Every year developers across the industry have loads of open-world games to deliver - just look at Ubisoft. Many components need to work in tandem for the ultimate experience, especially as the competition is rough in the popular genre. Devs need to be on their A-game to stick the landing.
One thing that developers need to nail is the movement. Traversing a massive map can be a pain. Sure, fast travel is to be expected, but then you don't get to experience the world that was crafted. So, having engaging movement mechanics is essential to make exploring and getting from point A to point B fun.
9 GTA 5
It is hard to go wrong with GTA. You can drive, fly planes, commandeer boats, explore underwater with a submarine, and ride bicycles. Whatever your preference, you can go for it—the ultimate freedom of exploring a world without restriction. You probably won't get far into Blaine County with only a boat tough.
Los Santos and Blaine County make up for a huge map to play around in and do whatever your heart desires. In classic GTA fashion, you can get creative with how you play. Vehicles are not just a method of transportation but toys for you to cause chaos across the city.
8 Crackdown
The original Crackdown became a surprise hit when it was released. People flocked to it for a Halo 3 beta but discovered that becoming a superhero and taking down gangs was a blast.
A big part of this was how you could move through the city. Super vehicles that could jump with boosters changed the pacing of getting from one crime boss to the next. If you didn't feel like driving, you could jump as high as some of the tallest buildings and climb just about anything. You were better than any car.
7 Just Cause 3
Not many games embrace the dumb blockbuster action movie vibe like Just Cause. The third game ups the ante with extra toys, especially in the DLC, where you can get things like jetpacks to feel like Iron Man.
Even without the DLC, you can fly planes, drive cars, and combo your parachute with your grappling hook. You have many options, like hooking things together to fling something toward your enemies, or better yet, yourself. Ride the roof of a car off a mountain or connect your car to a helicopter. Experimentation with how you want to get around is the heart of the series.
6 Dying Light 2
The first Dying Light took Dead Island and polished it with parkour. The sequel refined that concept. No building is out of reach as you can climb it or find a way to climb it.
Getting in the groove makes the movement across the zombie-filled city that much more satisfying. Despite not having a car, you can go from rooftop to rooftop to make it across in good time as you pass up the undead traffic on the road.
5 Batman: Arkham Knight
Say what you will about the final installment of the Arkham games, but Arkham Knight had some redeeming qualities. Sure, the batmobile combat was overdone, but feeling the power of that engine was exhilarating.
When stepping away from the controversial decision to base much of that game's core mechanics on the Caped Crusader's car, it made up for itself when you got to move outside the vehicle. When gliding, using the grappling hook to go up skyscrapers, or feeling the weight of the character as you run around proved that it got some things right.
4 Prototype
Prototype hopefully still has fans that remember it fondly. It was a game where you got to feel like a comic book character with memorable powers that helped you fight and move in satisfying ways that were also often brutal.
The things you could do that let traverse the city in no time were incredible. Sprint up buildings or surf on the bodies of anyone; it could go from light-hearted fun to a blood fest in no time. In many ways, it is the closest thing to a video game version of The Boys.
3 Saints Row 4
Saints Row has gone in many directions. We have gotten sex toy weapons and goofy physics that let you fling yourself down the street for money. In the fourth game, you got superpowers, making it feel like Saints Row had a baby with Crackdown - just minus the thousands of collectable orbs.
Dashing, gliding, jumping, and sprinting with the intensity of the most athletic DC or Marvel superheroes makes Saints Row 4 stand out from the rest in the series. Not many games can claim an evolution like this one.
2 Sunset Overdrive
Insomniac Games gas a specific identity in most of its games that connect them in tone or gameplay. Sunset Overdrive has a more adult sense of humor, but at its core, it is truly Insomniac with its fluid gameplay, creative weapons, and clever writing.
The world is your vehicle. Objects like cars and umbrellas act like trampolines that you can use to bounce into the air and get up onto buildings. Rails and telephone pole wires let you grind across the city. This is a prime example of a game where you should ignore the fast travel options.
1 Marvel's Spider-Man
Without Sunset Overdrive we might not have gotten Spider-Man. By finding the heart of Peter Parker and Spider-Man with the DNA of Insomniac, it became a standout in PlayStation's library.
Swinging around in the game is right out of the movies, except it is coming from you. Like in Miles Morales, too, you can crawl on walls, swing around anywhere you want, and run up skyscrapers with the agility of the Webslinger. So forget the subway fast travel and enjoy what New York City has to offer as you zip between buildings to save the day.