Best Open-World Games

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the best open-world game on PS5 and PS4, with Grand Theft Auto V the biggest sandbox and Ghost of Tsushima the most beautiful world to get lost in. These are the 16 worth disappearing into for a hundred hours, free to roam wherever you like. The list leans into action-adventure open worlds and keeps only the crossover RPGs any open-world list needs, ranked by quality and player reception. For deep character-building, see our companion Best Open-World RPGs list.

Updated Aug 4, 2026

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16 games found

1Red Dead Redemption 2
Best overall

Red Dead Redemption 2

4.8(443,735)2018
PS+ ExtraPS Plus ExtraESRB Mature 17+western
GreatReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Red Dead Redemption 2 is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising its immersive storytelling, stunning visuals, and rich gameplay. However, some players express frustrations with certain gameplay mechanics and the lack of updates for online content.

Why it's here: A frontier so meticulously simulated that snow packs under a horse's hooves and strangers remember a kindness days later. It plays slow on purpose, asking a patience most open worlds never dare to. Whether that deliberate weight reads as immersion or friction is the question every rider settles alone.

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2Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation®5)
Most popular

Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation®5)

4.5(956,165)2014
Co-op: 8ESRB Maturemodern
GreatReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for Grand Theft Auto V on PlayStation 5 is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the game for its rich storytelling, expansive open world, and the freedom it offers players. However, there are notable frustrations with the online mode, particularly concerning hackers, account management issues, and the game's economy.

Why it's here: One city, three criminals whose lives you switch between mid-heist, wrapped around an online mode that has outlived console generations. The satire is broad and the mayhem endless, though the years show at the edges. What keeps a decade-old sandbox this alive is the puzzle worth poking at.

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3Ghost of Tsushima
Best looking

Ghost of Tsushima

4.6(314,294)2020
ESRB Mature 17+medieval
GreatReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for 'Ghost of Tsushima' is overwhelmingly positive, highlighting its stunning visuals, engaging story, and satisfying combat mechanics. Despite some minor criticisms regarding cutscene usability and technical issues for a few players, the majority regard it as a top-tier gaming experience.

Why it's here: An open world that replaced the map marker with the wind: a gust bends the grass toward your next discovery. Sucker Punch built feudal Tsushima to be photographed as much as fought across. The tension is whether that beauty wraps a world lighter on surprises than the giants beside it.

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4Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Best traversal

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

4.7(235,944)2023
PS+ ExtraPS Plus ExtraESRB Teensuperhero
MixedReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is largely positive, with many praising its engaging gameplay, enhanced combat systems, and character development. However, critiques regarding story pacing, mission variety, and technical issues indicate a divide among players, with some expressing discontent about certain narrative choices and bugs.

Why it's here: Traversal so good it becomes the reason to play: web-swinging and wing-gliding across a dense Marvel New York with two Spider-Men to switch between. It is the shortest, slickest open world on this list. Whether that tighter scope reads as focus or a step back is where players divide.

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5ELDEN RING
Best challenge

ELDEN RING

4.7(174,869)2022
Co-op: 3ESRB Mature 17+fantasy
GreatReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Elden Ring is overwhelmingly positive, with players praising its immersive world design, challenging gameplay, and replayability. However, some criticism exists regarding performance issues and certain gameplay mechanics. Despite a few negatives, the majority of reviews highlight the game's exceptional quality and recommend it highly.

Why it's here: FromSoftware's open world hands you a map and almost nothing else: no quest markers, no hand-holding, only a horizon that punishes and rewards curiosity in equal measure. It is the genre at its most demanding. Whether that silence feels liberating or alienating is the whole experience.

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6The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Best RPG world

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

4.8(280,508)2022
ESRB Maturefantasy
GoodReview analysis

Overall, player feedback on 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' is overwhelmingly positive, with many praising its deep story, immersive world, and memorable characters. However, some players reported dissatisfaction with the combat mechanics and recent updates that changed system requirements, impacting their ability to play. Despite critiques, the game's quality remains widely recognized, with many considering it a masterpiece.

