Open World
Ongoing coverage on Open World.
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Crimson Desert Players Are Are Building a Cat Army — and Some Are Even Honoring the Memory of Their IRL Cats Who Passed Away
Players in Crimson Desert are engaging with the game's open world and mechanics in unique ways, including building cat armies. Some players are also using the game to honor the memory of their real-life cats.
STALKER 2: Cost of Hope expansion announced for Summer 2026
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope, the first major expansion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, is set to release in Summer 2026. The expansion will feature a new storyline with player choices impacting the outcome, two new regions including the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Iron Forest, new weapons, and gear.
Neverness to Everness Global Launch Scheduled for April 29 - GameHaunt
Neverness to Everness, a supernatural urban open-world RPG, is set to launch globally on April 29, 2026, as a free-to-play title. Developed by Hotta Studio and published by Perfect World Games, it will be available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android with full cross-platform save support. The game utilizes Unreal Engine 5 and offers optional in-game purchases, including a starter pack for PlayStation 5 users.
This GTA-Inspired Anime Open World Deserves a Place on Your PS5, But Maybe Not Your Pre-Order
The open-world anime-inspired game NTE, developed by Hotta Studio, is set to release on April 29th and has reached 30 million pre-registrations. While the game offers a GTA-like experience on PlayStation 5 with impressive production values, the article advises against pre-ordering due to the nature of free-to-play live service games, suggesting that launch day incentives will be more plentiful.
PS5 Pro's New PSSR System Override Is Just As Good As We Hoped
Crimson Desert on PlayStation 5 offers an engrossing open-world adventure with a complex blend of systems and mechanics, despite narrative shortcomings. Pearl Abyss' fantasy title is unique and has the potential to be special, though it is currently in early access.
Stranger Than Heaven takes place across five eras and five cities in 20th century Japan
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has revealed that Stranger Than Heaven will feature a narrative spanning five distinct eras and five Japanese cities throughout the 20th century. Executive Producer Masayoshi Yokoyama highlighted the extensive care taken to authentically represent these historical periods and locations, promising a unique gaming experience. The game will feature an all-new combat system and is set to receive a more in-depth showcase in May, with development confirmed for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, launching day one on Xbox Game Pass.
NTE: Neverness to Everness Sets April 29 Launch Across PC, PS5, Mobile, and Mac
NTE: Neverness to Everness will launch on April 29, 2026, for PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android. Developed by Hotta Studio and published by Perfect World Games, the game features a supernatural urban setting with open-world exploration, investigation, and live-service RPG elements. Pre-orders for PlayStation 5 and a pre-registration campaign offering in-game and physical rewards are now live.
STALKER 2: Cost of Hope is a "massive nonlinear expansion" that includes the Chornobyl power plant visit the base game never made time for
GSC Game World has announced 'Cost of Hope,' the first major expansion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, set to release in Summer 2026. The expansion will feature the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Iron Forest regions, focusing on the conflict between the Freedom and Duty factions. This new chapter promises dozens of hours of gameplay and a new narrative arc within the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. saga.
Review: Crimson Desert (PS5) - A Generational Open World Buried in Early Access Cruft - PS
Crimson Desert is a fantasy open-world adventure with the potential to be special, despite narrative shortcomings. Pearl Abyss's game offers an engrossing smorgasbord of systems and mechanics that form an intoxicating whole, presenting a unique experience on PlayStation 5.
Review: Crimson Desert (PS5) - A Generational Open World Buried in Early Access Cruft - PS
Crimson Desert on PlayStation 5 offers an engrossing open-world adventure with a vast array of systems and mechanics that create an intoxicating whole. Despite narrative shortcomings, the game has the potential to be special, providing a unique experience unlike any other.
Review: Crimson Desert (PS5) - A Generational Open World Buried in Early Access Cruft
Crimson Desert is an ambitious open-world action RPG for PlayStation 5 that offers a vast and dynamic world but is hampered by an impenetrable early game and a lack of quality-of-life features, feeling akin to an early access release. Despite its flaws, the game's depth in exploration, combat, and various systems is compelling, though technical performance on the base PS5 is significantly problematic, requiring post-release support.
PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions’ Emergent Survival Game Prologue: Go Wayback! Brings More Ways To Explore The Wild In Upcoming Update
PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions has released a major update for its Early Access survival game, Prologue: Go Wayback!. The update introduces visual weather improvements, dynamic terrain, enhanced cooking and foraging, a new liquids system, and a glider for free roam mode. The studio also continues development on its 'Melba' technology platform, showcased in Preface: Undiscovered World.
Norrland - A game inspired by Norrland/Sweden demo'd for the Commodore Amiga
Norrland is a new gritty survival-adventure game in development for the Commodore Amiga, inspired by the setting of northern Sweden. The game challenges players to balance a delivery job with investigating a courier's death, featuring open-world exploration, survival mechanics, and light RPG elements. A demo version is available, requiring an Amiga AGA system with AmigaOS 3.x and at least 12MB of fast RAM.
New Dying Light: The Beast Update Makes Your Choices Actually Matter For Once
Techland has released a free update for Dying Light: The Beast, introducing the 'Restored Land' mode which emphasizes survival and permanent player choices. This new solo experience features non-respawning enemies and resources, requiring players to manage hunger and limited supplies, with an optional permadeath mode for greater challenge and rewards. The update also includes new quests, finishers, and gameplay enhancements.
Neverness to Everness PS5 Bonus Item Pre-Orders Live with New Trailer
Perfect World Games and Hotta Studio have announced that pre-orders for the free-to-play urban open-world action RPG Neverness to Everness are now live for PlayStation 5. A new trailer was also released, showcasing gameplay and features like episodic mysteries, vehicle customization, and cross-platform support. The game is set to launch on April 29, 2026, for PlayStation 5, PC, and mobile devices.
Neverness to Everness PS5 pre-orders now available
Pre-orders for the free-to-play supernatural urban open-world action RPG Neverness to Everness are now available for PlayStation 5. The game is described as a supernatural urban open-world action RPG.
Crimson Desert vs Red Dead Redemption 2 – Can It Match Rockstar’s Open World Giant?
This article compares Crimson Desert and Red Dead Redemption 2, highlighting Crimson Desert's strengths in environmental variety and combat, while acknowledging Red Dead Redemption 2's superior narrative, world cohesion, and NPC design. While Crimson Desert offers more systems and traversal options, Red Dead Redemption 2 is praised for its immersive realism and storytelling.
ICARUS: Console Edition Review | TheXboxHub
ICARUS: Console Edition offers a challenging survival experience inspired by early online survival games like DayZ. Players must gather resources, craft tools, and manage hunger and thirst while fending off hostile creatures on the moon planet Icarus. While the UI can be difficult to navigate on consoles, the game's stunning biomes and rewarding progression make it a compelling choice for survival game enthusiasts, especially when played with others.
I was the untitled goose in Big Walk, the balmy new open world co-op puzzler from House House
Big Walk is a new open-world co-op puzzler from House House where players control bird-like characters in a park setting, completing puzzles and interacting with each other. The game emphasizes gentle gameplay and social interaction, drawing comparisons to House House's previous hit, Untitled Goose Game, but with a focus on collaboration rather than mischief.
Crimson Desert might be an open world jumble of loose ends, but I can't resist its sexy towers and ghost trains
Crimson Desert's open world is visually striking, featuring numerous impressive towers and landmarks that draw the player's attention. While the game excels at creating a sense of wonder through its environments and draw distance, the article suggests that the actual content and quests found in these locations may not always live up to the visual promise, potentially leading to a feeling of missed opportunities.
