15 Best Open-World Video Games Of The Decade

15. Mafia II

At the time of release, Mafia II took a lot of s**t because while it was very much an open world game, it wasn't really a sandbox game.

Players weren't thrown into this beautifully rendered version of 1940s Manhattan to do whatever they wanted and engage with a bunch of extra activities or side missions, but instead the world acted as a backdrop for an authored story that discarded most of the additional fluff associated with the genre.

That was the best move as well, because while it was another crime epic published by Take-Two, Mafia 2 was not built to ape GTA. Instead, the focus here was on the killer story, about the life of one up-and-coming criminal, and excellent missions and set-pieces.

It was awesome, and deserves way more praise for what it is, rather than criticism for what it isn't.