When evaluating an open-world game, one of the most crucial aspects is how truly 'open' it feels. However, openness can be interpreted in different ways depending on a game's design. One of the long-standing frustrations I had with Cyberpunk 2077 was the abundance of fake buildings in Night City. With GTA 6 on the horizon, I hope Rockstar Games can set a new standard for urban open-world exploration. U4GM offers gta cheap xbox ps pc 5 modded accounts buy that can meet all of players' needs. Use coupon code "allen" to get 5% off at U4GM.

Urban vs. Rural Open-World Games

The definition of an open world varies depending on the setting. In games with vast rural landscapes, such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or The Witcher 3, openness means the freedom to explore, discover hidden locations, and stumble upon unexpected quests. However, when a game is set in an urban environment, the expectations shift. Instead of mountains and fields, the world is defined by streets and towering buildings. The critical question then becomes: how many of these buildings can players actually enter?

Over the years, the Grand Theft Auto series has progressively improved in this regard. In GTA: Vice City, most buildings were inaccessible, with only mission-related interiors available. By the time GTA 5 launched, Rockstar had significantly expanded interior access, including side quest locations, stores, restaurants, gyms, underground tunnels, and buildings that players could simply explore for fun.

Creating a dense and interactive city is no small feat, but Rockstar has always excelled at balancing breadth with depth. GTA 5 featured a massive open world packed with secrets, and Red Dead Redemption 2 built on this philosophy with its incredibly detailed interiors. Though the Old West had fewer buildings than a modern city, Rockstar still ensured that players could visit saloons, movie theaters, and other richly detailed interiors. As we approach GTA 6's release, my biggest hope is that it will push this concept even further.

The Rural Explorer vs. The Urban Adventurer

Urban open-world games are less common than their rural counterparts. Titles like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Tears of the Kingdom, and Horizon Forbidden West may feature towns, but the majority of their gameplay occurs in expansive natural landscapes—fields, forests, mountains, and caves. Designing a compelling rural open world is no easy task, but it operates on a different scale. A single building requires far more intricate level design than an open field, where the player simply traverses towards the next point of interest.

In contrast, urban open-world games must make their buildings feel alive and explorable. A game set in a dense city loses its sense of immersion if too many structures are just lifeless facades. This was my biggest disappointment with Cyberpunk 2077 at launch. Despite its incredible world-building, the sheer number of inaccessible buildings made exploration feel hollow. Even with the improvements in Phantom Liberty, this fundamental flaw remained, and eventually, I stopped exploring and focused only on the main quests.

Hoping GTA 6 Gets It Right

With GTA 6’s first trailer showcasing an incredibly vibrant and detailed Vice City, expectations are sky-high. The game doesn’t need to revolutionize open-world design—it just needs to fulfill the promise of giving players the key to the city. If Rockstar can deliver an open-world experience where buildings aren’t just decorative but explorable, GTA 6 could set a new benchmark for urban open-world games, succeeding where Cyberpunk 2077 fell short.

As the release of GTA 6 draws closer, one question lingers: will Vice City be a playground of endless possibilities, or will it be another beautiful but restrictive urban world? Only time will tell, but I remain hopeful that Rockstar will once again redefine what it means to create a truly open world.