10 Most Exciting Open World Video Games Coming In 2018

Nobody should need to tell you how popular open world games are at the moment. The days of GTA being the only series flying the flag for the genre are long gone, as the majority of blockbusters are offer up huge sandbox experiences for players to enjoy.

And with just about every studio and publisher getting in on the popularity of the genre, it means players have plenty of promising open world titles to look forward across all of 2018.

From brand new originals to classic franchises that are being given a sandbox transformation, next year is stacked with open world releases. With so many games to choose from though, it can be difficult to know which ones you should be keeping a close eye on.

Fortunately, it's becoming obvious which games are shaping up to be must-play releases when they eventually hit shelves in the coming months.

The gaming industry has been saturated with sandbox releases over the past few years, but if these upcoming games are anything to go by, it doesn't look like open world fatigue will be setting in anytime soon.

Moving away from its handheld home, Monster Hunter: World will be the first big console release the iconic series has seen in years.

Keeping the same addictive gameplay the franchise is known for, the upcoming sequel has a much bigger scope than any of the games that have preceded it, focusing on huge, interconnected open world environments and more imposing monsters than ever before.

The game will no doubt feature all of the grinding and repetition the series is known for, but for Monster Hunter fans, that's all they've ever wanted. As long as the core gameplay doesn't change too much in the transition from handled devices to consoles, it'll be hard for World to put a foot wrong when it drops in January.

The Monster Hunter series has always been a cult hit among core gaming fans, but now that it's finally coming to next-gen consoles the franchise could be opened up to an exciting new audience.