A new report suggests that many AA and indie studios have been unable to secure development kits for Nintendo Switch 2 ahead of its launch this June.
Several game developers from AA and indie studios spoke to The Game Business, who revealed their complaints in a recent newsletter. "New console audiences are often willing to try new things at the start, so we were desperate to get our hands on dev kits early. Nintendo has finally responded to us, but we still don’t think we’ll get anything for a few months," a AA game studio co-founder told The Game Business.
Generally, the developers The Game Business spoke to didn't seem to think a large bump for indie games would arrive alongside the Switch 2 launch. They're still hoping to learn more about the process of acquiring a Switch 2 development kit from Nintendo now that more information about the system is public knowledge.
From Software has two known games in development currently--with one set to be released very soon--and both of them are built around a core multiplayer experience. Elden Ring: Nightreign offers a co-op souls-like adventure, while Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods is heavily focused on PvPvE gameplay. This has raised some concern amongst From Software fans that the studio will develop more multiplayer games in the future, but From Software boss and Duskbloods director Hidetaka Miyazaki says that the developer isn't shifting exclusively to online multiplayer games.
"As previously mentioned, this is an online multiplayer title at its core, but this doesn’t mean that we as a company have decided to shift to a more multiplayer-focused direction with titles going forward," Miyazaki said in a Nintendo interview. "The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Elden Ring was also announced, and we still intend to actively develop single-player-focused games such as this that embrace our more traditional style."
Miyazaki also spoke more about the setting, characters, and themes of The Duskbloods, explaining how players will control a group of characters known as the Bloodsworn. Starring a group of superhuman warriors that are similar to vampires, Miyazaki said that the game takes place during the end of human society and revolves around the Bloodsworn chasing after something known as First Blood. The Duskbloods--which was originally pitched for the Switch--will launch for Switch 2 in 2026.
Leave it to Nintendo to attempt to keep game file sizes from growing too large in an age of titles taking up over 100GB of storage space on consoles. A few first-party Switch 2 games apparently won't even top 10GB, with Mario Kart World the only listed title so far racing past the 20GB mark.
One of the most surprising announcements from the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct earlier this week was The Duskbloods, a new eight-player PvPvE project from Elden Ring and Bloodborne developer From Software. While some may have assumed that this new game was always meant for Nintendo's new console, a recent interview posted to the official Nintendo website reveals a different story.
Nintendo posted an interview with From Software director Hidetaka Miyazaki to speak about The Duskbloods, which is filled with more details about the game and its development origins. In Part 1 of the interview, Miyazaki confirms that From Software and Nintendo met regarding an exclusive project well before the Switch 2's details were completed, and that the project was kicked off with the original Switch in mind.
"At first, it was being worked on by a small team as a title for Nintendo Switch," Miyazaki says in the interview. "However, just as the game started to take shape, we were approached by Nintendo with talk of Switch 2, which led us to revamp our development path with this new hardware in mind."
The Switch 2 is priced at $450 in the US, scaling to $500 for a bundle that also includes a copy of Mario Kart World. Following Nintendo's announcement of the price during a Nintendo Direct this week, many people made their feelings known about it--and now brands have begun to weigh in.
Duolingo, the language-learning company, posted this week, "Gamers, learn Japanese to save $133!" This post is referencing how Nintendo will offer a "Domestic Only" console that will sell for ¥49,980, which is about $340. This console is region-locked and only features Japanese as the language default. Duolingo saw an opportunity for a joke here, and to promote its own services.
The first Nintendo Treehouse Live event this week for the Switch 2 kicked off with users spamming the comments begging the company to lower the price of the system. Nintendo is, of course, unlikely to do this, and some experts believe there won't be any price cuts until 2030 at the soonest.
One of the big draws of the Switch 2 is that the console will be backwards compatible with the Switch games library, barring a few exceptions. Nintendo has also explained that not every game will operate smoothly at launch on the Switch 2, as the hybrid console doesn't natively run Switch games. Instead, Nintendo uses a workaround method involving hardware and software to get Switch games working on the Switch 2.
"When we first started Switch 2 development, the focus was on enhancing its performance as hardware, namely, expanding its capacity," Nintendo's Takuhiro Dohta explained. "So, compatibility was a lower priority. For example, Nintendo DS games were playable on Nintendo 3DS, and Wii games were playable on Wii U, but it was difficult to achieve the same level of compatibility with Switch 2, because the hardware-design approach was different from those systems."
