Open-World Games With Realistic Day & Night Cycles

Open-World Games With Realistic Day & Night Cycles

• Minecraft uses the day and night cycle to force players to adapt, with the option to sleep or take on monsters at night.
• Grand Theft Auto 5 has a realistic time cycle that affects NPC behavior and changes the environment, with different events triggered at specific times.
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has a committed day and night cycle that influences NPC behavior, store opening hours, and the chance of encountering strong enemies at night.

Day and night cycles are a mechanic utilized by a wide range of open-world games for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes, the mechanic is there to add to immersion and make the game feel more realistic, while other times it’s more for gameplay reasons. Typically, games with long nights emphasize stealth and survival, while ones with long days expect players to make the most of the light.

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In most cases, what makes a day and night cycle realistic is that they each bring unique or distinct features with them. Aside from the change in lighting, a good game will use its day and night cycle to let players engage in new activities, or force them to take a rest. It gives a game more dimension when the player finds they cannot enter a store at night, or that they cannot creep around town in broad daylight.

The mechanic can also be used to make the most of a world, and oftentimes open-world games use the night to transform the visuals of their maps and activate certain events. There are a few open-world games that bring out the best of day and night cycles, and although their reasoning may vary, their application of day and night certainly adds a layer of realism.

Minecraft

Emergence Of Monsters And Sleep Ability

Minecraft

Released 2011-11-18 Developer(s) Mojang Genre(s) Sandbox, Survival Platform(s) PS Vita, PS3, Wii U, Switch, PS4, Xbox 360, PC, iOS, Android, 3DS, Xbox One

Minecraft moves further away from an immersive day and night cycle and opts to use the mechanic to force players to adapt their playstyle. As the sun begins to set, players have the option to go to bed and sleep through the night. Players can choose to stay awake and venture out of their homes to take down various monsters.

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The nights are shorter because they add an element of survival, where players are either expected to stay inside and wait for the day, or hack their way through the various mobs. Although this isn’t typical of real life, Minecraft uses the cycle to give the game more depth. There’s a clear difference between the day and night, and it brings a more realistic layer to the game as a whole.

Grand Theft Auto 5

Realistic Night Cycle And Environment Changes

Grand Theft Auto 5

Platform(s) Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS3, PS5, PS4, Xbox 360, PC, Xbox One Released 2013-09-17 Developer(s) Rockstar North Genre(s) Open-World, Action

Almost all Rockstar Games titles are concerned with time to some capacity, and since Grand Theft Auto 3 there have been routine day and night cycles in all GTA games. Grand Theft Auto 5 has a consistent time cycle that mimics the real world, with two real-life minutes equating to one in-game hour. This provides a reliable way to track in-game time and notice how efficient – or not – players have been with their time.

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Additionally, environments in GTA 5 will change depending on the time of day. The types of NPCs that appear will change during the night, and players are less likely to encounter business people and leisurely shoppers at 2 am. In Grand Theft Auto 3, certain missions can only be triggered at specific times, but GTA 5 adapted this so a short time-lapse will take place when players attempt to activate missions that take place at a certain time. Nevertheless, there are things all around the map that players will only encounter if they’re there at a certain time of day.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Realistic NPC Behavior And Business Hours

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Platform(s) Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Switch, PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox One Released 2015-05-19 Developer(s) CD Projekt Red Genre(s) Action, RPG, Adventure

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has an immersive and committed day and night cycle that will influence the behavior of NPCs and the environment around Geralt. The merchants around the map have different opening and closing times, and showing up at the wrong time might leave players waiting around for them to open again. Typically, most places open in the morning and close relatively late at night, especially compared to The Witcher, where most stores close around 5 pm or 6 pm.

NPC behavior also changes, and generally, fewer townsfolk will be wandering the streets at night. This also means Geralt is more likely to run into trouble at night, with the chances of encountering pretty strong enemies increased. Additionally, there are some time-sensitive quests which – after players have started them – can fail if Geralt takes too long. All of this helps make the world more realistic to be in and gives players the chance to see the world at night.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Dangerous Nights And Realistic Towns

Red Dead Redemption 2

Platform(s) PS4, PC, Stadia, Xbox One Released 2018-10-26 Developer(s) Rockstar Games Genre(s) Action, Adventure

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the third installment in the Red Dead franchise and is widely believed to be the best so far. Players assume the role of Arthur Morgan as he navigates Wild West America, veering between an honorable man and a good-for-nothing outlaw. Like many great Rockstar Games, Red Dead Redemption 2 is very immersive, and the differences between day and night are clear examples of this.

Time moves similarly to GTA, with roughly two real-life minutes equaling one hour in-game. But, the days are longer than the nights, since the nighttime can be very unsafe. Like real life, Arthur is discouraged from adventuring at night due to the increase in criminal activity – for example, the Night Folk have a much denser presence at nighttime, so the Bayou Nwa area is extra unsafe after sunset. Additionally, more people can be found at bars during the night, especially since the general stores in each town close around midnight and don’t open again until 6 am. The day and night cycle is vivid enough to be realistic without restricting the player too much.

Bully

Realistic Schedule And Environmental Changes

Bully

Platform(s) Wii, PS3, PS4, PS2, Xbox 360, PC, Mobile Released 2006-10-17 Developer(s) Rockstar Vancouver Genre(s) Sandbox

Bully is another Rockstar Games title with realistic times. It follows Jimmy Hopkins as he attempts to neutralize bullying at Bullworth Academy and prank, fight, and charm his way to the top of the high school food chain. Bully dedicates itself to a fairly regimented day and night cycle, and generally holds time as a very important aspect of the game – it also has seasons that change depending upon game progress, with seasonal events like Halloween taking place.

During the day, Jimmy is expected to attend classes and will be punished for truancy if he’s caught ditching class. This means that the school proper is only open during the day, and closes at 7 pm – and Jimmy will be punished for trespassing if he’s caught there after hours. Curfew also begins at 11 pm, and Jimmy will get in trouble if he’s outside his dorm after 11 pm – he also must be asleep by 2 am, or he passes out. Some players find the schedule to be restrictive, but Bully is unafraid to put the players under the same constraints a student would be under if he were real.

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