Video games can take us to worlds beyond our own; which games do you feel have the most compelling and most realized worlds, and why?

Donkey Kong Country 3.

Sometimes I think that game takes place in the Paradise. Such a beautiful world.

Most compelling non-original - Baldurs Gate. Faerun/Toril is one of the most interesting and complex worlds in fiction, granted it's inherited from the Table Top D&D, but there is so much depth in characters interactions, dialogues, politics, social customs... you can quickly realize by playing for a couple of minutes the universe is rich and vibrant

Most Compelling original - Warcraft. It's as rich and complex as a universe created for videogames can be. Features dimensions, realms, pantheons, diferent cultures, history and civilizations. I'd say when it comes to lore content, it might be the Apex of MMOs

World building is probably my number one priority when it comes to games, which the big 3 often lack in their own games. So take a quick look at my top 4 games and you can see which kind of worlds I love.

World of Warcraft- A massive world with unique politics, races, flora/fauna, cities etc. It has everything.

FFX- Spira is the rare world that gets into deep issues like religion, language, culture etc.

FFVIII- Similar to other FF except this world goes beyond the confines of a normal world.

Digimon World- It is even in the name. This PS1 world has it all. Time, city building, relaxing activities, growth/death/birth, exercise, battle, flight, revenge, etc. A game far too ahead of its time.

Red Dead Redemption 2, because the world feels so alive and is filled with details. I never got bored just strolling around, there's always something to discover or just passengers I can harass, lulz.

It's kinda the complete opposite of the lifeless Ubisoft open worlds. =P

Not Mario Kart World lol

That world is devoid of anything other than switches :D


For me, it's nostalgia, and that means Majora's Mask. Even though Ocarina of Time left a greater impression on me, I'll never forget leaving the gate of the Clock Tower and entering the town that felt like a living, breathing world. It might be archaic by today's standards, but, I get that feeling every time I replay Majora's Mask.

Another one is GTA: San Andreas, or any GTA game for that matter. You can really feel the grit, filth, and realism of Los Santos or Liberty City. Vice City is filled with the glitz, glam, and artificiality of Miami too. I don't know how Rockstar consistently nails these feelings of GTA's real world counterparts, but, they do it every single time.

Regarding the Pokémon franchise at least, I'd say Pokémon Sun/Moon and Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon are the games with the best world building. You can really feel like Alola is a unique region, with their traditions, culture, cuisine and folklore

So good to see some Digimon World appreciation. This game really captures the word "World" of the title. You gathering all the digimon to File City makes you feel like a File Island citizen

Too many to list but Shadow of the Colossus is the first to come to mind. It's sparse, but that sparseness is what makes it so compelling. That and the mystery of it all, girl included. Even after you beat it, you're still left with questions. It really stays with you.

Azeroth hands down.

Other worthy mentions would be Sylvarant/Tethe'alla, the Pokémon world, Hyrule and honestly Persona if that counts.

(I went more with the worlds themselves than specific games)