20 Best Open-World Video Games Of All Time

9. Mafia III

Nailing the story in any open-world game tends to be put to the side in favour of indulging in side activities, but with Mafia III, it's front and centre, the driving force behind why main-man Lincoln Clay wants to take revenge on the mob in the most violent way possible.

To do so you'll need to venture out into this hyper-detailed city of New Bordeaux, taking on tons of boss characters and important figures before either 'turning' or killing them, Shadow of Mordor-style. Doing so gives you a solid reason to organise your own private army before charging forward to the next main story mission, which is always delivered with an incredibly unique, documentary style.

You can read about how all of these different factors come together over here, but sufficed to say, Mafia III is one hell of a potent cocktail of game mechanics, coming together in a very satisfying manner.