Speaking to Variety, Mazin said he expects GTA 6 to become the "largest-selling piece of media ever," with the exception of the Bible. As such, he expects Hollywood to "very carefully" watch how the game performs.
It's unknown how many copies of the Bible have been produced, but estimates suggest it could be as many as 7 billion. Obviously, GTA 6 is not going to sell 7 billion copies. But the point Mazin is making is that he expects Rockstar to once again deliver a product in GTA 6 that smashes records and raises the bar.
During Nintendo Treehouse: Live, the item-sharing feature was demonstrated when Link tracked down a rock monster to fight. Zelda Notes allows players to store items outside of the game and access them with the Nintendo Switch mobile app when needed. For the demonstration, Link was sent a war hammer from another player's inventory.
While players will be to use Zelda Notes to move items between each game, there are limits to that ability. Items that only exist in Tears of the Kingdom will be converted to something else when they are transferred to Breath of the Wild. But Tears of the Kingdom players will be able to use Zelda Notes to exchange autobuild blueprints with QR codes. Zelda Notes also adds a navigation feature to help players find difficult locations to reach.
While Nintendo isn't intending to market the Switch 2 as high-performance hardware, the upcoming console still has quite a few new tricks up its sleeve, including Nvidia-powered DLSS upscaling and hardware ray tracing.
Nintendo confirmed the Switch 2's support for DLSS upscaling in a Q&A session following the Switch 2 direct. Takuhiro Dohta from Nintendo's Entertainment Planning and Development Department said the Switch 2 will use Nvidia's upscaling tech, and that it is "something that we will continue to use as we develop games."
"When it comes to the hardware, [the Switch 2] is able to output to a TV at a max of 4K," Dohta explained. "Whether or not the software developer is going to use that as a native resolution or get it to a smaller res and then upscale is something that the software developer can choose. I think it opens up a lot of options for the software developer."
Mother Jago is a quest you can add to your investigations fairly early on in Atomfall. At first, it seems like your run-of-the-mill side quest that requires you to visit an NPC on the map, do a job for them, and get some kind of reward. However, Mother Jago isn't just any old NPC in the Quarantine Zone. She's one of the more important characters in the entire story, and she even has a way out of the Quarantine Zone if you follow her instructions.
The question is, how do you complete the entire Mother Jago quest in Atomfall, and is her ending worth it? Find out everything you need to know in the walkthrough below.
Finding Mother Jago
There are a few ways you can come across Mother Jago in Atomfall. Just like any other character in the Quarantine Zone, she's at a designated location, allowing you to easily stumble upon her location just by exploring the map.
Mother Jago is located in the top northeastern part of Casterfell Woods, and she remains there for the duration of the game up until the very end. Specifically, you can find Mother Jago at the "Old Mine" location that's east of the Dam Data Store and northeast of the Sewer Tunnels entrance, which is the easiest route to get to and from Casterfell Woods. The coordinates for the Old Mine are 27.2 E, 92.2 N.
If you didn't stumble across Mother Jago's position, you likely found a leaflet that told you to visit the Old Mine and find the character. Whether you find the leaflet or not doesn't change much, but having the leaflet does allow you to access a new dialogue option when speaking to Mother Jago. Either way, once you find the character, speak to her to begin the Mother Jago investigation in Atomfall.
Going to the Druid's Camp
After speaking with Mother Jago, she'll tell you a little bit about herself and ask a favor of you. The favor is to go and fetch a book on herbalism that the local Druid faction stole from her possession. Mother Jago says the book is located inside the Druids' castle at the center of their area of operations.
Specifically, you need to travel to the "Druid's Camp" location found at the very southwestern part of the Casterfell Woods map. Here, the Druids have erected a large, wooden statue of some deity up on a cliff. There also happen to be dozens of Druids in and around the entire area, so you have to choose whether to be stealthy or go in with a full frontal assault in mind. The easiest method I found was to use a bow and silently pick off Druids.
Regardless of your tactics, you need to reach the "Castle Ruins" entrance inside the Druid's Camp. This is located on the eastern side of the camp, and it requires you to ascend a couple of stories via the walkways along the cliff. The coordinates for the Castle Ruins are 20.6 E, 83.7 N.
Inside the Castle Ruins, you'll find a number of Druids all worshipping someone called the "High Priestess." They're all mostly standing around a large, blue glowing hole in the ground that the High Priestess is making sacrifices to from a high-up perch. You can find an Atomic Battery lying at the base of this blue hole in the ground.
