"Burnout Paradise" (2008) is credited as the first open-world racing game to execute the concept successfully

Explanation

Previous titles like "Test Drive Unlimited", "Midnight Club", and "Need for Speed" had attempted open-world formats, but critics and developers note that Criterion's "Burnout Paradise" was the first to make the style of play "work" by focusing on a dense, curated sandbox rather than vast, empty spaces. While "Forza Horizon" later popularized the formula on a larger scale, "Burnout Paradise" remains a "gold standard" for arcade-style open-world racing, influencing major franchises like "Need for Speed" and "DiRT".