Summary
- Open-world games remain immensely popular, with many highly anticipated titles nearing release in the coming years.
- Major releases like GTA 6, The Witcher 4, and Crimson Desert promise vast, reactive worlds and a wealth of unique activities for fans.
- Ark 2 and DokeV appear to still be far from release, but already stand out due to their ambition and rich gameplay possibilities.
With their wide appeal, open-world games remain among the most popular titles in modern gaming, offering unparalleled freedom and gameplay variety to their fans by blending story, combat, exploration, unique traversal options, and rich side activities. The next few years are poised to be some of the most exciting for the genre in quite some time, even without considering the imminent launch of the highly anticipated GTA 6, which will undoubtedly set trends for years to come.
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One notable aspect of upcoming ambitious open-world games is how long players must wait for them these days. Due to the constant rise in cost and length of development, as well as ambitious goals set by developers, many games listed below were announced more than five years ago and have faced numerous delays. With many ambitious open-world games finally nearing release, let's take a look at the upcoming open-world games with ridiculous mechanics, promising to shake up the genre and surprise players.
Only open-world games that have been properly shown to the public are included, meaning anticipated games we still know almost nothing about, such as The Elder Scrolls 6, are excluded.
Where Winds Meet
Release Date: 14 November, 2025
Where Winds Meet
- Released
- November 14, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Wuxia, Open-World
Where Winds Meet has already launched in China to apparent success, but the rest of the world will only be able to play this epic and ambitious open-world wuxia game this fall. Unlike most open-world titles with similar mechanics, Where Winds Meet is a free-to-play game, positioned somewhere between a solo experience and an MMORPG in a shared world, with an emphasis on co-op adventures. This could lead to significant success for Where Winds Meet at launch, as players on PC and PS5 will be able to dive into its world of ancient China from day one with their friends.
While familiar at its core, offering third-person swordplay and exploration of a vast, beautiful world, Where Winds Meet is packed with unique mechanics. Its rhythm-based, fast-paced wuxia combat blends martial arts like Taichi, diverse weaponry, and special skills, alongside intriguing traversal mechanics for swift navigation, dozens of authentic activities in a dynamic, ever-changing world, and the ability to choose one's role by exploring distinct professions or joining various factions. Where Winds Meet promises hundreds of hours of adventures for solo players, coupled with seamless four-player co-op options that feature a wide range of group activities, including intense guild wars, challenging multiplayer dungeons, competitive duels, and epic raids.
Crimson Desert
Release Date: Q1 2026
Crimson Desert
- Released
- March 19, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World, Exploration
After numerous delays, the ambitious and highly anticipated Crimson Desert is nearing release, promising to shake up the open-world genre for solo action-RPG fans. Brimming with mechanics seemingly borrowed from recent popular open-world games, Crimson Desert is shaping up to be a truly epic narrative-driven adventure, drawing inspiration from Game of Thrones and The Witcher, set against the vast and beautiful continent of Pywel.
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Nearly every showcase of Crimson Desert has sparked lively debate, as the game offers an abundance of activities. Players will step into the shoes of Kliff, captain of the Greymanes, and embark on a journey across the continent, exploring a world filled with wonder and mystery while engaging in thrilling battles against both monsters and humans. Drawing from the best open-world games, Crimson Desert will offer a dynamic blend of epic boss battles, full-scale castle sieges, dragon riding, exciting traversal mechanics, and a variety of optional sandbox activities, including gathering, fishing, animal taming, crafting, and more.
GTA 6
Release Date: 26 May, 2026
Grand Theft Auto 6
- Released
- November 19, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
Despite nearing its release date (hopefully!), we still know relatively little about the gameplay mechanics of Grand Theft Auto 6, but there's plenty to be excited about. Described as the “biggest release in history,” GTA 6 is expected to be akin to “Everything: The Game,” outshining every other video game that came before it, including Rockstar's own impressive portfolio.
From the enormous and detailed open world of Vice City and its surroundings, featuring the most reactive NPCs ever, possibly drawing from Red Dead Redemption 2, to dozens of unique side activities with significant depth, GTA 6 is poised to offer something for everyone and will likely define entertainment for years to come.
The Witcher 4
Release Date: No Earlier Than 2027
The Witcher 4
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
The Witcher 4 made quite a splash with its Unreal Engine 5 tech demo, though players should note that it showcased technology rather than the game itself. Still, it offered hints at what to expect from the final game, which is confirmed to launch no earlier than 2027. We know Ciri will be a playable protagonist, and the world will be larger, more detailed, and more reactive than ever, with the game promising to be action-packed and cinematic, primarily driven by characters and their emotional stories.
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Beyond its stunning visuals, fans can expect many signature elements of The Witcher series to be reimagined in The Witcher 4. While familiar at its core, the upcoming action-RPG will likely feature fresh approaches to exploration, dialogue, monster hunting, combat, alchemy, and more.
Ark 2
Release Date: To Be Announced
ARK 2
- Released
- 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Ark 2 is currently in a quiet phase, as it has been some time since Studio Wildcard shared substantial updates. This year, the team confirmed its “complete dedication” to Ark 2's production, yet fans have seen little of the game beyond a brief teaser shown nearly five years ago. At the time, Ark 2 was presented as an incredibly ambitious open-world game, aiming to surpass its popular predecessor in every way while introducing innovative elements.
Developed in Unreal Engine 5, Ark 2 promises to fully leverage cutting-edge technology to bring its prehistoric world to life in stunning detail, alongside intriguing features like dynamic world events, sensory-based creature AI, advanced building and crafting systems, robust character progression, enhanced traversal mechanics in a shared world, souls-like inspired melee combat, and even cross-platform modding. Despite Studio Wildcard's proven expertise in creating an ambitious survival sandbox with the original Ark, the sequel's scope seems almost too grand to be true, but that remains to be seen.
DokeV
Release Date: To Be Announced
DokeV
- Developer(s)
- Pearl Abyss
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
DokeV, an impressive and ambitious title we currently know little about, instantly grabbed attention with its stunning 2021 showcase, promising a Pokémon-like experience in a vibrant, shared open-world environment. Since then, Pearl Abyss has gone almost completely silent about the title. However, it may be too early to worry, as almost the exact thing happened before with Crimson Desert, where the development team went quiet for years before delivering on its promise.
Whatever fate awaits DokeV, there's much to be excited about, especially for fans of Pokémon and indie-hit Palworld. The game's creature companions, known as Dokebi, appear fresh, diverse, and charming, while the fluid combat hints at familiar yet exciting mechanics, blending elements from franchises like Kingdom Hearts and Monster Hunter. Exploration and traversal suggest dynamic ways to navigate the expansive open-world map across various surfaces, from roads to water and air. Hopefully, our patience will be rewarded, and DokeV will re-emerge soon rather than being abandoned due to unexpected challenges.
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