10 Open World Games With Incredible Random Encounters

At the start of open-world games, you welcome random encounters with any enemy. This is because they give you a chance to practice combat and earn some precious XP. A few hours in, though, battling random enemies for no real reason wears thin.

The fights tend to get pretty repetitive and feel unimportant when you’ve got bigger and better quests to complete. However, that is not the case in every open-world title. Some games have actually found ways of making random encounters consistently fun. Here are some examples.

Yakuza Kiwami

The Yakuza (aka Like A Dragon) games are famous for having random encounters. In every game, people keep attacking you while you're walking around between missions. Those battles aren't particularly notable, but Yakuza Kiwami offers an additional form of random encounter. It's called Majima Everywhere.

With this feature, you keep getting ambushed by the series icon, Goro Majima. You never know when or where this wacky individual is going to pop up, or whether he'll be disguised when he does. It's a silly but great part of the game.

Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor

Shadow of Mordor's random encounters revolve around the Nemesis system. This is a system where every enemy is part of one big hierarchy with low-level goons at the bottom and big bosses at the top. Their ranking can change based on their altercations with you. If they kill you, they will get bumped up the tiers.

So, every time you're randomly ambushed by the enemy, the preceding battle has plenty of meaning. It's even more special when that battle includes someone you faced before, as it adds an extra spice to the fight.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynched

In Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynched, you control a pirate in the Golden Age of Piracy. As you'd expect, you're able to sail the seas in your very own ship and battle any other vessels you come across. This is where you will run into some random encounters.

The other ships won't always be hostile, but you're a pirate, so you're still free to attack. You also might come across some ships battling against one another, allowing you to intervene and wipe both of them out. It helps make you feel like a true pirate. Plus, it makes use of the game's Naval combat mechanics, which are only the secondary focus in the main story.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Pokemon games have always had random encounters, but the titles haven't always been open-world. One entry that is open-world is Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. In this game, the random encounters are a little less random since you can see the Pokemon, instead of them hiding within the grass. The benefit of this is that it's easier to avoid battles you don't really need to have.

The encounters themselves aren't incredibly revolutionary. You simply battle wild Pokemon. However, like with every game in the series, engaging in these battles is important because this is how you catch more Pokemon. And since the series slogan is "Gotta catch 'em all!", building up your collection is vital to the adventure. So, the importance of these encounters is what makes them incredible.

Fallout 2

You are rarely safe to roam the wasteland in any Fallout game, as there are always random encounters you can run into. Fallout 2 has a very interesting collection of them.

Most see you being attacked by groups of hostile humans or animals. Yet, there are also some special encounters that are a bit more interesting. For instance, you can meet a metal man, people in old-school knight armor, exploding cows, or plenty of other strange figures. These exciting encounters add a lot to the enjoyment of the overall adventure.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is set in the weird and wonderful world of Night City. There are plenty of people in this city, and a lot is often going on. As you're driving around the place, you can find some captivating events.

People may walk up and attack you, or cars may chase you down. Plus, there are instances where two factions are fighting one another, and you can serve as an innocent witness or get involved and wipe them all out. It all really makes you feel there is danger around every corner in Night City.

Battle Brothers

Battle Brothers is a tactical RPG set in a fantasy world, clearly inspired by medieval times. While roaming the world map, you occasionally run into random events and encounters. There are so many different ones, and which you see partially depends on your character's background, origins, traits, and a few other things.

Some are simple, like a silly breathing competition or a character getting an injury while training, but they can impact the status of your characters. There are also others that impact certain contracts you have, such as adding extra enemies. All of these events add some more flair to the game.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is known for having a very immersive open world for you to roam around. Part of what makes it feel like a living, breathing place is the abundance of random encounters you can experience as you explore.

You can find people with snake bites, friends who have escaped from jail, gang members threatening you, Klan members setting themselves on fire, and many more people doing different things. The encounters are all fairly short, but most of them are still very memorable.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

The world of Skyrim is very large and filled with plenty of things, including settlements, people, and animals. What makes this place feel more alive are all the random encounters that can occur as you play.

There are so many different ones, from you getting mugged by a member of the Thieves' Guild to you witnessing a vampire feeding on a person. Out of them all, the one that perhaps stands out the most is when a huge dragon spawns and attacks you. This can make things very chaotic and dangerous in no time. Also, knowing it can happen makes you a bit more nervous while roaming.

Grand Theft Auto 5

Grand Theft Auto 5 is set in San Andreas, which includes Los Santos (a fictional version of Los Angeles) and the surrounding desert area. So, it's a big place with plenty going on. Some of what's going on are random encounters that you can come across and get involved in.

The common ones involve you chasing after muggers, but there are more interesting events, too. For instance, you can find a guy in his underwear tied to a post, and you have to help him get to his wedding on time. It's very comical, as are most of the encounters. Yet, there are some violent ones, too. This isn't surprising since Grand Theft Auto is known for both humor and bloodshed, so you should expect the same from the random encounters.