10 Best Open-World Video Games Of 2017

1. The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Long in development and originally announced for the Wii U years ago, 2017 finally saw the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for both that console as well as the Nintendo Switch.

Although the decision to transform the franchise into an open world title was met with some skepticism, Breath of the Wild more than proved cautious fans wrong, quickly becoming accepted as one of the greatest Nintendo games of all time.

Zelda's style fits perfectly with a sandbox structure, allowing players to traverse the world of Hyrule however they see fit without sacrificing the rewarding sense of progression that all titles in the franchise thrive on.

The sequel is what all games should strive to be: pure escapism that transports players to a lovingly-crafted universe they can lose themselves in for days at a time.

Although it was the series' first attempt at a true open world game, Breath of the Wild proved that Nintendo can be the kings of any genre if they want to be, and have set the benchmark for every new sandbox release going forward.