TOP 5 Upcoming Open World Games Releasing in 2022
There are plenty of excellent open world games coming out in 2022, ranging from immersive first-person experiences to chaotic and challenging third-person adventures. Whether it’s one of the many new IPs making their debut in 2022 or long-awaited sequels in beloved franchises, there’s a bit of something for all types of gaming fans during the year.
Open world games are often packed with content, providing hours upon hours of quality gaming. With the right open-world game, you can easily find yourself spending dozens of hours uncovering all the secrets, completing every quest, and achieving maximum character power. Judging from the slew of upcoming open world games in 2022, there will be no shortage of exciting new titles for us to check out. To help you get excited for what the year holds, we’ve come up with a list of our top 5 upcoming open-world games of 2022!
The Top 5 Upcoming Open World Games of 2022
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Starfield
Starfield is a first-person sci-fi RPGÂ developed by the talented minds at Bethesda. Responsible for universally-acclaimed games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4, the developers at Bethesda know a thing or two about crafting addictive open world games that capture the imagination. Set in 2330, the game follows your custom character, a new recruit in the Constellation organization. Tasked with exploring the SETTLD solar system, a group of planets about 50 light-years away from our own solar system, you’ll embark on an interplanetary trek full of unique characters, cosmic mysteries, and more.
While not much has been revealed about the gameplay structure, you can probably expect tons of quests to complete, gear and weapons to find and equip, as well as an in-depth RPG leveling system. We’re sure we’ll see more about Starfield as the year progresses, and we can’t wait to try it out when it releases on November 11, 2022, for the Xbox Series X/S and PC.
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Saint’s Row
The Saint’s Row franchise has been around since 2006, where it acted as a goofy and satirical competitor to the classic Grand Theft Auto series. While the early installments of the franchise were very similar to GTA in structure and gameplay, the series got progressively weirder, turning into a comedic superhero power fantasy. The newest entry in the franchise, simply titled Saint’s Row, looks to dig back into the series’ roots while simultaneously rebooting it for modern sensibilities.
Set in the southwestern city of Santo Ileso, you play as the leader of a new gang attempting to wrestle control of the territory from three dominant gangs. To take over Santo Ileso, you’ll have to eradicate the gangs by completing missions, all while exploring unique areas of interest. There are nine diverse regions of the city, ranging from the glitzy gambling neighborhood of El Dorado to the sleepy suburbs of Monte Vista. If this reboot is anything like its predecessors, you can expect hilarious and chaotic third-person action when the game launches on August 23, 2022.
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Elden Ring
Elden Ring is easily one of the most anticipated open-world games of 2022, developed by the creators of Dark Souls, FromSoftware. While the story and setting of Elden Ring are completely new, the gameplay shares many similarities to other FromSoftware games, offering challenging combat within a beautiful yet dangerous open-world setting. Playing as an exiled warrior known as a Tarnished, it’s up to you to travel across the fantasy realm of the Lands Between, collecting precious Great Runes to restore the powerful Elden Ring.
After completing a linear tutorial sequence, players will be able to explore the entirety of the Lands Between and its six focal areas with complete freedom, with the addition of horse mounts for quicker travel. As you encounter deadly enemies and towering bosses, you’ll have to engage in challenging fights, using your melee weapons, magic abilities, and earned skills to gain victory. Not only is Elden Ring one of the top 5 upcoming open-world games of 2022, but it’ll likely be the most challenging open-world game of the year as well. We’ll see if our skills are up to snuff when the game comes out on February 25, 2022, for most major game consoles.
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Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West is the highly-anticipated sequel to the PlayStation exclusive third-person action game, Horizon Zero Dawn, which was first released in 2017 for the PlayStation 4. This next-gen sequel continues the story of lead protagonist Aloy, a tribal hunter who left her family behind to pursue a dangerous cult and earn revenge. This time around, Aloy must travel to the lush and magical lands of the Forbidden West, searching for answers surrounding a deadly infection that plagues the land. Like in the previous game, players will guide Aloy, using a variety of melee weapons and high-tech gadgets to topple large machine beasts and other devious enemies.
In addition to the variety of biomes present in the game, Forbidden West puts an even bigger emphasis on exploration, with a far bigger map and new mechanics like underwater exploration and free-climbing tools. If Horizon Forbidden West is even half as exciting as the original game, it’ll still be one of the best open world games of 2022. After several painful delays, we can’t wait to dig into Horizon Forbidden West when it releases on February 18, 2022, for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
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Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 is the eagerly anticipated sequel to developer Techland’s original first-person survival horror game that was released in 2017. By combining hectic first-person shooting, parkour free-running, and an RPG-style upgrade system, Dying Light was a surprise hit that wowed fans of both FPS and zombie games. Dying Light 2 promises all that and more, throwing players into a brand new open-world full of infected walkers that want to eat you alive. Offering a map that is four times bigger than the original’s, as well as moral decisions that have far-reaching consequences, Dying Light 2 is looking to bring back the zombie shooter in a big way.
Between the refined traversal system, the fantastic graphics, and a bigger emphasis on melee weapons, we can’t wait to dive into Dying Light 2. Better yet, the game will include four-player cooperative multiplayer, letting you and your friends slay hordes of the undead together. As long as the story stays intriguing and the map is well-designed, we are confident that Dying Light 2 will live up to expectations as one of the top 5 upcoming open-world games of 2022. We’ll find out for sure when the game launches on February 4, 2020.