Retrieving Mother Jago's Book
Inside the Castle Ruins, you'll find a number of Druids all worshipping someone called the "High Priestess." They're all mostly standing around a large, blue glowing hole in the ground that the High Priestess is making sacrifices to from a high-up perch. You can find an Atomic Battery lying at the base of this blue hole in the ground.
From just looking at the initial area of the Castle Ruins, it doesn't look too large. You can kill the Druids around the blue hole along with the High Priestess, but Mother Jago's Book is nowhere to be found. Instead of staying around the blue hole in the ground, you need to locate a bridge that's off to the side of the opening area. Go across the bridge and keep ascending the various ladders, staircases, and hills that are found along the path set out for you.
Eventually, after climbing a hill with grassy weeds and crumbling castle walls, you'll come to a larger area with a hole in the ceiling that's causing light to shine in. From this area, head up a staircase into a library, where you can find Mother Jago's Book sitting on a back table surrounded by candles.
With the book in hand, head out the way you came in and return to Mother Jago with it.
Explore the Speaking Cave
After delivering Mother Jago's Book to her at the Old Mine, she'll say that she actually has a good relationship with the Druids and her book wasn't actually stolen. Retrieving the book was a test of trust, which you passed. Mother Jago now says she has a way out of the Quarantine Zone, but before you can escape, you need to visit the Speaking Cave and leave an offering there.
The Speaking Cave is located in the southern part of Casterfell Woods at coordinates 23.0 E, 85.4 N. Here, you can enter the cave freely, as Mother Jago has given you an item that makes you a friend to the Druids. Inside the Speaking Cave, follow your quest marker to head up to the end of the winding paths. The paths culminate in front of a large, wooden structure with a bowl placed on a table under it. Approach the bowl, interact with it, and place an offering inside of it.
Once this is done, you'll hear a voice come out of a detached head from the wooden structure that looks to be the "Voice in the Soil" that's been causing so much panic in the Quarantine Zone. You'll also have to make a dialogue choice that pledges your loyalty to the Voice in the Soil and the Druids going forward. If you choose the "Confrontational" option, you have to fight your way out of the cave, and the Mother Jago quest can't be fully completed.
If you head past the wooden structure, you'll find a small room with some valuable items, including a recording from Captain Sims. If you haven't already, this begins the Captain Sims quest in Atomfall.
After the offering is placed and you've explored the Speaking Cave, return to Mother Jago once more at the Old Mine.
Find the Growth Stimulant
When you return to Mother Jago, tell her you made the offering. If you didn't choose the confrontational dialogue option, you can proceed with the quest. Mother Jago now tells you of a Growth Stimulant that she wants you to "feed" to Oberon. Oberon is the large meteor in the Interchange that caused the Quarantine Zone to be put up. Mother Jago and the Druids want Oberon to grow and continue to effect change throughout the surrounding lands.
To find the Growth Stimulant, you have to head into the Interchange and visit the Medical facility. The entrance to the Medical facility is located to the west of Data Store C. The entrance is on the ground floor of the Interchange. When you enter the Medical facility, you then have to find the entrance to the Medical Tunnels, which is found further west. You'll have to head past several thrall enemies as well as a large plant enemy in the middle of a large cavern.
Go past the plant on its left side to head up a new path and find the Growth Stimulant sitting on the ground next to a dead scientist. With the Growth Stimulant, head out the way you came in, making sure to avoid the plant as best as possible, and stay in the Interchange.
Feed the Growth Stimulant to Oberon
When you have the Growth Stimulant, you have everything you need to enter the Oberon facility in the Interchange. To do that, you need to power up every single Data Store Room in the Interchange and then turn on the Central Processing Unit located in the central room. Once the CPU is powered on, a new entrance to the Windscale Plant will become available.
Take the Windscale Plant entrance to access the new area with Oberon. You have to go through the Windscale Plant before reaching Oberon, which is full of thrall enemies. But after you get through the plant, you'll be in the Oberon Digsite area. Here, you need to take the Growth Stimulant and head to the large building located to the immediate left of the digsite entrance. This is found before you reach the purple-glowing Oberon rock.
Inside this building, you have to navigate through a series of hallways, sometimes defeating enemies in haz-mat suits, until you reach the command center of the digsite. On one of the command center consoles, you'll find the "Fire Safety Fluid Input Terminal." You need to insert the Growth Stimulant into this terminal.