Why it's here: The open world where the side quests are written with more care than most games give their main story: a monster hunt can turn into a small tragedy. Geralt's search anchors a huge, reactive world. The one thing players still argue over is combat that never matched the writing.

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7Horizon Zero Dawn™
Best for newcomers

Horizon Zero Dawn™

4.8(210,423)2017
PS+ ExtraPS Plus ExtraESRB Teenfantasy
GoodReview analysis

Overall, player feedback on Horizon Zero Dawn™ is largely positive, highlighting its stunning visuals, engaging combat, and well-written story. While some reviews point to repetitive gameplay elements and minor technical issues, the majority of players express a strong appreciation for the game's world-building and character development.

Why it's here: A post-apocalyptic Earth reclaimed by nature, where the predators are machine-animals and every hunt is a puzzle of traps and weak points. Guerrilla built the most welcoming open world here. The catch is familiar open-world busywork wrapped around a genuinely fresh combat idea.

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8Cyberpunk 2077
Best sci-fi

Cyberpunk 2077

4.5(207,997)2020
PS+ ExtraPS Plus ExtraESRB Maturesci-fi
GreatReview analysis

Overall, player feedback for Cyberpunk 2077 is overwhelmingly positive, particularly following significant updates and the release of the Phantom Liberty expansion. Many players praise the game's immersive world, engaging storytelling, and improved gameplay mechanics, while a few express disappointment with certain aspects of the narrative and lingering bugs. Players recommend it for both new and returning fans, highlighting its transformation from a troubled launch to a critically acclaimed experience.

Why it's here: Night City is the real protagonist: a vertical, neon sprawl you cut through with guns, cyberware, and hacking. After a notorious launch and years of repair, it finally delivers the future it promised. Whether the choices it offers truly fork the story is where opinion still splits.

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9DAYS GONE
Best post-apocalyptic

DAYS GONE

4.7(173,215)2025
ESRB Maturepost-apocalyptic
GoodReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Days Gone is predominantly positive, with many praising its engaging story, immersive open world, and unique horde mechanics. However, some critiques highlight issues with game pacing, repetitive quests, and occasional technical problems that detract from the experience. The community largely expresses a desire for a sequel, emphasizing its status as an underrated title in the gaming landscape.

Why it's here: Its signature is the horde: hundreds of infected moving as one tide that can turn a routine ride into a sprint for your life. Bend Studio's biker survival was underrated at launch. The question is whether its slow-building open world earns the patience its opening asks.

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10BATMAN™: ARKHAM KNIGHT
Best superhero

BATMAN™: ARKHAM KNIGHT

4.6(153,288)2015
ESRB Maturesuperhero
GoodReview analysis

Overall, players have a highly positive reception towards Batman: Arkham Knight, praising its engaging combat, stunning visuals, and immersive storytelling. However, there are consistent critiques regarding the over-reliance on the Batmobile and the tedious nature of completing Riddler puzzles. Despite minor criticisms, the majority of players consider it a must-play for any Batman fan.

Why it's here: The Arkham combat and predator stealth, finally set loose in a fully open Gotham you tear across in the Batmobile. Rocksteady's finale is its most spectacular city. The recurring argument is whether the car that opens the world up also crowds out the fighting that made the series.

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11DEATH STRANDING™
Most original

DEATH STRANDING™

4.6(90,519)2021
ESRB Mature 17+post-apocalyptic
MixedReview analysis

Player feedback on DEATH STRANDING is sharply divided, with a notable split between enthusiastic praise from a majority of Steam users and overwhelming criticism from PlayStation reviewers. While some players appreciate the unique mechanics and storytelling, others find the gameplay tedious and unenjoyable.

Why it's here: An open world where the core activity is delivery: hauling cargo across brutal terrain, managing balance and footing, and leaving behind ladders and roads that quietly appear in other players' games. Kojima made something genuinely unlike anything else. Whether it is profound or tedious divides every room.

