15 Best Open-World Video Games Of The Decade

14. Batman: Arkham City

Batman Arkham City Mr Freeze
Rocksteady

Even if you think Rocksteady's Batman games shouldn't have dropped the Metroid-style levels after Asylum, Arkham City's open world is undeniably a huge achievement.

Nailing the balance between being big enough to allow players to roam freely and small enough to retain the strong sense of detail and place that defined the first game, City's environment doesn't feature a wasted street or building, and is instead packed with so much Bat-goodness for players to lose themselves in.

Gliding over rooftops before diving to street level and taking on a bunch of thugs never gets old, and combined with strong side missions and a stellar main story, Arkham City is arguably the peak of the whole Batman franchise.

It just really made you feel like Batman, you know?

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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.