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The open-world genre has ruled the roost in the video game industry for the better part of two decades, owing to the success of franchises like GTA. Modern AAA games tend to adopt some form of an open-world structure to give players a wide, expansive game world to immerse themselves in and explore to their heart's content.
Despite 2020 being a pandemic-struck year, the video game industry seems to have had an exceptionally successful year. The gaming community was treated to some truly masterful games, open-world or otherwise.
With several games announced already, 2021 is already shaping up to be another exciting year for the video gaming industry. On that note, we take a look at some of the best upcoming open-world games that could have the community excited.
Top 5 upcoming open-world games like GTA 5 to look forward to in 2021
5) S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2
The S.T.A.L.K.E.R franchise has been chipping away and evolving into quite an exciting series of games that should be on players' radars. In-Game engine footage of the game was revealed quite recently, and it is shaping up to be quite a different affair from the previous games.
The next game in the series is going to take the franchise into the open-world and open up all kinds of possibilities. This PC franchise will make its debut on next-gen consoles as well and is going to feature, according to the devs, 'one of the biggest open-worlds to date'.
Fans could expect all sorts of mutated horror goodness in S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 and discover a game that could focus on a robust choice system as well that could have a say in the game's conclusion.
Release Date: 2021 (Exact date TBA)
4) Skull and Bones
Ubisoft struck gold when they decided to explore the Golden Age of Piracy with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. The pirate adventures of Edward Kenway and the endlessly engaging naval combat mechanics were simply too exciting not to be explored further in an altogether different franchise.
Ubisoft Singapore took the lead on "Skull and Bones", a game that was announced all the way back in 2017.
It seems that development is in full swing, and fans can expect a release date of 2021; nevertheless, it looks like a supremely exciting project from Ubisoft.
The game takes inspiration from the naval combat mechanics from the Assassin's Creed franchise but will probably flesh it out to an even greater extent. Skull and Bones has been on the horizon for a while now, and Ubisoft have much to gain from the release of a different kind of open-world game.
Release Date: March 2021.
3) Dying Light 2
Dying Light initially came out to mixed reviews from critics and fans, with many appreciating the game's parkour traversal and use of the day-night cycle. However, the game's weaker moments came in the form of its somewhat cliched narrative.
In the years that followed, Dying Light has developed one heck of a devoted fanbase that enjoys the game for hours on end. That is primarily because, at its core, Dying Light is an exceptionally fun game that could hook players almost instantly.
When a sequel was finally announced, fans undoubtedly lost their collective minds, and the expectations from it are quite lofty. Given that the studio, Techland, already have a pretty solid foundation, the sequel could only get bigger and better.
Release Date: 2021 (Exact date TBA).
2) Far Cry 6
Ubisoft's mammoth first-person open-world franchise returns with Giancarlo Esposito taking the helm as the newest villain in the series. The Far Cry franchise has developed a strong identity and is a major brand in the AAA games industry with good reason.
Fans of actor Giancarlo Esposito probably already have placed their pre-orders just because of the fact that Moff Gideon and Gus Fring himself will be in the game.
The game, despite evoking mixed reactions from fans, are expertly-crafted open-world ones that offer tonnes of freedom and beautiful sceneries as well. Far Cry 6 has the fanbase extremely excited, and next-gen console owners are hoping that the game will take full use of the hardware and deliver a truly next-gen experience.
Release Date: 25th May, 2021 (Not confirmed, based off Microsoft Store listing).
1) Biomutant
Biomutant is one of the most exciting projects currently in the works, and the entire gaming community is waiting with bated breath to see what Experiment 101 and THQ Nordic have been cooking up.
The game blends melee and shooting with a dash of Kung-Fu thrown in there for good measure and seems like a fleshed-out RPG system as well. Players will have an expansive character creation along with a morality system that will affect the course of the game.
One of the many exciting things about BioMutant is that players can choose to go down the villain route as well.
It remains to be seen how fleshed out the morality system will be, but the combat alone seems like it will set the game up for huge success.
Release Date: Delayed from 2020 (new release date not confirmed).
