One of my favorite games of this console generation is Horizon Zero Dawn.

I loved it so much I have actually played through it three times. It is not only an absolutely fantastic game to actually play.

The story of Aloy coming to terms with who she is and what the world she is living in is. Is a story that I will not be forgetting anytime soon.

Just down below I have for you a bunch of games like Horizon Zero Dawn featuring large open worlds, exciting gameplay and a story that is going to really hook you.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Let’s start with a big one, when I first got my Nintendo Switch, Breath Of The Wild was the only game I had until Mario Kart 8! This is a game changer for the Zelda series.

It is like Horizon Zero Dawn in that it features a large open world, you gather resources and the story is pretty engaging. For the first time ever (not counting those god-awful CD-I games) a Zelda game had voice acting and it was very well done.

What makes Breath Of The wild so much fun for me is the way that you can play it any way you like. For example, I liked to make sure I was super strong, had the best gear and knew what I was doing before I went to take on Gannon.

Other people though if they are confident enough can do the bare minimum and head straight to Gannon! A true masterpiece of a game and one that everyone needs to play.

Far Cry Primal

Hmm, I really wanted to put a Far Cry game on here and I was torn between Primal and 5. Now let me state that overall I do think that Far Cry 5 is a better game, but I do feel that Primal is more like Horizon Zero Dawn in terms of its settings.

Far Cry Primal may have been one of the more polarizing games in the series when it came to people’s opinions, but I enjoyed it.

The stone age setting makes it so unlike any other Far Cry game that came before it. Plus all the hunting and killing of these huge intimidating beasts is very Horizon Zero Dawn like.

There is a lot of fun to be had in Far Cry Primal just make sure you go into it with an open mind and I assure you that you are going to have a great time.

The Witcher 3

What can I say about The Witcher 3 that has not already been said?

This is one of the most impressive games of the last decade. The level of storytelling and presentation is out of this world.

I would say that you do need to have played the other games in the series in order to get the best out of the story of The Witcher.

However, I do feel that the game does a good enough job in getting newcomers to the series up to speed.
I think that if you are looking for alternatives to Horizon Zero Dawn and what you want is a large open world that has a really rich story with fantastic characters that you care about.

The Witcher 3 is perfect for you and a game that you are really going to get hooked by. After about ten minutes of playing The Witcher 3, you will realize why so many people love this game and the series.

Just make sure you have plenty of free time when you start playing The Witcher 3 as it really is going to take over your life.

Tomb Raider: Rise of the Tomb Raider

The reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise (well technically the second reboot) really could not have been done any better.

It featured a more realistic and relatable Lara Croft than ever before and as a result, it made for a much more interesting character.

Rise Of The Tomb Raider is the second game in this new series and it improved greatly on the first game.

To start with Rise Of The Tomb Raider looks incredible, the voice acting is great and so is the writing. The gameplay does not really reinvent anything from the first game, but I did like how you were encouraged more to explore this time around.

I feel that this is most certainly one of the best games on this list. While I would recommend you play the first Tomb Raider before you head into this one, you are in for a great time when you play Rise Of The Tomb Raider.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

I have a bit of a love and hate relationship with the Assassin’s Creed series. The games I like I have gotten super into, but there have been more than a few (probably half) that I have not enjoyed at all.

Assassin’s Creed Origins is a game that really did blow me away and while the setting is radically different. I do feel that out of all the games on this list that this one has the most in common with it.

What I liked most about this was just how large in scale the whole world was. Egypt was your playground and you had the freedom to tackle missions pretty much anyway that you wanted.

It offered the perfect amount of challenge and if you could not do something, chances are all you had to do was level up a bit more and try again.

Even if you have never played a previous game in the series I think that you could easily get into Assassin’s Creed Origins.

Infamous Second Son

The Infamous series started out on the PlayStation 3 and Infamous Second Son took the series in a new direction.

This time around you play as a guy called Delsin Rowe and in all honesty, I much preferred him over Cole from the first two games.

This is a large open world style game and the way that I feel it is like Horizon Zero Dawn is with how athletic Delsin is. He can run, jump and climb all over the city just like Aloy can. Sure he may have superpowers, but it feels kind of similar.

The story in Infamous Second Son is also really well told and one of the things that I really liked about it was the way that you could choose what kind of person Delsin becomes.

I went for the hero route and tried to do as much good as possible. But if you want you can just say screw everybody and take down anyone who gets in your way, no matter if they are good or bad. This is a truly fantastic game and one of the best PlayStation 4 exclusives.

