Great new open world games that nobody noticed

The gaming industry has grown significantly over the past few years and more developers are entering the space to showcase their work and hopefully bring something new to the table. IN open world genreit can be hard to compete with some of the bigger names, as without a big IP behind your project, standing out from the crowd at launch can be virtually impossible.

However, even if these games don't put up crazy numbers or captivate large audiences, they're still pretty great and demonstrate a level of quality and uniqueness that definitely deserves a lot more attention. From survival horror to tactical RPGs, there is so much greatness lying on the fringes waiting to be discovered.

DuneCrawl

Exploring the sands together

• Fight both on foot and on giant crabs.

• Co-op campaign and PvP battle royale mode.

DuneCrawl is a cute but crazy adventure game that sends you into the middle of a sandy wasteland with a trusty crab to help you and your friends search for treasure. The basic gameplay loop revolves around moving between locations on the map, completing quests and exploring hidden dungeons to the brim filled with loot and plenty of enemies.

The best part comes from the hilarious action that takes place with every encounter. Although you can play it alone, I've always found it much more fun playing with others because you can fight together and go further into the unknown, all in the name of adventure and fun.

Deep Crafter

Magnificent automation

• A procedural world ready to explore and build.

• Huge production chains that stretch all over the map.

Deep Crafter is what you get when Subnautica and Satisfactory they are merged into one automated water masterpiece. The sea is your canvas and your task is to explore and build advanced production lines from scratch to turn an empty alien world into an industrial empire.

There is a lot of modularity to the building process and I love how easy it is to design and plan larger projects without things falling apart at the seams. The world plays a big role in your journey towards automation, and exploring underwater environments can be just as rewarding as building a base, creating nice looping movement and construction that keeps changing with each session.

Lay Of The Land

Fantasy voxel adventure

• Huge building potential.

• Physics drives almost every game interaction.

If modded Minecraft not your cup of tea, so maybe Lay of the Land is a voxel sandbox to fill that fantasy void. The physics are kind, as everything from enemies to surrounding tiles can be manipulated and moved in realistic ways, adding a level of depth to both your builds and exploration around the world.

What I appreciate about the game is its dedication to polish, which aids the simplicity of the experience. There aren't thousands of individual items or crazy mechanics to learn, just a relaxing and inviting pixelated landscape ready to be conquered by those hungry for quests.

Project: Fog

Creepy Beyond Belief

• Survival horror in an open field.

• Giant creatures hidden in the mist.

Project: Fog combines open-world survival with an intense horror atmosphere that makes every step into the wilderness feel like a tense battle of the mind. Set on a strange island inhabited by even stranger creatures, your task is to defend yourself and uncover sinister secrets hidden beneath the surface.

The world is really remarkable and I had a lot of fun moving between different locations, from harsh forests to more industrial underground labs. There's a lot to love, and while there are some rough edges that should be ironed out during the Early Access period, the existing experience offers more than enough excitement to keep any survival fan invested for hours.

The story of the silent depths

It's not safe under the sea

• Turn-based RPG gameplay.

• Roguelike run loop.

Open world turn-based games are pretty hard to come by these days, but The story of the silent depths proves that under the right circumstances, they can actually be incredibly fun. A procedural ocean lies before you with the remnants of humanity clinging to life, you and your crew must chart a course and survive the aquatic dangers lurking around every corner, from pirates to nightmarish creatures beyond comprehension.

A traditional roguelike at heart, no two runs are the same, and a lot of the variety comes from the captain you choose and the sheer number of building paths you can follow. I've only scrambled to the surface after a few daring runs, some fruitful and some fairly short-lived, and it's clear the seabed has a lot more to offer.

Wilds of Dacrima

Puzzles On A Massive Scale

• A comedic and light-hearted adventure.

• Several unique environments.

Finding a unique puzzle game can be as tricky as the puzzles themselves, but when you spot a perfect match, it feels like the stars have aligned. Wilds of Dacrima very much falls into that category. Not only is there a large and whimsical landscape to explore, but the puzzles (and the mechanics that go with them) are genuinely interesting and satisfying to complete in a way that very few other games in the genre can match.

You start with a basic set of alchemy skills and slowly become more powerful with some handy potions and the help of your trusty sidekick, opening up more possibilities and plenty of mystery. Everything from the movement to the worldbuilding is top notch and as someone who has been a fan of puzzle games for the longest time, I can honestly say that this is one of the best you will find out there today.

HYPNOSIS

Megalophobia close up

• Giant structures to explore in depth.

• Branching dialog paths and multiple endings.

HYPNOSIS it's weird and weird in the best possible way. The environments are overwhelming and oppressive on a massive scale and present a distinct lack of logic where it can be hard to know exactly what you're even looking at. Once you start wandering around and meeting the residents, things get crazier by the second.

The semi-open world nature means there's always a new location to be found without the chaotic landscape becoming too overwhelming and impossible to manage. I'm in awe of the grand ambitions the game is reaching for, and I'm excited to see what's to come after Early Access from a development team that has already proven itself to be truly exceptional.