5 best open-world games with good storytelling like GTA 5

When players browse through the digital store or look for games to play, the open-world genre of games is definitely one that seems quite appealing. For one, such games present players with endless replayability and an enjoyable time. So one can immerse themselves in that world for hours.

That sort of freedom and sandbox-style game has been at the heart of the success of open-world game franchises like GTA. For years, players have flocked to the genre for its vastness of the open-world and all sorts of fascinating gameplay elements.

However, franchises like GTA have recognized a good story's potential and tells it through open-world gameplay. A good story can be just as engaging as a fantastic combat loop. Many open-world games have embraced powerful storytelling to bolster quality.

This article discusses some of the best open-world games with engaging plot, narrative, and good storytelling.

5 best open-world games with good storytelling like GTA 5

5) Horizon Zero Dawn

If one had gotten seemingly tired of the rinse-and-repeat nature of open-world games that present a gigantic map with thousands of colourful icons representing gameplay opportunities, then Horizon Zero Dawn might be the game for them.

While still a AAA open-world game, Horizon Zero Dawn carefully dodges the trappings of a formulaic open-world structure and introduces plenty of gameplay variations. There is a lot to like in Horizon Zero Dawn's open-world. The most captivating of all is its fantastic lore and creative world-building.

After the fall of society and humankind as we know it now, mechanical creatures and life-forms now populate most of the planet. The way Horizon Zero Dawn introduces players to its many rich concepts and ideas is absolutely masterful.

Alloy is one of the strongest protagonists in videogame history and it is extremely easy to get invested in her story from the get-go.

4) Mad Max

George Miller returned to the franchise with 2014's Mad Max Fury Road to set the cinemas ablaze and the film community in absolute awe of what they had just witnessed.

Simultaneously, a Mad Max game was also in the works, being developed by Avalanche, but not as a movie tie-in. It will be a separate story altogether, which was later confirmed as canon by Miller.

Contrary to popular perception that Mad Max, the game, would be a soulless cash-grab, the game was actually pretty fantastic. The Wasteland quite clearly lends itself to gameplay opportunity, as was apparent in the game's first few moments, which wasted no time to get the ball rolling.

From the first time players take control of their Magnum Opus in Mad Max, the game never lets up, both in story and gameplay. It came as a pleasant surprise to players to learn that Mad Max actually had a very competent story at its heart and one that was told brilliantly.

The game's finale made Max's final remains one of the most cinematic sections in any game fueled by powerful, honest storytelling. Mad Max will surprise the player at many turns with soul and heart.

3) Sleeping Dogs

Before booting up Sleeping Dogs, players might think to themselves that the game would be just another run-of-the-mill undercover police story they've seen so many times. While they would be somewhat correct, as Sleeping Dogs quite clearly wears its inspirations on its sleeve regarding Hong Kong action movies, this game is still great.

Sleeping Dogs' story isn't anything groundbreaking. However, the game's USP is its honest storytelling. It's a passionate story that immediately captivates its audience.

Each element of Sleeping Dogs might not stand on its own, but together make for one heck of a game. For example, the combat system feels derivative of games like the Batman Arkham series, and the open-world feels like a blend between GTA and Yakuza.

However, Sleeping Dogs blends them all makes for a wonderful game with plenty of value.

2) Red Dead Redemption 2

Perhaps players have heard talk of just how massively rated Red Dead Redemption 2 is by critics and game media. Some of it might feel overhyped. However, it takes only 20 minutes of the deceptively slow opening to realize that Red Dead Redemption 2 is everything that is discussed in the conversation around it.

Perhaps the best story ever told by Rockstar, Red Dead Redemption 2 definitely benefits from the studio's technological advancements combined with a tight script by Dan Houser.

As a result, Red Dead Redemption 2 feels like it is brimming with quality at every turn. The game does not overstay its welcome. The story is masterfully paced with spite and reflective moments juxtaposed with high-octane, high-drama action sequences.

Red Dead Redemption 2 symbolic of a studio at its peak potential. It is one of the finest story-driven open-world games ever made.

1) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3, by every metric present, is perhaps one of the greatest games ever made of all-time. Such a claim would be hard to defend for any title, but not for The Witcher 3.

Winner of over 200 GOTY Awards, it is hard not to get swept up in the game's overwhelmingly positive reception games overwhelmingly positive reception be immediately skeptical of it. However, much like Red Dead Redemption 2, it doesn't take long for any cynic to turn believer purely because of the game's core.

The gameplay is definitely at its best in The Witcher 3, with the franchise having evolved from its original by leaps and bounds. It now has an extremely effective combat system. Mixed with an in-depth RPG and inventory system that rewards preparation and studying enemies, The Witcher 3 is an RPG-and-a-half.

However, that doesn't mean that the narrative takes a back seat because it manages to tell a compelling story. While the main campaign is definitely the one with the biggest emotional punches to throw, the side quests are just as, if not more, impactful at times.

Infamous quests such as the Bloody Baron alone are testament to just how rich and deep the game is in storytelling and gameplay. Players who enjoy good stories in open-world games owe it to themselves to give The Witcher 3 ago.