Computer games in most cases have a storyline that you need to adhere to. However, some of them focus only on the base campaign, leading the player from one mission to another to the very end. Others suggest that you get distracted by side quests, but the most interesting games are those in which you are given complete freedom of action. That is, of course, there is a storyline, and additional tasks, but at the same time you can freely move around the world, explore it, interact with its inhabitants and so on. Of course, the creation of such a game requires much more effort, but gamers get much more pleasure from such projects. Unfortunately, in the field of racing simulations, an open world is really a rarity. Therefore, this article will examine the most popular and successful open-world races on PC.
Open world racing
Not all gamers understand what constitutes open-world racing on PC. Many imagine that such simulators are just a set of tracks and races on them, and this is completely justified. The fact is that most racing simulators look that way, and only rare exceptions have an open world. So, what do simulators look like? In most cases, you get the opportunity to move around the city or any other area defined by the developers, if desired, being distracted by various tasks, races and arrivals. But you can ride without a goal for as long as you please, while such games usually encourage this behavior, and interesting secrets, hidden cars or improvements for them are placed in various secluded places. Well, now you have an idea of what open-world racing looks like on PC. Now it’s time to consider some popular examples that you should definitely pay attention to.
NFS: Underground 2
If you are looking for open-world racing on PC, then the first option that comes to mind is the second episode of Underground. The first part became incredibly popular, although it did not have an open world. The game consisted of more than a hundred races, interconnected by a storyline in which your ascent took place as the king of street racing. The second part has undergone major changes - naturally, you still need to earn respect for yourself and become the king of racing, but at the same time you get freedom of action. You can move around the city in your car, admire its beauties, look for secrets, and when you decide that the time has come, you can choose a task on the map that you would like to complete. Naturally, the entire tuning from the first part migrated to the second and became even more fun. As you can see, if you like this option, then you should definitely try various open-world races on PC. The list of such projects, unfortunately, is quite short, but you can still find what you would like.
NFS Most Wanted
All old-school gamers remember NFS Most Wanted - this game offered you the opportunity to try yourself as a street racer who leaves the police, and also as a policeman who arranges a pursuit of street racers. However, the original version, of course, did not have a hint of an open world - it was a set of tracks for which you could set specific conditions. But now the remake has already received a full-fledged open world in which you can arrange chases with policemen directly on the world map - this makes open-world racing on PC online an actual work of art, as they open up incredible opportunities for gamers. You only need to try once to fully imbue this breathtaking spirit. Particularly noteworthy are open-world races on PC with multiplayer, as driving along the city streets and other territories with friends is always much more interesting.
The crew
If you are looking for open-world racing on PC over the network or in single player mode, then you should definitely pay attention to The Crew project. The fact is that this game was waiting for a very long time, because the developers promised the most exciting open world in the history of racing simulators. And they were able to keep their promise - the game features a map consisting of several sections, which in total form a complete map of the United States. Thus, you can safely move around the largest cities in the United States and participate in breathtaking races. Moreover, given the fact that the game was released in 2014, its graphic component is impressive to the core. And if you want to combine incredible graphic beauty, excellent implementation of the gameplay, an abundance of cars and a huge open world, then this project is for you. Naturally, this is not an open world race on a weak PC, because the requirements for this game are amazing, but if you make a good upgrade of your computer, you can run this wonderful game.
Driver Series
If you want to access a large fleet of cars, an impressive open world, and at the same time enjoy high-class physics and good graphics, then you definitely should not go past the Driver series. However, she, of course, has its drawbacks. For example, it completely lacks car tuning, which makes the gameplay a little more boring. In addition, the game also has police chases, which has already become a cliché for a long time, and gamers would like to see a game in which there would be an open world, but there would be no policemen.
Test Drive Series
If you want to focus on the open world, then you should by no means ignore the Test Drive series, because it is here that you will see a well-developed and impressive world that you can travel along and across. At the same time, pay attention to the fact that there is a rather large number of types of races than simulators with an open world usually cannot boast of. But the series repeats all the errors of the analogue described above. This means that there will also be no car tuning, and there will also be police chases - albeit not in such large numbers, but still they will be.
Burnout
The last game that you should never pass by is Burnout: Paradise. It is slightly different from the previous ones in that it does not have a storyline. This means that you simply move around the game world, explore it, go through races, discover new types of races and vehicles, but you will not learn any exciting story. But this drawback is atone for what many gamers have long wanted - the complete absence of police chases. Thus, if the storyline does not play a decisive role for you, this project is definitely for you.