5 Open-World Games Worth Playing Just For Their Driving

Open-world titles have progressed by leaps and bounds since they took over mainstream gaming. A well-designed sandbox isn’t enough to attract players. Along with a detailed world, these games need to feature a myriad of gameplay loops that will keep fans interested until the end of these engaging experiences. Numerous elements are integrated into these games to make the open worlds feel as engaging as possible, and focusing on a dynamic mode of traversal is a great area to build upon.

This leads to some open-world games with driving mechanics that are so polished and engaging that most players won’t mind spending hours upon hours messing around with the many unique and familiar vehicles they can get their hands on. Open-world games that consider driving to be a major gameplay pillar will love any game that executes this aspect with great skill, letting players zoom through the streets in style. Since any open-world racing game can qualify here, they will be ignored in favor of titles that feature other mechanics as well.

The Vehicular Combat Is A Major Pillar Of Gameplay That’s A Joy To Experience

It’s a shame that many people did not check out Mad Max when this underrated title came out. Players will forget about any narrative issues once they get their hands on a vehicle and see how much work was put into this aspect of the game. Cars are heavily customizable and can be kitted out with numerous weapons to take out the opposition in style.

The sheer joy players can experience while driving around vast expanses of the wasteland while completing the title’s many missions forms one of the game’s many highlights. The Arkham-inspired combat system feels crunchy if somewhat derivative, so fans will love the sections where they jump into the Magnum Opus and wreck their foes with the numerous upgrades they’ve fitted on this vehicle.

4 Batman: Arkham Knight

Controlling The Batmobile Is As Cathartic As They Come

Many fans complained about the integration of the Batmobile in Arkham Knight and how it dominated a chunk of the gameplay. While it’s true that Batman’s vehicle plays a major role in some missions, it’s balanced with many on-foot free-roam sections coupled with the iconic Arkham combat fans have grown to love.

With the reception to this game warming up over time, more people have come to appreciate the Batmobile as one of the best vehicles players can use to zip around the streets of Gotham. The car is loaded with several weapons and can become a makeshift tank when required. With its boosters and drifts making the driving sections more engaging, it’s easy to see why the driving mechanics in Arkham Knight are a huge achievement that helps this game stand out as one of the best Batman games.

3 Grand Theft Auto 5

Excellent Driving Mechanics To Speed Through A Sprawling City

It’s only a given that any Grand Theft Auto game would be hailed for its driving mechanics, with this aspect of the title wowing fans from the very moment players got to drive around in a vehicle in Grand Theft Auto 3. This gameplay pillar has been improved and polished time and time again in the other GTA games, with Grand Theft Auto 5 featuring the best driving mechanics the series has ever seen.

The fact that the attention to cars and other vehicles in GTA 5 rivals that of bonafide racing games shows the amazing talents at work in Rockstar Games. These systems are a joy to interact with and go a long way in ensuring that controlling characters like Franklin and using his powers to handle cars efficiently never ceases to be engaging. Fans who want to race against other players can do the same in GTA Online, with the driving mechanics of this title getting even more time in the spotlight.

2 Sleeping Dogs

Action-Packed Driving Where Players Can Jump Off Their Vehicle Onto Other Ones In Daring Stunts

In all honestly, the driving mechanics in Sleeping Dogs themselves aren’t what sells this portion of the game. Fans of Hong Kong action cinema love the focus on practical stunts and how something as formulaic as a car chase can turn into moments of pure drama as the heroes put it all on the line to jump onto other vehicles and take control. With Sleeping Dogs going a long way in emulating the immaculate vibes of these old-school action movies, it’s fascinating to see this action-packed driving be replicated in the game.

The floaty driving mechanics go a long way in making car chases more arcadey and memorable, with players being encouraged to ram vehicles to make the chase easier. Along with this, players can perform Action Hijacks by jumping out of their car and landing on others before taking control. It’s a simple yet effective way to make driving sequences more engaging than most other open-world games and makes up for the questionable handling in most vehicles.

1 Cyberpunk 2077

Soaking In The Atmosphere Of Night City While Driving Around Is Amazing

Driving around Night City with cyberpunk aesthetics that aided in making Cyberpunk 2077 so iconic made the entire game more memorable than it already was. Night City was immersive, and stepping into the shoes of V, a merc on a time limit, made the impending sense of death seem all too real, with vehicular speed and action helping to take the edge off.

The neon-soaked seats and cramped urban locales add to the wonder players experience while driving around in the vehicle of their choice, with motorbikes being especially beloved by the masses for letting them see their custom character from a third-person POV. Regardless of which vehicle players choose, zooming around the world and engaging in vehicle combat shows the strengths of Cyberpunk 2077‘s driving mechanics and why they deserve more credit now.