Within the world of gaming, there are so many different genres to choose from, each offering a unique experience that simply can’t be found elsewhere. Open-world games are easily one of the most popular, and it is easy to see why, as not only do players have access to a gigantic environment to explore and conquer, but they also get to experience an epic narrative over the course of a dozen, if not hundreds of hours.
Best Co-Op Open-World Games
Here are a variety of options for the best co-op games that can be experienced in an open world setting.
There are literally 1000s of games to choose from, coming from countless iconic developers, but among them all stand a select few that are widely considered to be the best in one of the most stacked gaming categories. It doesn’t matter who the player is or what kind of game they are looking for; it is pretty hard to argue that these titles are anything other than loved and adored by the entire community.
Elden Ring
Setting A New Standard To Clear
Details:
- Gigantic sprawling world
- Insane enemy and environmental variety
Elden Ring redefined how many people saw the open-world genre, as the world wasn’t just a large environment full of random points of interest, but an interconnected web of hidden structures and breathtaking landscapes that each brought with them new challenges and secrets for players to discover.
Part of what makes the game so great is the actual gameplay, as FromSoftware managed to not only translate their signature soulslike combat to a much larger playing field, but they also went above and beyond in terms of the number of builds possible in a single game. Even though it is only a few years old, it has already cemented itself in the hall of fame and will continue to amaze players for decades to come.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Storytelling At Its Finest
Details:
- Meaningful side quests
- Consequences ripple across regions
The Witcher 3 elevated the concept of an open-world narrative by treating side content with the same care as its main story. The Continent feels alive, shaped by political tension, moral ambiguity, and richly written characters that all feel equally important in the wider context of the world.
Best Open-World Games On Xbox Game Pass
Looking for an open-world adventure to crack into on Xbox Game Pass? These are the best open-world games currently available on Microsoft’s service.
On the exploration side of things, players are driven by curiosity rather than necessity, and each region offers a huge amount of meaningful content instead of just random filler that bloats up the world. Its universal appeal lies in how well it balances a compelling narrative with an immersive world, perfectly showing that writing alone can be enough for a game to be considered a classic.
Red Dead Redemption 2
A True Work Of Art
Details:
- A dynamic world filled with content
- Deeply emotional narrative
Red Dead Redemption 2 is revered by many players for its obsessive attention to detail and emotional narrative that runs through the entire experience. The world is grounded in reality, and the story understands this all too well, sending players on a deeply personal journey that never strays too far into the realm of absurdity.
Also, players are given a lot of opportunities to stray from the beaten path and explore the outer reaches of the world, often being rewarded with character arcs and intriguing mysteries that they would have otherwise missed. And, whenever the game is mentioned, it is pretty hard for people not to make the statement that the story and the writing of the characters within it are arguably the best in the entire gaming world.
Fallout: New Vegas
Beyond The Traditional RPG
Details:
- Branching political faction storylines
- Emphasis on player freedom
Fallout: New Vegas shows players that RPG mechanics can be effortlessly interwoven into the design of an open-world game, without things feeling too overwhelming or out of reach. The Mojave is a political battleground where players have all the tools to sway factions to or away from their side, completely reshaping the moral landscape of the world one word at a time.
Each decision made is not just a single moment that exists in isolation, but a single step in a long chain of events that can easily snowball into either complete collapse or triumphant victory. This attention to choice makes it so well-loved by players of all ages, regardless of whether they played it on release or are revisiting it in the modern day.
Everyone’s Favorite Fantasy Adventure
Details:
- Liberating exploration style
- Massive modding legacy
It is hard to talk about open-world games without bringing up Skyrim, as if it weren’t for Bethesda’s crowning achievement, many of the best titles in the space just simply wouldn’t exist. Starting out as a lowly prisoner, players slowly rise to power and can choose to follow any path they choose, no matter how dark or light it may be.
8 Best Open-World Games That Everyone Should Play, Ranked
There’s a reason that open-world games are so popular, and while there are countless choices available, these genre entries are must-play experiences.
There are virtually endless build options and skill paths for players to follow, and it is pretty common to see one person experience the game in an entirely different way than another one, simply due to the amount of breadth offered by the systems and the world. Rerelease memes aside, it remains a stellar example of how to capture the true meaning of fantasy within the world of gaming.
Grand Theft Auto 5
The Ultimate Urban Playground
Details:
- Sandbox modern city
- Unmatched cooperative chaos
GTA 5 is the product of nearly two decades of game design, and that time certainly didn’t go to waste. The city is truly massive, and players have no urgency to complete certain missions; instead being able to roam around and cause as much chaos as they could possibly want.
Adding in multiplayer and the game becomes the perfect modern sandbox for players who love to cause mayhem and have fun without worrying too much about the consequences. Even with GTA 6 around the corner, the game will remain one of the best in the series and easily a pillar of the modern gaming landscape.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Redefining What It Means To Discover
Details:
- Unguided yet deeply rewarding exploration
- Minimal pushes down a single route
Breath of the Wild didn’t just change how open-world games were viewed as a whole, but it also completely broke how developers would go on to design their future environments. Hyrule is gorgeous, immense, and liberating, and without any real boundaries to what players can do or where they can go.
Should they choose to, players can jump right to the final battle straight away, or divert their attention for 100s of hours before tackling Ganon. It is the purest example of what the genre stands for, which is the freedom to explore and discover at a pace that suits any playstyle.
Batman: Arkham City
Density Over Sheer Scale
Details:
- Meaningful points of interest
- Fluid traversal and combat
Arkham City does something that very few open-world games do, which is filling the world with purposeful content that ensures every session feels packed with things to do and places to see, without it ever turning into a filler fest.
Every rooftop, alley, and interior space has a gameplay or narrative intent, and the movement between these places is just about as fun as the action itself. Despite countless other superhero games attempting to break the mold, it remains the gold standard for translating comic book energy to a more interactive and intense medium.
Shadow Of The Colossus
Haunting In The Best Way Possible
Details:
- No filler content
- Emotional environmental storytelling
Shadow of the Colossus needs no introduction. Not only is it a crowd favorite among gamers across the globe, but it remains one of the most mysterious, haunting, yet beautiful experiences the gaming world has ever seen, sending players on a ghostly mission across a barren landscape with very little guidance to tell them why.
Years on, the game remains an icon, even for players who never got the chance to play it when it first came out. Its impact can also be seen echoing throughout the rest of the industry, with many developers explicitly citing it as a major influence on the visual and gameplay philosophy of their projects.
Minecraft
Birthing A Whole New Wave Of Open-World Games
Details:
- Procedural, near-infinite worlds
- Creativity above all else
Minecraft is about as popular as any video game can possibly be, but it seems like even after all these years, it can only get bigger. The basic idea of an open-world sandbox made of blocks sounds interesting enough, yet below the surface lies a huge amount of depth that is only really gated by the player’s own creativity.
Since release, players have built mechanical contraptions out of slime, raced to the end a thousand times over, and recreated entire cities on a 1-to-1 scale, and that is all without considering the insane number of mods that bring even more content to an already jam-packed game.
Best Open-World Games That Gradually Open Up, Ranked
In these games, the player’s world slowly expands as they progress the story and build their character.
