Just like you probably enjoy getting to choose your own path in real life, you want to have the same freedom in your favorite video game. Open-world games like The Division 2 have only continued to grow in popularity since their release.
While this genre of gaming can be a little intimidating for anyone without tons of experience in gaming, there are plenty of great open-world games to chose from. Ranging from first-person shooter games to RPGs and action-adventure titles, our list will have something for everyone.
Elden Ring
95%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
FromSoftware
Publisher
Bandai Namco Entertainment, FromSoftware
Release
February 25, 2022
If there’s one thing you can always count on from a FromSoftware game, it’s that it’ll be a hell of an experience. While Dark Souls may have propelled the developer to stardom, it’s Elden Ring that secured the studio as one of the greatest of all time. Elden Ring brings all the punishing combat and tense environmental challenges to an utterly massive open-world adventure overflowing with secrets that run so deep that many players may never even stumble on entire biomes within it. It is, without a doubt, one of the most stunning examples of an open world ever made and shouldn’t be missed.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
89%
Platforms
PlayStation 5
Genre
Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
Developer
Insomniac Games
Publisher
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release
October 20, 2023
Though Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales were exceptional open-world action-adventure games, it’s really Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that sees the series truly meet its potential. Everything here is bigger, bolder, and more exciting than ever, providing players with an opportunity to play as both Peter and Miles on a quest that sees them working side-by-side while also dealing with personal conflicts that threaten to pull them apart. If you’re a fan of web-slinging fun, there’s no better Spider-Man game on the market.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
95%
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
Nintendo EPD Production Group No. 3
Publisher
Nintendo
Release
May 12, 2023
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild redefined open worlds when it launched in 2017, but somehow Nintendo managed to make its 2023 follow-up The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom everything a sequel should be and then some. It fixes a variety of tedious aspects from the original, giving players significantly more options for efficiently traversing the world and providing thrilling new powers that change up gameplay in the best possible way. Fans will probably be comparing this duology for decades to come, but Tears of the Kingdom wins our vote and is one of the greatest open-world titles available.
Tom Clancy's The Division 2
77%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Tactical, Adventure
Developer
Massive Entertainment
Publisher
Ubisoft Entertainment
Release
March 15, 2019
A major improvement in mission design, variety, and endgame content compared with its predecessor, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 didn’t make drastic changes, but it implemented players’ feedback in a way that made it a much more enjoyable game. Weapons feel more like weapons and less like toys this time around, with normal enemies not taking dozens of bullets to kill, and Washington, D.C., has varied environments filled with businesses and greenery. Once players finish the main storyline in The Division 2, the entire map changes, creating new threats that weren’t there at the beginning of the game. A return to New York City is even coming in a free update, and the purchase price includes expansions to keep the community together.
The Surge 2
73%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
Deck13 Interactive
Publisher
Focus Entertainment
Release
September 24, 2019
The Surge featured a novel limb-targeting system and interesting streamlined take on a Souls-like experience, but its world was drab, and areas blended together because of the large industrial complex setting. For The Surge 2, Deck13 took the action into a nearby city with much more variety. Giant forests, museums, corporate facilities, shopping centers, and even waterside depots are all included in the world, and it still manages to fold in on itself — sections you reach hours into the game will reveal themselves to be right next to much earlier areas. What didn’t need to change was the combat, and it remains as tight and intense as ever. Players can choose from even more weapons, many found by defeating powerful bosses, and the game’s later stages kick up the difficulty considerably and test every move at players’ disposal.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
88%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher
Bethesda Softworks
Release
November 10, 2011
The standard by which other open-world games have been measured since its release in 2011, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the best Bethesda game ever made — and given the number of ports it has received on everything from the Nintendo Switch to PlayStation VR, the company knows it. Set in an unforgiving and often frozen world filled with undead creatures, giants, and plenty of fire-breathing dragons, Skyrim is so packed full of memorable lore and quests that it’s almost impossible to see the game in its entirety. Of course, that hasn’t stopped players from trying.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
94%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
CD Projekt RED
Publisher
WB Games, Bandai Namco Entertainment, cdp.pl, Spike ChunSoft
Release
May 19, 2015
CD Projekt Red has a knack for telling intimate and grounded stories despite magic and fantasy elements so prevalent in its work, and this has never been more apparent than in The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. Set in an absolutely enormous open world filled with countless quests, The Witcher III somehow avoids having any filler. The characters you meet are all interesting, the smallest side quests have unique and often funny twists and turns, and the environments are stunningly realized. It can be rather overwhelming, but those who only plan on playing one game for the next few years can do a whole lot worse.
Batman: Arkham City
87%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, OnLive Game System, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
Developer
Rocksteady Studios
Publisher
WB Games, DC Entertainment
Release
October 18, 2011
The best-realized version of Rocksteady Games’ Batman adventure, Batman: Arkham City has everything a fan could want in a video game. Gotham City’s closed-off prison has expanded into the streets, with gangs and famous villains free to commit heinous crimes with little repercussion. The odds are stacked against the Caped Crusader, whose battle with the Joker reaches a climactic boiling point. Soaring through the air, throwing gadgets, and just pummeling enemies into oblivion feels amazing, and there are a ton of collectibles hidden in the city’s many nooks and crannies.
