Open-world video games provide players with expansive virtual environments to get lost in for hours. Games that take care to flesh out their world-building and environmental storytelling, such as Fromsoftware’s Elden Ring or Arkane’s Prey (2017), can feel just as tangible as the real world.
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Sometimes, however, players aren’t looking for authenticity or any real sense of cohesion in these worlds. They want something weird and outlandish that shatters any notion of realism. Games that embrace absurdity are not only fun, but by virtue of their strangeness they become unique – potentially lingering in players’ minds longer than other open-world titles.
10
Goat Simulator
High-Tech Goat Simulation
- Released
-
April 1, 2014
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Weak
Goat Simulator is likely one of the first games that comes to mind when players think of ‘absurd’. The title, where players assume the role of a goat hellbent on destruction, is unapologetically stupid and broken. In fact, a main feature listed on its Steam page is that there are “MILLIONS OF BUGS!” Players’ mileage may vary with the games’ spoof humor and intentional flaws, but its emphasis on chaos and crazy physics should still provide a fun time. At least for a few minutes.
9
Deadly Premonition
Bizarro Alan Wake
- Released
-
February 23, 2010
- Developer(s)
-
Access Games
Deadly Premonition is infamous among the gaming community for its sheer amount of jank. On the surface, the game seems like something ripped straight from the head of the late great David Lynch, with players taking control of special agent York – accompanied by his trusty imaginary friend Zach – as they investigate the murder of a young woman in Greenvale. The game quickly spirals with clunky controls and awkward voice acting, throwing the whole experience off. There seems to be a 50/50 divide between gamers who find this game to be an ambitious gem or a complete garbage fire.
8
The Sinking City
Lovecraftian Insanity
- Released
-
June 27, 2019
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Fair
The Sinking City’s focus on lovecraftian horror means the game is naturally brimming with a host of absurd and existential nightmares. Gamers play as private investigator, Charles Reed, who finds himself in the flooded city of Oakmont, investigating the disappearance of a member of the Throgmorton family. While sleuthing through the city, players will fight Wylebeasts, twisted monstrosities that range from spider-like creatures to hulking abominations, and have to manage their sanity levels.
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7
Another Crab’s Treasure
Crablike Soulslike
- Released
-
April 25, 2024
- Developer(s)
-
Aggro Crab
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Strong
Aggro Crab lives up to their name with Another Crab’s Treasure. It’s a light-hearted take on the soulslike genre that sees players taking control of Kril, a hermit crab traveling the ocean in search of his shell after being evicted from it. The game embraces the silliness of its concept by letting players use discarded pieces of trash as temporary shells. Each shell, ranging from LEGO bricks to toy trucks, grants players a different ability, keeping the core gameplay mechanics distinct and fresh when compared to the Dark Souls franchise.
6
Borderlands 3
Psychos In Space
First-Person Shooter
Action
RPG
- Released
-
September 13, 2019
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Strong
The Borderlands franchise is arguably most well-known for its crude humor. In recent years, the franchise’s writing has begun to grate on some fans, who now find its jokes juvenile and repetitive. Comedy being subjective, gamers won’t know if Borderlands‘ flavor of zaniness is to their liking until they try it for themselves.
The third installment in the franchise comes with a new cast of Vault Hunters who join forces with the Crimson Raiders of Pandora to take down the Calypso twins. Players can expect Borderlands‘ typical gameplay formula, making use of character abilities and an arsenal of guns to loot and shoot their way through the galaxy.
5
Sunset Overdrive
Energy Drink Apocalypse
Third-Person Shooter
Open-World
- Released
-
October 28, 2014
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Strong
Sunset Overdrive takes a unique approach to its zombie apocalypse by having it kick-started with an energy drink. Most of the occupants of Sunset City are turned into Overcharge Drinkers, mindless boil-ridden monsters, overnight.
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Players navigate the infested city by grinding on rails and running on walls, killing OD along the way with a collection of cobbled-together weapons. Teddy bears strapped to dynamite or a gun that fires decapitated heads – players won’t easily get bored with Sunset Overdrive‘s weapons.
4
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
Zombie Shopping-Spree
-
OpenCritic
-
Top Critic Rating:
80/100
Critics Recommend:
77%
- Released
-
September 19, 2024
In Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, players take control of freelance journalist, Frank West, who finds himself trapped in a mall full of zombies. Escape is 72 hours away and players can either spend that time uncovering the truth behind the outbreak or by killing zombies to their heart’s content. Almost everything in Dead Rising is a weapon, allowing players to wade through a horde of zombies with a cactus pot if they so wish. Occasionally, Frank will come face to face with Psychopaths, human enemies who have snapped, acting as the games’ bosses.
3
Fallout: New Vegas
Post-Apocalyptic Weirdness
- Released
-
October 19, 2010
The Fallout franchise’s 1960s-inspired apocalypse is often used as a parody of the real world and the capitalist doomsday it’s hurtling towards. As a result, a lot of its quests and characters satirically poke fun at society in a number of absurd ways. Obsidian’s contribution to the franchise, Fallout: New Vegas, is no different. Players assume the role of the Courier as they navigate a post-apocalyptic Vegas. Along their journey, players can befriend a cybernetic dog, launch ghouls into space or rule over the New Vegas Strip as a dictator.
2
Saints Row 4
Superhero Madness
The Saints Row franchise was already growing in absurdity with each new installment, but it was its fourth entry that really dialed things to 11. Saints Row 4 opens with the player being elected as President after stopping a terrorist attack before the White House is attacked by aliens. The zin place the Saints in a simulation of Steelport where the player gains access to full-blown superpowers. Going from crime boss to superhero was a ridiculous escalation for the franchise, but one that seemed to work in its favour.
1
Baldur’s Gate 3
Letting Loose Every Now And Then
- Released
-
August 3, 2023
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 plays as a fairly serious RPG with an epic fantasy narrative and deep companion stories. That doesn’t mean the game never lets down its hair, however. Larian takes advantage of the absurd aspects of the Dungeons & Dragons lore where they can. Between their adventures to remove a mind-flayer parasite from their brains, players can encounter a secret society of amphibian humanoids who call for the sacrifice of one of their companions, take on an unassuming frog with the power to one shot their party or be sent to an island full of dinosaur-like creatures. The list goes on.
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Open-world games give players a ton of freedom to work with. These titles have stood out the most over the years.