Not only that I would actually go as far to say that Infamous Second Son is one of those games that has kind of been forgotten about.

Uncharted 4

How can you not love the Uncharted series? It may seem a bit of a stretch having this list.

However, I feel it is a worthy inclusion as it is very story driven and it is a fantastic adventure. Naughty Dog really did end the story of Nathan Drake on a very high note with Uncharted 4.

The series had really all built up to this and it would have been so easy for them to screw up the ending and leave fans disappointed.

Without giving away spoilers, Uncharted 4 brings the story of Nathan Drake to a close absolutely perfect. He well and truly gets the end that he deserves after all the adventures he has been on.

One thing that seems to be forgotten about already in regards to Uncharted 4 is just how gorgeous this game is.

At the time it was by far the best-looking game on the PlayStation 4 and for me personally, it was the first time that I noticed a difference on my new (at the time) fancy 4K TV when I had the HDR mode on.

NieR: Automata

Wow, what a game! I will tell you that I never played the first game in the series, but that did not matter one bit.

I got right up to speed very quickly thanks to the storytelling and speaking of the story any game that revolves around androids is cool in my book.

The story is about a war between machines who have taken over the Earth and a group of androids sent to take it back! The machine future is very interesting and something that makes it a game like Horizon Zero Dawn.

While Horizon Zero Dawn has a more forest taken over the world kind of vibe to it. NieR: Automata feels far more futuristic, but it is still that same kind of feeling as you have a million machines trying to kill you.

What I really loved about this game was the over the top combat. It is just so well done and actually pretty brutal in the way that you can execute these machines that have taken over the world.

Monster Hunter: World

Full confession here, I tried to play the first Monster Hunter game on the PlayStation 2 and I hated it! It was not until the 3DS version was released many, many years later that I got into the game and this made me excited for Monster Hunter World.

If you have already looked for Horizon Zero Dawn alternatives then you will have most likely seen Monster Hunter World suggested to you. Now I do not think that Monster Hunter World is going to win any awards for its storytelling, but that is not what this game is about.

As the title suggests, you are hunting monsters. You hunt and kill monsters to get loot that you can use to make your character stronger.

You do this with new armor, weapons and so on. You then take on more powerful monsters to get more powerful loot and this process goes on and on.

It is very addictive and I think the style of gameplay makes Monster Hunter World the kind of game you can play for an hour or so every now and again, leave it and come back to it a few weeks later.

It is one of the games that I play for half an hour or so if I am just looking for something quick and fun to play.

ARK: Survival Evolved (Wild Card)

Here I have a game for you that may be a bit of a stretch when it comes to comparing it to Horizon Zero Dawn, but I do think that ARK: Survival Evolved is worth checking out if the open world and resource gathering aspects of Aloy’s adventure were something that you really enjoyed.

You can create your own character in this and you start the game off with nothing!
It is up to you to build a shelter, find food, make weapons and become advanced enough to make awesome tech that will ultimately allow you to control incredible beasts!

I would say that the gameplay of ARK: Survival Evolved is a bit of an acquired taste. However, give it a chance. I played it for about an hour and did not like it.

I went back a few weeks later and actually gave it a proper chance and did actually have a lot of fun with it. You just have to get through that first couple of hours and you will really get into it.

No Man’s Sky (Wild Card)

Ok so really going out on a limb here I know and please note that the No Man’s Sky that you can go and play now is vastly improved over the one that originally launched as a PlayStation exclusive.

What I feel makes this a game that those who enjoyed Horizon Zero Dawn will like is the exploration aspect of it. Like Horizon Zero Dawn, you never know what to expect and there are so many different locations to explore that you are always on your toes.

No Man’s Sky has a lot of crafting and item management in it as well which I know for some people either makes the game one they enjoy or dislike.

While it may not be the masterpiece and open world (or should that be universe?) that we were promised before it released. At the current budget price, it is at, No Man’s Sky is well worth checking out if you are into large open worlds.

This is a really solid list of games and in all honesty, I do not think I have picked a bad game. I think that Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the best games of the last decade and that these games may not be exactly like it. However, I will say that if Horizon Dawn is what you are looking for. You may not find that exact same experience, but all of the games I have listed today do have elements that will make you think of Horizon Zero Dawn when you play it. If I had to pick a couple of notable games from the list I would pick The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and even though the setting could not be any more different, I would also suggest you play Uncharted 4.

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