Summary

Many open-world games featureviolent gameplay loops to keep players entertained. The idea of engaging in action-packed gameplay and making enemies pay for crossing the protagonist is something that countless gamers just can’t seem to get enough of.

Video game violence has been a hot topic of debate for years, but most people agree that they can separate what’s real from what isn’t. Since video games are meant to be an escape from reality, most people are well aware that the violence featured in games should not be read into too much. For those with the stomach for it, here are themost violent open-world gamesout there.

Grand Theft Auto 5 Tag Page Cover Art

Pretty mucheveryGrand Theft Autogameis worth mentioning when talking about games with a focus on violence. The fifth mainline entry is no exception, making the biggest advancements in aGTAgame to elevate its violent gameplay and help it feel more meaty and impressive than ever before.

Players can use everything from automatic rifles to explosives in a bid to take out their enemies. Even a single drive from one point to another can turn into a violent rampage, with players destroying everything in sight.

A screenshot from Grand Theft Auto 5 showing main characters Michael, Trevor, and Franklin

Red Dead Redemption 2is one of the most realistic games Rockstar has ever developed. In this title, players must eat and drink at regular intervals while also dressing appropriately to deal with the game’s extreme temperatures, making the experience incredibly immersive.

It also allows players to go on a major rampage andshoot up everyone in sightif they wish, with close-range executions being especially deadly. As long as players pay the bounty and prevent law enforcement from arresting them, most of their violent rampages won’t have any major long-term repercussions.

Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA 5 Are Still Selling Very Well

The Witcher 3is one of the best open-world RPGs that gamers can get their hands on. The combat is especially violent, with players being encouraged to do everything in their power to take out the groups of monsters and human enemies that strive to cut them down.

Geralt canwield his sword like a master, with some of his most powerful moves leading to cinematic beheadings and dismemberments as he hacks down the final enemy of every combat encounter. It’s just one of the many ways that violence is used in this game to enhance the impact of the combat system.

A helicopter flying over the highways and skyscrapers at sunset in Los Santos in GTA 5-1

Cyberpunk 2077made a major U-turn to let fans enjoy a captivating video game after all its bugs were ironed out. With the dawn of Update 2.0, combat has become more tense than ever, with players being able to turn V into a blur of death and destruction.

Shooting enemies from afar is great, but players who get up close and personal can unleash some brutal hits on their opponents and hack them to pieces. This, coupled with various cyberware attacks and explosive weapons, ensures that violence is always a focus of the game’s cathartic combat system.

Grand Theft Auto 6 Los Santos Skyline

Yakuza 0is one of the best video games ever made, and it helped numerous gamers to get into the series and enjoy its action-packed gameplay. In this title, players witness the rise of Kiryu and Majima as they use imperfect combat styles that reference the moves they utilize as mature yakuza.

The combat is deliciously crunchy and lets players smash their opponents to a pulp, especially with the use of epic Heat Moves to spice up the action from time to time.Witnessing these two legendsviolently dispatch everyone in their way in a memorable story is a huge part of what makesYakuza 0so special.

Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto 5

Sleeping Dogsis an underrated and stylish open-world game that more people need to check out. Wei Shen’s undercover shenanigans cause him to witness the underbelly of the Triad, which is full of horrifying executions and brutal interrogations.

The violence isn’t just limited to scripted sequences, withthe combat system allowing players to tear their enemies apart in style. Using the environment to land crunchy attacks and take out enemies never ceases to be satisfying, making the violence in this game seem downright necessary in letting fans enjoy the most of what the combat system has to offer.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Tag Page Cover Art

TheFar Cryseries is known for featuring some of the most brutal gameplay that fans of the series can enjoy, and the fifth mainline entry is no different. Fans will likely love just how fun it is toexecute enemies via stealth, use powerful weaponry to take out their opponents, and ask their companions to assist them.

This makes the gameplay loop of liberating outposts a violent affair, with players tearing apart the cultists ravaging Hope County. Countless gamers will love how action-packed this title is, with the violence hammering in the brutality of their actions as they make enemies pay for crossing them.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Tag Page Cover Art

Shadow of Waris a great sequel despite some issues stemming from its endgame, with Talion’s moveset being incredibly damaging and impactful. He can use his blade and slice apart a ton of orcs during their travels.

This, coupled with his Wraith abilities, makes him a force to be reckoned with in combat as he cuts enemies down to size and makes them pay.The Orc captains he dominatesshould be incredibly grateful if they survive their encounters with this bafflingly violent figure.

Cyberpunk 2077 Tag Page Cover Art

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