Open-world game fans have been eating well since 2015 thanks to the technology found in the PS4 and Xbox One systems. It seems with each passing year, more and more developers are trying their hand at the genre. Some of these experiments work out well, and sometimes these open-world games are not filled with a lot of great content.
While they don’t all work out, these experiments should be applauded for trying to think outside the box. To commemorate a decade’s worth of achievements in the genre, these are the open-world games that are the most beloved. From fantasy worlds with RPG elements to sci-fi games with futuristic shooting, these are all must-plays.
Best Open-World Games Where You Can Invade Another Player's World
From Soulslikes to shooters, these game worlds are dangerous because of invading players.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Climb, Cook, And Fly Like This Link Guy
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
It may be corny to say, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild took players' collective breath away when it launched alongside the Switch in 2017. Players were treated to a league of improvements for the Zelda series and open-world games as a whole, such as the ability to glide and to climb nearly everything.
Nintendo learned from the best and implemented their own ideas to make things even better. It’s worth mentioning that the sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, is also good, but Breath of the Wild is the game that started a movement.
Elden Ring
FromSoftware Continues To Challenge Players
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
When FromSoftware released Demon’s Souls in 2009, it changed video games forever, and for a good decade, the developer put out many Soulslikes of the same caliber. Just when fans were starting to get a little bored with the formula, FromSoftware put out Elden Ring and reinvigorated the genre.
Now, players can explore a big, open world while still engaging with the difficult but rewarding Soulslike mechanics. Discovery is what makes this game great, as the world is covered in mysteries and challenges.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Making Quests Matter
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt changed how quest systems worked forever, as everything matters down to the very easy-to-complete fetch quest. This makes completing the game hard because it motivates players to do everything.
The amount of danger in the world added a new sense of thrill to exploring too. As strong as Geralt is, he’s not a Superman-style protagonist who can walk in and slay any monster. Players have to prep before big hunts to make the most out of Geralt’s Witcher powers, which can help create some of the most memorable encounters in the game.
Red Dead Redemption 2
The American Frontier
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Red Dead Redemption 2’s American frontier is unlike any other Western game. The world is massive, but it can seem empty at times, at least from big cities. However, there’s always something off the beaten path, from animals to catch to hunting trained killers, so it never feels dull.
Best Open-World Games For Feeling Like An OP Samurai
Want to feel like an unstoppable samurai warrior as you wade into battle? These top-notch open-world games have got you covered.
It’s as much an action game about bandits riding horses, robbing banks, and shooting enemies, as it is a Western simulator. Rockstar managed to meet both gameplay styles in the middle, to create one of their best games to date.
Ghost Of Tsushima
A Secluded Island In Japan
Ghost of Tsushima
- Released
- July 17, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Ghost of Tsushima is a great samurai game and a great ninja game all rolled into one. Players can follow either path with their vengeful hero, Jin, as he tries to take back his island from Mongol invaders. It’s a brutal quest, but the small moments in-between bloody rampages are the best, as the game's open world is gorgeous. From seaside cliffs to grassy plains, everything in the game clearly had a lot of care and attention paid to it.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Chocobo’s Paradise
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Released
- February 29, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the second part of Square Enix’s attempt to remake Final Fantasy 7. The first remake was a closed-off introduction to the city of Midgar, whereas this sequel is a fully realized open-world that explored most of the original game’s map with a lot more attention paid to it. Be it on foot, in a car, or on a Chocobo, players have a lot to see in a new light from their childhood. Plus, the combat is even more intense thanks to the influx of new playable characters and combos.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Lush Environments Filled With Deadly Creatures
Monster Hunter Wilds
- Released
- February 28, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Monster Hunter Wilds is the best game in the series for newcomers, thanks to many quality-of-life changes. As always, it’s best to go into missions with three others online, but if online isn’t great, then players can get NPCs to tag along. This helps a lot, on top of combat and movement controls feeling smoother.
The biggest new feature is the open world, which begins in an arid climate and switches between jungles and icy caverns seamlessly. There are many secrets waiting for curious explorers.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Webbing Up NYC
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Released
- October 20, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
Insomniac’s first Spider-Man game was great, along with the interquel about Miles, but Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has the best of both worlds. Swinging around New York City felt fast and fluid before, but traversal got a big upgrade in this sequel thanks to the wing suit attachment.
Best Open-World Games That Make You Happy
It’s hard not to smile while playing these open-world games.
Peter’s and Miles’ versions of Spider-Man both control like a dream between combat and exploring NYC. It may be a smaller world compared to other open-world games, but that doesn’t make it any less special.
Fallout 4
Bleak But A Blast
Fallout 4
- Released
- November 10, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Fallout 4 doesn’t have a pretty environment to explore, but the Boston area is brimming with eye-catching sights. Getting to see iconic places remade in a post-apocalyptic setting is one of the features Fallout fans love most about the series, even if things are dreary. Diamond City was inspired by Fenway Park, a famous baseball stadium, for example. Combat was largely improved too, as Bethesda gave players the opportunity to craft weaponry to take out all the wasteland bandits and critters with style.
Diablo 4
Top-Down Games Can Be Just As Open
Diablo 4
- Released
- June 5, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
Diablo 4 is the first game in the series to feature an open-world design, and even though it’s from a top-down perspective, it’s absolutely huge. The horse takes a while to unlock, but when it does, traversal becomes less of a hassle.
The world was great to see expanded, but fans were not robbed of the core action-looting experience either. Every class is fun to play alone or with friends, with deep customization options to make one character different from the last. No two Rogues, for example, will play the same.
Best Open-World Games On The Nintendo Switch 2
These giant open-world games can now be taken on the go thanks to the enhanced hardware in the Nintendo Switch 2.