15 Best Open-World Video Games Of The Decade

15. Mafia II

Mafia 2
2K Games

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.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.