open world

noun

plural open worlds

: a video game or part of a video game in which the player is not constrained to achieving specific goals and has a large degree of freedom to explore, interact with, or modify the game environment : sandbox sense 2a

The gameplay feels similar to other RPGs, and while it's an open world that allows you to do whatever you want for the most part, I do recommend accomplishing the first tasks of the recruitment quests early.

—Swapna Krishna

… you'll likely get swept in deep by the stellar narrative and the meticulously-crafted open world gameplay.

—Tanveer Singh

—sometimes hyphenated when used before another noun

Whether you're keen on open-world games where you've got masses of virtual space to explore or survival games where there are more threats to keep you on your toes, our list should help you make the right choice.

—Adrian Willings

Examples of open world in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Capcom’s cult classic action-RPG aims to take you back to its fantasy open world this spring. —PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024

The game, which was released on PC, PlayStation, and the Sega Saturn, revolutionized the industry by allowing gamers to wander through open worlds with few clues about how to progress to the next level. —Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024

United By Fate, Power Stone and Capcom vs. SNK 2 — to a gigantic open world of quintessential fantasy tropes. —Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024

In the open world, players can discover citizens in need of help. —Katcy Stephan, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024

But the result is undercooked, and even the open world feels constraining, frequently carved up into narrow pathways surrounded by insurmountable terrain, leaving players to bounce back and forth between menus squinting at the map to recall just where in the hell they’re supposed to be going. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024

For decades before Trump’s election in 2016, the United States pursued a strategy of hardheaded internationalism, employing its power on behalf of a relatively cooperative, open world order. —Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2021

The game’s lavish open world is reminiscent of Elden Ring, the fantasy action role-playing game that took the industry by storm in 2022. —Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024

Its open world was meant to be populated by believable, virtual dinosaurs. —Patrick House, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above