Americana at Its Most Felonious: Q. and A.: Rockstar's Dan Houser on Grand Theft Auto V | interviewer=Chris Suellentrop | first=Dan | last=Houser | subject-link=Dan Houser | date=November 9, 2012 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/10/arts/video-games/q-and-a-rockstars-dan-houser-on-grand-theft-auto-v.html | work=The New York Times | access-date=July 30, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110091527/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/10/arts/video-games/q-and-a-rockstars-dan-houser-on-grand-theft-auto-v.html | archive-date=November 10, 2012 | url-status=live}}</ref> Radio stations had been implemented earlier in games such as Maxis' ''SimCopter'' (1996), the ability to beat or kill non-player characters date back to games such as ''The Portopia Serial Murder Case'' (1983),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken|work=Retro Gamer|issue=85|first=John|last=Szczepaniak|date=February 2011|url=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kGAOBLrWIr4/TUgMtkSB28I/AAAAAAAACyk/oj3PBRY70HM/s1600/DSC01599.JPG|access-date=March 16, 2011}} (Reprinted at {{Cite web|title=Retro Gamer 85|first=John|last=Szczepaniak|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|url=http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2011/02/retro-gamer-85.html|access-date=March 16, 2011|archive-date=April 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412212446/http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2011/02/retro-gamer-85.html|url-status=live}})</ref> and ''Valhalla'' (1983)<ref name="hg101"/> and the way in which players run over pedestrians and get chased by police has been compared to ''Pac-Man'' (1980).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grand Theft Auto And Pac-Man? "The Same"|first=Brian|last=Ashcraft|date=July 16, 2009|url=http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/07/grand-theft-auto-and-pac-man-the-same/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719104717/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/07/grand-theft-auto-and-pac-man-the-same/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 19, 2009|access-date=March 8, 2011}}</ref>
The ''Assassin's Creed'' series by Ubisoft uses open world mechanics set in historical real world locations, such as the Holy Land or Renaissance Italy. The early games were notable for requiring the player to climb large towers as to survey the land and identify landmarks which would then populate the player's mini-maps with quests and other points of interests; this was explained in-game as to synchronize the memories of the character in the historical setting with a character in contemporary times that was viewing these genetic memories via a device called the Animus. This mechanic was reused in other Ubisoft series such as ''Far Cry'' and ''Watch Dogs'', as well as used in other open world games like ''The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'' and ''Batman: Arkham Knight''. The mechanic has been seen to gain some overuse in Ubisoft games, leading it to be called "Ubisoft towers" in a derogatory fashion.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/no-assassins-creed-sequel-has-ever-matched-the-weird-poetry-of-the-first-games-towers | title = No Assassin's Creed sequel has ever matched the weird poetry of the first game's towers | first = Edwin | last = Evans-Thirlwell | date = March 13, 2025 | accessdate = June 1, 2025 | work = Rock Paper Shotgun | archive-date = June 1, 2025 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250601154935/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/no-assassins-creed-sequel-has-ever-matched-the-weird-poetry-of-the-first-games-towers | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.vg247.com/exploring-and-uncovering-the-dreaded-ubisoft-tower | title = Exploring and Uncovering the Dreaded Ubisoft Tower | first = Mike | last = Williams | date = March 28, 2017 | accessdate = June 1, 2025 | work = VG247 | archive-date = June 1, 2025 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250601155336/https://www.vg247.com/exploring-and-uncovering-the-dreaded-ubisoft-tower | url-status = live }}</ref>
In 2011, Dan Ryckert of ''Game Informer'' wrote that open-world crime games were "a major force" in the gaming industry for the preceding decade.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Game Informer |issue=216 |date=April 2011 |publisher=GameStop |title=Embracing the Crazy |last1=Ryckert |first1=Dan |page=49}}</ref>
Another popular sandbox game is ''Minecraft'', which has since become the best-selling video game of all time, selling over 238 million copies worldwide on multiple platforms by April 2021.<ref name="Minecraft">{{cite web |last1=Winslow |first1=Jeremy |title=Minecraft Reached 140 Million Monthly Users And Generated Over $350 Million To Date |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-reached-140-million-monthly-users-and-generated-over-350-million-to-date/1100-6490962/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=8 August 2021 |date=3 May 2021 |archive-date=June 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213054/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-reached-140-million-monthly-users-and-generated-over-350-million-to-date/1100-6490962/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Minecraft''{{'}}s procedurally generated overworlds cover a virtual 3.6 billion square kilometers.