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12METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
Best stealth

METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN

4.7(93,779)2015
ESRB Maturemilitary
MixedReview analysis

Overall, players highly appreciate the gameplay mechanics and the freedom of approach in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. While many highlight its fun, immersive qualities, there are notable criticisms regarding its convoluted story and certain game elements that feel unfinished or frustrating, particularly related to recent updates and microtransactions.

Why it's here: Drop into an open stretch of Afghanistan and every outpost becomes a problem to solve however you like: sniping, sneaking, or airlifting enemy soldiers into your own private army. The stealth sandbox is peerless. What players never forgave was a story that stops rather than ends.

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13Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™
Best combat

Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™

4.7(80,522)2014
ESRB Maturefantasy
GreatReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is predominantly positive, highlighting the enjoyable combat mechanics, unique Nemesis System, and engaging gameplay. Many players appreciate the nostalgic elements and the way the game has aged, although some criticize the repetitiveness of certain missions and the simplistic story. Despite a few negative comments, the game's merits resonate strongly with a majority of players.

Why it's here: Its open world is populated by an idea: a living hierarchy of orc captains who remember your defeats, rise through the ranks, and taunt you by name at the rematch. No two players share the same rivals. Around that novelty sits a world thinner than the system that made it famous.

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14inFAMOUS™ Second Son
Best powers

inFAMOUS™ Second Son

4.6(134,727)2014
ESRB Teensuperhero

Why it's here: A superpowered open world where absorbing a new power, smoke, neon, video, rewrites how you move and fight across a reimagined Seattle. Sucker Punch made traversal feel like flight. The open question is whether a compact, stylish city holds attention as long as the giants beside it.

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15Assassin's Creed® IV Black Flag
Best on the water

Assassin's Creed® IV Black Flag

4.6(78,019)2013
PS+ ExtraPS Plus ExtraESRB Maturehistorical
MixedReview analysis

Overall player feedback for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is very positive, with many praising its immersive pirate gameplay, strong narrative, and naval combat mechanics, alongside some criticism regarding technical issues and Ubisoft's launcher. Despite these criticisms, players express deep affection for the game, often recalling fond memories and experiences. The mixed sentiment surrounding Ubisoft's practices somewhat offsets the game's numerous accolades.

Why it's here: The Assassin's Creed that traded the city for the sea: a vast open Caribbean you sail, board, and plunder as a pirate, with the naval battles stealing the show from the assassinating. The sailing is the best in gaming. The weaker half is everything that happens back on land.

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16Sleeping Dogs
Hidden gem

Sleeping Dogs

4.6(33,490)2014
ESRB Maturecrime
GreatReview analysis

Overall, players have provided overwhelmingly positive feedback for Sleeping Dogs, praising its engaging story, fun combat mechanics, and the vibrant open world setting. However, some players noted issues with outdated gameplay mechanics and limited activities in the open world.

Why it's here: An undercover-cop story set in a neon Hong Kong, built on something most crime sandboxes skip: brutal, hand-to-hand martial arts instead of just gunplay. It has aged into an overlooked gem. Whether its smaller, older open world still satisfies after the giants is the honest question.

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About Open-World Games

Open-world games hand you a large, freeform space and let you set your own path through it, exploring and stumbling into the unexpected instead of following a fixed line. On PlayStation that spans open-world crime sandboxes like Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2, samurai and pirate epics, post-apocalyptic survival, superhero cities, and open-world RPGs. Every pick here has a genuine open world you actually explore, not just a large map, and is ranked by player ratings and critic reception so the standouts rise to the top. If it is specifically character builds, skill-trees, and role-playing depth you want, our companion Best Open-World RPGs list covers that ground.

Curated by Ugur Saritepe. Rankings weigh aggregated player ratings and review sentiment collected from Steam and the PlayStation Store, with catalogue data from IGDB. How we rankPlayStation StoreSteamIGDB

Best Open-World Games Compared

  • Red Dead Redemption 2
    Best overall4.75 / 5PS Plus Extra

    The most detailed, reactive open world ever made, and the benchmark the genre is measured against.

  • Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation®5)
    Most popular4.46 / 5

    The definitive open-world crime sandbox, with three switchable protagonists and the endless GTA Online.

  • Ghost of Tsushima
    Best looking4.6 / 5

    The most beautiful world here, where a gust of wind, not a map marker, points you to the next discovery.

  • Marvel's Spider-Man 2
    Best traversal4.74 / 5PS Plus Extra

    The best traversal in gaming, web-swinging across a dense, hyper-detailed Marvel New York.

  • ELDEN RING
    Best challenge4.71 / 5

    A punishing, hands-off open world built around exploration and unforgettable boss fights.

  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
    Best RPG world4.83 / 5

    The gold-standard open-world RPG, with side quests written as carefully as the main story.

  • Horizon Zero Dawn™
    Best for newcomers4.75 / 5PS Plus Extra

    A gorgeous, Teen-rated world of machine-hunting, and the friendliest entry point on the list.

  • Cyberpunk 2077
    Best sci-fi4.53 / 5PS Plus Extra

    A dense, vertical sci-fi city you cut through with gunplay, hacking, and branching dialogue.

  • DAYS GONE
    Best post-apocalyptic4.66 / 5

    Post-apocalyptic biker survival defined by swarming Freaker hordes that turn a ride into a chase.

  • BATMAN™: ARKHAM KNIGHT
    Best superhero4.64 / 5

    An open, drivable Gotham with the series’ deep free-flow combat and predator stealth intact.

  • DEATH STRANDING™
    Most original4.61 / 5

    The most original open world, built on delivery, terrain, and quietly shared world-building.

  • METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
    Best stealth4.65 / 5

    An open-world stealth sandbox built for improvising your own way through every outpost.

  • Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™
    Best combat4.65 / 5

    The Nemesis system gives every player a personal roster of orc rivals who remember the fights.

  • inFAMOUS™ Second Son
    Best powers4.63 / 5

    Superpowered traversal and combat across a compact, stylish open-world Seattle.

  • Assassin's Creed® IV Black Flag
    Best on the water4.64 / 5PS Plus Extra

    The best open-world sailing in gaming, a pirate Caribbean to explore, board, and plunder.

  • Sleeping Dogs
    Hidden gem4.56 / 5

    An overlooked Hong Kong crime open world with brutal, close-quarters hand-to-hand combat.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best open-world game on PS5?
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the standout, rated 4.83 by more than 440,000 players on Game-Scout. Grand Theft Auto V is the go-to pure sandbox, and Ghost of Tsushima is the most beautiful world to explore. The best choice depends on whether you want realism, freeform chaos, or atmosphere.
What is the difference between an open-world game and an open-world RPG?
An open-world game gives you a large, freeform world to explore. An open-world RPG adds role-playing systems on top, such as character builds, skill-trees, and branching choices. Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, and Cyberpunk 2077 are both, which is why they appear here and on our Best Open-World RPGs list, while Ghost of Tsushima and Marvel’s Spider-Man are open-world action-adventures with lighter RPG elements.
Are there open-world games on PS Plus?
Yes. Several PlayStation first-party picks here rotate through the PS Plus Extra and Premium catalogue at various times, such as Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Days Gone. For a free-to-play open world, Genshin Impact features on our Best Open-World RPGs list. PS Plus catalogues change regularly, so check your plan before buying.
Which open-world game is best for beginners?
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn are the most approachable, both Teen-rated with accessible combat and a manageable scope. They are gentler entry points than the punishing Elden Ring or the deliberately slow-burn Red Dead Redemption 2.
How is this open-world games list ranked?
This is an editorially curated list. Games are hand-picked for a genuine, freeform open world, then ordered by overall quality using player ratings and critic reception. Linear games with only open areas, and large maps without real exploration, are deliberately excluded.

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