A good sci-fi game doesn't have to be set 8,000 years in the future, involve space travel, and have dozens of alien races. Some of the best are commentaries on today's society, or altering the past with heightened and imaginative elements. For example, in the open world genre, sci-fi fans can enjoy stealth antics Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain or the delivery system's dystopian view of Death Stranding 2: On the Beachboth of which are from a sci-fi master: Hideo Kojima.
10 classic sci-fi games that are perfect from start to finish
These classic sci-fi epics that remain perfect from start to finish rose to the top, among hundreds of choices.
They are great open world games with sci-fi concepts, but they are not RPGs. For those looking for open world games with a sci-fi twist, these are the ones to look into. From shooters to tank games, these will be ranked based on concept, execution and overall quality.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
Finally
When the first Avatar movie came out, people lost their minds in the theater wanting to explore Pandora. There was a tie-in game, but the spiritual successor, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorais a better way to explore Pandora. Players can create their own Na'vi and then go on missions similar to other live service or online Ubisoft games.
They can hunt monsters, beat back invading soldiers, search for loot and more. The world is truly breathtaking with lush jungles and imaginative creatures from both the movies and the team's original brains, which should satisfy fans' hunger.
Sand Land
Tank boy
Sand Land is the swan song of Akira Toriyama, which was his last manga-turned-video game project before moving on. It's an imaginative look at a mix of fantasy and sci-fi genres set in a post-apocalypse with a desert planet in ruins, with demons and humans fighting for water.
Like all works Toriyama has had his hands on, the designs of the characters, monsters and machines are second to none. Players can fight with their demon prince, Beelzebub, in real-time battles, but the best part is jumping into tanks and mechanics reminiscent of Capsule Corps' design from Dragon Ball.
Tom Clancy's The Division
Battle royale
Tom Clancy's The Division is a cool, if terrifying, idea for a cover shooter as it takes place in New York City after a viral outbreak related to a Black Friday money scam. With the city in chaos, only the best of the best, The Division, are sent in to stop the growing number of factions from taking over.
The idea that the city would fall so quickly is unbelievable, along with this secret organization hiding in the background, full of top soldiers. The wintry landscape and more cramped corridors work better for a setting than Washington DC does in the sequel, although the photography is better there.
Nier: Automata
A haunting look into the future
The gloomy of Nier: Automata is half the reason fans dig it so much, in addition to the slick action from PlatinumGames. Set in the far future, humanity now exists in space aboard a station, periodically sending battle androids to Earth to take it back from the robots that took it over.
The 10 Darkest Endings in Sci-Fi Video Game History, Ranked
The word “dark” doesn't even begin to describe the grim endings of these sci-fi games.
On Earth there are survivors, but mostly robots, good and bad, haunted by the past. On the plus side, the earth looks great and the animals thrive as players can ride a moose to explore the semi-open world. How many games does it allow? The world building is great, but the lack of a seamless open world keeps it from ranking higher.
Borderlands 4
Tomorrow's Vault Hunters
Borderlands 4 is the most recent entry in Borderlands series, so it will serve as the example in the world Gearbox established in 2009. In this interplanetary universe, corporations run everything, mostly arms dealers who make everything from weapons to shields.
Like most entries, players are Vault Hunters, treasure hunters essentially, looking for loot from past civilizations to make it big and retreat from the chaos. The idea of corporations running things in a war-torn universe might sound bleak, but the tone is silly, which makes it a little more palatable than depressing, and the first-person hunt for millions of weapons can be addictive.
The Outer Worlds 2
Money makes space go round
The Outer Worlds 2 also takes place in a universe where corporations run things, but unlike the first game, where the players are part of the chaos, they are soldiers trying to solve problems on planets locked down by the creators of the world's money instead.
Players are free to side with the corporations if they wish, making for a more customizable experience from appearance to dialogue choices. The building, ship, fashion and weapon designs give the game an old-school feel like the thick sci-fi novels of the 1960s and 1970s. In third, or first person, this intergalactic RPG awaits.
Horizon Forbidden West
A ruined west coast
Horizon Forbidden West is the second game in the series, set on Earth far in the future, where it has been taken over by robot animals. Humanity lost, but they remain in small colonies around the US, and probably the rest of the world. Nature has brought things back, making it one of the best looking post-apocalyptic games ever made.
The first game was set in Colorado, while this sequel takes Aloy, the heroine, to the West Coast. With many recognizable buildings and cool robots to take down in third-person combat, Horizon Forbidden West is one of the best open world games on PS5.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Fantasy Mechs
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the most recent entry in Xenoblade franchise, which is known for combining lush environments with high-concept technology. The game begins with two factions fighting an endless war before devolving into something bigger.
Best Open-World game with science-based combat
These open world games incorporate science and sci-fi into their weapons, ensuring that you can zap your enemies into the next life.
The core heroes soon learn to transform into mech-like entities, called Ouroboros, allowing them to fight the big bad organization of the game, Moebius. Players will travel across verdant forests, arid deserts, and peaceful beaches as they engage in MMO-style battles that are beyond elegant. As Sand Land, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a good mix of sci-fi and fantasy.
Cyberpunk 2077
From table top to console
Cyberpunk 2077 is top notch sci-fi, and CD Projekt Red did a fantastic job of translating a board game into a fun cyberpunk city to explore. It can essentially be compared to Grand Theft Auto as players can dive into Night City's underground bowels and try to climb out of the mud.
There are plenty of cars and bikes to cruise around with, along with cool guns that are as fun to shoot as they are to modify. Body modification is also a big part of the game, as players can adapt their bodies to take on missions in an open-ended manner. Hopefully this is the start of a long-lasting gaming universe because this is cyberpunk done right.
Fallout: New Vegas
War never changes
Fallout: New Vegas will be responsible for it all Fall-out universe, because the world that Interplay Productions built in 1997 is one of the best in the business. Old world design from the 1950s mixed with future technology is an aesthetic unlike anything out there.
Shooting mutants and raiders to songs that were popular in the 1950s is a compilation that never gets old. With Fallout: New Vegas in particular, Obsidian Entertainment did a good job with the post-apocalypse Nevada, which is bleak but filled with curious factions like Roman and Elvis fanatics. The writing is top notch, which adds to the overall feel of the game which is second to none.
8 Sci-Fi Games That Would Be Better Than Red Dead Redemption 2 If They Were Only Westerns
Red Dead 2 is an all-time classic, but those games might have been even better if they traded their spaceships and lasers for horses and revolvers.
