Search The best open world games on PC? Since the early days of gaming, with Ultima and Lords of Midnight, open-world games have always been at home on PC - in fact, those pesky consoles often couldn't handle it. Compare, for example, the ambitious early version of Halo with the final, more contained result, and in the very first Elder Scrolls games, only the PC could accommodate vast regions. However, the leap into 3D with Grand Theft Auto 3 and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind really brought the idea of open world games to the masses.
These days, the best open world games are a genre of their own. You can find accurate representations of real-life cities or countries, vast fictional spaces with their own landmarks, entire worlds to explore - or even entire galaxies, depending on where you want to go on your next adventure in one of the best open world games list on PC.
Given the breadth of the genre, the most interesting thing about them is that they can come in different forms: the important feature is that they allow you to explore the world freely. That's why our list of the best open world games on PC covers everything from the best shooters to racing games with huge worlds to drive through. So, here are the best open world games on PC in a handy list.
Here are the best open world games on PC:
tower of fantasy
Finally arriving in the west in mid-2022, Tower of Fantasy has been warmly received. This action RPG MMO borrows heavily from Genshin Impact, so if you liked that game, you'll probably like this one too. This is one of those scenarios where the formula was so good that it made sense for another developer to take it on - and that doesn't mean it's completely derivative. The game's setting and story are very different from Genshin, being more sci-fi oriented rather than fantasy.
Of course, like Genshin, Tower of Fantasy also has a huge open world. You can find barren deserts, tropical beaches, open fields, bustling futuristic cities and much more. This isn't one of those open worlds that sits empty. There's a lot to do here: collecting resources, fighting monsters and much more - and it's all made even more enjoyable by the fact that you can do it all together with your friends. Who doesn't love exploring new frontiers with their friends?
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a masterful evolution of the Souls-like genre of hardcore action RPG games, and is considered one of the best games on PC. Much of Elden Ring's success is due to its new open world, which gives the player the freedom to explore and complete quests, bosses, and dungeons in any order. The critically acclaimed ARPG also gratefully avoids existing genre tropes—this is no Assassin's Creed or Witcher—and offers its own unique fusion of challenging gameplay and loose game design. .
This is a must-have for Dark Souls fans, but even those new to the genre will find it more enjoyable. And definitely this game should be on the list of Best open world games on PC in 2023.
Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite has made a rather masterful transition into the open world. It retains the best of Halo: Combat Evolved's former glory, while also introducing new features for veteran players. The grappling hook opens Zeta Halo in a way we've never experienced before, increasing tactical options and allowing you to explore this beautiful space.
While Infinite does introduce collectibles, they aren't very plentiful and many of them are marked on the in-game map. The only thing you'll really have to look for are the skulls from Halo Infinite, which Halo players should be used to by now since they're in every game. Once you've completed the campaign, you'll be able to jump into Halo Infinite's multiplayer, and once that's launched, you'll be able to jump into Halo Forge.
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Skyrim is one of those games that we return to again and again, and the magic always stays with us. Its replay value comes from the hundreds of different ways to play through this open-world RPG, from typical character creation like the thief and warrior, to trying to play through the entire game as a vegan, or role-playing as a character from the game's story. Skyrim's open world is full of characters and beasts going about their daily business without you, and you'll often come across a giant kicking a poor wolf in orbit, or a pair of Thalmor escorting a captive Nord.
This fantasy open world RPG explores the vast and captivating region of Skyrim, where you play as the Dragonborn, a prophetic hero thrown into a tense civil war. The world is heavily inspired by the environments of countries such as Norway and Iceland, taking their history, culture, flora and folklore and blending them with The Elder Scrolls realistic fantasy. Skyrim has a compelling story and amazing attention to detail, making this almost a decade old game one of the most talked about open world games. The game still has a community of modders, so you can check out Skyrim's "Extended Cut" mod that will freshen up Tamriel's coldest history.
