The 7 Best Open World Games That Started as PC Exclusives

Key insights

• Open world games offer enormous possibilities and versatility and cover all genres.
• Some PC-exclusive games like Warframe have expanded to cover multiple platforms for greater reach.
• Games like Rust & The Forest challenge players with survival mechanics and strategic gameplay.

Open world Games offer players vast opportunities in amazingly large areas full of life, side quests, and lots of things to explore. Regardless of the topic, everything fits well into this genre thanks to its versatility. Due to their sheer size, open worlds are usually designed to cover as many platforms as possible, but that's not always the case.

Sometimes developers choose to keep certain titles exclusive to PC or release them first for that platform and then for consoles and mobile devices. In such cases, console owners may feel a little left out, but this time also allows developers to iron out some details and fix a few bugs. Here are some of the best open world Games that started as PC exclusives.

7 Warframe

An action-packed futuristic title

• Players take on the role of members of the Tenno
• The game was released for the PlayStation 4 the same year it was originally released for the PC

As for futuristic spaces, Warframe is definitely a strong entry as it offers plenty of action, a great story and great character designs. When members of an ancient warrior race called the Tenno awaken after centuries in limbo, they must face various factions of enemies in order to survive.

While Warframe It started as a PC exclusive and was eventually released on many other platforms including PlayStation, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and more, expanding its reach and gaining a sizable player base over the years. Although the game is not always open world, there are some areas that fit the description, making it a valid entry for this list.

6 rust

Survival at its finest

• Players must survive the many dangers they encounter along the way
• There is no shortage of options when it comes to survival approaches

Few games challenge players as much as rust does. The main goal of this title is to survive the various threats players face, including other survivors, the environment, wildlife, and more. Collecting and managing resources is crucial to survival and victory, which makes this game very interesting to play right from the start.

With a wide range of different weapons available to players, there is hardly a shortage of opportunities to develop different survival strategies and tactics to beat the competition.

5 Elite dangerous

A vast galaxy waiting to be explored

• There are three different factions represented in the game
• Elite dangerous was released first for Windows and then for macOS

Set in the year 3300, Elite dangerous starts players with a limited amount of money in a spaceship surrounded by a vast open galaxy to explore. Players can participate in many activities including bounty hunting, exploration, mining, trading, piracy and much more.

There are three main factions in the game: the Empire of Achenar, the Alliance of Independent Systems, and the Federation. Similar to other titles on this list, Elite dangerous was released first on PC and then on consoles such as the PlayStation 4, significantly expanding its reach and player base.

4 The forest

A father searches for his son on an island that is not what it seems

• Eric has to search for his son on a seemingly deserted island
• To survive, players must craft tools and build shelters

The forest Players take control of the main character Eric LeBlanc, who explores a deserted island in search of his son Timmy. However, this task will not be easy as Eric will have to craft various weapons and other survival tools and come up with different ways to build shelters to withstand the weather of the island he is stranded on.

Unfortunately, Eric and his son are not alone on the island, as it is also inhabited by cannibals and other creatures that pose an imminent threat to their lives. The forest will force players to think strategically and be guided by their survival instincts, making the experience very interesting. This title was released in 2018 first for the PC and then for the PlayStation 4. Many people argue that this title is not open-world per se, but rather a sandbox due to its characteristics. Whatever the case may be, The forest It's great fun and everyone should try it once.

Considered by many to be one of the best parts of the franchise

• Morrowind takes place about 200 years ago Skyrim
• The game was released for consoles immediately after its original PC release

Although there are many stories to discover The Elder Scrolls 3: MorrowindThe game centers on a triumvirate of god-like beings fighting against a former ally, unleashing chaos like never before. While Morrowind is not directly related to Skyrim Since the events of the former occurred 200 years before the events of the latter, it helped lay the foundation for it Skyrim would be.

While fans of The Elder Scrolls Although the franchise had to wait less than two months to bring the game to console after its PC release in 2002, the fact that it was exclusive to PC for even a short time qualifies it for this list.

2 Minecraft

A title that revolutionized gaming forever

• Players must collect and manage resources and build structures
• Over 174 million concurrent monthly players

When Minecraft When it was first released, many people were probably confused by the concept and overall appearance. However, it wasn't long before millions of players joined in, helping to make the game one of the most influential of the last 20 years.

Although there are no real goals when it comes to how Minecraft must be played, collecting and managing resources and building structures are crucial. Currently, the game is estimated to have around 174 million monthly active players, which is extraordinary, especially considering that it was released more than a decade ago. Whether the upcoming film will live up to the game remains to be seen – in the meantime, players have no choice but to continue building their worlds and having fun while they wait for the answer.

1 World of Warcraft (franchise)

There is a lot to discover in the vast world of Azeroth

• Probably the most popular online PC game of all time
• Multiple extensions and entries

World of Warcraft is probably the most popular online game to date and has been for almost two decades. When Blizzard Entertainment created this fantastical world, they probably didn't expect the title to explode like it did, but luckily everything worked out and helped the studio make its mark on gaming history.

The World of Warcraft The franchise has always been designed to be PC-centric. However, it is now possible to play it on Xbox and enjoy a smooth experience via Nvidia's cloud gaming platform GeForce Now. However, gamers report that they have both an Nvidia GeForce Now subscription and a World of Warcraft one is necessary and in this respect represents a double effort.