It’s hard to believe, but July is already over and August is here, which means summer has almost come to a close. For some, that heralds the coming of the fall semester and heading back to school, which makes the upcoming weekend a perfect time to dive into a newopen-world game. The bestopen-world gamesoffer players expansive worlds to get lost in and craft their own stories, and some of them even get the brain working in ways that could prove beneficial, whether bracing for the fast-approaching school year or not.
This past week has been flush with games in the survival genre experiencing a massive spike in popularity, from the sci-fi-leaningAbiotic Factorhitting its stride after its 1.0 launch to the Early Access debut ofObsidian Entertainment’sGrounded 2. But the open-world framework is used by a lot of genres other than just survival, with some of the other titles we’re highlighting this week running the gamut from RPGs to action-adventure games. Whether old or new, in co-op or solo, these are some of the best open-world games to hop into this weekend.
Once Human
Open-worldsurvival gameOnce Humanjust celebrated its first anniversary since hitting 1.0 on July 9, and it almost commemorated the occasion with the release of the 2.1.0 update on July 29. That latest update brings one of the biggest additions to the game yet via the new RaidZone mode, which transforms theOnce Humanexperience into a massively multiplayer PvP battle for survival. Accordingly,Once Humanis currently creeping up Steam’s Top Sellers chart, meaning now might be one of the best times to check this free-to-play survival game out.
Abiotic Factor
Abiotic Factorwas already a major success inEarly Access, and its recent transition into 1.0 has seen it explode in popularity. One of the most impressive things aboutAbiotic Factoris how effective it’s been at pulling new players into the survival/crafting genre, which says a lot about how well-crafted and finely-tuned of an experience it is, especially when playing in co-op. And since it supports crossplay, interested gamers can rest assured that they’ll be able to survive the sci-fi-tinged thrills ofAbiotic Factorwith friends, regardless of platform.
Grounded 2
One of this week’s biggest releases also happens to be an absolutely massive open-world game, withGrounded 2’s mappositively dwarfing its predecessor’s in size. The originalGroundedwas a survival game with a unique premise that only continued to improve during Early Access, so it’s nice to see Obsidian Entertainment taking the same approach with the sequel. With plenty of players diving in at the outset and the opportunity to provide valuable feedback to shape its growth, right now is perhaps the best time to dive intoGrounded 2and fight alongside some insect companions.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
When it first launched on the original Nintendo Switch, the technical state ofPokemon ScarletandVioletleft most players wanting. And while Nintendo and Game Freak did continue to improve the title post-launch,ScarletandViolethave finally reached a state befitting the series' legacy with the latestSwitch 2 update. Coinciding with the new free update to improveScarletandViolet’s resolution and performance on the Switch 2 are a new series of Tera Raids and Pokemon outbreaks, which makes this weekend a perfect time to head back to the Paldea region.
Monster Hunter Wilds
While data concerningMonster Hunter Wilds' console performanceisn’t readily available, Steam charts indicate that it’s experienced quite the drop in player counts since its impressive launch window peak. But in just two weeks, on August 13,Monster Hunter Wildswill be getting one of its biggest post-launch updates yet via the 1.021 patch, which will add a new quest difficulty tier, new rewards, and other exciting additions to the already strong endgame content on offer. One of the best ways to prepare might be linking back up with a squad and brushing up on some high-level hunts, making a return to the Forbidden Lands one of the most appealing ways to spend the weekend.
