Best open worlds
You are a great video game enthusiast and always looking for new titles to try: you have decided that your next adventure will be an open world , a game that allows you to interact with a vast and explorable virtual world, approaching the game objectives freely and have fun discovering characters, stories and all the other elements that populate the setting.
So, determined to find out which are the best open worlds , you did a search and you ended up right here, on my blog. How do you say? Did I guess? Then fear not, you are in the right place. In this guide, I’ll tell you about different open world titles available on computers and consoles such as PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Switch. Finally, if you prefer mobile gaming, I will also recommend video games for Android and iOS / iPadOS.
So, let’s not waste any more precious time: make yourself comfortable and take a few minutes to read the next paragraphs. I am sure that by the end of this guide, you will have identified some titles to try and you will be looking forward to turning on your console and venturing into the vast virtual worlds that the selection I am about to propose has to offer. Have a good reading and have fun!
Index
- Best open world ever
- Best open world PCs
- Best PS4 and PS5 open worlds
- Best open world Switch
- Best Xbox open world
- Best open world Android and iOS / iPadOS
Best open world ever
Open world video games, with their vast and explorable worlds, guarantee an immersive and personal gaming experience, all to be dedicated to the discovery of characters and secondary stories and “goodies” hidden behind the main plot. This is precisely what has always attracted gamers to these titles: the ones I’m about to offer you are the best open world ever , from the classics to the most recent releases.
Best open world PCs
Let’s start this guide with the best open worlds for PC and in particular with Cyberpunk 2077 , the first title I want to recommend, an adventure that takes place in the futuristic megalopolis of Night City, where power, fashion and cybernetic upgrades are king. As an outlaw mercenary in search of immortality, you can explore the vast city, customize your cyberware, skills and make your own choices that will affect the world and history.
CYBERPUNK 2077 D1 Edition PC
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Far Cry 5 is instead an exciting chapter of the famous and award-winning Far Cry series , set in Hope County, Montana, a freely explorable region where an apocalyptic cult, the Eden’s Gate Project, has besieged the local community: a fully customizable adventure in a vast open world where you can face cult leaders and lead the resistance with the help of mercenaries and special vehicles.
Far Cry 5 – Standard Edition – PC [Edition: Germany]
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The action titles Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain , the two parts of the fifth chapter of the iconic Metal Gear Solid series, are the first open worlds of the house. Ground Zeroes takes up the story of Big Boss in Cuba, in the Camp Omega base, to be explored in search of two young prisoners, while the second instead presents a huge open world with two maps, Africa and Afghanistan, freely explorable and diversified, with cities , villages, ruins and enemy bases, as well as natural landscapes with deserts, jungles, canyons and river areas.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – PC
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Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
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Even the beloved Minecraft , the most purchased video game ever, offers a procedural 3D open world (i.e. generated as the player immerses himself in exploration) in which to venture out in search of materials for the construction of tools and structures. Lacking any real missions to complete, the player is totally free to move between the different biomes and environments.
Minecraft Windows 10 Starter Collection | Download Code
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Biomutant is instead a post-apocalyptic action RPG, whose protagonist is a genetically modified creature that faces the dangers of a hostile and vast world, struck by a natural disaster that has polluted the Tree of Life and inhabited by tribes whose fate is influenced by player choice and enemy mutant creatures.
If you are looking for an interesting free open world game, consider Genshin Impact , an open world action RPG developed by the Chinese company miHoYo: it is strongly based on the exploration of a constantly developing world. In the guise of one of the twin protagonists Aether and Lumine or of the numerous characters available, it allows you to move between the nations of the continent of Teyvat, each characterized by different environments and cultural peculiarities, to discover the secrets of this mysterious land.
For more titles, I invite you to read the guide that I have dedicated specifically to the best PC games ever .
Best PS4 and PS5 open worlds
Let’s now move on to the best open worlds for PS4 and PS5. As you may know, the PlayStation 5 console is backward compatible with many of the PlayStation 4 games – you can play the titles I’m about to list on both consoles.
