8 90s Open-World PC Games That Predated GTA3

Grand Theft Auto III is a pretty easy contender for one of the most important video games ever released. The modern open-world game as we know it can be traced back in a fairly straight line to this landmark 2001 release, as it set the precedent for what this genre could become, and what it would achieve for the next 25 years.

Prior to GTA 3, however, the open-world genre was still performing some miracles. The genre was attempting to find itself in the 1990s, and on consoles, it was having something of an underrated peak. On the PC platform, open-world games were a bit less prominent, but the ones that were released proved to be pioneering in the genre.

Among the pile of open-world games released for PC in the 1990s, many of them would innovate or refine elements that would later appear in GTA 3. While GTA 3 was among the first to cobble all these ludicrous concepts together into one package within a 3D world, these games were the ones that crafted the tools for Rockstar to use at the dawn of the 2000s.

8 The Terminator: Future Shock

I'll Be Back

The Terminator: Future Shock First-Person Shooter Released December 1, 1995 ESRB T for Teen - Animated Violence Developer(s) Bethesda Publisher(s) Bethesda Genre(s) First-Person Shooter

The Terminator often feels like the epitome of the 1990s, as James Cameron's sci-fi franchise tapped into the culture of the decade through the increasing scope of technology. Though it feels alarmingly relevant today, it's safe to say the franchise really hit its peak in the 1990s.

James Cameron's multimedia franchise also saw a lot of video game adaptations in the 1990s, with one of the absolute best being Terminator: Future Shock from 1995, which not only innovated fully 3D mouse look, but also open-world design on PC. It's not a free-roaming, open-ended sandbox, but like many of Bethesda's games, is focused on exploration and discovery.

Future Shock uses a level-based structure, but these levels are absolutely enormous. They have multiple objectives and tasks to accomplish, as well as vehicles and other modes of travel. It is a wildly ambitious game, and one of the best Terminator games ever made.

7 Star Control II

Open-World Space Exploration

Star Control II Adventure Shoot 'em Up Released November 1, 1992 Developer(s) Toys for Bob Publisher(s) Accolade, Crystal Dynamics Genre(s) Adventure, Shoot 'em Up Platform(s) PC, MS-DOS, 3DO, Android

These days, the prospect of a video game just dropping you into a sci-fi world and letting you roam free isn't entirely uncommon. Back in the early 1990s, however, it was a radical, altogether wild concept that worked wonderfully in Star Control II.

Star Control II was developed by Toys for Bob, best known for their work on bringing Crash and Spyro into the modern day, a fun fact that I didn't even realize until recently. In the opening moments of Star Control II, you are given a rather large amount of context, then cut loose to explore.

And explore you shall, as Star Control II is absolutely overflowing with planets to find, aliens to encounter and characters to meet. The game also lets you do all this with zero restrictions, so long as you have the fuel to power your ship. It's the kind of game that Star Citizen is likely hoping to be, and was an important milestone for open-world games.

6 Ultima VII: The Black Gate

The Peak of Ultima

Ultima 7: The Black Gate RPG Released April 16, 1992 ESRB t Developer(s) Origin Systems Publisher(s) Origin Systems Franchise Ultima Genre(s) RPG Platform(s) PC, SNES How Long To Beat 38 Hours

Throughout the entirety of its existence, the Ultima franchise has been under the guiding hand of Richard Garriot, aka Lord British as he's known in online circles. During that time, Garriot continued to use everything at his disposal in emerging PC hardware of the 1980s and 90s, reaching what many feel is the peak of the franchise and the CRPG with Ultima VII: The Black Gate.

Ultima VII was released in 1992, revolutionizing both PC gaming and the open-world genre. The world of Britannia is free to explore at your leisure, and has a major focus on both player agency and interactivity. In Ultima VII, nearly every part of the world and the people in it can be interacted with in some way.

As far as open-world games go, Ultima VII: The Black Gate is one of the earliest vanguards. It introduced many elements that would influence the entire genre for decades, as its focus on unimportant NPCs and locales that exist only to populate the world helped keep the fantasy world of Britannia feeling like a place you could actually visit outside your computer.

5 Darklands

Yes, That MicroProse

Darklands RPG Released January 1, 1992 ESRB nr Developer(s) MicroProse Publisher(s) MicroProse Genre(s) RPG Platform(s) PC

As far as PC game developers of the 1990s go, the name MicroProse carries a large amount of weight and importance. Founded by the legendary Sid Meier and Bill Stealey, MicroProse's output during the 80s and early 90s was staggering, but they really hit a home run in 1992 with Darklands.