Once that happens, head down to Oberon itself, being careful to avoid the patrolling robots on the ground level, and find two "Fire Safety Valves." These are located on either end of the digsite and require a simple interaction to use. Now, you can head back up to the command center in the building and turn on the "Fire Safety Valves."
After these are activated, head back down to the digsite once more. Exit the Oberon Digsite area, make your way back through the Windscale Plant, and go to the Castle Ruins at the Druid's Camp in Casterfell Woods. There, jump into the blue glowing hole in the ground at the command of the Voice in the Soil. This ends Atomfall.
At long last, A Minecraft Movie is finally in theaters. It's been over a decade since it was first revealed that Warner Bros. was working with Mojang Studios on adapting the title for the big screen, with various writers and directors attached over the years. Now, with Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre director Jared Hess at the helm, the movie is a reality--and leaves room for potential sequels, too. With that in mind, we need to parse through that ending, including the post-credits scene that included one very interesting appearance.
Warning: The following contains full spoilers for A Minecraft Movie. If you haven't seen the film, you should stop reading now. Otherwise, you will be spoiled. Without further ado, let's dig into the movie's ending.
Open-world games offer players large worlds to explore, often with a massive amount of side and optional content. While these games often overlap with the RPG genre, they can also be in other genres, like racing or stealth games. The common thread through all of the games on this list are worlds that players can explore with a large amount of freedom, often with persistent progression to build your character and tackle increasing challenges. While not every open-world game contains a large explorable world, that expiration and discovery is a key part of what makes open-world games special.
Some of the most notable games in the genre are also some of the best-selling games of all-time, like The Witcher 3 and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, touting huge worlds full of side quests, lovable characters, and new places to explore. Despite the heavy focus on exploration, these games also often feature deep narratives as well, although there are exceptions to that as well. Many of the games on this list are fairly modern, thanks to an increase in size and depth to the open-worlds due to more powerful hardware introduced with more modern consoles. Below you can see our picks for the best open-world games you can play right now. These span a variety of platforms, including PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch, and we've tried to lean into games that are still widely available and well worth playing in 2025.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Developer: Rockstar
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Genre: Action-Adventure
Multiplayer: Yes
Red Dead Redemption 2 is an incredibly deep cowboy simulator, touting an expansive version of the Wild West. Made by one of the best open-world developers, Rockstar, it shouldn't come as a surprise that this game is incredibly detailed and full of side stories to discover in its large world. Plus, Red Dead Redemption 2 features a massive narrative about the death of the Wild West, offering an incredible story for you to engage with in between exploring the world. The simulation aspects can't be overlooked either, whether it's slowly riding your horse to the next destination, or taking care of you or your horse's hunger needs, to just stumbling upon a strange situation between NPCs. Plus, it features Red Dead Online, a multiplayer experience set in the same open world, so you can play cowboy with your friends.
Dragon's Dogma 2 won't be for everyone, but if you love responsive open worlds and games filled with systems, you will likely love it. The world features tons of NPCs, who can be interacted with in multiple interesting ways, including being killed--either by you, the plague, or roving monsters. The combat and classes offer depth to its RPG systems, and while it contains a fast-travel system, it's designed for you to not use it, emphasizing that this is an experience where the journey is far more important than the destination. That said, these systems create a lot of pushback, so if you are looking for a more relaxed or checklist-style open-world experience, look elsewhere.
One of the few non-RPGs on the list, Forza Horizon 5 features an open-world version of Mexico for you to race around. Sitting somewhere in between arcade racing and simulation, Forza Horizon 5 has plenty of secrets to discover in its open world, along with events like jumps or point-to-point races that you can find and start throughout the world itself. While the main races do happen in instanced versions, the tracks are made up of parts of the open world, creating a seamless racing experience. It's not just one of the best open-world games out there, but also one of the best racing games. Plus, it has two expansions that add new environments to race through, including a Hot Wheels-themed area.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Survival-Crafting
Multiplayer: Yes
Sure, one open world to explore is cool, but what about an unlimited number of worlds? No Man's Sky offers an infinite universe of procedurally generated worlds for you to fly to and explore, letting you seamlessly run around the surface of a planet, fly into the atmosphere, and then move through space before landing somewhere else. You can explore these worlds to find new plants, resources, and creatures, which you can collect and use. You can become a merchant, a builder, or a fighter across a universe shared with other players in multiplayer. Plus, Hello Games regularly releases free updates for the game, so there are new systems being added, offering new ways to interact with the massive universe of No Man's Sky.
