10 Best Open-World Games Of The 2010s (That AREN'T GTA)

The caped crusader's Gotham sandbox set a high-gliding standard, one that remains standing strong even nine years after release. Batman: Arkham City is widely regarded as the best superhero game ever made and also just one of the best in general, and it's not hard to see why.

The combat? Polished and improved from Asylum with more crowd control options and more gadgets. The world? Given an upgrade in scale and population, with new villains eager to take the spotlight as Batman tries his best to take the prison's Hugo Strange-led administration down. The story? Fantastic in scale and gives respect to every character it touches.

Arkham City demanded attention from gamers in 2011, and the open world setting remains the most fun and detailed sandbox to have come out of the past decade of gaming.

Bold words, but playing it again for the first time after a few years will do that.

Rocksteady hit it out of the park in every capacity with Arkham City and the game will forever remain an example of not only how to make an interesting open world, not only how to make a superhero game, not only how to make a great game overall - but all three.