This revolutionary RPG was developed over three years, with a budget of three million dollars. When you play Darklands within the context of a 1990s MS-DOS game, you can see where the three million bucks went. Darklands is truly impressive, with a huge world to explore and tons of quests, NPCs and enemies.

There weren't a lot of big, expansive open-world CRPGs coming out that frequently back in the early 1990s. Certainly not as frequently as they come out now, and Darklands is a prime example of this early period of open-world game design. It is a game that believes in you to understand its world, letting you take it in at whatever speed you'd like.

4 The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

Took a Dagger to the Knee

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall RPG Released September 20, 1996 ESRB m Developer(s) Bethesda Softworks Publisher(s) Bethesda Softworks Franchise The Elder Scrolls Genre(s) RPG Platform(s) PC

Though the Elder Scrolls franchise is synonymous with the term open-world game now, there was a time when it was something of a niche series. The first game was innovative in its design, but barely registered sales-wise. In contrast, the sequel absolutely obliterated that popularity in 1996, as The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall would become one of the most important games of the decade.

While the first game, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, is an open-world game, it is somewhat segmented. In order to reach a new town or settlement, you have to use a map to travel there. In Daggerfall, that's completely out the window. As Todd Howard is prone to say, if you can see a mountain, you can walk there.

Daggerfall introduced a huge, interconnected world where it was possible to travel between towns and cities seamlessly. Even today, decades later, it's incredibly impressive to see in action. You can feel just how much PC gaming was changing by playing it, as it raised the bar for what was possible within the genre.

3 Fallout

A Flame In Your Heart

Fallout RPG Released October 10, 1997 ESRB m Developer(s) Interplay Publisher(s) Interplay Franchise Fallout Genre(s) RPG

Fallout's explosion into mainstream pop culture has been quite enjoyable to watch. With multiple video games, spin-offs and an excellent live-action television show under its belt, Fallout is a multimedia franchise with one of the most passionate fandoms I've ever seen.

Back in 1997, however, Fallout was simply the twisted vision of creators Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, who crafted a post-apocalyptic CRPG that raised the bar for open-world PC games. Taking a cue from GURPS, a tabletop RPG system known as the Generic Universal Role Playing System, Fallout created a world that was reactive to you and your actions.

Fallout was all about letting you do what you wanted, then reacting in kind. Outside the opening tutorial section, Fallout ultimately lets you make your own mistakes, but it also does its best to allow you to correct them. It was so unlike any other game of its time, and very few games have come close to this level of player freedom ever since.

2 Outcast

The Most Underrated PC Game of the 1990s

Outcast Released June 25, 1999 Platform(s) PC

As far as my childhood memories go, the ones concerning Outcast are some of my favorites. I have a strong memory of seeing the game in a bargain bin at a department store, and out of nowhere, my parents asked me if I wanted it. I didn't realize that it would become one of the defining games of my youth.

Outcast was developed by Appeal and published by Infogrames, who utilized cutting-edge voxel technology to bring the game to life. It helped keep the game well under budget, which is important for a game of this scope and size. As a result, Outcast is still one of the most impressive PC games of the 1990s.

The open world of Adelpha is incredibly cool to look at, and the structure of the world is remarkable in how it lets you explore it at your own pace. Once you're past the tutorial, traveling across Adelpha reinforces how much artistry was at work, as it has a ton of different locations and towns to visit. In terms of open-world 3D action games, Outcast was right there at the beginning.

1 Urban Chaos

An Innovative Hidden Gem

Urban Chaos Action Released December 10, 1999 ESRB M // Animated Blood, Animated Violence, Strong Language Developer(s) My Little Planet, Mucky Foot Productions Publisher(s) My Little Planet Genre(s) Action Platform(s) PlayStation (Original), PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PS Vita, Sega Dreamcast, Windows

As the 1990s came to an end, video games were undergoing a bit of a shift. 3D gaming was completely dominating the industry, and while 2D gaming wasn't dead, every developer in the world was trying to get in on the trend of making a 3D game. Serendipitously, 3D gaming and the emerging open-world genre had a lot to learn from each other.

In 1999, Urban Chaos saw the vision in that pairing, deciding it would be among the first games to ever try and combine driving, shooting, fisticuffs and an expansive open-world to explore. It was ambitious, but it worked out tremendously in the game's favor, as Urban Chaos would become a forerunner of the modern 3D open-world game.

I recently replayed the entire game, and I was struck by how well a lot of it holds up. It's segmented by levels, but each one is an open-ended playground for you to do as you please, and it lets you approach each one with whichever level of chaos you so desire. Urban Chaos has a strong, dedicated cult fanbase today, and while it rarely gets the credit it deserves, it's one that should be recognized more for its contributions to the genre.