If you've ever thought that a pirate's life was for you, Sea of Thieves has an ocean begging to be explored. A co-op multiplayer experience by design, you can gather your crew and sail the seas, plundering islands and ships for loot. There are quests to take on, and you can even steal treasure from other players you may encounter out on the open seas. (A PvE mode has also been introduced since launch, in case you don't want to contend with hostile players.) Plus, Sea of Thieves is an ongoing game, with updates regularly adding new content to engage with. Who hasn't wanted to gather a few friends, sing a sea shanty, and search for hidden treasure?
One of the few free-to-play games on the list, Genshin Impact offers a massive open world heavily inspired by Breath of the Wild. There are puzzles to solve, monsters to defeat, and a long list of quests to complete. Genshin Impact has received multiple new regions since launch, expanding the open world even further. While Genshin Impact is free-to-play, it does feature gacha mechanics, asking you to roll for new characters who are available for a limited time. You can earn rolls by playing and you can see everything Genshin Impact has to offer without a full roster, but if the idea of gambling for new characters sounds unappealing, you'll be better off with a different open-world game.
While all three Marvel's Spider-Man games developed by Insomniac Games feature open-world versions of New York for you to swing around, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 offers the biggest and highest fidelity version of it. Offering fun exploration via web-swinging, there are side quests, collectibles, and puzzles to seek out across the city and complete. On top of that, there is an excellent Spider-Man story for you to experience as well, offering a complete package for anyone who loves the webhead or just wants to explore a detailed version of New York City.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle isn't a traditional open-world game, as it features multiple levels across the globe, but it does scratch that itch in a unique way. While not every level is massive, there are multiple large areas, like Vatican City, which have a variety of secrets to find and collect. These levels are incredibly detailed, letting you experience these places in a way not found in many video games. Discovery is a huge part of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, so if that's what draws you to open-world games, it's a great game for exploring detailed spaces. You even get a fantastic Indiana Jones story as the cherry on top.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch 2
Genre: Action RPG
Multiplayer: No
Elden Ring takes the difficult and methodical combat From Software is known for and places it into an open-world setting. Of course, that undersells just how well-realized that open world is and how perfectly it works with the intense combat. You are encouraged to explore, as there are limited map markers and few specific objectives outlined for you, allowing you to discover caves, dungeons, and hidden bosses. This exploration and discovery is what open-world games are all about, and Elden Ring rewards players for finding and scouring new areas, so long as you can defeat whatever enemies are lurking in the space. Plus the horse has a double-jump, something you won't find in most open-world games.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom--and its predecessor Breath of the Wild--are perfect for open-world fans who love exploration. Hyrule is filled with puzzle shrines to tackle, enemies to defeat, and chests to crack open. Building upon Breath of the Wild's foundation, Tears of the Kingdom offers a ton of freedom when it comes to exploring the world, thanks to the Ultrahand ability. This allows you to combine different objects to build flying robots, monster trucks, and long bridges, giving you complete control over how you explore the open world, on top of being able to go in whichever direction you please. Even if you spent tons of time exploring Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, this adds a new dynamic to the world--and there are new areas in the sky and deep underground to check out, too.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch 2
Genre: RPG
Multiplayer: No
Cyberpunk 2077 may have had a rough launch back in 2020, but the first-person RPG has become one of the best open-world games thanks to updates and the spectacular Phantom Liberty expansion. You get to explore the massive Night City, which is filled with futuristic vehicles, and tons of side activities. You can steal cars, take down rogue criminals, or perform criminal jobs yourself. You can get yourself a ton of cyber enhancements and follow in the footsteps of Johnny Silverhand as you take on the corporation ruling the city in a fantastic main narrative, matched in scope by the large open world. Phantom Liberty adds a distinct story that stands as some of the best Night City has to offer, and which can impact your understanding of the broader story in surprising ways depending on when you engage with it.
Ghost of Tsushima takes inspiration from Assassin's Creed with its open-world experience. Offering opportunities for both intense samurai sword action and quiet stealth-focused sequences, Ghost of Tsushima excels thanks to a gorgeous open world. It has plenty of side activities, including some less-common ones, like composing Haikus or slicing through bamboo. It also has a visually stunning open world, using saturated colors to decorate its mountain ranges and open fields. While there are a few options for samurai open-world games set in Japan, Ghost of Tsushima is one of the best, and its sequel, Ghost of Yotei, is set for release sometime in 2025.
