Best open-world games of all time, 2021 Edition

Open world games were always interesting for gamers and they have a good reason for it. Open-world games can contain many aspects of gaming. Adventure, battles, multiplayer games and etc... they can all live in an open word game. Thanks to technology and developers, virtual worlds are getting bigger and detailed so let's get into

the best open-world games of all time

, 2021 edition

Here we go! The best open-world games of all time

Before we start our journey in artificial worlds, let's list them so we know where we are going! The list below was gathered by reading gamers' comments about

best open world games of all time

.

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

• No Man’s Sky

• FALLOUT 4

• TROVE

• RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

• THE ELDER SCROLLS: SKYRIM

• ASSASSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY

• GRAND THEFT AUTO 5

• BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT

• WATCHDOGS 2

• METAL GEAR SOLID 5: THE PHANTOM PAIN

• ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA

• FORZA HORIZON 4

• FAR CRY 5

Now that we know which worlds we are going to visit, let's start our article on

the best open world games of all time

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

This game is one of the

Best open world games on Steam

. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's environment is divided into a succession of tiny open-world zones, but each one is filled with enough richness and character to seem like one unified realm.

CD Projekt Red has created a world that seems both authentic and fantastical, whether you're chasing monsters over the battle-scarred plains of Velen, exploring the cobblestone streets of Novigrad, or skulking through ancient woodlands, fresh adventures, personalities, monsters, and encounters await you as you travel through these challenging landscapes.

You never want to fast travel around the map in The Witcher 3 for fear of losing out on a new and fascinating experience! Unfortunately, no official word on The Witcher 4 has been released yet, but we do have the best Witcher 3 mods to play within the meanwhile. Thanks to the quality and mods, the witcher 3 is one of the best open world games of all time.

No Man's Sky

When No Man's Sky was launched in 2016, it received a lot of negative critcism. The game's buzz was out of control, and Hello Games, a small firm, faced an impossible task in meeting players' expectations. After two years and numerous upgrades, that little team has transformed No Man's Sky into the

Best open world games Xbox One

.

Forget open-world – No Man’s Sky is the open universe. Whereas some open-world games give you a city or even a state to explore, this game starts with an entire planet, and it only expands from there.

You can freely explore it, finding outposts, encountering wildlife, causing havoc, mining for minerals, searching for artifacts, constructing bases, and experimenting with No Man's Sky mods. Then, once you've repaired your ship and taken off into the cosmos, you can go exploring and exploiting other planets. You could play No Man's Sky for the rest of your life and still not see everything it has to offer.

Most importantly, it now appears to have a purpose, thanks to updates like the perplexing, frustrating, and wonderful NEXT. You can play with your pals, build massive bases, or simply explore the beautiful cosmos and that's the reasone this game is on the best open world games of all time

Fallout 4

This one in our list is one of the Best open world games Xbox One! Fallout 4 is a game that may keep you occupied for a long time. To establish a base and survive this new, uncertain future, you'll have to traverse the dusty post-apocalyptic plains and scavenge hidden resources. The retro-futuristic wasteland of Boston, MA is packed with adventures, intriguing characters, and more locales than a 100-hour playthrough could cover.

Fallout 4's massive open world never feels empty, whether you're battling through the mutant-infested streets of downtown Boston, facing the dangerously irradiated Glowing Sea, or taking a tour of the Salem Witch Museum.

Before donning your hazmat suit and venturing into the wastelands, check out our Fallout 4 beginner's guide, or if you're ahead of the curve (the game was published in 2015), see our guides to all the greatest Fallout 4 modifications and Fallout 4 console commands to further customize your experience. Now let's get into the next game on our best open world games of all time list.

Trove

Trove is one of the Best open world games on Steam. This game is a Minecraft-inspired MMO, and one of its key features is a randomly created environment that you can explore for hours. Because Trove is voxel-based, you can make anything out of simple cubes and take it to any of the new open worlds you come across on your journey.

Simply enter an adventure portal, locate a plot of land, and set up your base to have a secure place to return to in between slaying sessions. Trove, of course, has all the trappings of a standard MMO, from difficult dungeons brimming with loot to multiplayer gathering spots where you can flaunt your new velociraptor horse.Thanks to all this flavor in the game, Trove secured its place in our best open world games of all time list.

Red Dead Redemption 2

This one in our list is one of the

Best open world games PS4

! In RDR2, you'll take on the role of Arthur Morgan, a wanted bandit, and member of the Van der Linde gang, which is led by the notorious and devious Dutch.

Despite the fact that the gang's fate is sealed, optimism is an uncontrollable emotion that will carry you through this bleak love letter to the Old West. But it's Red Dead Redemption 2's incredibly detailed open world that sets it apart from other open world games .From freezing lakes and snowy mountain peaks to dusty plains and muddy swamp waters, the terrain changes dramatically.

NPCs respond to your character's honor bar and will react to your arrival in town based on how well you've behaved. If you have a bounty on your head, you'll need to pay it off at the local post office before you can enter 'wanted' territory without fear of being tracked down by bounty hunters.