''No Man's Sky'', released in 2016, is an open-world game set in a virtually infinite universe. According to the developers, through procedural generation, the game is able to produce more than 18 quintillion ({{val|18e18}} or 18,000,000,000,000,000,000) planets to explore.<ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/18/tech/no-mans-sky-sean-murray/|title = 18 quintillion planets: The video game that imagines an entire galaxy|date = June 18, 2015|access-date = October 21, 2015|website = CNN|last = Hiranand|first = Ravi|archive-date = September 4, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150904194851/http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/18/tech/no-mans-sky-sean-murray|url-status = live}}</ref> Several critics found that the nature of the game can become repetitive and monotonous, with the survival gameplay elements being lackluster and tedious. Jake Swearingen in ''New York'' said that the players can procedurally generate 18.6 quintillion unique planets, but they can't procedurally generate 18.6 quintillion unique things to do.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nymag.com/selectall/2016/08/why-you-should-play-no-mans-sky.html|title=Why Everyone Should Play No Man's Sky — Even If It's Not a Great Game|date=August 16, 2016|access-date=August 19, 2016|archive-date=August 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819004146/http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/08/why-you-should-play-no-mans-sky.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Updates have aimed to address these criticisms. In 2017, the open-world design of ''The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'' was described by critics as being revolutionary<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/legend-zelda-breath-wild-nintendo-switch-review|title=Zelda: Breath of the Wild review: an epic masterpiece|first=Matt|last=Kamen|magazine=Wired UK|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=April 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420013255/https://www.wired.co.uk/article/legend-zelda-breath-wild-nintendo-switch-review|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/how-breath-of-the-wild-dunks-on-most-open-world-games-446857.phtml|title=How Breath of the Wild dunks on most open-world games|website=Destructoid.com|date=July 5, 2017|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=April 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224026/https://www.destructoid.com/how-breath-of-the-wild-dunks-on-most-open-world-games-446857.phtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/is-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-one-of-the-b-1798259591|title=Is The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild one of the best games of all time?|first=Matt|last=Gerardi|website=Games.avclub.com|date=March 17, 2017|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=June 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622024336/https://www.avclub.com/is-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-one-of-the-b-1798259591|url-status=live}}</ref> and by developers as a paradigm shift for open-world design.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-06-05-how-will-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-change-the-open-world-paradigm|title=How will The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild change the open-world paradigm?|website=Gamesindustry.biz|date=June 6, 2017|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=November 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102120227/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-06-05-how-will-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-change-the-open-world-paradigm|url-status=live}}</ref> In contrast to the more structured approach of most open-world games, ''Breath of the Wild'' features a large and fully interactive world that is generally unstructured and rewards the exploration and manipulation of its world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/17/14957460/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-nintendo-switch-future-games|title=Why Breath of the Wild is the future of blockbuster games|website=Theverge.com|date=March 17, 2017|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=March 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324115020/http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/17/14957460/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-nintendo-switch-future-games|url-status=live}}</ref> Inspired by the original 1986 ''Legend of Zelda'', the open world of ''Breath of the Wild'' integrates multiplicative gameplay, where "objects react to the player's actions and the objects themselves also influence each other".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/03/01/gdc-2017-breath-of-the-wild-team-built-2d-zelda-prototype-to-test-gameplay-abandoned-zelda-concepts-revealed|title=GDC 2017: Breath of the Wild Team-Built 2D Zelda Prototype to Test Gameplay|first=Jonathon|last=Dornbush|date=March 1, 2017|website=IGN|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=April 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410224030/https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/03/01/gdc-2017-breath-of-the-wild-team-built-2d-zelda-prototype-to-test-gameplay-abandoned-zelda-concepts-revealed|url-status=live}}</ref> Along with a physics engine, the game's open-world also integrates a chemistry engine, "which governs the physical properties of certain objects and how they relate to each other", rewarding experimentation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/30/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-nintendo-game-design-open-world-player-explore|title=Is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild the best-designed game ever?|first=Kate|last=Gray|date=May 30, 2017|access-date=November 2, 2017|website=Theguardian.com|archive-date=November 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122000929/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/30/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-nintendo-game-design-open-world-player-explore|url-status=live}}</ref> Nintendo has described the game's approach to open-world design as "open-air".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gematsu.com/2017/04/legend-zelda-breath-wild-open-air-concept-new-standard-producer-says|title=The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's open-air concept is the new standard, producer says - Gematsu|date=April 4, 2017|website=Gematsu.com|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=October 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011181718/http://gematsu.com/2017/04/legend-zelda-breath-wild-open-air-concept-new-standard-producer-says|url-status=live}}</ref>
== See also == * Nonlinear gameplay * Persistent world
== References == {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== {{Wiktionary}} * {{Cite web|last1=Moss|first1=Richard|title=Roam free: A history of open-world gaming|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/03/youre-now-free-to-move-about-vice-city-a-history-of-open-world-gaming/|website=Ars Technica|date=March 25, 2017|access-date=March 25, 2017|language=en-us}} * Michael Llewellyn: ''[https://www.thegamer.com/15-open-world-games-more-mature-than-grand-theft-auto-v/ 15 Open World Games More Mature Than Grand Theft Auto V]''. thegamer.com. April 24, 2017.
{{Video game gameplay}}
Category:Video game terminology Category:Open-world video games