The best open-world games to try right now
Need some distraction from the real-world for a few hours? Allow me to suggest travelling and traversing the vast open world of RPG (role-playing games). From fantasy worlds or real-life locations, there’s something for everyone.
The best part? There is no worldwide pandemic in our beloved game worlds (at least not the ones on this list) so you are free to roam around and explore to your heart’s content.
Packed with action to thrill you, secrets to intrigue you and side quests to keep you up past bedtime, these are the absolute best the genre has to offer right now. Be warned though, playing RPGs is quite a time-consuming hobby.
The best open-world games
Proceed with caution
One moment you’re still a well-adjusted adult. Then, 4 000 hours of gaming later, you find yourself building a lavish two-story home for your in-game wife, two adopted children and their pet skeever next to a lake in Tamriel.
Trust me, it’s hard to come back from that, but believe me when I say the journey was worth it. Wait until you see my collection of ancient texts from the library in my Lakeside manor in Skyrim, or my impressive collection of vanity gear in Ghost of Tsushima.
Drawing from my extensive experiencing in wasting hundreds of hours in RPG games, here are top-ranked open-world games to explore. From Ghost of Tsushima and Fallout 4 to Elder Scrolls 6 and Assassin’s Creed, let’s have a look.
Ghost of Tsushima
Available on: PS4 exclusively
Hours of play: 60+ hours
Without a doubt, one of the best games I have ever played. My trifecta of favourites used to be Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and Fallout 4. Ghost of Tsushima is better than all three of those, combined.
Although you may be surprised to find a samurai game full of swords, blood and violence in a list of the best open-world games to play right now, hold back your shocked faces. Away from the sword clashing, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima is surprisingly zen.
Craft haikus whilst you marvel on a peaceful lake, contemplate the death of your father in a hot spring, follow a fox through the wilderness to a hidden shrine, or just go and see what that smoke in the sky is all about.
A minimalist UI, waypoints pointed out by fluttering yellow birds and the wind makes for one of the most interesting, natural open-world experiences to date. Of course, helps that the combat and story are really great too. Not one to miss out on.
No Man’s Sky
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Hours of play: 70 hours
Recent updates to the game bring No Man’s Sky surprisingly high on this list, considering how poorly it was received when it first came out.
Now it’s closer to the game that everyone was expecting, No Man’s Sky has turned into a fulfilling voyage around the star system that’ll have you trotting through procedurally-generated planets like the interstellar explorer you are.
It’s now got 30 hours of story content, new lore, different ways to interact with its NPCs, portals to make jumping between planets a ton easier, and terraforming. The most recent No Man Sky’s Beyond update brought even more features and changes, including ridable aliens, a new social system, and VR support.
Forget open world: No Man’s Sky is an open galaxy, and you should absolutely jump into it if you look good in a spacesuit and love discovering exotic alien wildlife.
Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
Available on: PlayStation Now, Xbox One (backwards compatible), PC
Hours of play: 185 hours
Ah yes. Oblivion was my introduction to the Elder Scrolls series. Thanks to PlayStation Now and Xbox One backwards compatibility, Bethesda’s gem still makes it onto this list.
Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion stands the test of time, as it’s heavy with enough quests and memorable NPCs (I’m looking at you, Glarthir) to make you seriously consider hibernating with it for a good long while you try to climb the ranks of the Thieves’ Guild or just delight in trying to get someone’s jumbo potatoes back.
As soon as you’ve broken out of your cell you can go anywhere whenever you want, and neglect the whole saving-the-world-thing until you feel ready for it. If only real life worked that way. Sigh.
Fallout 4
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Hours of play: 151 hours
Ok, this time someone’s taken your baby and you need to get him back. Mind you, it’s not really that big a deal. Hear me out: Fallout 4’s potential is just too tantalising to ignore for long.
Its surprisingly colourful world of Boston, MA is stuffed with quests: follow the freedom trail, investigate mysteries with the unforgettable synthetic detective and sass master Nick Valentine, try and liberate synths with the Railroad, explore a haunted house, or just loot everything (and everyone) in sight to build up a mountain of caps.
Play however the heck you want and see how it influences your followers, adding an extra layer of depth to this post-apocalyptic open-world game. Just don’t set the world on fire. Yet.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Hours of play: 100+ hours
Malaka, Ubisoft really didn’t hold back when it comes to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Set in Ancient Greece, you have the choice of playing as Kassandra or Alexios the misthios (mercenary), ready to sell his or her sword to either Athens or Sparta.
Odyssey is truly a remarkable achievement, as the story-rich main questlines all interweave to leave you wrestling with personal revelations as well as something mysterious which will – of course – affect the entirety of the Ancient Greek world.
There are mercenaries that will hunt you down if you murder or steal (who you can then defeat and climb up the ranks of notoriety yourself), as well as mythical monsters for you to tackle, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey romance storylines, and the return of naval combat.
Plus for the first time in an Assassin’s Creed game you have dialogue options to choose from, so you can finally decide whether your misthios is a massive dick or just wants to be everyone’s friend.
There’s enough to keep you busy for at least 100 hours (no exaggeration, promise), so if you’re looking for a game that’ll give you value for money with the amount of content bubbling inside it, you really can’t go wrong with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Hours of play: 222 hours
Skyrim’s world doesn’t revolve around you. Somewhere in the wilds, there’s a necromancer trying to animate a skeleton. At the same time during the day, you’ll find a pack of bandits taking on a giant (R.I.P.), or wander into a nearby village only to have a dragon attack it when you’re stumbling out of the inn.
Skyrim is made for stories, and it’s so eager for you to sample its delights that even if you were to avoid every major settlement you’d still run into 30% of its quests out in the wild. The map is just filled with stuff to do, bizarre things to see, creatures to impale with sharp implements, NPCs to pickpocket, creepy Dwemer ruins to explore…oh, and dragons to fight.
Even after playing it for a casual 100 hours (those are rookie numbers) there are still quests that you won’t have found, and hidden bosses waiting to be slain. It’s hard to overestimate the impact Skyrim has had on the lives of gamers everywhere, but to get a good idea of its effect and just what Elder Scrolls 6 has to live up to, you’re best off jumping in and starting your new life in its world.
Notable mentions
This list is bit a tiny glimpse into the RPG-scene. And when I say tiny, I really do mean tiny… Here follows a few notable mentions; not because they’re not good enough for this list, but because I either haven’t played them, or are still finding my way around.
- The Witcher 3
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- L.A. Noire
- Red Dead Redemption
- Red Dead Redemption 2