No Man's Sky
When No Man's Sky launched in 2016, the pushback was brutal. The hype surrounding the game was out of control, and small studio Hello Games was faced with an impossible task of delivering what players expected from the game. Six years and many updates later, this small studio has managed to turn No Man's Sky into the best open-world space game.
Forget open world - No Man's Sky is an open universe. While some open world games give you a city or even a state to explore, this game starts with an entire planet and only expands from there. You're free to explore - finding outposts, encountering wild animals, causing trouble, mining for minerals, searching for artifacts, building bases, and tinkering with No Man's Sky mods. And after you fix your ship and fly to the stars, you can find other completely different planets to explore and develop. You could spend your entire life playing No Man's Sky and not see everything the game has to offer. Now you can play with friends, build huge bases and simply explore this incredibly beautiful universe.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Although the world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is broken up into a number of miniature open-world regions, each is filled with enough detail and character to feel like one cohesive world. Whether you're tracking beasts across the battle-scarred plains of Velen, exploring the cobbled streets of Novigrad, or hiding in ancient forests, CD Projekt Red has created a world that feels equal parts authentic and fantastical.
And your exploration of these harsh places is constantly rewarded with new quests, characters, beasts, and encounters. In The Witcher 3, you'll never want to quickly move around the map for fear of missing out on an exciting new adventure, and what could be more praiseworthy for an open world game? Therefore, this game is definitely on the list of the best open world games on PC.
Saints Row 4
The Saints Row series is the perfect antidote to the traditional modern open world game. Volition took the template set by Grand Theft Auto 3 and ramped up the ridiculousness. Saints Row 2 and 3 were fun enough, with crazy missions like diving into traffic to cash in on insurance, but Saints Row IV took it one step further and added superpowers.
While the town of Steelport hasn't changed much since the last game, being able to leap tall buildings in a single bound or run faster than a bullet adds an incredible amount of fun. Very quickly you will realize that you don't need cars, helicopters, or even weapons - why bother when you can run up to the enemy at super speed and knock him off the map? These abilities make Saints Row IV feel like something different from the series' main inspirations and is one of the most fun open world games out there.
Combine that with an alien invasion plot, an absurd and varied set of missions, and the fact that you do it all while playing as the President of the United States, and it's not hard to see why this madcap game has become a cult favorite.
Fallout 4
In Fallout 4, you can spend many hours traversing the dusty post-apocalyptic plains and collecting hidden resources to build a base and survive in a new, uncertain future. The retrofuturistic wasteland of Boston, Massachusetts is filled with adventure, memorable characters, and places to visit over the course of 100 hours of play. Whether you're battling through the mutant-infested streets of downtown Boston, venturing into the heavily irradiated Sea of Light, or taking a tour of the Salem Witch Museum, Fallout 4's gigantic open world never feels empty.
Red Dead Redemption 2
In RDR2, you'll play as Arthur Morgan, a wanted criminal and member of the Van der Linde gang, led by the notorious and duplicitous Dutch. Even though the gang's fate is sealed, hope is a gut reaction that will follow you throughout this melancholy love letter to the Old West. But it's Rockstar's incredibly detailed open world that makes Red Dead Redemption 2 so special.
The varied landscape varies from frozen lakes and snow-capped mountain regions to dusty plains and muddy swamps. NPCs react to your character's honor score and will react to your presence in the city depending on how well you behaved. If there is a bounty on you, you will have to visit your local post office to pay it before you can freely enter the "wanted" area or risk being targeted by bounty hunters.
In Red Dead Redemption 2, you can play as you like, although the story missions open or close various areas, you can basically roam the expanses of the American frontier freely. From meeting strangers on the side of the road, going into town for a haircut, to tracking down legendary animals in the grizzly's rugged terrain. You'll want to touch every corner of Red Dead Redemption 2's intriguing and immersive open world.
