For the players who really do want to climb that mountain.
The 10 best open world games
15.
There’s alsoStarfield,I guess.
How many times has this game been released, arrow to the knee, see that mountain?
It’s all those things and more.
It’s a flexible and joyful Tolkien-esque fantasy by itself.
But the modding scene?
That really kicks things to another level.
One where you could replace dragons with Thomas The Tank Engine.
Don’t discountAlba: A Wildlife AdventureorTchia, if you’re after a whimsical tour of some lovely countryside.
A Short Hiketakes the crown for the loveliest game on this list.
There’s fishing by river banks or diving off cliff edges and soaring over to hidden treasures.
You might get involved in some races, you never know!
Oh, and the soundtrack by Mark Sparling is lush and relaxing.
What a world to soak in.
c’mon give it a go.
You control Agent 47, a bald man with a barcode on the back of his head.
What makes Hitman such a great open world game is the freedom you’ve got from the off.
There’s a demo on Steam, too.
Here’sthe orderwe’d recommend you tackle them in.
In Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth you’re whisked away to Hawaii.
Justin saidForza Horizon 5is “as close to flawless as any racer has ever come” in ourreview.
For more of the Baldur’s Gate setting, Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2.
For big lush fantasy maps but less intensive combat, Dragon Age: Inquisition.
There’s so much to say aboutBaldur’s Gate 3.
But if you’re alright with that, the fantasy world in BG3 is a real doozy.
There are sun-dappled forests and a camp of hard-partying goblins.
Did someone order a bustling city with docks and fortresses?
What about a swamp, or the Underdark - an underground realm full of bioluminescence and living mushroom people.
There’s a vampire’s stronghold, and a lair in actual hell.
The world of Baldur’s Gate 3 holds basically anything you might imagine for a fantasy epic.
And man, its open world is an astonishing feat and totally transportative.
Still, it’s more Subnautica.No Man’s Skymight offer a similar feeling of discovering new alien lands.
Subnautica is, without a doubt, a horror game in disguise.
As with all the open worlds on this list, Subnautica lets you submerge anywhere and everywhere early on.
The game never makes the survival aspect a chore.
You could also check outThe Outer WorldsandStarfieldfor more, albeit tonally different, space exploration.
Hell, this is a game all about open worlds - multiple!
About charting a course through unknown starts and seeing what you find!
How cool is that?
Sights that only RNG could come up with.
It’s one of those games where the best time to start playing is always today.
Sure, you could choose to take the long way around an enemy outpost.
Every journey back into enemy territory is a fresh opportunity for expressive decision making.
Part immersive sim, part stealth sandbox, the game really is something else.
And you’re able to always sack off and go exploring because hey, it’s only money.
You have to genuinely plan ahead.
Do you have enough money to get a cart somewhere?
That’ll be safer, but it might be quicker to go yourself.
That’s when the deadliest monsters come out.
The original Fallout games aren’t exactly all that gothic or erotic, but they capture a similar amorality.
But why is Bloodlines on an open world list?
Thus, we get a taste of the sequel, too.
Except it’s a really wonderful world, actually.
Without sounding overdramatic, you probably haven’t ever encountered an open world as dense as Elden Ring’s.
Want to go samurai?
Want to go for a hybrid of mage and knight?
