Nothing hits the spot like a masterfully crafted open-world game. A real adventure that takes you through the character's emotions, wonderous settings, and overall beautiful moments. These games excel in one or more aspects: some might have a gripping narrative, others might forsake a fleshed-out story for limitless gameplay possibilities.

RELATED: 10 Hidden Gems On PC Everyone Missed In 2020

It's interesting to see how open-world games can go in different directions, either empowering you with endless sandbox tools or giving you a specialized predefined character to play as. This genre has slowly affirmed itself as one of the best outlets for single-player games to resort to, and for good reason.

10 Ghost Of Tsushima

The official poster for the game and its Metascore

Firsts things first, you should know this game won Art Direction and Player's Choice at the 2020 Game Awards. It also released a free multiplayer mode for owners of the game, complete with co-op missions, survival, and a three-part raid. Ghost Of Tsushima is set in feudal Japan during the Mongol invasion period.

The gaming community needed an open-world Samurai game, and this title went above and beyond to deliver an experience worth your time. The open-world is vast and filled with activities that will make you want to 100% it all, as you constantly hone your skills as either an honorable Samurai or a deadly assassin. This game is only on PlayStation, where it received an 83 according to Metacritic, though the user score is much higher at a whopping 9.2.

9 Death Stranding

The official poster for the game, featuring the aggregated Metascore

Death Stranding is a great example of a game that sees a deeply specific character injected in an equally niche world. Hideo Kojima's latest creative concoction resulted in what he defined to be "the first Strand-type game." What does that mean, though? Metacritic aggregated scores for this game averaged an 86 on PC and an 82 on PS4.

Fans of the Metal Gear creator had mixed feelings when this title came out, expecting something so visionary it would put other games to shame. Death Stranding is undoubtedly revolutionary in how it rethinks conventional gameplay mechanics and loops, and succeeds at giving you a challenge that makes you say, "I can find the best way to deliver this package." This is a title you either enjoy or completely forget about, but it's a coin toss for most people.

8 Subnautica

The official cover for the Switch version of the game, featuring the game's Metascore

Some games aim to explore depths others have never gone to before. Subnautica is literally about that. Its universal magnetism depends on the setting of the game: an alien planet for you to explore, that is completely submerged. We have seen games take us to regions around the globe, fantasy worlds, and even space — but the depths of the ocean are a pretty original way to explore the concept of open-world itself.

RELATED: Subnautica: 10 Critical Early Steps

If you like gathering resources, building a base, and fighting off creatures trying to make you their snack, then you will enjoy this game a great deal. For some, the ocean represents a deep source of primordial fear. There is always a bigger fish, and you are about the size of one of the smallest beings swimming. This game earned an 87 on PC (its original release platform), an 81 on Xbox One, and an 80 on PS4, according to Metacritic.

7 Marvel's Spider-Man

A loading screen from the game, featuring the upgraded suit and the metascore for the game

What an amazing comeback our friendly neighbor Spider-Man had this past generation. After the success of the Batman Arkham games, it felt like no other hero could receive the proper videogame treatment the caped crusader enjoyed. Marvel's Spider-Man was a pleasant surprise for all those who wanted a change of pace from DC's more serious tone, and the game delivered a fantastic experience.

Progression in this title is tied to the concept of becoming increasingly and significantly more powerful, so that by the end you have a literal arsenal of gadgets at your disposal. You can also wear some of Spidey's most iconic suits, even the one from the Sam Raimi films, which makes for a great role-playing experience. This game scored an 83 on Metacritic, and is available only on PS4.

6 Fallout 4

The Xbox One Metascore for Fallout 4

Before the dark times brought by Fallout 76, the franchise had one last hurray to celebrate. Fallout 4 was the next big Bethesda game during the time Skyrim was busy re-releasing on every platform, including your microwave. Both games have the same engine, so Fallout 4 feels like a familiar open-world to get your hands on, except with guns instead of melee weapons. According to Metacritic, this game racked up an 88 on Xbox One, an 87 on PS4, and an 84 on PC.

Despite not having 16-times-the-detail graphics, Fallout 4's open-world is extensive and well worth exploring. Coupling this with its narrative that can end in multiple ways based on your choices, you have yourself one of the best open-world games out there.

5 Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain

The metascore for metal gear solid v, featuring big boss

Few games manage to reach the same degree of freedom as this Metal Gear when it comes to approaching situations. Tactical espionage gameplay is rarely as good as in Phantom Pain, and is the primary reason why this game is worth picking up. The story is fairly intriguing, though left unfinished, but you will be too busy expanding your Mother Base and recruiting the best soldiers to notice.

RELATED: Metal Gear Solid: 5 Things About The Series That Has Changed (& 5 Ways The Series Has Stayed The Same)

Stealth and open-world work extraordinarily well in this title, you wouldn't necessarily think those two things go hand-in-hand. Metacritic aggregated scores for Metal Gear Solid V averaging a 93 on PS4, a 95 on Xbox One (though only 10 critics contributed to this rating), and a 91 on PC.

4 Minecraft

The PC Metascore for Minecraft

Minecraft is admittedly a game from the previous generation, but it keeps expanding every year, more and more, that it would be unfair to think of this amazing title as something from the past. This beloved sandbox scored a 93 on PC, an 89 on PS4, and an 88 on Xbox One, according to Metacritic reviews.

After all, this is the best-selling game of all time, and it that does not keep charging money with every new update, which actually adds new content instead of minimally retexturing football players over and over, like some other games. Minecraft's open-world has become so vast it would take ages to explore a given seed in its entirety, and your imagination is the only limitation you'll encounter.

3 Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The metascore for Wild Hunt, featuring Geralt

Witcher 3 arguably contains one of the longest campaigns in any open-world game to date. Going beyond the main story missions, a wealth of side quests and activities accompany you through Geralt's world full of monsters, moral dilemmas, and bountiful loot. You can spend hours on end with this game and still not witness everything it has to offer.

The choices you make along your journey impact both the ending of the game and the world around you, so even if you beat the game once, you can always take advantage of the included New Game+ mode and make different choices on a second or even third playthrough. Witcher 3 scores aggregated to a 93 on PC, a 92 on PS4, and a 91 on Xbox One, according to Metacritic.

2 Red Dead Redemption II

The metascore for Red Dead 2 featuring a promotional poster for the game

This is the kind of game whose world feels literally alive as you interact with it and it interacts with you. Despite shooting mechanics straight out of the dark ages (also known as 2010, rise of the first-person shooters epoch) and missions that have mandatory hand-holding throughout, the game's world is a technical masterpiece.

Yes, it is possible to build a large map where you can talk to virtually any NPC, without experiencing the rendering drawbacks and drops in frames found in Cyberpunk 2077. Red Dead Redemption II is a testament to the accomplishments a developer can achieve, if anything. The game earned a 97 in both PS4 and Xbox One, and a 93 on PC, according to Metacritic.

1 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

The Switch Metascore for Breath Of The Wild

Those who played this game know that they had to say goodbye to their friends, family, and life in the real world, because it is the best form of escapism you can think of.

Go on your own adventure, forget about saving Zelda (though at some point you probably should), and experience one of the best games ever made. Breath Of The Wild is well worth buying a Switch, its scope is beyond anything that tried to imitate it following the success it had. The game aggregated review scores that averaged a 97 on Nintendo Switch, with overwhelmingly positive user reviews.

NEXT: 10 Best Looking Open World Games, Ranked