Horizon Zero Dawn
88%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
Guerrilla Games
Publisher
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release
February 28, 2017
Take robot dinosaurs, futuristic bows, and a civilization fractured to the point of being unrecognizable, and you get Horizon Zero Dawn. A full-fledged role-playing game and one of the best action titles of the generation, Horizon Zero Dawn gradually presents you with even more terrifying and difficult threats as you explore its destroyed post-apocalyptic world, and the mix of overgrown foliage and cold, sharp metal is nothing for of stunning. With plenty of points to climb and multiple ways to approach combat scenarios, it makes the most of its space to deliver as a stealth game or an all-out action-packed shooter.
Grand Theft Auto V
89%
Platforms
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Release
June 15, 2022
Rockstar practically invented the modern open-world game with Grand Theft Auto III, and the series was never better than it was in 2013’s Grand Theft Auto V. Set in the gorgeous Los Santos and surrounding metropolitan area, Grand Theft Auto V features everything from bank robberies to a full-scale tennis simulator, and you can do any of them for hours on end. With three protagonists to switch between at nearly any time, you can jump from destination to destination in a hurry, and the game’s online component lets you cause mayhem with your friends, as well.
Red Dead Redemption 2
92%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
Rockstar Games
Publisher
Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games
Release
October 26, 2018
It’s reductive to call Red Dead Redemption II a western version of the Grand Theft Auto series, but that’s only because you get even more freedom in Rockstar’s latest open-world adventure. The prequel offers a massive southwestern world to explore on horseback or foot, with different quest lines emerging naturally as you interact with locals or spot a dangerous outlaw in the wild. Simply heading off in any direction almost always results in finding something interesting to do, whether it be a new animal to hunt, a bounty target to bring in, or a house to burglarize.
Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag
83%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia
Genre
Platform, Adventure
Developer
Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher
Ubisoft Entertainment
Release
October 29, 2013
Wildly different from every preceding game in the series, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is ostensibly a game about the ongoing war between the Assassins and the Templars, but it’s actually the best pirate game ever in disguise. With a ship loaded up with crew members, you can sail into the sea and ambush passersby, launching cannonballs at their hull before hopping aboard yourself and picking apart their measly fighters. Small island villages are surrounded by trees, creating unique stealth scenarios when taking out targets on land, and buried treasure gives you reason to explore the entire map.
Minecraft
84%
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Genre
Simulator, Adventure
Developer
Mojang Studios
Publisher
Mojang Studios
Release
November 18, 2011
An open world so large, you’ll never see the entire thing, Minecraft became every child’s obsession because its gameplay loop is so engrossing and addictive. Finding resources while trying to fend off the elements and a variety of spooky monsters, your goal is to continue building a larger and more formidable home for yourself, and just when you thought you couldn’t make it any fancier, you discover a new element or construction technique to take your architectural abilities a step further. Fun by yourself but even more enjoyable with a friend, Minecraft can become your only game – and it will if you let it.
Forza Horizon 4
82%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Racing
Developer
Playground Games
Publisher
Xbox Game Studios
Release
October 02, 2018
Yes, you’re in a vehicle for the entirety of Forza Horizon 4, but the latest game from Playground feels much more like an open-world game than a racing simulator. Rural England is filled with drifting challenges, ramps to jump, speed traps, and hidden cars to collect, and when you do finally try out a race, many of them take you on cross-country journeys through the woods, rolling hillsides, and even beaches. Friends can drop into your game at any moment, as well, and you can drive around tackling the many challenges together.
Far Cry 4
77%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia
Genre
Shooter, Tactical, Adventure
Developer
Ubisoft Montreal
Release
November 18, 2014
Far Cry 3 reinvented the fish-out-of-water shooter series with its focus on charismatic villains, hunting and crafting, and all-out chaos, but it was its sequel that perfected the formula. Set in a fictional Himalayan country called Kyrat, the world of Far Cr 4 is similar in size to its predecessor, but it’s packed full of content like enemy outposts, climbable towers, hidden caves, and side missions. With the series’ fantastic shooting controls, a worthy villain in Pagan Min, and a more personable protagonist, it’s an emotional and brutal journey for those willing to see it through to the end.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
85%
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre
Shooter, Tactical, Adventure
Developer
Kojima Productions
Publisher
Konami
Release
September 01, 2015
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain de-emphasizes the best aspects of previous games in the series will emphasizing the things no one liked in those games, and it somehow works. An open-world stealth-action game with dozens of ways to approach any situation, Big Boss can sneak into a base completely undetected to steal some intelligence, or he can call in an attack helicopter to support him as he floors it through the front gate on a truck filled with C4. The story is almost nonexistent at points, but the level of freedom Hideo Kojima and his team give to you makes it one of the best stealth games ever made.
Infamous: Second Son
78%
Platforms
PlayStation 4
Genre
Shooter, Platform, Adventure
Developer
Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher
Sony Computer Entertainment
Release
March 21, 2014
It’s easy for gamers to overlook Infamous: Second Son since it came out during PlayStation 4’s first few years. But this visually stunning Sucker Punch game features incredible superhero gameplay that deserves more attention. The game lives up to superhero standards and gives you different powers such as smoke-throwing, fire-spitting, and flying, all of which change in response to shifts in your environment. You get to choose your storyline via morality checks, giving you the option to go with a traditional good guy doing the right thing or a cutthroat villain walking the path of self-service.