Have you ever felt the urge to explore nature? What about exploring nature while delivering packages? Death Stranding offers just that in a post-apocalyptic America, one where nature has reclaimed much of the world. Yes, you will spend some time shooting enemies and going through the wild story that could only come from Hideo Kojima, but much of this experience is about moving from place to place. You get to construct bridges or use the ones left by other players in a game as much focused on exploration and the journey as any game in the genre. That said, if the idea of trying to take countless packages across unpaved landscapes sounds a bit frustrating, you may want to pick another game on the list. Or if it was exactly your thing and you want even more, its sequel, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, releases on June 24, 2025 on PS5.
The middle years of the Xbox One/PS4 generation were filled with middling open-world games, and if you didn't know any better, you might lump Mad Max into the group. It follows a pretty standard structure of exploring the open desert wasteland, completing side activities and struggling to survive amongst the vicious gangs that have survived to this point. Mad Max excels in its third-person combat and it delivers on the car-combat mechanics you would expect from a game based on the film franchise. It's become a hidden gem among open-world games, and one that gives you a vehicle-centric twist that many others on this list don't provide.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an excellent open-world checklist game, set in the Lord of the Rings universe. It has great combat, taking inspiration from Arkham Asylum and Assassin's Creed, offering both the responsive brawling and stealth approaches. On top of being set in the Lord of the Rings universe, Shadow of Mordor also has the unique Nemesis system to help it stand out among the crowd. This system makes certain Orc enemies remember your actions, with some moving up the ranks for defeating you or taking the spot of a high-ranking Orc you took out.
The Yakuza series feature a unique take on open-world games, using a smaller area like Kamurocho, but still filling it to the brim with side activities and missions. While the series features a ton of games, Yakuza 0 remains arguably the best place to start. It's a more modern entry in the series and, as a prequel, sets up the overall story of the franchise and its characters. Both Kiryu and Majima are playable characters, introducing you to some of the best video game characters in the business. Yakuza 0 has tons of great minigames, like running a cabaret club and racing pocket RC cars (complete with their own storylines that can vary from heartwarming to downright bizarre).
Warhorse Studios' Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an open-world RPG set in a realistic 15th century medieval Europe. Not only does it offer the freedom and depth you would expect from a good open-world game, but it weaves realism into its systems, perfect for those seeking a less fantastic experience. You need to bathe regularly, need a special drink to save, and generally have to deal with a high level of friction, making it an ideal open-world game for people who enjoy that friction. It's got a strong main narrative and a protagonist who is truly just a guy, letting you get a feel for what it would be like to be a normal person in medieval Europe.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is a divisive game, but there aren't many examples of a real city being remade so intricately in a video game. This version of Tokyo is filled with Yokai, but you can visit real historical landmarks and explore a visually incredible city. If you don't enjoy horror, this may not be for you, but the unique combat system and horror-inspired enemies create a different kind of open-world game, even if it still has all of the side content and collectibles you would expect from the genre.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Turn-based RPG
Multiplayer: No
Octopath Traveler 2 is a gorgeous turn-based RPG made in the HD-2D art style used in games like the first entry in the series and Dragon Quest 3: HD-2D remake. While Octopath Traveler 2 doesn't offer a seamless open space to explore, it does offer a ton of freedom in how you explore the world. Since you can choose any of the eight characters' stories to start with, and you can choose to tackle the different stories in whatever order, you have the freedom that is expected in these genres.
You can go to different regions of the map as you choose and discover secret areas and side quests, making it an open-world game in multiple ways. You can also swap between day and night in Octopath Traveler 2, changing the available NPCs and opening up new areas. Each party member also has two unique overworld abilities, one for day and one for night, like pick pocketing or putting people to sleep. Plus, it has a strategic combat system and several excellent stories, making it an ideal choice for anyone that enjoys turn-based combat.