Grand Theft Auto 5
If Grand Theft Auto 3 essentially pioneered 3D open-world gaming, then GTA 5 is the culmination of everything Rockstar wanted to achieve with this innovative game. The incredibly large San Andreas area is your playground, including the Los Angeles-inspired city of Los Santos, and it's one of the most detailed open world regions ever to appear in a game. There are Easter eggs, shops, sports and countless side missions to keep you busy wherever you find yourself.
If that's not enough, there's also GTA Online, which builds on all the benefits of a sandbox game and adds dozens of other players, introducing them to racing, heists, battle royales, biker gangs and more. There are even mods for GTA 5 that allow you to do it all as Superman or Magneto, create weapons that shoot cows, or just drop random whales from the sky. Who needs a release date for Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC?
Most recently, the GTA Casino update brought a huge online casino to Los Santos with mini-games, new GTA casino missions, a stack of hidden GTA playing cards to find, and a payout for a GTA casino heist mission - six years after launch, this is... Still one of the best multiplayer games on this list of the best open world games on PC.
Batman: Arkham Knight
"Always be yourself if you can't be Batman" should be the mantra for all open world games. Rocksteady's third and final foray into the world of the Dark Knight boasts an almost complete recreation of Gotham City, and while it's a smaller playable space than most other open-world games, few are as detailed and rife with fan service as this superhero game.
Every square meter of Gotham has something interesting to grab your attention: a dastardly murder, an interesting encounter, an intriguing mystery, a gang of scoundrels to beat up, or a billboard ad worth looking at again after you've been doused with juice. Scarecrow. Moving around the city is also a lot of fun, from flying on a grapefruit to driving through the streets in a Batmobile.
While the story may not be as good as other Arkham titles, Arkham Knight still excels when it comes to gameplay, great graphics, and an open world that makes you want to spend dozens of hours exploring, and if you're an avid DC reader, you'll never get bored thanks to the countless Easter eggs you can stumble upon.
Days Gone
A former PlayStation exclusive, Days Gone is now available on PC, with a host of fixes and improvements that make the game the definitive version. Climbing aboard your hog and riding through the Pacific Northwest, we describe the game as a "tough open-world adventure" that "elevates itself to something special thanks to its spectacular horde combat, ambitious scope, and warmly written characters." The only thing that spoils the experience a little is that the mandatory stealth missions can end in instant failure if you're not careful.
A variety of missions add to the appeal of its comprehensive open world, from clearing out forts, navigating a research facility, to rescuing captive locals from a Ripper cult. Now that the game is out on PC, Days Gone has received its first PC mods, from slowing down zombie pacing to classic cinematic staggering to repainting the game to look like Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake.
Whether you're playing the game for the first time or returning to explore modding, Days Gone deserves its place on this list, if only so people can give it a real shot on PC.
Watchdogs 2
In the world where Grand Theft Auto 5 exists, releasing another modern open-world urban game can be a challenge. But Ubisoft found a way to freshen up the formula, adding hacking, Dark Souls-esque intrusions, and sharper social and political commentary. Watch Dogs 2 does it all in a slightly condensed, cartoonish yet believable recreation of San Francisco. And it's great.
The problems of protagonist Markus and the hacker group DedSec create a much nicer and friendlier backdrop than in the first game. The sequel was finally allowed to take on the (frankly hilarious) hacking mechanic and have some fun with it. Anything can be hacked, from smartphones and traffic lights to cars and surveillance cameras, and thanks to the various drones that accompany the game, the gameplay from moment to moment becomes rich, varied and surprisingly fun. There is nothing better than breaking into a parked car and bowling with all the guards nearby.
There are a few standout missions in the main story, but exploring San Francisco is the highlight, thanks to a top-notch soundtrack, a detailed recreation of the Bay Area, and the ability to hack oncoming traffic to clear up the roads a bit.
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V deserves its place on this list for two reasons: it's the first MGS game to come out on PC, and the only open-world MGS game (we don't count Survive). Many were skeptical of the genre change prior to its release, but Metal Gear Solid V has become one of the most enjoyable, immersive and engaging open world games ever made.
