15 Best Open-World Video Games Of The Decade (So Far)

5. Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout fans tend to get split into two camps; either you absolutely adore Bethesda's sparse-yet-rewarding takes on the open-world formula and subsequently loved Fallout 3's desolate approach, or Obsidian's New Vegas (aided by some original Fallout developers) brought back some much-needed levity to the proceedings that was sorely missing beforehand. It was Black Isle Studios who birthed the wasteland in the first place, and with New Vegas we saw a return to some more humorous exchanges between characters, a Vegas strip that was peppered with pockets of humanity rebuilding after the irradiating apocalypse that was so prevalent in 3, and fixes to the core gameplay like inventory wheels and item management that just made it play far better. In the end there were a few spots where New Vegas punched above its weight in regards to set-pieces or action-heavy missions (things that just don't feel right in Bethesda's GameBryo engine), but here's to Fallout 4 finally being the definitive experience that can execute on the series' initial vision perfectly.