Open-world games are one of the most common genres on the market right now, and ones made with quality by developers are often far and few between, with many opting to release unfinished games only to be patched later. But while the market may be oversaturated, there are still a few games released in the past or have recently launched that are certainly worth playing.
And many of these games have either deviated from the typical open-world feel or are unique in their own particular way, causing them to have very active communities and statuses unbecoming of other games. From survival to adventure and older to newer, these games have stood as pillars of what an open-world game should be.
12 Sea Of Thieves
Although Sea Of Thieves had a mixed welcome coming into the gaming world, it now stands as a fantastic well-made game that players quickly can lose time in. Initially, when it was launched, there wasn’t much to do besides sail around and occasionally encounter a random player.
However, now that the game has redefined the type of content it wants to give players by adding new islands, enemies and bosses, and even entire campaigns centered around real or fictional pirates. You can’t go wrong by picking up this game, especially when it’s featured on the Xbox Game Pass.
11 Death Stranding
Undoubtedly, many people know and remember the rocky launch of one of the most anticipated games of 2019. However, it is undeniable that Death Stranding has one of the weirdest and most exciting open-worlds that was made to date.
As many bugs have been patched out and quests are not as overbearing to complete, the haunting delivery service experience has become a more entertaining game. So, if you’re looking for a vast open-world full of horror and a rich story, Kojima Productions’ first title is an excellent game to pick up.
10 Don't Starve Together
Klei Entertainment has been a prominent indie game developer with popular games like Oxygen Not Included, Hot Lava, Griftlanders, and Don’t Starve. Launched in 2013, Don’t Starve features randomly generated landscapes in a world with incredibly brutal survival elements.
Because of the resounding success of the game, it later launched a multiplayer version called Don’t Starve Together, where you can traverse the world with friends. But it would be best to be careful because your friends can lower your sanity by doing certain things or dying and being resurrected as a ghost.
9 The Legends Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
After years of linear puzzle-heavy Zelda games with an emphasis on completing tasks in a specific order, Breath Of The Wild launched in 2017 as an open-world non-linear game focused on exploration. Quickly after its launch, it rose as one of the greatest games of 2017 and even won Game of the Year.
The game introduced several features that were very innovative at the time, like the chemistry engine, where particular objects will interact with the environment differently based on the material they’re made of. And, because of a physics engine also being implemented, the game can be played in more ways than one.
8 Ghost Of Tsushima
Sucker Punch Productions pulled out one of the most beautiful feudal-Japan-influenced video games of all time in 2020 with the launch of Ghost Of Tsushima. An open-world third-person game where you can approach your enemies directly, slashing your way through and killing everyone in your sight, or you can go stealthy and assassinate your targets.
The world is stunning, and content is still being produced for the game, like the movie currently in the works and updates for the director’s cut version. Unfortunately, because it’s a PlayStation exclusive, it’s limited in how you can play it, but we've seen many PlayStation games arrive on PC and it will only continue.
7 Rockstar Games
Rockstar is a well-known developer that has been producing fun and innovative open-world games like Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto, Bully, LA Noire, and Max Payne since the early 2000s. Many of these games have gained legendary status in much of the gaming world while being vastly different from each other.
The most popular ones are GTA and Red Dead, which feature fictionalized versions of a bank robber and wild west outlaw that go against some establishment or evil villain. However, because of the mature content they include, outsiders often scrutinize them heavily despite the love from critics and the gaming community.
6 Fallout: New Vegas
Obsidian's Fallout New Vegas has to be the best in Bethesda's catalog of published games because of the plot, characters, gameplay, mods, and especially the open-world. While others may wish to nominate Skyrim or Fallout 4, neither of these bring around the complete package as New Vegas does.
While not bugless, this game brings an open-world experience that imitates the post-apocalyptic new society that many games get wrong. There are vaults, destroyed buildings, underground organizations, mutated creatures, corrupt governments, people secretly being serial killers, and a righteous group that fights for people but has hidden problems. And that’s only to name a few things.
5 Subnautica
Subnautica is a unique open-world experience that not many games will ever replicate. Trapped on an ocean planet with plenty of secrets to uncover that sometimes borders on the edge of horror as you go deeper into the dark depths.
The game became so popular with this unique premise that it inspired a sequel called Subnautica: Below Zero, where the survival aspects and plot are further improved and more in-depth. It’s worth a try with many people who don’t typically enjoy survival games, staying for the story and world alone.
4 Marvel's Spider-Man
Spider-Man games have been a thing since the early '80s, and many of them traditionally haven’t been that great, except for a few exceptions. So, when Insomniac Games launched a new Spider-Man game in 2018 with elements from every previous game that worked the best, it blew everyone away.
Marvel’s Spider-Man combines the web-slinging excitement of the 2002 and 2004 games while including updated combat from games like Batman: Arkham Knight. The world has plenty of interactions with pedestrians and enemies, with fun side-quests scattered throughout.
3 Far Cry 2
Ubisoft is under constant criticism for bad practices in the gaming industry and for making low-effort video games. However, it wasn’t always like this. Far Cry is a series that has had many ups and downs throughout the years, with many considering Far Cry 3 to be the best.
And although Vaas Montenegro is an incredible villain with an even more astonishing voice actor behind him, Far Cry 2 has incredible gunplay, tight driving mechanics, interesting survival mechanics, and an even more fantastic and dense open world where you’re in the deep of Africa fighting in the middle of a civil war.
2 Elden Ring
Although Elden Ring is much newer compared to other games on this list, it can not be understated how phenomenal the game is. With the built-in storytelling, unforgettable characters, and an environment that never gets old no matter how long you explore, it's considered one of the best games ever made.
As this game is tied closely to the Dark Souls series, it can be very intimidating for newer players looking to get in. But, because of the adaptability of this game, in particular, it is much friendlier to new players and just hard enough for veterans meaning, everyone can enjoy it.
1 Minecraft
Minecraft is a game that needs no introduction. First launched in alpha in 2009 and officially in 2011, Minecraft has become one of the highest-grossing games of all time. However, many write off Minecraft as a children’s game or a game they won’t play because it’s too popular.
Many who think like this miss out on a very relaxing and rewarding experience. You can play with friends, build whatever you want, mine various materials, and craft cool and exciting things while exploring a colossal world with interesting biomes and animals spread everywhere.