Although story missions open up or close off certain places, Red Dead Redemption 2 largely allows you to traverse the vast American frontier at your leisure. From random encounters on the side of the road to trudging into town for a haircut to seeking down renowned animals in the Grizzlies' harsh environment. You'll want to explore every inch of Red Dead Redemption 2's enthralling open world.

the Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Skyrim is one of those games that we keep coming back to because the charm is always there. The hundreds of varied ways to play through this open-world RPG, from traditional character builds like thief and warrior to trying to complete the game as a vegan or role-playing as a character from the game's narrative, contribute to its replayability.

Characters and critters go about their everyday lives without you in Skyrim's open environment, and you'll frequently come across a giant knocking a hapless wolf into orbit or a couple of Thalmor escorting a kidnapped Nord.

This fantasy open-world RPG takes place in Skyrim, a large and beautiful region where you play as a Dragonborn, a prophesied hero caught in the middle of a heated civil conflict.

The Elder Scrolls realistic style of high fantasy is greatly inspired by the surroundings of countries like Norway and Iceland, blending its history, culture, flora, and mythology with The Elder Scrolls realistic brand of high fantasy.

Skyrim boasts a gripping tale and incredible attention to detail, making this nearly ten-year-old game one of the most talked-about open-world games available. It still includes a dedicated modding commuter mode, so once you've exhausted all the ways to play, you can look out for the greatest Skyrim mods.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

The franchise ultimately shifted from stealth game to full-fledged open-world RPG in Assassin's Creed Odyssey. It's full of character moments, big decisions to make, and awkward horse riding mechanics, just like the best open-world RPGs.

Odyssey also features the series' largest and most bizarre Assassin's Creed map, which spans the whole Ancient Greek world from Kephallonia to Crete.

Despite the large playing area, Ubisoft has managed to cram a lot of detail into its magnificent open world, which includes cities, towns, temples, underground tunnels, outposts, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey tombs to explore.

The studio has even taken a page from Nintendo's latest open-world masterpiece The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild by introducing Exploration mode, which allows you to fully immerse yourself in the Greek countryside by removing map markers.

When walking on the solid ground becomes too much, you can alternatively go across the world by boat. Odyssey's sailing and ship combat are just as satisfying as they were in the superb Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, making exploring the world map a constant thrill.

Grand Theft Auto 5

While Grand Theft Auto 3 was essentially the first 3D open-world game, GTA 5 represents the pinnacle of what Rockstar hoped to achieve with that groundbreaking experience. The outrageously enormous territory of San Andreas is your playground, including the Los Santos-inspired city, and it's one of the most detailed open-world territories seen in a game before or since.

Wherever you go, there are easter eggs, stores, sports, and a plethora of side missions to keep you occupied. Exploring Los Santos becomes a tremendously characterful experience with three completely distinct dysfunctional people to choose from in the story, each with their tragic problems and selfish objectives.

The missions are well-thought-out and varied, as well as well-written. You might also ignore the tasks totally and engage in one of the several side hobbies, such as golf, tennis, or drug-fueled rampages.

Alternatively, simply hop in a car and drive about the amazingly detailed environment while listening to the excellent soundtrack — before bombing your way down Mount Chiliad and seeing how far you can get before your ride blows up.

If that isn't enough, there's also GTA Online, which expands on the sandbox game's strengths by bringing dozens of new people to races, heists, battle royals, biker gangs, and much more. GTA 5 mods let you perform all of this as Superman or Magneto, construct weapons that shoot cows, or simply drop random whales from the sky.

Batman: Arkham Knight

All open-world games should follow the maxim "Always be yourself unless you can be Batman." While it's a smaller play area than most other open-world games, few are as carefully detailed and packed with fan service as Rocksteady's third and final journey into the universe of the Dark Knight.

A dastardly murder, an interesting encounter, an intriguing riddle, a gang of ne'er-do-wells to beat up, or a billboard advertisement that you should take another look at after you've been doused with Scarecrow juice, something is interesting to catch your attention on every square meter of Gotham. From exhilarating grapple-glides to barreling through the streets in the Batmobile, getting around the city is a lot of fun.

While the story may not be as good as the other Arkham games, Arkham Knight is still the best when it comes to gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and an open world you'll want to spend dozens of hours exploring – and if you're a die-hard DC fan, the countless easter eggs you'll find will keep you entertained for hours.

Watchdogs 2

It can be challenging to produce another modern, open-world city-based game in a world where Grand Theft Auto 5 exists. However, Ubisoft found a way to add hacking, Dark Souls-style game invasions, and sharper social and political commentary to the model. All of this is accomplished in a little reduced, caricatured, but believable reproduction of San Francisco in Watch Dogs 2. And it's fantastic.

The difficulties of protagonist Marcus and the misfit hacker group DedSec provide a significantly more engaging and welcoming backdrop than the first game. The sequel was finally permitted to play around with the (really amusing) hacking mechanic.

