Summary
There’s something about being able to just get in your car and drive off on the open road in a video game. You don’t have to worry about traffic or breaking the speed limit — you may just press on the gas and go as far as your heart wants to, and there’s space left on the map.
RELATED:Weirdest Cars In Video Games
Games likeGrand Theft Auto, or the criminally underrated gem Fuel, have a road trip charm to them that makes you feel like a tourist in the middle of your living room. No matter if you prefer the action of competition or the chill vibes of just cruising, you’re going to have a good time here.
8Grand Theft Auto
The number of things you’re able to do with a car in Grand Theft Auto’s game mode is staggering. Sure, you can do the simple thing of stealing a car from the street just because you like how it shines in the sun. That’s all fine and dandy, but in Grand Theft Online, you can do so much more with your vehicles.
There are heists and whatnot sure, but have you ever wanted todrive on a Hot Wheels trackwhen you were little? You’ll get the opportunity to drive high in the sky and loop around the red and gray tracks to your heart’s content. There are plenty of other ways to get around town; it’s just a matter of finding which is the most fun for you out in the world.
7Saints Row: The Third
Take everything you know about GTA, crank it up to 11, and then throw it out the window. That chaotic experience you just made isSaints Row the Third, a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously and laughs at anyone else who does. The Third Street Saints are taking over the country and solving world issues with a single signature.
The driving in this game has a more arcade feel, meaning the more wild the tricks and better you drive, the more rewards you receive throughout the game. The cars are also highly customizable, so you can drive the car of your dreams as you wreak havoc wherever you go.
6Test Drive Unlimited 2
InTest Drive Unlimited 2, you’ll have not one, but two islands to drive around and explore while challenging racers in high-stakes races — well, once you’re given the chance to break out of your valet job and daydreams. A fierce competition stirs just under the main streets of Ibiza and Oahu, and this time you can try and make it to the top andbuild your perfect collection.
RELATED:Best Minigames In Open World Games
Driving is everything in Test Drive Unlimited 2. From the minigames and time trials to the narrative itself, you’ll be eating and sleeping driving by the time you finish the game. Just try not to get caught falling asleep behind the wheel.
In the post-apocalyptic hellscape of Mad Max, your vehicle is not only your best method of travel against the desert terrain, but it is your best weapon and chance to stay alive. You play the character Max Rockatansky from the Fury Road movie. He is struggling both with coming to terms with his past and trying to survive the harsh conditions and bloodthirsty gangs.
As Max,you’ll be working to build the ultimate car, the Magnum Opus, by upgrading the body, weapons, and engine of your masterpiece, so that you and Max can bring his original car back home. There’s also a myth about a messiah who will drive the ultimate vehicle to salvation, but that’s neither here nor there while out on the open road.
4Forza Horizon 5
Forza Horizon 5doesn’t have the same size map as some of the other games as it takes place in a single open-world area, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in amazing detail. The landscapes will make you do a double take and question whether you’re looking at the real deal or the game.
At the start of the game, you’re dropped off onto of the snow-dusted peaks of a mountain, and you have to race to make it down to the bottom. It’s an efficient way of getting you started without bogging you down with cutscenes and creates that feeling of being free on the road.
3Burnout Paradise
It may surprise you, butBurnout Paradisewas not the first game in the series to feature an open world. The initial game in the series to incorporate this concept was called Burnout Dominator, a game that had been quietly launched a year before Paradise. However, Burnout Paradise quickly became a well-known refined world, leaving you plenty to discover on your own.
Or course, traveling and finding said secrets isn’t going to be easy. You might accidentally run into a car or ten while you’re on the road and racking up some serious crash points. The Burnout series flat-out encourages you to grab yourself some good crash points, so why not makeParadise City your place to reign in destruction?
2Fuel
Fuel is two experiences wrapped into a singular driving experience. On the one hand, you have a high octane where you, The Stranger, have to battle other nameless strangers to explore The Wilderness. The world is in complete decay, so you must do whatever you may to survive.
While you can complete all the races and challenges, it’s not required. If you want to just get into your car (or other chosen vehicle) and just enjoy what The Wilderness scenery has to offer, you can do that too. It is infamous for havingone of the largest maps of any open-world game, leaving you nothing but space and opportunity to drive to your heart’s content.
1Midnight Club 2
When you have a game this stylish and this well-constructed, do you need a deep narrative to get you through? Everything about the presentation of this game screams theRockstarquality that we had come to know and love back in the PS2 days, which makes the quiet abandonment of the series a real crime.
Everything about this game was exciting: the multiplayer mashups were fun, or if that wasn’t your thing, there are tons of single-player fun to be had. Oh, and the music! Just as with their GTA series, Midnight Club 2 had some seriously good music that you could listen to on repeat.
