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

4. Grand Theft Auto V

GTA VI is going to have to be one hell of a game - and consequently, one hell of a game world - to top part five. There's just something about the second you step into Rockstar's impeccably-rendered world of San Andreas, that you're hit with the sensation that is a living, breathing city of possibilities. Civilians go about their day following hundreds of individual animations, cars and traffic flow operate realistically - even the occasional plane will fly overhead. It's GTA V that finally gave enough dynamic life to the world itself that matches the player's inhibitions to see what they can pull off; cars crash at intersections, criminals sprint past you on the run from the law, people argue on street corners and fights break out - it's the first time the city and surroundings have truly felt like a potent primordial ooze just waiting to be moulded and stretched in every way possible. Gameplay and mission design remain largely unchanged (aside from a handful of heist missions), but it's seeing and adapting to the city across every minute of every mission that really gives GTA V one hell of a sense of identity.