Open-world games are famously very long affairs, taking upwards of 100+ hours to beat. With the likes of Crimson Desert practically requiring months to beat, fans of the genre can easily get burned out. Naturally, if you’ve reached that point, you’ll want something a tad shorter, perhaps even something you can beat in a single weekend. Luckily, if that is the case, which I certainly hope it is, considering you clicked on the article, you’ve come to the right place.
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These open-world titles prove you don’t need to sacrifice the sprawling immersive world just to get the runtime down to a reasonable level. From AAA masterpieces that mimic the likes of GTA to underrated indie gems that you may never have heard of, these open-world games are ideal if you’ve only got a few hours to spare. They will absolutely serve as palette cleansers between the far longer games in the genre and give you a refreshing and much-needed breather while still reaping the benefits of one of the greatest gaming genres in the world.
5. Lake
The first time I completed Lake, I was utterly obsessed with it. I had assumed that, upon returning to its extraordinarily cozy world for its Christmas-themed DLC, some of the enthusiasm would wane. Yet, as I drove across its snow-capped roads delivering parcels to its phenomenal cast of memorable characters, I found myself just as in love with the setting, premise, and soothing gameplay loop as I was the first time around. Indeed, after having played the game numerous times and existed within the stunning lakeside town of Providence Oaks for countless hours, I can say with certainty that Lake is one of the greatest indie open-world games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.
For context, this delightful narrative-driven open-world game sees you delivering parcels to the residents of Providence Oaks as you decide what you want to do with the rest of your life. Well, the protagonist’s life, although you’ll soon find that Lake does have a habit of encouraging a little introspection. You’ll learn about each character’s life, hopes, and dreams, soak in the atmosphere of the idyllic scenery, find a little romance, and jam out to the in-game radio. It’ll take you around 7 hours to see just about everything Lake has to offer, which makes it the perfect open-world game to snuggle up with over the course of a cozy weekend.
4. Caravan SandWitch
Caravan SandWitch immediately caught my eye when I first saw its reveal trailer, its distinctive, almost Moebius-esque art style bringing to life a gorgeously haunting world seemingly teetering on the brink of collapse. Fortunately, the finished product, a staggeringly beautiful open-world adventure with a profoundly moving narrative, did not disappoint. Nor did its Death Stranding-esque gameplay, a structure that sees you navigating this small but densely detailed world alone, solving puzzles with your truck, uncovering secrets hidden in the most remote of locations, and ultimately unraveling the mystery at the heart of it all.
Caravan SandWitch is the kind of indie game that will stick with you long after the credits roll (not to mention you’ll have its incredible theme song, Pensée Dérobée, playing on repeat). I cannot overstate just how immersive, stunning, and unique Caravan SandWitch’s world is, or how memorable and compelling its cast of characters are, especially its protagonist, Sauge. I’m not one to overegg the proverbial pudding, and only recommend games that really have moved me or interested me in some way. Trust me when I say that Caravan SandWitch is an indie open-world game like no other, and you’ll be pondering on its roughly 8-hour experience for quite some time.
3. Mafia 2
Mafia 2 is a game I distinctly remember playing as a child, or, more aptly, watching my older brother play from over his shoulder. As an adult, I’ve immersed myself in its fascinating, richly detailed, and evolving world of Empire Bay on numerous occasions, blown away each and every time by its impressive scale. Mafia 2 takes a lot of what worked so well with its predecessor and expands upon it in significant and meaningful ways. The story is more action-packed and better paced, its world more interactive yet still packed with mechanics that help make it feel so breathtakingly alive, its combat more intense and varied.
Mafia 2 is undeniably the perfect open-world game for GTA fans, as while it doesn’t quite ape the wild chaos of Rockstar’s classic series, it does do a very compelling job of giving you a vast city to explore as a flawed protagonist embarked on a fascinating journey. Coming in at around 15 hours, depending on how long you spend soaking in the atmosphere of Empire Bay, Mafia 2 is a very digestible yet nevertheless engrossing open world experience that is perfectly enjoyable as a binged experience over a weekend.
2. Atlas Fallen: Reign Of Sand
When Atlas Fallen was first released, it suffered from a poor reception from critics and fans alike, panned for its weak and unengaging narrative, myriad of technical issues, and bland open-world. Had it remained in such a state, I would likely not be recommending it here, perhaps only doing so due to its relatively short length. Fortunately, Atlas Fallen was enhanced and re-released as Atlas Fallen: Reign of Sand, which makes recommending it all the easier. Adding new voice acting, an overhauled narrative, open-world activities, unlockable armors, a new area, and so much more, Reign of Sand was very much Atlas Fallen’s 2.0 release.
This huge update more than makes Atlas Fallen a worthwhile experience, especially as it ostensibly allows its already phenomenal elements (namely, combat and traversal) to shine all the brighter. If you’re looking for a legitimately great open-world RPG that skews more on the shorter side, then Atlas Fallen: Reign of Sand is a perfect pick. It’ll only take you around 11 hours to beat its main campaign, although you can spend double that engaging in all the side content if you want to. Regardless, this is absolutely an underrated open-world game that deserves another shot.
1. Sunset Overdrive
Before Insomniac Games was bought by PlayStation and began releasing its critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man series, it released the cult classic Sunset Overdrive. This frantic open-world third-person shooter blended creative expression in combat with a fast-paced, fluid traversal system, ostensibly serving as the precursor to the aforementioned Spider-Man games. You cruised around on an endless assortment of grind rails, blasting foes as you blew past them, in a hyper-stylized world that remains a staggeringly beautiful sandbox to this very day.
Sunset Overdrive is best enjoyed as one giant playground in which to wreak as much havoc and destruction as you can manage. Its story is fun and full of many fourth-wall-breaking gags, its characters are endearing in a very edgy kind of way, and its punk rock aesthetic makes for a refreshing change of pace in a world dominated by realism. It isn’t hard to see how Insomniac got to the Spider-Man model that is so beloved, and indeed Sunset Overdrive even shares that series’ penchant for short runtimes. You can beat it in just 10 hours if you focus on the main story, although wrapping up everything will take around 17 hours altogether. That’s a perfect amount of time for those strapped for time and looking for a great open-world title to beat over a weekend.
What short open-world games do you recommend? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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