Most Assassin's Creed games are open-world games, but the modern kind, from Origins onward, takes that to the next level. In this case, we have Assassin's Creed Odyssey on the list for blending a massive open world with a strong narrative throughline. The base game offers over 100 hours' worth of side missions, bounties, naval combat, and so much more for you to sink your teeth into, with multiple DLCs that add even more open-world areas. The RPG elements give you tons of customization for your weapons and armor, and you can still take a stealth-first approach, making this a buffet of great content. It's one of the best Assassin's Creed games in the entire series.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Genre: RPG
Multiplayer: No
Bethesda is one of the most prominent developers when it comes to open-world games. It has classics like Fallout 3 and Skyrim, and while it has arguably missed with recent releases--looking at you Starfield--Fallout 4 is a happy medium. It doesn't have as much RPG depth as Fallout 3, but it makes up for it with the size of its open world, which is filled with small dungeons to explore and tons of side activities to complete, and shooting that doesn't feel like an afterthought. There are fun companions, and if you are into it, base-building systems that are surprisingly deep. Fallout 4 also has a great DLC in Far Harbor, which features a strong narrative if you found the one in the base game to be lacking. Those who play on PC can also check out our list of the best Fallout 4 mods, which can further improve and expand the game.
Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Action-adventure
Multiplayer: No
While you might be able to argue that Batman Arkham Asylum is an open-world game, Batman: Arkham City is undeniably one. Significantly larger than the first game, Arkham City takes the hand-to-hand brawling and stealth takedowns and expands them into a large city. Not only is it one of the best superhero stories in a video game, but the expanded world lets you glide and grapple like you're really Batman navigating a city. There are Riddler Trophies galore, along with other side quests and collectibles, scratching that checklist open-world gaming itch.
Sunset Overdrive had the unfortunate fate of being an Xbox One exclusive, resulting in it being severely underplayed. This open-world game features all of the side activities, collectibles, and enemies you would expect, but what makes it special is the movement, something Insomniac Games nailed long before making the Spider-Man games. There are rails to grind, walls to run on, and buildings to leap off of, coalescing in a fluid and fast movement system that works incredibly well with third-person shooting. It's colorful and silly, making Sunset Overdrive a blast to play.
Satisfactory might be primarily about building factories, but it is an open-world game at its core. You have a large alien planet that you can explore alone or with friends, along with combat and resources to discover in the world. The vast majority of your time will be spent creating elaborate factories with spider-webs of conveyor belts, but the open-world exploration plays a big enough role to put it on this list, even if it isn't a traditional open-world game. Plus, the factory building is so satisfying that anyone mildly interested in the concept should check it out.
State of Decay 2 is an open-world survival game, where you must recruit survivors, build communities, and take down hordes for the undead in one of the best zombie games. Supporting co-op multiplayer and a short narrative story, the main juice in State of Decay 2 involves exploring the open-world and choosing when to take risks--and when to take your toys and go home--to find resources and new survivors. This loop creates stressful situations and tough choices, while offering a deep and extensive zombie apocalypse to play in.
The final game in the Metal Gear Solid series--no, Metal Gear Survive does not count--Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain takes place in a large open-world, offering nearly endless opportunities for stealth-action. There are outposts to take down, soldiers and resources to collect via Fultons, and a creative main story from Hideo Kojima. While there are complaints against it, mainly the unfinished narrative, the freedom and creativity you get from combining the intricate stealth-combat mechanics with an open world creates a fantastic game and one of the best stealth-action experiences you can have.
Marvel Rivals is shortening its seasons, which that, going forward, a new hero will be added to the roster once a month. This change will start with Season 3, which should start sometime in the July to August timeframe.
Announced in the Marvel Rivals Season 2 Dev Vision, starting with Season 3, Marvel Rivals seasons will be two months long instead of three, with heroes arriving at the start and midpoints of each season. This means that heroes will drop about once a month, adding new characters to the roster at a fast pace. For reference, Overwatch 2 seasons last a similar length, but new heroes are only added every 2-3 seasons, or about six months in between new heroes.
Season 2 of Marvel Rivals, which will see the addition of Emma Frost at launch on April 11 for a Hellfire Gala season, with Ultron arriving at the season midpoint, roughly six weeks from the start. Season 1 saw the addition of all four members of the Fantastic Four, but NetEase said that future seasons would only feature two new characters. A shorter season could also mean shorter battle passes, but NetEase said it would be sharing more details about any changes in the future.
Capcom released the Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1 patch notes ahead of the patch's release, outlining what to expect from the action game's first big, free update. Title Update 1 comes just a few days after Capcom announced Monster Hunter Wilds sold 10 million copies.
Title Update 1 goes live on April 3, 2025, at 8 PM PT/11 PM ET, and you'll need a bit of extra space to fit it in.
