Summary
- Sengoku Dynasty offers a calm, village-building experience in Feudal Japan, focusing on survival and progress.
- Rise of the Ronin presents a detailed, interactive setting with moral decisions and impactful combat mechanics.
- Ghost of Tsushima delivers engaging, historical samurai gameplay in a well-crafted open world full of cinematic views.
The settings used for open-world games often vary, since some companies choose to create entirely new environments for their releases, while others draw heavily from real-world places, trying to reproduce those scenarios in a faithful or freer way. This approach gives players immersion that feels closer to reality, with recognizable landscapes, customs, and architectural styles.
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Among the best open-world games set in Japan, the titles that stand out are those able to capture the country’s essence in an engaging way. Whether they use real locations with high fidelity or create fictional regions inspired by Japan, the best games are the ones that give the player a true sense of exploration, letting them discover cultural elements, traditions, and unique visuals that point directly to the Japanese archipelago.
8 Sengoku Dynasty
One Of The Most Peaceful Open Worlds In Feudal Japan
Sengoku Dynasty
- Released
- August 10, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Alcohol Reference, Blood, Language, Violence
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Life Simulation, Open-World
While many games set in Japan choose intense action or historical conflict, Sengoku Dynasty delivers a more contemplative and calm experience compared with those titles. Located in the Nata Valley during the Sengoku period, the game invites players to build villages, farm the land, and form community bonds amid the chaos of war, following a serene pace focused on survival and progress.
With solo and co-op modes, open-world exploration blends with robust systems for automation, crafting, and dynasty management. Hence, it is among the best open-world games set in Japan for presenting a slightly different proposal from what the genre usually offers, providing a more peaceful, immersive option, perfect for anyone seeking a slice of the country’s culture without constant combat.
7 Rise Of The Ronin
The Game Portrays A Japan In Transformation
Rise of the Ronin
- Released
- March 22, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Adventure, Open-World
Set in the 19th century, Rise of the Ronin explores Japanese settings during the Bakumatsu period, guiding players through one of the nation’s most turbulent historical moments. Besides offering large free-roam areas, the game includes several important cities, such as Kyoto and Yokohama, for players to visit along the journey.
In addition to recreating its maps with careful detail, the game provides an interactive setting where moral decisions shape the course of the story and relationships mold the narrative’s outcome. Combat blends the legacy of Nioh with new mechanics, and player mobility expands through gliders, horses, and grappling hooks, making it one of the most complete experiences among the best open-world games set in Japan.
6 Judgment
Yakuza Spin-Off Offers A New View Of Kamurocho
Judgment
- Released
- June 25, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
While the Yakuza/Like a Dragon games take a more eccentric narrative approach, treating serious themes with an irreverent, exaggerated tone, Judgment provides a contrasting option for players. This spin-off, though it still contains some of the series’ usual comic moments, aims to create a more sober atmosphere throughout the story, letting players follow the investigations of Yakayuki Yagami.
Because they belong to the same franchise, Judgment and Like a Dragon share some similarities, such as the open-world setting inspired by Japan, specifically the district of Kamurocho. Even with these shared elements, each game delivers a different experience, both in the content available to explore in the city and in the way each narrative unfolds, granting distinct perspectives.
5 Ghostwire: Tokyo
One Of The Most Atmospheric Open Worlds Set In Japan
Ghostwire: Tokyo
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 67%
- Released
- March 25, 2022
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Tango Gameworks
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
WHERE TO PLAY
Shibuya is one of Japan’s most iconic districts, often used in games for its visual identity, and Ghostwire: Tokyo innovates by turning this vibrant location into a desolate setting ruled by spirits and supernatural phenomena. The city adopts a dark tone, with neon-lit streets reflecting a corrupted reality, creating one of the most distinctive environments among open-worlds set in Japan.
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By blending first-person action with psychological horror and Japanese folklore, the game offers a unique experience. Using spells based on Kuji-kiri and elemental abilities, it presents simple yet immersive combat, where exploration’s verticality lets players discover a modern, mysterious Japan layered with cultural facets less known to Western audiences.
4 Assassin's Creed Shadows
Offers One Of The Most Dynamic Feudal Japan Open-World Environments
Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Released
- March 20, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Ubisoft has long been known for taking the Assassin’s Creed franchise to different historical periods and portraying each setting with notable accuracy, and the same happened with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This entry faithfully adapts the series’ open-world concept to wide Japanese landscapes, delivering an immersive atmosphere with several visually impressive scenes across castles, villages, and countryside.
One of the title’s main highlights is its season and weather system, because as players roam the map and venture through those areas, the environment can undergo drastic changes. In addition, the game features several key historical figures from the era, most notably Oda Nobunaga, who spearheaded the initial unification process of the country during turbulent times.
3 Shenmue
Open World Was One Of The Most Ambitious At Its Launch
Shenmue
- Released
- December 29, 1999
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Shenmue was well ahead of its time at launch, because it already tried to apply open-world concepts that would only become popular years later. Even then, it amazed players by faithfully capturing the suburban lifestyle of 1980s Japan, with bustling streets, small shops, NPC routines, and other interactions that formed one of the era’s most memorable settings.
Although it offers a more contained structure compared with modern open-world games, Shenmue moves at an immersive, realistic pace. Thus, every aspect of the protagonist’s investigation into his father's death is shaped by the environment, because NPC routines and even the weather affect the game’s atmosphere, yet those who simply like to explore will still find plenty of content in Yokosuka.
2 Ghost Of Tsushima
Game Is One Of The Best Open-World Games Set In Japan
Ghost of Tsushima
- Released
- July 17, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Besides being one of the titles that best portray samurai in a historical way, Ghost of Tsushima goes further, also offering players an excellent open-world experience for those fascinated by Japan. Inspired by the Mongol invasions during the Kamakura era, the game lets players explore many parts of the island where the story unfolds, all in an immersive, well-crafted manner.
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Much of that stems from the game’s artistic direction, which recreates Tsushima in a way that offers an engaging open world to explore, filled with stylized yet cinematic views of Feudal Japan, vibrant colors, and dramatic lighting. These factors, aligned with combat that works very well, make the Ghost of Tsushima experience essential for fans of this historical period of Japan.
1 Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Open World Takes Players To A City Inspired By Kabukichō
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
- Released
- November 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
A major reference for portraying Japanese culture, the Yakuza series has already taken players to different areas of Japan, especially Tokyo’s districts, and the experience in Yakuza: Like a Dragon ranks among the best open-world options that JRPGs provide. Here, players can explore a modern version of Kamurocho, one of the franchise’s most iconic locations for many fans and featured in several games.
Inspired by Kabukichō, Tokyo’s red-light district, this map may not be as expansive as other Japanese open worlds, but it compensates with impressive content density. Between main quests, side quests, battles, and a wide variety of minigames, there is always something to do, and the more compact structure also makes navigation easier, letting players move around the map quickly.
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