At the beginning 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 valuable XP. A few hours in, though, fighting random enemies for no real reason wears thin.
Fights tend to feel pretty repetitive and unimportant when you've got bigger and better quests to complete. However, that's not the case with every open-world title. Some games have actually found ways to make random encounters consistently fun. Here are some examples.
Yakuza Kiwami
Yakuza (aka Like a Dragon) games are famous for random encounters. In each game, people keep attacking you as you move between missions. Those battles aren't particularly noteworthy, but Yakuza Kiwami offers an additional form of random encounter. It is called Majima everywhere.
With this feature, you are being ambushed by the series icon, Goro Majima. You never know when or where this crazy person is going to pop up, or if he'll be disguised when he does. This is a silly but great part of the game.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Shadow of Mordor's random encounters revolve around the Nemesis system. It's a system where every enemy is part of a larger hierarchy with low-level goons and big bosses at the top. Their ranking may change depending on their fights with you. If they kill you, they will bump up the levels.
So, every time you are randomly attacked by an enemy, the previous battle means a lot. It's even more special when that fight involves someone you've faced before, as it adds more 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 across the ocean on your own ship and fight any other ships you come across. This is where you'll run into some random encounters.
Other ships aren't always hostile, but you're a pirate, so you're still free to attack. You may also come across some ships fighting against each other, allowing you to intervene and wipe them both out. It helps you feel like a true pirate. Also, it uses the game's naval combat mechanics, which are only a secondary focus to the main story.
Pokemon Scarlet and Purple
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 as you can see the Pokemon, instead of them hiding in the grass. The advantage of this is that it's easy to avoid battles you don't really need.
The encounters themselves aren't incredibly revolutionary. You just fight wild Pokemon. However, like every game in the series, it's important to engage in these battles because that way you can catch more Pokemon. and the series slogan “One must catch them all!” Because of this, building your collection is crucial to the adventure. So, the importance of these encounters makes them incredible.
Fallout 2
You're rarely safe wandering the ruins in any Fallout game, as there are always random encounters you can run into. Fallout 2 has a very interesting collection of them.
Many see you attacked by hordes of hostile humans or animals. However, there are also some special encounters that are a bit more interesting. For example, you might meet Metal Man, people in old-school knight armor, exploding cows, or many other strange people. 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 a lot of people in this city, and a lot going on often. While you are driving around the place, you can find some fascinating events.
People can walk up and attack you, or cars can follow you. Also, there are instances where two factions are fighting each other, and you can serve as an innocent witness or get involved and wipe them all out. All this makes you feel that there is danger around every corner in Night City.
Battle brothers
Battle Brothers is a strategic RPG set in a fantasy world, clearly inspired by medieval times. While roaming the world map, you'll occasionally run into random events and encounters. There are many different ones, and what you see depends partly on your character's background, origins, traits, and a few other things.
Some are simple, like a silly breathing contest or a character getting injured during training, but they can affect your characters status. There are also others that affect certain deals you have, such as adding extra enemies. All these events add some extra flavor 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. What makes it feel like a living, breathing space is the abundance of random encounters you can experience as you explore.
You may find people with snakebites, friends who have escaped from prison, gang members who threaten you, clan members who set themselves on fire, and many other people doing various things. The encounters are all quite short, but many of them are still very memorable.
The world of Skyrim is huge and full of many things including settlements, people and animals. What makes this place feel more alive are all the random encounters you can have as you play.
There are many variations, from you being robbed by a member of the Thieves Guild to witnessing a person being fed to a vampire. Out of all of them, a giant dragon attacking you probably stands out the most. This can make things very chaotic and dangerous at any time. Plus, knowing it could happen makes you a little more nervous when 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 region. So, it's a big place with a lot going on. What's happening are some random encounters that you can meet and engage with.
The usual ones involve you chasing robbers, but there are also more interesting events. For example, you might find a guy tied to a post in his underwear, and you have to help him get to his wedding on time. It's very funny, as are most of the encounters. However, there are also some violent ones. This isn't surprising as Grand Theft Auto is known for both humor and gore, so you should expect the same from random encounters.
