However, it soon became clear that Criterion Games and Electronic Arts knew what they were doing, as post-release data showed that ' 90 percent of players didn't even touch the races,' opting instead to ' focus on the game's social features and explore the big new world.' It's not hard to understand why, as although the game's events were still great, the joy of simply driving around the meticulously crafted world was an absolute delight and unlike anything else at the time. Consequently, when it was announced that 2008's Burnout Paradise would be implementing an open-world, many people were unhappy, as they felt like it was an unnecessary addition that would detract from the events. Prior to Burnout Paradise's release, the Burnout series was synonymous with over-the-top, arcade-style street racing action. RELATED: Most Realistic Racing Games Ever 13 Forza Horizon 4 Here are some of the best open-world racing games that fans should definitely check out in no particular order. The idea of roaming around a sandbox in a fast car was a no-brainer, and many titles have certainly done justice to this genre. In a bid to modernize gameplay, many racing games have gone for an open-world approach, with varying degrees of success. While there are efforts being made by several developers to keep the genre relevant and modern, it's clear that several major steps need to be taken before a racing title can break into the mainstream gaming market. The sheer amount of work put into making fun tracks and numerous vehicles can be overshadowed by the issues that plague the genre. Updated March 19, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Many people feel that racing games are behind the curve in terms of video game design, which is a shame. The following games on this list all struck gold with excellent driving mechanics, interesting events, and tantalizing open worlds that are begging to be explored.

Although these genres do indeed dominate the open-world market, there have also been a handful of fantastic racing games over the years that take place in enormous game worlds that players are free to drive around and explore.

When people think of open-world gaming, they tend to imagine action-adventure games and RPGs. Still, when an open-world game is done right, it can create a fantastic gameplay experience for the player that is hard to top. Unfortunately, this has led to numerous lackluster releases that shoehorn in an underwhelming open world for marketing and advertising purposes. Open-world gaming has become a powerful commercial force in the industry today, with many iconic IPs ditching their tried and tested gameplay formulas to try and get a piece of the success, including famously linear franchises like Sonic, which announced an upcoming open-world game titled Sonic Frontiers.

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