In recent years, open-world video games have gone the distance in terms of how expansive they've become. From utilizing beautiful landscapes to including small interactive details, this genre can take a video game's story to another level. And, as time goes on, we've seen how big these open-world video games can become.
The open-world genre is growing immensely, and it's exciting to think about what future open-world video games could be like. However, with this growth, there are many fantastic open-world games that have been pushed to the side. This makes these games unrightfully become underrated, as they were once so loved by many and are now forgotten. When taking a look back on these undervalued games, the love for them can come back even stronger than before.
10 Destroy All Humans!
This cult classic is in the hearts of many. Its comedy and malicious protagonist is a fantastic parody of the lifestyles and pop culture during the 1950s in the United States. Story-wise, we follow a Furon, also known as Crypto. He's been tasked to gather Furon DNA inside human brains to keep the Furon species from going extinct, setting us out on a humorous journey.
After release, Destroy All Humans was wildly successful. However, it seems that with time, this game has gone under the radar. It has endless replayability value, but most past players tend to reminisce about the game rather than continue to play it.
9 Dragon's Dogma
Dragon's Dogma, and its enhanced version, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, is a shockingly underrated open world. You're set on a journey in a high fantasy world, taking on the role of a human protagonist nicknamed the Arisen. Your goal is to defeat the dragon Grigori while facing the dark adventure ahead.
This game can be compared to iconic franchises like Devil May Cry and Shadow of the Colossus. Inspiration from Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fable II was heavy in Dragon's Dogma as well. Despite being praised by critics, it's one of the more underrated titles because of the little love it got in the West.
8 Deadly Premonition
Half suspenseful horror and half action-packed mystery, Deadly Premonition is an open world full of mysterious characters. The game is reminiscent of Twin Peaks, following the story of a special agent investigating a strange town. In Deadly Premonition, you'll come across side quests and locals in the town that will lead you to solve a mysterious murder case.
Sadly, it wasn't a commercial success during its original release. But thankfully, with it now being available on Steam, players have a chance to experience all that it has to offer. At its core, this game is worthwhile for any fan of horror video games.
7 Sleeping Dogs
While the gameplay mechanics aren't the best, Sleeping Dogs is still a game that didn't get all the love that it truly deserved. Some might consider Sleeping Dogs to be a copy of Grand Theft Auto, but it's a lot more than that beneath the surface.
Despite being one of the most highly underrated games, there's a good reputation behind it. Over time, the game gradually has become a gem in terms of its immersive open-world mechanics. There's ultimately a novelty factor to it that makes it so redeemable to play. If you love a great mafia game, Sleeping Dogs should be your next pick.
6 Tunic
Both cute and serving as the "anti-Elden Ring," this open-world adventure game can keep you entertained for hours on end. Tunic follows the story of a fox who goes into a foreign world, unable to understand the language and creatures around them.
If you liked Stray, then Tunic is a perfect game to play. However, this game will be more combative than the beloved cat exploration game. The bosses aren't challenging, but you'll be taken off-guard by how tactful you have to be to get by. Tunic is already a beloved indie game, but it does deserve more appreciation at the end of the day.
5 Yakuza 0
The prequel for the Yakuza franchise is a comical video game that's more than having a crime-centric story. Yakuza 0 serves as the beginning for all the cherished characters that we had met in the series beforehand.
Showcasing an immersive world with well-developed characters, you won't want to stop playing once you've started. It's off-beat and strange but oddly in the best way possible. When you're not following the mafia-like story, you have the chance to go about the vast world around you. From singing karaoke to managing a club, there's rarely a dull moment in Yakuza 0.
4 Days Gone
Days Gone's downfall was mainly due to technical bugs. Other than that, this survival action adventure has an intense story, fascinating gameplay, and emphatic characters. Not to mention the villains that you can rightfully dislike.
A huge adrenaline rush washes over you after facing the combat in Days Gone. As you try to survive, everything becomes heart-pumping, having you face hordes of infected and mutated humans. Overall, it's clear that a lot of love was put into Days Gone, which makes it unrightfully underrated. Giving this game a chance sucks you into its world until the end credits roll.
3 Red Faction: Guerrilla
Selling more than one million copies during its release, Red Faction: Guerrilla is a timeless open-world video game. However, it's slowly been buried as mentions of the game have appeared less and less over the years.
This classic sandbox takes place on Mars, putting you in the role of Alec Mason. You ultimately work to take down an oppressive force residing on the red planet. Throughout your mission, destroying both buildings and various structures is the best way to get to enemies. Offering plenty of different tactical options to complete the objectives, Red Faction: Guerrilla is a skillful game.
2 Brutal Legend
Brutal Legend follows the heavy-metal story of Eddie Riggs, featuring the talented voice of Jack Black. He's been transported into a fantasy world inspired by heavy metal album covers. Eddie becomes the world's savior, using the power of a flying guitar to tap into the magical powers of the world.
Besides including Jack Black, there are other voices in the game that are associated with heavy metal. Most notably, Ozzy Osborne and Lemmy Kilmister. With that said, Brutal Legend had many other aspects that made it an utter masterpiece. In the end, because of its difficult marketing, Brutal Legend never got the right kind of love that it needed.
1 Dying Light
In a post-apocalyptic world overrun by vicious zombies, Dying Light can be considered one of the most underrated zombie games. When it was released, there were a lot of video games that focused on the zombie genre. Because of this, some players never gave Dying Light a shot.
On the surface, this game might seem like just another zombie game with little to no story. But Dying Light offers quite the opposite. The game showcases an excellent mixture of apocalyptic survival and open-world mechanics. Content-packed and incredibly rich with its plot, there's so much to love about this game that it's shocking how underrated it is.