15 Best Open-World Video Games Of All Time

7. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Assassin's Creed has become one of the most popular franchises of its generation, having moved over 70 million units. So successful, in fact, that Ubisoft were able to switch it to the infamous yearly release schedule.

A large amount of fans were disappointed with Assassin's Creed III, a game that seemed to take its sweet time getting started and then took a bizarre right turn into a rather poorly-plotted third act. But it's safe to say that the majority rules when they proclaim the fourth entry, Black Flag, as a revelation for the series. Black Flag has a unique bit of playful charm about it, going all-out with the more straight-up pirate theme that was hinted at in AC3.

There's a sense of wonderment for the life of a pirate, where the vast sea is open to you and you're free to go anywhere you wish. There's very real excitement as you sail the open waters, in search of pure adventure, the excitement of a huge ship-to-ship battle looming on the horizon. It's one of the greatest games of its generation, overflowing with amazing content that you can explore at any point during your sea-faring travels.