So, I can’t help but start this chapter with Red Dead Redemption 2 , one of the most popular PlayStation titles ever: for the breathtaking western setting, the solid storyline, the vastness of details and the possibilities of exploration and customization of the adventure have made critics define it as the most immersive open world ever , as well as one of the best action and adventure games. It also offers an additional storyline with the online mode, which allows you to create your own character and become part of the world in first person.
Red Dead Redemption 2 – PlayStation 4
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Horizon: Zero Dawn is another award-winning open world title, which follows the legendary journey of the huntress Aloy as she uncovers the mysteries of a world dominated by Machines and conflicts between rival tribes to reveal the secrets of one’s past while battling the dangers of the vast and interesting open world.
Horizon: Zero Dawn – Complete Edition PS4 – Complete – PlayStation 4
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Among the most recent and most critically acclaimed video games, I also recommend Death Stranding , set in the dismal and vast open world of the now devastated United States of America, following a cataclysm that caused the dissolution of human society and populated the Earth. of mysterious and disturbing creatures. As courier Sam Porter Bridges, tasked with delivering supplies and restoring communication between surviving communities, you can explore the entire map of these wastelands and uncover an introspective and compelling storyline.
Death Stranding – PlayStation 4
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If, on the other hand, you prefer dark fantasy and “soulslike” titles, Bloodborne is an exclusive title for PlayStation 4 among the best known and critically acclaimed: this exploratory video game is set in the city of Yharnam, whose inhabitants have been transformed into monstrous creatures by a mysterious disease. As you explore the streets of the city as the protagonist, you can discover the secrets of Yharnam as you fight the infected inhabitants and stop the infection.
PS4 Bloodborne – Game of The Year Edition – Game of The Year – PlaySta …
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If you are looking for a slightly more special adventure, Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero open world underwater may be the most suitable for your next adventure. This survival game allows you to build your own fully customized underwater base and explore the vastness of the ocean on a mysterious alien planet, full of dangerous creatures and environments, until you descend into the deepest abysses to discover the secrets of an ancient civilization. Subnautica also supports VR mode , which allows you to immerse yourself in the immense virtual ocean for a truly unique experience.
Subnautica – PlayStation 4
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The second title in the series, Subnautica: Below Zero , is based on the same premises, but is set in a frigid and even more hostile alien underwater world, where survival is also threatened by temperatures.
Subnautica Below Zero – Playstation 4
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The beauty of Ghost of Tsushima’s open world and its stunning graphics has been highly acclaimed by critics, so much so that the title is inducted into the Platinum Hall of Fame in the New Game Cross Review : The Reconquest of Tsushima from the Mongol invasion of The thirteenth century undertaken by the samurai Jin Sakai is an experience as immersive as it is stimulating, with unique game dynamics, the adaptive landscape and even an online mode, to explore the Japanese island in all its cured peculiarities.
Ghost of Tsushima – Standard – PlayStation 4
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Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut – PlayStation 5
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Another highly regarded title you may have heard of is Grand Theft Auto V , in which as a petty criminal, a retired bank robber and a dangerous psychopath are led by circumstances to team up to commit crimes in the city of Los Santos, fully explorable and with a great abundance of side missions and eccentric characters who, thanks to the wide possibilities of interaction with the environment, reveal the story of a world torn apart by crime.
Grand Theft Auto V – Premium Edition – PlayStation 4 [IT Edition]
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Finally, Fallout 4 offers an open world ravaged by nuclear war: as the sole survivor of Vault 111 you can face the difficulties of saving your faction in the Zone and define their fate with your choices. The history of the Zone is to be discovered through the exploration of the world in all its details, to meet the communities that were formed after the nuclear war, find allies, defeat ghouls, zombies and beasts afflicted by the effects of nuclear attacks.
Fallout 4 PlayStation Hits – PlayStation 4
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If you are interested in discovering even more PlayStation games, I also have guides here for you in which I have specifically covered the best PSN and PS Now games and the best ever for PS4 .
