Gritty Open-World Games That Become Cozy When You Ignore the Main Story

Action and sometimes gritty violence or generally darker story themes tend to play a huge role in most successful open-world games of the modern era. Most big open-world games of today play less like a vast universe of cool and varied stuff to do, and more like just a big shooting range.

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Chaos and violence reigning is the norm, but many of these games actually do offer alternatives. Some of the biggest action blockbusters out there can even be turned into extremely calming and relaxing affairs. It’s time to kick back and have a look at a few games people have no idea can actually be incredibly cozy.

4 Grand Theft Auto 5

Surprisingly Cozy Outside Of Its Chaos

Grand Theft Auto 5

9/10

Released

September 17, 2013

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

Developer(s)

Rockstar North

Platform(s)

Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

• A fantastic hub of non-murderous things to do.
• Incredibly beautiful vistas, even years later.

The unexpectedly cozy vibes of the GTA series, not just those of GTA 5, are severely underrated. The only reason why Vice City, Liberty City, or Los Santos are hubs of crime and chaos is, generally, well, the player’s fault.

Should a player decide just to get a car (via legal and non-violent means, of course) and choose to simply drive around to see the vistas in a casual and orderly manner, they’ll find that GTA land is quite a beautiful and surprisingly neat place to exist in.

3 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

It’s The Wind And The Wine

ESRB

M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content

Developer(s)

CD Projekt Red

Platform(s)

Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

• Some of the best landscapes to enjoy.
• Remains gorgeous even so many years later.
• A wide number of cozy minigames to enjoy.

The world of The Witcher 3 is filled with non-cozy terrors, but that’s for the common folk. For Geralt of Rivia, pretty much all of that amounts to little more than just training. Combine that with the beautiful effect the game’s wind has on the leaves, and The Witcher 3’s absolutely gorgeous forests, icy mountains, and even marshes – some of the nicest locations in gaming. The Witcher 3 is also home to a lot of incredibly cozy mini-games, such as Gwent, and just plain ol’ treasure hunting, which benefits a lot from the open world setting.

If that’s not enough, then the most demanding of players should give the Blood and Wine DLC a chance, as it ramps the cozy factor all the way up to 11 by giving Geralt a house he can decorate as he pleases and chill out in.

2 Death Stranding

Don’t Let The Name Give You The Wrong Idea

• Darkly cozy walking simulator vibes.

Sure, Death Stranding features a bunch of enemies, but they mostly feel like they were put there just to satisfy the modern gamer’s regular desire for carnage. Outside of the legendary flash game QWOP, Death Stranding is the truest “walking simulator” that there is.

At least in the beginning, the game simply tasks players with walking from one point to another, and it makes for a surprisingly satisfying gaming experience. It’s not for everyone, especially not players expecting the high-stress action espionage of Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid 5, but it is for players looking for a soothing game about helping people.

1 Red Dead Redemption 2

Cozy To The End

• It features some of the coziest environments to roam around in.
• It also has a good number of relaxing side activities.

A place known as “The Wild West” usually wouldn’t be what one associates with the coziest of times, but in the video game world, at least that assumption can be wrong.

The developers of Red Dead Redemption 2 knew that GTA 5 featured a lot of mechanics that were only made possible due to the game’s modern world setting, so when making RDR2, they made sure to include a wide range of minigames to make the game feel just as fun and cozy as its cousin title. On top of that, even nearly a decade later, Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the games with the best graphics and environments, making riding around on a horse just an absolute treat.

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