3 huge open-world games to sink into now the days are getting shorter – for PS5, Xbox and Switch 1 & 2
Time to put the kettle on and work out what your favourite side of the sofa is
Autumn is well and truly upon us, and daylight hours are only going to keep shrinking until Christmas rolls around. There are obvious downsides to shorter days and inevitably moodier weather, but the big plus is that you’ll never have a better excuse to lose yourself in a monumental time sink of a video game.
There are countless games out there that offer total escapism when it’s dark and wet outside, but here are three open-world epics to get cosy with.
Go on, you’ve earned it.
No Man’s Sky
When it launched back in 2016, space exploration and survival game No Man’s Sky quickly became infamous for what it failed to deliver, with developer Hello Games accused of over-promising.
However, rather than Homer Simpson bush meme-ing it straight out of there, the studio vowed to improve the experience, and over a decade later it’s still adding new, free features to what is now a seriously compelling package.
Over the years, Hello Games has introduced base-building, vehicles, a more in-depth story, more variation in planets and eventually full multiplayer. And following the game’s big 10th anniversary update earlier this year, you can now own your own space station, join galactic alliances and mine hulking space wrecks for resources.
All of this is to say that there has never been a better time to get lost in No Man’s Sky’s vast universe on PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch or PC, and it helps that the game is frequently on sale for a hefty discount.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered
We likely still have a lengthy wait to endure before the The Witcher 4 arrives, but in the meantime, the ever-generous CD Projekt Red has given its more than 10-year-old predecessor the remaster treatment, ahead of the game’s third expansion arriving next year.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered includes both of the original game’s previous expansions and features upgraded visuals, a redesigned skill tree and some quality of life tweaks. And it’s completely free if you own the original.
In truth, none of the new additions will kid you into thinking you aren’t playing an RPG that originally came out in 2015, but when that game remains one of the best ever made, any excuse to go back is one you should take.
Geralt of Rivia’s search for his adopted daughter takes place in one of the richest and most stunningly realised open worlds ever committed to code, and even now very few RPGs can hold a candle to its quests and writing. Even a seemingly minor side story can have you gripped for hours in this game, and there’s barely a character you’ll meet who isn’t worth talking to.
Despite countless imitators, The Witcher 3 set such a high bar for fantasy RPGs that even its sequel has its work cut out to top it.
Forza Horizon 6
After taking its open-world racing series to Mexico, Australia and even good old Blighty in previous entries, Forza Horizon 6 finally addresses years of fan clamour by heading to Japan. And it was worth the wait.
While many games have set themselves in feudal Japan in recent years, Playground Games’ recreation of some of the modern-day Land of the Rising Sun’s most famous locations is on another level.
Whether you’re whipping a 1986 Honda Civic Si around the neon-lit streets of downtown Tokyo City, taking endless near identical landscape shots of Mount Fuji in photo mode, or battling the elements in the snowy alps situated at the top of the map, the sixth Forza Horizon is virtual tourism at its most thrilling.
If you’ve played previous Horizon entries you’ll be very familiar with Playground’s formula by now. Very quickly your map will be overwhelmingly covered in event markers, from standard races to stunt opportunities and narrative-driven side quests that actually teach you something about Japan and its storied car culture.
The game is always showering you with something, whether that’s general praise, achievements, or new icons of interest. Sometimes it would be nice if it just left you to the driving for a bit, but there’s simply no other racing game that is so abundant with content and incredible attention to detail.
