Open-world games are dime a dozen in the current AAA market, and it doesn’t seem that the craze of such kinds of games is dying anytime soon. But the best games in this space don’t just treat the open world as a fancy marketing bullet point, but rather the central showpiece of the experience. When designed carefully and with proper intent, the open world can be home to inviting exploration and unprecedented encounters.
This console generation has given us gamers with certain experiences that adhere to this principles of best design, and with this feature – we will be discussing exactly that as we run down 10 of the best PS5 games where going off the beaten path is more fun than sticking to the main quest.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding was a novel idea that birthed an entirely new genre in the medium of gaming – the Strand genre. It wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but those who stuck around found a lot to love in Kojima’s post-apocalyptic adventure. With the sequel, however, Kojima Productions has taken what came before to new heights – making the core gameplay a lot better this time around with plenty of new tools and tricks.
Much like the predecessor, a lot of what makes Death Stranding 2 so fun and addictive isn’t nestled in its main quest, but rather what surrounds that central narrative pillar. The many side quests littered throughout the map are quite literally fetch requests, but Death Stranding 2 smartly introduces complexities and interesting situations onto these objectives that make them tick off your journal more than chore-like.
Doing deliveries and building structures strengthens your social strand level, gives you more information about this new world, and makes this rendition of the real world feel eerily alive.
