In a market that’s completely saturated by open-world action games, it’s no small feat to stand out among the masses. However, the explosive franchise Just Cause has managed to do just that, excelling against its competitors decade after decade. It’s been nearly five years since the newest entry in the series was released. Still, these bombastic adventures are still a blast to play, especially if you prefer chaos over strategy.
The best Just Cause games on PC offer immense freedom to cause havoc and blow stuff up however you deem fit, making them a perfect choice for stress relief and impressive displays of destruction. In short, the next time you’re looking for an open-world game that prioritizes entertainment over realism, try out any of these fantastic games in the Just Cause series.
4. Just Cause
The original Just Cause first hit shelves in 2006, and despite its age, it is still an enjoyable game over a decade later. In this debut adventure, we’re introduced to our series’ protagonist Rico Rodriguez, a deadly special agent with a habit of blowing things up first and asking questions later.
Most of the game revolves around exploring the fictional Caribbean Island of San Esperito, ruled by the unfeeling dictator Salvador Mendoza. There are also hundreds of side activities to complete in addition to main story missions, but things have a habit of getting repetitive.
While the first Just Cause is an entertaining sandbox experience, it lacks polish and has a fair share of bugs and glitches. The animations aren’t the best either, so expect some wonky character movement and odd collisions. Even with these downsides considered, we still recommend giving the first Just Cause a try.
3. Just Cause 4
Just Cause 4 is the latest game in the franchise, and although it has some fancy graphics and a new dynamic weather system, there are a few detracting elements that put its placement further down our list. In Rico’s newest adventure, he must travel to the South American country of Solis to take down the world’s most powerful military, the Black Hand.
Attempting to one-up previous installments in the franchise, Just Cause four features extreme weather, including tornadoes, thunderstorms, and more. While it’s fun to blast down enemies and liberate settlements in these crazy conditions, it will strain your hardware massively, leading to stuttering frame rates and less than pristine visuals.
Overall, Just Cause 4 adds a fun twist on the established formula but loses a bit of steam in the process. If you’ve got a beefy PC that can handle it, this game can provide some awesome moments of destruction, but there are still two Just Cause games that are more fun to play.
2. Just Cause 2
Just Cause two came out four years after the first game, and in that time, developer Avalanche Studios perfected almost every element of the formula. With a better story, more diverse island, and refined gameplay mechanics, this sequel patches up any problems players had with the first game.
Not only is Just Cause 2 a prettier game with varied environments to explore, but it also nails open-world traversal better than any other game before it. Rico’s trusty grappling hook can now latch onto any surface, making it easy to travel through valleys and climb mountainous peaks.
Story missions do a great job of ushering you from one great location to the next, continuously providing adrenaline-pumping action. There’s even a competitive multiplayer mode that was created by fans and added to the game by Avalanche Studios, making it the only Just Cause game with official multiplayer support.
1. Just Cause 3
While some fans would argue that Just Cause 2 deserves the top spot, it’s hard to deny that Just Cause 3 is just as good. As always, the game follows Rico as he attempts to free a beautiful island country from a tyrannical government, but this time it’s his own homeland he must liberate.
Like the original game, Just Cause 3 prefers to let the player create their own action, providing a high level of freedom in how you progress through the game. The new wingsuit item makes navigating the map better than ever, while improvements to the grappling hook offer some creative ways to take down enemy forces.
The whole point of playing a Just Cause game is to cause a ruckus in a beautiful land, and Just Cause 3 delivers on that premise tenfold. It’s easy to get lost in the breezy tropical vibes as you whisk around the island, searching for your next target. When it’s time to lay down some pain, there are a plethora of options available, letting you tackle your objectives however you see fit.
Without a doubt, Just Cause three is one of the best open-world games of all time, providing unhinged, explosive madness for hours on end. If you have any interest in third-person action games and you haven’t checked this one out, you really owe it to yourself to play some Just Cause 3.