Best open world Switch
So let’s get to the games for Switch : in a guide on the best open world I can’t fail to mention The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , the beloved title of the classic Nintendo saga that marked the transition from the Wii U console to Nintendo Switch and won the award for Best Game of the Year at the Game Awards in 2017. In this chapter, the protagonist Link awakens in the world of Hyrule with no memory of his past and sets out on a long journey in search of answers, exploring vast lands and challenging dangers before the whole kingdom disappears.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch
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As for the games of the main Mario series , Super Mario Odyssey is open world in which the famous protagonist follows the enemy Bowser around the world, aboard the Odyssey flying ship, to save Princess Peach. The peculiarity of this title consists precisely in the importance of exploration: Mario moves freely in the realms to find the moons of energy, which power the ship, interacting with the surrounding environment.
Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo Switch
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For RPG lovers , Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is the ideal adventure: this classic title for Nintendo has made its return in this definitive edition that allows you to live the adventures of Shulk by embarking on a journey into a world full of dangers, with cities and lands to be explored, facing the monsters that invade them, the titans Bionis and Mechanis and forging bonds to change the future and escape extinction.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (Nintendo Switch)
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The series that marked the entire RPG video game genre, Dragon Quest , also offers a title in which the open world component is fundamental: in Dragon Quest Builders 2 you can create your character and build a new world to bring the Island back to life. of the Awakening, destroyed by the Sons of Hargon, exploring the world and moving freely to gather resources and also improve as a warrior.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 – Nintendo Switch
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As for dark fantasy titles, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition is an award-winning video game with a vast world to explore, including rich cities and icy islands, open sea navigation and the mysterious dark forces of No Man’s Land. , fighting as the mercenary Geralt in a 150+ hour gameplay story.
The WITCHER 3 Wild Hunt Complete Edition Light Edition Switch – Comple …
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If you are a fan of the iconic Assassin’s Creed series, you will surely appreciate Assassin’s Creed: The Rebel Collection , a Nintendo Switch edition that includes the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin’s Creed Rogue titles . The first, set in the Caribbean seas to be explored on the Jackdaw ship and diving to reach deserted islands, wrecks on the ocean floor and participate in naval battles; in the second, instead, you can interact with the open world of the American continent, in the regions of the North Atlantic, the River Valley and New York, in both terrestrial and marine environments by attacking naval forts and the bases of criminal gangs.
Assassin’s Creed: The Rebel Collection Nsw – Nintendo Switch
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Finally, a classic thriller: the crime video game LA Noire for Switch is set in 1947 Los Angeles, where detective Cole Phelps solves violent crimes, extortion rounds and plots inspired by real events. The city is freely explorable for the search for clues, suspects and witnesses to be interrogated to bring the truth to the surface.
LA Noire – Nintendo Switch
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To discover even more titles available on Nintendo Switch, I also recommend reading this guide that I wrote about the best that the Nintendo catalog has to offer.
Best Xbox open world
Now, we can see instead the titles for the Xbox family consoles , some of which are also available in Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription .
To start, Forza Horizon 4 is an open world driving game, exclusive for Xbox One and Windows 10 and available in enhanced version for Xbox Series X / S . Set in Great Britain, it differs from the other titles in the Horizon series for the dynamism of the seasons, the change of which changes the surrounding environment and rainfall, wind and temperatures affect the driving of racing cars.
Forza Horizon 4 Standard Edition, Pegi 3, Xbox One, 4K UKTRA HD, HDR, …
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Sea of Thieves instead presents an open world ready to be conquered in the guise of pirates: navigation and exploration go hand in hand with combat in an exciting gaming experience, in which you venture in search of treasures, fighting mysterious supernatural dangers, sea creatures and cursed captains on pristine islands, even on numerous side missions, in complete freedom.