PS5 file size: 10 GB
Xbox Series X|S file size: 10 GB
PC file size: Six GB or, with high-resolution pack, 16 GB
Capcom is adding a new monster mission and bringing back an old one in Title Update 1. After reaching Hunter Rank 21, players can take on an assignment to hunt a Mizutsune, a Leviathan-class monster, and unlock an additional, optional assignment to hunt more after completing the initial quest. Speak to Kanya in the Scarlet Forest base camp to start.
If you've seen the trailers for A Minecraft Movie, you might be wondering exactly what filming was like. After all, the massive cubic world looks too good to be true live-action. However, for the most part, that's exactly what it is.
Speaking to GameSpot, director Jared Hess revealed that they actually built the massive sets that make up the Overworld. That made it so the actors weren't just acting against green screens.
"We built life-size Minecraft forests," he said. "The Minecraft village was all built, practically. These were ginormous sets." While some digital set extensions were used to build out the backgrounds, the majority of the world the cast worked in was fully visualized.
One of the big surprises following this week's Switch 2 deep dive was the price tag for Mario Kart World, as the game has a "suggested" retail price of $80 ahead of its June 5 release. This is a major increase--especially at a time when consumers are still debating the value of high-profile games increasing from $60 to $70--and according to analysts, this could become the new standard for the industry.
In a breakdown of the Switch 2 and its pricing, analysts at Niko Partners discussed the impact of Mario Kart World and its price. "While there has been some sticker shock regarding the price of games increasing from $60 to $70 or $80, these price-points are set to become industry standard over the next two years, especially so for Nintendo first-party games," Niko Partners explained. "One reason for the higher price is the increased cost of the new and faster Game Cards themselves, with higher capacities being more expensive to manufacture than a PS5 Blu-ray disc."
It is worth noting that certain Switch 2 Game Cards will only contain keys on the cart that can be used to authenticate a purchase and then download a game directly to the console. Whether these games will cost $60 or $70 remains to be seen, but another Switch 2 game, Donkey Kong Bananza, does have an MSRP of $70. The other concern here is that Nintendo will likely set a new precedent for game prices with Mario Kart World, allowing other publishers to follow suit and also charge $80 for new games.
In the span of two years, Jack Black has starred in three video game movies: The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Borderlands, and now A Minecraft Movie. Ahead of the premiere of his latest video game film, Black revealed that he's been an avid player of Balatro on mobile. But he's having a few problems with the game and could probably use some tips.
Like many of us, Black had trouble pronouncing the name Balatro while speaking with Xbox UK. He also noted that he uses his iPhone to play the game, but he's only unlocked the first deck while trying to obtain the blue deck. Black went on to express some frustration about the way the game deals with chance.
"It just makes me mad that so much of it seems to be luck," said Black. "No matter how good you are at it, you've got to get those... certain unlockable cards." Then Black looked at the camera and added, "Maybe you can give me some tips."
The Switch 2 is not surprising, but it isn't trying to be. Nintendo is known for taking daring risks from one console generation to the next, but the Switch 2 seeks to deliver a surefire upgrade to its wildly popular hybrid console that doesn't particularly rock the boat. Even the straightforwardly numerical name reassures that it is exactly what you expect: another Switch, but better. After spending hours of hands-on time with Nintendo's next hardware release, I've come away convinced that "better but not revolutionary" was the right move.
The original Switch has a toyetic elegance to it that its handheld competitors like the Steam Deck don't match. A more powerful Switch may not be ambitious, but it is appealing for all the reasons I fell in love with Switch in the first place. And it's not as if Nintendo hasn't tried going gonzo-weird after a massive hardware hit before. The Switch 2 will surely avoid becoming another Wii U.
The Switch 2 feels sturdier than its predecessor, and the sleek matte black seems to aim for a more high-end look. The screen is noticeably larger, so even though I'm accustomed to my OLED screen, the larger LCD feels like a decent trade-off. The difference in quality is barely noticeable to my eyes so the larger screen feels worth it to me. The color accents are more subtle, and the biggest splash of color comes from when the new Joy-Con 2 controllers are disconnected. They're magnetic now, which is a neat upgrade that retains the detachable functionality of the original Switch. The magnets are so strong that it's difficult (but not impossible) to detach them without pressing the release button, so when holding it they feel locked in place tighter, without the slight give that would sometimes afflict older Joy-Cons on the original Switch. And the magnets attach with a satisfying physical click.
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