The best open-world games with underground cities

Open-world games are full of interesting and expansive cities to explore. From the iconic cities of The Elder Scrolls games with the mysterious ruined and/or abandoned cities of Dark souls series, these large and often interconnected locations can provide memorable landmark locations as part of a larger world.

While most cities in open-world games are located above ground, others offer memorable underground dwellings that make an immediate impression on the player. From the mysterious ruins of New Londo Dark soulstowards the central center of Fall out-inspiredUnderRailthese are just a few examples of memorable underground cities.

6 The Lord of the Rings Online

(Mines of) Moria

Instead of being a hub or safe zone, Mines Die in The Lord of the Rings Onlinelike the state of the location in the source material, it is a dangerous place full of baddies to take down. This results in an experience that provides a true depiction of the iconic underground location. For the fans The Lord of the Rings and the instantly recognizable dwarf city is worth exploring, despite the aging visuals.

The Lord of the Rings Online overall, it's starting to get old as a massively multiplayer online game and doesn't boast the level of maintenance that more popular MMOs like World Of Warcraftcan offer However, for die-hard fans of The Lord of the Rings that can look past the stale gameplay, Mines of Moria is worth exploring.

5 Fallout 3

Underworld

Technically, there are a variety of underground cities all over the place Fall out franchise, with each of the iconic vaults hosting their own distinct environment and population. However, excluding Vaults, the Fall out The franchise's most iconic underground city is undoubtedly the home of the ghouls, Underworld Fallout 3.

Home to all sorts of macabre characters with varying charismas, the Underworld is a well-hidden location that's rewarding to discover. As is common with Fall out games, discovery is the heart of the game, with exploration constantly encouraged. Underworld is just one of many underground locations in the franchise, but it's the most memorable for its visual design and population of strange ghouls.

4 Dark souls

The New Ruins of London

Mysteriously underground and completely flooded, the New Londo Ruins are an extraordinarily strange location in the former Dark souls. The iconic ruined city is haunted by ghosts that can be the death of many newcomers, slaying only by a cursed player – or a player wielding a cursed weapon. Players can also use a Transient Curse to eliminate these enemies.

The city itself is incredibly atmospheric. Like many of the locations in the Dark soulsThe ruins of New Londo are dangerous, grim and appropriately dark. This dark darkness hangs around the ruined buildings of the city and provides a great sense of atmosphere, while the variety of dangerous enemies and hazards make it a frustratingly memorable place.

3 Arx Fatalis

The city of Arx

Set in a world where the sun has disappeared and plunged the earth into darkness, Arx Fatalis is a first-person fantasy RPG that makes full use of its unique thematic twist. This twist is also why the game will be set underground, offering a variety of underground locations – including the city of Arx.

Arx Fatalis was developed by the legendary Arkane Studios (dishonor, Prey) and offers classic RPG gameplay and careful first-person exploration. In terms of older open-world games, the city of Arx itself is a memorable and impressive location, and is a welcome respite from the dark tunnels that frequent the game's environments; it's sprawling and full of people to meet, but – perhaps most importantly – it gives the player a place to gather their bearings.

2 UnderRail

The base city

• Platforms: pc
• Released: 2015
• Developer(s): Stygian software
• Gender(s): Open world RPG

Basically a spiritual successor to some of the best RPG games of old (esp Fall out), UnderRail is an often challenging isometric role-playing game with turn-based combat. The game takes place in the distant future, at a time when people have been taken underground and forced to live in old subway stations. These cities act as humanity's last bastions, providing a much-needed place of refuge.

Of all the underground locations in the UnderRailCore City is perhaps the most memorable – and the most important. It is a major city and acts as a hub for much of the UnderRailwith various factions in play and a rich history behind its current state. This city is also home to the Arena, another particularly memorable location, and there are plenty of quests to complete in and around the city.

1 Elden Ring

Nokron, the Eternal City

The entire scale of Nokron, the Eternal City in Elden Ring it can only be accessed after defeating the famous boss, Starscourge Radahn, who causes a large meteorite to crash into Limgrave, opening new passages underground. The large, interconnected underground city sits above the equally captivating Siofra River, a more wilderness-style location. Despite being located underground, Nokron, the Eternal City has a beautiful “night sky” full of stars. This curiosity is one of Nokron's most memorable visuals.

Elden Ring's Nokron, the Eternal City is, like many of them Elden Ring's the most memorable locations, an incredibly atmospheric and captivating place. It hardly is Elden Ring's the most expansive or awe-inspiring location, but the inventive art direction delivers a great awe that deserves to mark it as the most impressive underground city in open-world gaming.