There’s nothing like open global games. The freedom to do what you need to is a pleasure that no other type of game can offer. As the generation progresses, we see more open-world video games than ever before, and their duration is continuously developing to the point that entire cities and regions can now be simulated. With stories set in realistic locations, they offer epic stories and stories you’ll never forget. In the modern era, the most productive open global games are some of the biggest ever created and should not be missed.
An open global game is as undeniable as its name: it is a game set in a world that you can explore at will, with no degrees or closed spaces to speak of. There are technical limitations, of course, but it’s still rare for generation to save a world from being fully explorable.
Many open-world games fall into the action RPG genre in one way or another, introducing you as a newcomer to the domain or someone low in the global hierarchy, and then challenging you to progress across the world. However, other genres can also use open globals, such as survival or racing games. This list features the most productive of all these genres and a decision was made based on critical and fan reception, longevity, and a bit of personal bias.
Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android, Switch
Gearbox’s FPS 2012 RPG would be high on any other list, but with a semi-open global that features a series of huge spaces separated by loading screens, that only counts. With billions of weapons and a wonderful story, anyone who likes to shoot will love it, but it’s not a true open world.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
Being a student at Hogwarts is the dream of many, and with the entire school explorable in this Avalanche action RPG, you can turn that dream into virtual reality. This one is for Potter fans, but it’s a solid modern RPG that will be released in 2023, so it’s worth a try even if you don’t like the franchise.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, iOS
Kojima Productions’ 2019 debut is necessarily a great adventure through a giant open world, where you have to deliver things. It’s more fun than it looks and unlike anything else, so it’s worth betting on for Kojima enthusiasts or anything entirely new.
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5
Rare’s 2018 co-op pirate adventure, one of the few open worlds made up primarily of water, is indeed unique. You and some friends can board a ship and do pretty much everything you’d expect a pirate to do, from sea fights to finding buried treasure, making it a game for all budding pirates.
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
A complete zombie open world where survival is more complicated than most, Techland’s Dying Light is the ultimate zombie game set in a very realistic city and zombies that are most damaging at night. The 2015 original has not been improved upon subsequently, however, the original DLC is also a must-have for zombie fans.
Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Switch
Arguably the Batman game, Arkham City is the most productive open-world playground for the caped crusader and his fans. Race around as Bat and defeat the bad guys with one of the most satisfying fights ever created, which has been imitated many times since Rocksteady nailed it in that 2011 title, but never got better.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5
Sucker Punch’s 2020 open world samurai game is a rare open world game that doesn’t try to do everything under the sun. It knows it has wonderful hand-to-hand combat, so most of the game is exploring and slashing. other people with your sword, which is wonderful. It is for enthusiasts of Japanese culture and katanas.
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Simply the most open-world racing game ever made, Forza Horizon Five 2021 from Playground Games is the pinnacle of the series, placing you in epic open worlds loosely based on real-life locations and giving you fast cars to race. A style for racing enthusiasts or those who simply like to go fast.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5
You can put either of Guerrilla’s Horizon games here, but 2022’s Forbidden West is a fantastic action RPG with an open world filled with robotic dinosaurs you can fight or be pals with. This is one that’s all about the story and world, as it’s a pleasure to experience and just be present in.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Another entry where you could choose multiple games from Ubisoft’s Far Cry franchise (just not 2,) 2021’s 6th instalment is a great open world FPS that is all about creating chaos in a fictional Caribbean island. This is as much about having a fun playground to cause chaos in than the story.
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S
Bethesda’s 2023 area RPG is something of an open world, or open universe, if you will. Even if you’re not exploring one big landscape, but a lot of planets, this is still a giant area game in the old Bethesda style. If you’ve ever searched for Skyrim in space, this is your best game.
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Another Ubisoft game, the RPG-style Assassin’s Creed titles were great, however, it’s the Ancient Greek Odyssey that is the most productive of the bunch. Run like a killer, do killer things, in this on-point open global epic. In fact, huge. If you need a giant old game, this is the one.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, iOS
When Hello Games introduced it in 2016, it was mostly presented as a giant universe with no actual games. But years later, it’s an area game full of planets to explore, exploit, and discover. If you want to fly into space and try to survive, this is the one for you.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Another Bethesda game, this one from 2015, is a post-apocalyptic RPG shooter with an epic base-building system. If you’re into nuclear wastelands or base building, this one’s for you. Also, if you noticed the TV show, this is the most productive game in the series.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
CD Projekt Red’s controversial 2020 cyberpunk RPG is, nowadays, one of the all-time greats with arguably the most dense open world ever. Almost every building is explorable, making what looks like a small open world full of life and possibilities. If cyberpunk or incredible worlds are your thing, this is the one for you.
Platforms: Switch, WiiU
Nintendo proved it can create open worlds in 2017 with BotW, bringing Link into a massive open world full of Nintendo charm. If you need a more familiar open global RPG, then this is a great option, as you race to defeat cartoonish enemies in this charming experience.
Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Another game from Kojima, this time his last with Konami from 2015, which might be the greatest stealth game ever. With a big open world to be all stealthy in, you’ll be infiltrating restricted areas, stealing things and taking down foes silently. One for the stealthy folks or those who think they are.
Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
The last Bethesda game on the list and the oldest released in 2011. However, it is still going strong and is the best open world medieval fantasy RPG still holding up today. Full of iconic locations and missions, it is a must-play game. For any RPG fan.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5
Insomniac’s first Spider-Man game of 2018 is by far the most productive web launch game ever made, with a city obviously built for it. There’s no other open world game where moving around feels so satisfying, and this is entirely due to the city design. One for Spidey enthusiasts and crime fighters.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
The game that turned CD Projekt Red into a household name in 2015, this action RPG features an epic open world with incredible creatures and even better storytelling. It’s a surprisingly varied landscape to explore and a story you’ll never forget. Everyone should play this.
Platforms: Change
BotW’s ever-growing sibling, TotK, saw Nintendo expand on the concepts of the previous game and make it all bigger. This name of 2023 is the Switch game and undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time, as you embark on an epic quest in an iconic world. Nintendo enthusiasts will love this.
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Rockstar’s best cowboy game redefined what open globals could be in 2018. It’s only matched by Cyberpunk in terms of global density, and this one comes with a gripping story and incredibly fun mechanics that keep you entertained for hours without making a single mission.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
FromSoftware far surpassed its own soul genre with 2022’s Elden Ring, which features an incredible open global game focused on fighting and death. It’s challenging, but incredibly satisfying, as you defeat enemies, and with a global created by George R. R. Martin, it’s also the best for fantasy fans.
Platforms: PC, iOS, Android, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, PS5, Vita, WiiU, Switch, 3DS
Mojang’s ultimate sandbox from 2011, Minecraft is theoretically an infinite open world that is never the same, so quite possibly the best and worst of all the open worlds. You mine, craft and basically do whatever you want here, be it building impossible structures or just surviving off the land. Perfect for all gamers.
Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
It might not be the perfect open world, but the one Rockstar crafted in 2013 for GTA V is by far the most fun. Run around being a criminal, do some sports, drive fast cars, buy property, there are a lot of very fun things to do here in a place that feels like LA.
Bottom Line
Open world games offer unmatched freedom to take things in unexpected directions, which makes them very satisfying. There’s a lot of variety when it comes to genres and settings, but having more control over what you do is fun no matter what you are doing, especially in these 25 top games.
An open global game features a giant map that you can freely explore as you wish. There are no levels to speak of, as the entire game takes place in this world, with an excursion or two. While they guide you, you can simply pass away and do whatever you want.
Many genres can be supported in an open global game, so not all of them share the same features, although there are some similarities. The most important thing is the ability to explore spaces and, if you want, go in the absolutely opposite direction to which the story directs you. Freedom is the key to an open and intelligent global game.
Defining which game has the largest open global is a bit impossible, as some games generate procedures for creating infinite globals. Then there are the open global area games that technically have the largest open globals, because the area is huge.
The consensus is that No Man’s Sky has the largest open galaxy in the world, with over 250 galaxies to explore. The progression team estimates that it would take a single user millions of years to explore every corner of the game. However, if you favor an open world closer to Earth, that prize would go to Minecraft, which has a nearly infinite global open area that caps out at around 1. 5 billion square kilometers. In terms of realistic options, Microsoft Flight Simulator recreates the entire Earth, so it’s pretty hard to beat that.
Many open global games fall into the survival genre, asking you to stay alive for as long as you can imagine in the giant world you find yourself in. Perhaps the most productive example is Mojang’s Minecraft, which literally immerses you in an infinite, task-heavy open world. with surviving as long as imaginable.
Other options with a slightly more defined goal include the likes of Fallout 4 from Bethesda that drops you in a nuclear wasteland and gives you quests to do, then asks you to build a settlement to live in. Or there’s No Man’s Sky from Hello Games that does essentially the same thing, just in space.
Zombies and open globals just work, and the most productive example is Techland’s Dying Light, which places you in a detailed city with zombies that become more powerful at night and a gripping story that will keep you hooked. It’s scary at times and still the most productive open global zombie game.
Other features come with Bend Studio’s Day’s Gone, which is actually about giant hordes that can stick to you and be able to ride motorcycles, or The Indie Stone’s Project Zomboid, which is a brutal isometric zombie survival game. Formation
Open globals and role-playing games go hand in hand, and many of the open globals come from the genre. The traditional-style RPG with an open world is CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which is an epic fantasy story set in the now-iconic Witcher universe.
Other features come with the Bethesda classic The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which redefined what an open global RPG can be with a global where you can do a lot of things, or Cyberpunk 2077, some other CD Projekt game Red, even this time in a complex futuristic world with guns instead of swords.
Open world car games remove the restrictions of racing circuits and let you create your own, with giant spaces to explore on 4 wheels, even going off-road to get there. There have been many open world vintage car games over the years, but today one stands out above the rest.
Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 5, or any of the franchise’s recent games, explained what an open-world racer can be. With worlds to explore, based on a real location, where racing is as important as the cars you drive. Every car enthusiast will need to play this game at some point in their life.
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