There are many different styles of video games, but games with an open world setting tend to have the most rewarding experience. You can play the game at the pace you want, and when you tire of the main storyline, there are often dozens of side quests and activities you can fill your time with until youre ready to go back to the story. Of course, there are always drawbacks. Open world settings tend to have to sacrifice a little in the graphics department in favor of a larger area for the player to explore, but it's worth it when you can play a game for 80 hours before even completing the main storyline quest. This genre allows you to do things like earn money, buy property, hunt, sail the open sea and play mini-games while upgrading your character before returning to your main mission. That kind of variety is what gives these games so much replay value. Open world settings have been around since Ultima: The First Age of Darkness was released in 1981, but The Legend of Zelda may have been the first title with this kind of gameplay to reach millions of households. Many open world games have a sandbox-style setup like Grand Theft Auto, but other games like Fable prefer to break up the world into multiple areas that can be travelled to at any time. This slideshow will look back over the past 10 years and highlight the best open world games, series, and what it is that makes each one special.