Sea of Thieves – Xbox One
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Another title in the Assassin’s Creed series that I want to recommend is Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla , an adventure to be experienced as a legendary Viking fighter who leads the conquest of the lands of England in the 9th century. The RPG structure joins the exploration of a vast medieval world in which to fight for survival with alliances, strategies, choices and dialogues that influence the story to write the fate of the clan.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Xbox – Xbox One
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Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands , the tenth chapter of the Ghost Recon series , is instead an open world shooter set in Bolivia, where the Santa Blanca cartel has taken power: the special unit Ghost will face the dangers of this modern open world with the mission to destabilize Santa Blanca. The environment is varied and includes a dynamic weather system, with the possibility of exploring the Bolivian lands with civilian and military vehicles, choosing how to complete the missions in total freedom.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands – Xbox One
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Another title that I cannot fail to mention is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim , the famous open world RPG among the most famous ever. This chapter of the saga preserves the gameplay style of the other titles of The Elder Scrolls , allowing the free exploration of the territory of the Skyrim region, between one hundred and fifty dungeons and five cities in which the protagonist can settle or attack, with secondary missions generated depending on the player progress.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition – Xbox One
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No Man’s Sky is instead an action and adventure title, not only open world, but more specifically “open universe” : it presents a vast alien universe, with 18 trillion unique planets, each with its own particular flora and fauna, which is procedurally generated. As a space explorer, players can embark on a spaceship to discover ever new planets, interacting freely with the environment and fighting against the dangers that arise along the way.
No Man’s Sky – Xbox One
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Instead, let’s return to Earth with Watch Dogs 2 , the sequel to Watch Dogs that transforms the San Francisco Bay Area into an open world in which to hack any database of enemies and inhabitants, the infrastructure of the city, vehicles and devices, manipulating them to give life to thrilling adventures as a hacker from the DedSec group and destroy the city surveillance system. The entire area is the battlefield, which can be explored in total freedom.
Watch_Dogs 2 – Xbox One
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The sequel Watch Dogs: Legion is also a valid open world that allows you to explore the London of 2026, fighting an authoritarian state founded on the same ctOS surveillance system used in the previous title. Unlike Watch Dogs 2, however, it gives you the ability to play with multiple recruitable characters while navigating the open world, on foot, in a vehicle, or even on the London Underground.
Watch Dogs Legion – Limited [Amazon Exclusive] – Xbox One
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Even in the case of Xbox consoles, I have selected even more titles from the best available in some guides that I invite you to consult, dedicated to the best Xbox 360 games and those offered by the Xbox Game Pass service .
Best open world Android and iOS / iPadOS
Perhaps you prefer mobile gaming rather than fixed consoles: even in this case, the titles available for both Android and iOS / iPadOS are not lacking, and I point out some of the most valid below.
- Terraria( Android / iOS ) – this open world game is similar to Minecraft, with a randomly generated world in which to explore, interact with resources, build objects and fight against monsters and creatures.
- Ark: Survival Evolved( Android / iOS ) – a survival game set in a prehistoric open world, a freely explorable island where you can hunt and join tribes with allied players.
- Six-Guns: Gangs Showdown( Android / iOS ) – this is a western game loved by millions of players for its many missions and cities to explore in the Wild West, in which to challenge outlaws and even supernatural enemies with gunshots in a vast open world.
- MadOut2 BigCityOnline( Android / iOS ) – this game falls under the battle royale genre and allows you to challenge up to 100 players who move freely in a city by taking on car races, driving and fighting in brawls with a variety of different weapons.
- Oceanhorn( Android / iOS ) – a title that offers minigames and puzzles to solve in freely explorable islands, collecting treasures and venturing into the Lost Seas.
- Sky – Children of the Light( Android / iOS ) – is a pleasant game without fighting, dedicated to the exploration of dream worlds to unravel their mysteries and meet other players from all over the world with relaxing characters, music and graphics.
- Old School RuneScape( Android / iOS ) – playable cooperatively with other players online or alone, this great classic allows you to explore Gielinor, a planet with different environments and climates and inhabited by humans and fantastic creatures, to complete missions and discover the secrets of runes magic.
For more titles also in different genres, I recommend reading the guides that I have dedicated to different types of video games, such as the best MMORPGs , the best RPGs and even the best Battle Royale .