Anything can be hacked, from smartphones to traffic lights to vehicles and security cameras, and with a slew of drones in tow, the action-packed, varied, and unexpectedly amusing gameplay is never dull. Nothing beats breaking into a parked automobile and utilizing it to play bowling with any security guards who happen to be there.

There are a few noteworthy missions throughout the main story, but wandering San Francisco is the highlight, owing to a fantastic soundtrack, a precise representation of the Bay Area, and the option to hack approaching traffic to help clear the roadways.

Metal Gear Solid 5: the Phantom Pain

Metal Gear Solid V deserves to be on this list for two reasons: it was the first MGS game to be released on PC, and it is also the first open-world MGS game (except Survive).

Many people were skeptical of the genre transition before the game's release, yet it turned out to be one of the most rewarding, immersive, and exciting open-world games ever developed.

MGS V is a war game with a massive quantity of material — there are at least a few hundred missions, to begin with. The stealth systems are incredible, with a slew of moving parts that fit together like clockwork.

You must be cautious of light, cover, stance, and noise, and if you create suspicion, the guards can communicate with you by walkie-talkie or even with neighboring bases if reinforcements are required.

By widening the game's scope, the open-world adds a lot to these stealth mechanics. You may spy on outposts from afar and devise an attack strategy, and the game offers you unlimited freedom to do whatever you want - no matter how insane.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Odyssey isn't the only open-world game in the Assassin's Creed franchise that we recommend. Assassin's Creed Valhalla offers greatly improved combat, allowing you to dual-wield axes like a furious Viking warrior, among many other options.

The protagonist, Eivor, is a badass Viking who wants glory in conflicts against the native Saxons who currently rule England. More than simply better fighting makes Assassin's Creed Valhalla worthy of this list, according to our review.

It's also the new stuff, such as rap battles, drinking contests, and Orlog, the "hopelessly addicting dice game." Raids are also an option, with you raiding villages for booty for your own Viking camps. Valhalla is a great place to visit if you appreciate exploring the wilds of Dark Age England and Norway.

Forza Horizon 4

With so many open-world racing games on the market, it takes a truly unique product to stand out. While the open-world map is a somewhat reduced version of the UK, it's still a big area to explore, taking in the Scottish Highlands, sections of Oxfordshire and Cumbria, and down to Cheshire.

The game's landscape has a lot of character thanks to the hills, forests, sleepy villages, and towns - even before you get into the amazing visuals and seasonal weather changes, our Forza Horizon 4 review noted that it's fun to just drive around and explore.

If you're new to Forza Horizon 4, don't forget to check out our beginner's guide. Furthermore, there's always something to do in Forza Horizon 4 – an absurd amount of it, in fact – with spectacular races, challenges, customization, and even season-specific Forzathons.

That concludes our list of the top open-world games on PC. Since the early days of randomly generated dungeons in games like Daggerfall, the genre has gone a long way. Since then, the genre has undergone a transformation, and the worlds we play in now appear and feel more real than they ever have.

Far Cry 5

The latest installment in the Far Cry series transports players to the United States while maintaining a sense of isolation. On your route to your own Far Cry 5 ending, you'll have to share the experience with homicidal cultists and lethal wildlife including bears, mountain lions, and wolverines in Hope County, Montana.

Most open-world games require you to travel from point A to point B to accomplish anything, but Far Cry 5 provides a tremendous amount of excitement in between those places thanks to unexpected encounters.

Expect to be sidetracked by enemy jeeps, bears, VIP soldiers, barricades, hostage crises, automobile chases, or aerial bombardments - frequently all at the same time. Far Cry 5 does everything it can to keep players distracted, making it all too easy to get lost in the huge sky nation.

To top it off, while it doesn't function as well as a co-op game when it comes to missions, it shines when you're just messing around in the free area. Join a friend, choose a viewing location, and wait for the fireworks to begin. In Far Cry 5, you won't have to wait long.

Saints Row 4

The Saints Row series is an excellent counterpoint to today's open-world games. Volition took Grand Theft Auto 3's blueprint and made it much more ludicrous. With absurd objectives like diving in front of traffic to gain money from insurance, Saints Row 2 and 3 were entertaining enough, but Saints Row IV took things a step further by adding superpowers. It's just one of the numerous reasons why it was one of our top games of the year.

While the metropolis of Steelport hasn't altered much since the previous game, the ability to leap huge buildings in a single bound or run faster than a racing bullet adds a lot of excitement to the mix. You'll quickly discover that you don't need automobiles, helicopters, or even weaponry – why bother when you can rush up to an enemy and punch them off the map at super-speed? These abilities distinguish Saints Row IV from the series' major influences, making it one of the most exciting open-world games available.

When you add in an alien invasion plot, a ludicrous and broad selection of objectives, and the fact that you're doing it all while pretending to be the President of the United States, it's easy to see why this bizarre game has a cult following.

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