Best open world games to play as a mercenary

Key insights

• Open-world games offer different moral nuances and mercenary options with direct political impact.
• Elex, Mercenaries and Cyberpunk 2077 are outstanding open-world games with mercenary roles.
• These games offer freedom in choosing faction, fighting style and leadership decisions.

There are many types of open world games, from strategy games to action-adventure games and everything in between. Many of these games require the player to take on the role of a hero character, usually fighting a villain to achieve certain goals in a game based on black and white morality.

However, some open-world games view morality as varying shades of gray, putting the player in the shoes of a mercenary with the freedom to change their moral standpoint to suit the most profitable employment opportunities. Many of them make the player the leader of a mercenary group and present him with morally ambiguous decisions that have a direct impact on the game world.

7 Elex

Post-apocalyptic role-playing game

• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, GeForce Now, Microsoft Windows
• Published: October 17, 2017
• Developer: Piranha Bytes
• Genre: Adventure Game, Action RPG, Fighting Game, Shooter Video Game

Featuring a mix of medieval combat and science fiction technologies Elex is a role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic world that has a lot to offer. The open world map is huge and features a range of different biomes, from major cities to burnt out wastelands.

The player takes on the role of Jax, a mercenary with a military past. Jax can join and interact with the many factions in the game by accepting and completing mercenary contracts on their behalf. This means that the player also has a direct influence on the politics of the game world.

6 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Play a mercenary during the Peloponnesian War

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey takes place during the conflict between Athens and Sparta known as the Peloponnesian War, although all gameplay takes place on an open-world map based on Ancient Greece.

The combat system is one of the best on the market and allows the player to fully customize their fighting style. The mercenary system allows the player to rise through the ranks of the mercenary organization and compete against and defeat other mercenaries. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is all about player choice and freedom and it fully deserves its place on this list.

5 Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction

Wage a fictional war in North Korea

This classic open-world game puts the player in the role of one of three mercenaries who complete various contracts for one or more of the political factions in the game. How the player completes these contracts is entirely up to them, as the game features a sandbox gameplay style.

With a comprehensive selection of weapons and vehicles available, as well as fully destructible landscapes and environments, combat in Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction can be fun and frantic. As mercenary games go, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction is one of the best. It doesn’t try to be anything overly complex, it just offers excellent gameplay.

4 Cyberpunk 2077

Explore Night City

Taking on the role of V, Cyberpunk 2077 Players have the freedom to explore Night City’s open world map as they wish. The suspenseful plot is captivating, with some fantastic full-motion videos featuring Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand.

The player is free to customize their skills as they wish, and can opt for a pure combat setup using melee or ranged weapons, or a more stealthy hacking setup. In addition to the main storyline, the player can accept mercenary contracts for fixers, so-called gigs. The game had a rocky start, but is now considered one of, if not the, best cyberpunk games of all time.

3 Mount & Blade: Warband

Lead a warband of mercenaries

The gameplay in Mount & Blade: Warband revolves around the player becoming the leader of a mercenary group. These troops are recruited from various locations on the open world map. Managing a warband is a complex challenge in itself in this game.

With its sandbox-style gameplay, the game allows players to choose which faction they work for in order to earn gold, which is used to maintain the warband. The combat takes place in real time, but there is a layer of strategy beyond that. Overall, the game not only manages to simulate mercenary battles, but also the daily leadership of a mercenary brigade in a fantastic way.

2 Only cause 3

Located on the Medici Island

In the role of the mercenary Rico Rodriguez, the player must go on a search for freedom for the Mediterranean island of Medici Only cause 3. That means overthrowing or overthrowing the island’s dictator, who is, quite frankly, a bit of an idiot.

The game is set in a sprawling open world and allows the player to complete objectives and challenges from every angle in a true sandbox style. The combat is fast-paced and the player has certain other tools at his disposal, such as grappling hooks and parachutes, which simply add to the fun.

Be the big boss

No other game could have taken the top spot on this list, as playing the role of the legendary mercenary Big Boss is one of the most satisfying gaming experiences in the Metal Gear series. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain sees the player lead his private army through Africa and Afghanistan.

Different mercenary missions require different approaches. Some require stealth and patience, while others rely on the element of surprise and overwhelming firepower. The main campaign and storyline are excellent, and the sometimes over-the-top role of Big Boss is a fantastic archetype of what a mercenary commander should be.