Summary
- North America, including the US and Canada, is known for top-tier open-world games.
- Insomniac brought Spidey's New York to life in Marvel's Spider-Man and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag was an open-world pinnacle.
It's a general rule of thumb that different parts of the world are great at different game genres. Japan is known for its incredible RPGs, Europe for its strategy games, and North American countries like the US and Canada have become more and more famous recently for a litany of brilliant open-world games.
10 Best Games That Redefined What It Means to Be Open-World
These games revolutionized the very concept of open-world games for the better.
Whether it's massive AAA renditions of New York in the superhero genre or elegiac odes to the Old West, there are plenty of great open-world games made by North American developers. The games here will be ranked both by the quality of the game, and the quality of the open-world environment.
7 Marvel's Spider-Man
It's Spidey's City
Marvel's Spider-Man
- Released
- September 7, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Insomniac Games
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Ever since the early PS2 days when open-world games were in their infancy, rendering the world of Spidey in a video game context was a slam-dunk idea, resulting in the still-beloved Spider-Man 2 movie tie-in game from that time. Though developers took some time away from that concept, Insomniac brought Spidey's New York back to center stage, making one of the best Spider-Man video games ever made in the process..
It's pretty difficult to not just make a convincing version of Manhattan in micro-cosm from the sky-high perspective of Spider-Man, but Insomniac clearly put in a lot of time to get the details right, making it fun to actually navigate around too. There's a reason why the map was transposed mostly unchanged to the sequel. It's that good.
6 Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
Hoist the Sails!
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
- Released
- October 29, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Open-World
Gamers are pretty divided these days on the direction of the Assassin's Creed games, but a hefty majority likely agree that Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag was the pinnacle of the franchise, balancing the open-world elements perfectly with the RPG and stealth gameplay, all set in the pirate-ridden world of 18th Century Carribbean.
Taking control of the Jackdaw, players can roam the beautiful island paradise filled with treasure, adventure, and one of the franchise's greatest stories to date. It's utterly unique in the open-world genre, and is still yet to be topped, though rumors of an upcoming remake may just manage it.
5 Far Cry 3
The Definition of Madness
Far Cry 3
- Released
- November 29, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Open-World
Though Far Cry and Far Cry 2 certainly had its fans, the franchise exploded in popularity with Far Cry 3, which brought the series back to a tropical island setting, now inhabited by some of the best marquee psychopath antagonists that defined the franchise from this point onwards.
In Far Cry 3, players wreak mayhem across two interconnected islands full of fun and a hefty dose of violence. Though the open-world itself isn't super unique, the actual game is still considered to be one of the best of the entire franchise on account of its great story and madcap gameplay.
4 World of Warcraft
Azeroth Unleashed
World of Warcraft
- Released
- November 23, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
For anyone who wasn't around for the original Warcraft games, it's hard to describe just how exciting the idea of World of Warcraft was when it first dropped in 2004. The expansive world of Azeroth was about to become fully explorable, setting the stage for literally decades of content and lore to come, and fans of Blizzard's work were absolutely delighted.
Azeroth is, to this day, still a stunning achievement in open-world design. Though it's a little cartoony by some standards today, the persistent world really feels like it's well-thought out, brimming with interesting characters, and full of secrets and lore for super-fans of Azeroth. World of Warcraft is one of the best open-world games to ever do it, and it rarely gets enough credit for being an open-world game pioneer.
3 Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls Elder Master
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- Released
- May 1, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox (Original)
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Though it's hard to find many Elder Scrolls fans who will agree on which game is the best, it's worth celebrating Morrowind that released all the way back in 2002, yet still commands legions of adoring fans for it's delightfully strange interpretation of Vvardenfell, acting as a gateway drug to the Elder Scrolls for millions.
For those who haven't played it, it's undeniable that Morrowind is a little janky in the modern day with some antiquated mechanical choices, but one those hurdles are overcome (perhaps with the help of a vibrant mod scene), Morrowind proves itself as one of the best open-world RPGs ever made, setting the template for countless first-person RPG open-world games to follow.
2 Red Dead Redemption
The Death Of The West
Red Dead Redemption
- Released
- May 18, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar San Diego
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Android, iOS
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
While Red Dead Redemption 2 may be the better game, it was also partially developed in Scotland, disqualifying it from this list. However, the original Red Dead Redemption is still a fantastic game that is still well worth playing today, being one of the best video game westerns ever made, second only to its prequel.
Red Dead Redemption 3: 8 Characters Who Need to Return
If there is ever a Red Dead Redemption 3, then it would be great to see these supporting characters make a return in some form.
Playing as John Marston on a mission to hunt down the remaining members of the Dutch Van Der Linde gang, Rockstar traded in the urban sprawl of Liberty City for the desolate wasteland of the deserts, plains, and mesas of the American West and Mexican frontier that truly carves a space all on its own in the gaming pantheon.
1 Fallout: New Vegas
Big Iron On His Hip
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- RPG
A lot of ink has spilled over the complex and incredible game design and world of Fallout: New Vegas, now considered to be one of the very finest open-world RPGs ever made. It deserves that title too. Single-handedly outclassing the mainline Bethesda games, Fallout: New Vegas demonstrates an unparalleled understanding of the Fallout world and the incredible stories that can be told in its post-apocalypse.
What really makes the game sing is the complex faction system that allows the player to navigate the future of New Vegas however they see fit with unparalleled freedom. They can eliminate everyone, try to solve differences, or simply let chaos reign. Paired with incredible writing, some of the best companions in the RPG genre, and the memorable Mojave Wasteland setting, and Fallout: New Vegas has a strong claim to be one of the best open-world RPGs ever made.
Best Semi-Open World Games
Semi-open world games are a middle ground between open-world and linear games, with multiple large maps that function as individual instances.