MGS V is a war game that offers an incredible amount of content - there are at least a couple hundred missions to begin with. The stealth system is fantastic, with many moving parts working like polished clockwork. Light, cover, position and noise are all things to pay attention to, and if you're suspicious, guards can communicate via radio or even to other bases if reinforcements are needed.
The open world adds a lot to these stealth mechanics, expanding the scope of the game. You can observe outposts from miles away and formulate a plan of attack, and the game gives you complete freedom to act, no matter how crazy.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Odyssey isn't the only open-world Assassin's Creed game we recommend. Assassin's Creed Valhalla has significantly better combat, allowing you to wield two-handed axes like a berserker Viking warrior, and many other weapon combinations. It is therefore fitting that the main character it a tough Viking named Eivor who seeks glory in battles against the local Saxons who now rule England.
Our Assassin's Creed Valhalla review highlights that it's not just the improved combat that makes the game worthy of this list. There are also new things like rap battles, drinking contests and the “hopelessly addictive dice game Orlog.” You can also go on raids and plunder villages in search of loot for your Viking settlements. If you enjoy exploring the wild lands of England and Norway during the dark times, then you'll find plenty to enjoy in Valhalla.
Far Cry 5
The latest chapter in the Far Cry series takes players to the United States and still seems far from civilization. Hope County, Montana is a gorgeous open world for players to explore this time around, but on the way to your special Far Cry 5 ending, you'll have to share the experience with murderous cultists and deadly wildlife like bears, mountain lions and wolverines.
Most open world games require you to get from point A to point B to get anything done, but Far Cry 5 has an incredible amount of fun in between thanks to random encounters. You'll be distracted by enemy jeeps, bears, VIP soldiers, roadblocks, hostage situations, car chases or aerial bombings - often all at once. Far Cry 5 does its best to keep players in a constant state of distraction, so it's easy to lose yourself in big sky land. On top of that, while the game doesn't work as well as a co-op game when it comes to missions, it works great when you're just having fun in the open world. So join a friend, choose a spot and wait for the fireworks to start. In Far Cry 5 you won't have to wait long.
Forza Horizon 4
As open world racing games become more mainstream, it takes an exceptional game to stand out from the crowd.
Even though the latest Forza presents the British Isles in a heavily truncated form, it's still a huge area to explore - it includes the Scottish Highlands, parts of Oxfordshire and Cumbria, as well as Cheshire. Hills, forests, sleepy villages and towns give the game's map a special character - our review of Forza Horizon 4 found that it's simply a joy to drive and explore, even before talking about the beautiful graphics and seasonal weather changes.
Forza Horizon 4 isn't all about the visuals, all the cars in it have a special feel when you corner them or accelerate up the crest of a hill - so be sure to check out our Forza Horizon 4 beginner's guide if you're new to this series. Plus, there's always something to do in Forza Horizon 4—in fact, there's an incredible amount of it—including epic races, challenges, customization, and even seasonal Forzathons.
Thunder
Trove is an MMO inspired by Minecraft, and part of that inspiration is a procedurally generated world that will have you exploring for hours on end. Since Trove is voxel-based, you build everything from simple bricks and can take those creations to any of the new open worlds you visit during your travels.
Just go to the adventure portal, find a piece of land, and you can place your base so that you can safely return to between extermination sessions. Naturally, Trove also has all the trappings of a classic MMO, from challenging dungeons to multiplayer encounters where you can show off your shiny new velociraptor.
That's it, the best open world games you can find on PC. The genre has come a long way since the days of procedurally generated dungeons in older games. , such as Daggerfall. Since then, the genre has been revolutionized, and today the worlds we play in look and feel more real than ever. As always, we look forward to seeing how the upcoming PC games use cutting-edge technology to create even more mesmerizing worlds.
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