Summary
There are many open-world games available for players that are set entirely in the vast open wilderness, with no people around for miles. There are also plenty set inbustling cities or worldswhere characters can hardly move without being offered a quest. However, there are others available that are set in cities that have been abandoned.
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The concept is great and should be explored more. After all, plenty of linear games will take players through run-down cities and towns without much fanfare. It can be hard to get this right in an open-world game, though. So, what are the best games to be set, at least in part, in abandoned cities?
Updated June 24, 2025 By Catherine Robustelli:There are so many games set in vast open worlds. Whether they be in the wilderness with no one around or a bustling city with tons of people around,open world gamesare unique. Open-World Games that are set in abandoned cities are definitely a concept that should be explored way more. There are plenty of games that take players through run-down cities and towns, but it can be hard to get this aspect right in anopen-world game. These are some of the bestopen-world gamesset inabandoned cities.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call Of Pripyattakes place in a fictionalized version of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and the abandoned city of Pripyat. Players can explore the creepy abandoned city throughout the game, with most of the exploration coming after the story has been completed. There aremutants around every cornerand bandits roaming around, making every step dangerous. The city is completely devastated, and this only adds to the atmosphere.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call Of Pripyatis a truly horrifying experience, and the ghost city players traverse is one of the driving factors behind that.
INFRAtakes place in the fictional Scandinavian city called Stalburg. Players control a structural analyst who is cataloging the state of the city’s infrastructure. As the game progresses, this infrastructure begins to fail, meaning players witness the city becoming increasingly dilapidated as they continue playing. There are puzzles to solve; if these are not completed, the consequences for Stalburg and its people will be disastrous.
INFRAis a game that is not necessarily set out to be about an abandoned city. Still, through both the failing infrastructure and the player’s actions, it can become utterly uninhabitable by the end of the game.
Dying Light 2is set 22 years after the original game and features a new protagonist for players to get used to. Taking place entirely in the fictional and abandoned city of Villedor, players need to craft and scavenge while they are exploring andparkouring through the gigantic open-worldon offer here. The zombies are terrifying, especially at night when they become more hostile, so surviving can be a challenge.
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This game is a continuation of the much-loved original game and offers an even bigger world and an even more run-down city for players to explore.
The Evil Within 2is only a semi-open world, but it is a game that uses these sections a lot better than some other fully open-world games. The setting here is a dream-world city called Union, and players control a detective who is searching for his daughter. In the open sections, there are multiple routes to go down in the nightmarish city, making it a suspense-filled experience. Pair this horror with limited resources, and that is precisely what makesThe Evil Within 2a brilliant experience.
The open world here is not as expansive as in other games, but the city players traverse is truly abandoned. There is nothing around except formonsters that are actively trying to kill the playerand won’t stop until they do.
The Sinking Cityis a game inspired by the horror works of H.P. Lovecraft, and it is a chilling experience. The setting is the fictional and flooding city of Oakmont, Massachusetts, and players control private investigator Charles W. Reed. The goal is to find out why the city is rapidly sinking. The open world has seven districts to explore, all flooded to varying degrees, and players must be observant to succeed in their quests. Even the water is infected and can ruin Charles' health and sanity if a boat isn’t used.
The Sinking Cityis a great and darkly quirky detective game for players to try out.
7 Days To Dieis a game in which players must survive for as long as possible. The open world encompasses an entirely fictional country in Arizona named Navezgane, but several cities populate the map and are ripe with supplies for players to loot. The only downside of the cities is thehundreds of zombies that roamthe streets.
7 Days To Dieis a wide-open world where players must make hard choices to survive for another day. Going to the cities is vital for survival but can also often be the cause of death for the uninitiated players.
There are many games that tie in with the hit comic and TV series,The Walking Dead.Saints and Sinnersis one of the quirkiest of the lot, as it isa VR-onlyexperience that drops players into New Orleans post-outbreak. The player character is gender selectable and called only The Tourist. The plot of the game involves two factions trying to take control of the dilapidated city, which is completely overrun with walkers. These factions, of course, are hostile towards the player.
The Walking Dead: Saints And Sinnersis a fun game for fans of the zombie survival genre. The VR element really puts players into the city and in full view of the horrors surrounding them.
TheFalloutseries is well-known for producing brilliant RPGs with enough Bethesda weirdness to keep players hooked.Fallout 4is the latest installment in the mainline series, taking place in the greater Boston area. However, the area surrounding the city and the city itself are destroyed. The area is almost unrecognizable, bar a few landmarks. The main city in the game is situated within a baseball stadium, and the residents don’t even have an understanding of what baseball is.
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Fallout 4is a great open-world RPG with a lot to explore and a lot of companions to meet along the way in this deserted metropolitan area.
Tom Clancy’sThe Divisionis set in New York City after a viral pandemic has destroyed the city. Players must investigate the cause of the crisis and can carry a limited array of weapons to help on their quest as they travel through the city. The open world feels real, due to the day/night cycle, which changes the behavior of some of the enemies, and the sheer vastness on display. There are weather features that actually impact the gameplay, as storms can hinder a player’s vision and aiming ability.
Tom Clancy’s The Divisionis an excellent game that makes good use of the open world it is set in and offers a lot of realism for players who are seeking something slightly less horror-focused.
Metro Exodustakes place in a couple of different locations over the course of a year in-game. However, the most important locations are the cities players travel to. The game starts in Moscow in the dead of nuclear winter, and players will explore much of the Russian wasteland the game is set in. The most major city in the game is Novosibirsk, a large and heavily irradiated city that is nearly entirely uninhabited. The atmosphere is perfect, and that is what makes it the best open-world game set in abandoned cities.
Metro Exodusis not as traditionally open as some other games, but the way it uses the open sections of the game is truly brilliant. Players will feel immersed in the world from the get-go and will love this epic adventure across a continent.
