30 Amazing Open World Games You Need To Play AT LEAST ONCE [2022 Edition]

The open-world genre has been one of the most prominent ones in gaming, and for good reason. This medium relies on giving players a sense of escapism, and what better way to provide that than letting them loose in a virtual world that’s filled with opportunities and possibilities?

We have experienced a ton of great open-world games in recent years, and here are 30 of the best of all time.

[mr.croctic]

nothing will ever beat the rdr2 open world, just the detailing of everything including graphics, npcs, multiple things to do and just the small details is on a level above anything else

[briwanderz]

Nice to see prototype get some recognition, very underrated game, I'd love to see a remake or reboot.

[adrianschottka]

you should add timestamps, and also mention publishing date of the games

[reggiep]

FC2 was a an excellent game and I can't believe that it's 14 years ago since I was burning grass and fields down in the dead of night to show them who was the Daddy, as I watched from a distance. Loved that game!

[joshjohnson]

What a list! I'm in the minority that actually likes Death Stranding, and there's so many I've yet to crack open. Honorable mention to Days Gone!
RDR2 fulfills one of my many childhood dreams of being a cowboy, while Black Flag fulfills another dream of being a pirate, and Ghost of Tsushima a samurai, and GTA series you get to run free as a one man terror.

[tylero]

Now this is what you call a need to play list! Amazing games

[harrybatey]

List is as follows :

GTA V
Far Cry 2
Assassins Creed Black Flag
Elden Ring
Red Dead Redemption 2
Outer Wilds
Ghost of Tsushima:Directors Cut
Skyrim
Witcher 3 Wild Hunt
Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
GTA 4
MAFIA Definitive Edition
Fallout 4
Death Stranding
Horizon Forbidden West
Forza Horizon 5
Batman Arkham City
Dying Light
Sleeping Dogs
Red Dead Redemption
No Mans Sky
Saints Row 3
Just Cause 2
Subnatica
Shadow of the Colossus
Marvel Spiderman Miles Morales
Middle Earth Shadow of War
Prototype
Metal Gear Solid 5: The phantom pain

[S.T-Money]

Rockstar *’s GTA V and RDR2 game duo can go up against any other gaming company best 2 games. Those 2 games are absolutely legendary.

[nerdoweirdo]

Open World Games are the epitome of gaming. Most of it contains almost all aspect of Video Gaming Genres such as Puzzles, Platformers, RPG, Action, Adventure, Beat em' Ups, Shooters, FPS, Tactics, Simulation, Stealth, and Many more. It could be the epitome of Single Player gaming with many games have Multiplayer functionality.

[John-]

Fallout3, New vegas, San andreas, GTA5, RDR2, Skyrim, Kingdom Come, Witcher 3, Saints Row 2 Morrowwind, Oblivion and BOTW. Can not Think of anyothers I would Put in the Top Tier of open worlds.

[JoannaHerra-pzfx]

This video just made my day! 🎮💥 The diversity and creativity of these open world games are mind-blowing. So grateful for this list! 🙏😍

[devinarnouly]

couldn't agree more, its a solid list

[Janovea]

Far cry 2 was so good, I’ll never forget when a companion got downed enough they’d die because the morphine doesn’t work and you just comfort them in their final moments

[didyoubot]

For fantasy, the Witcher 3. Martial arts, Sleeping Dogs. For nostalgia, Shenmue. For samurai, Ghost of Tsushima. But my all time favourite, RDR2.

[UnclePengy]

Kingdom Come: Deliverance should be on the list. A beautiful recreation of an actual historical medieval setting with some really beautiful scenery and realistic sword fights with parries, feints, etc. (not your usual button-smashing hack-and-slash fare). It got a lot of flak for being buggy when it first came out, but for the most part those issues have been dealt with. And with the DLCs you could literally spend a couple of hundred hours of gameplay (or more, if you just want to get lost in the woods!).

L.A. Noire should also be on the list for being a rather faithful recreation of late-1940s Los Angeles. So much so that if you're an Angelino and are familiar with some of the older L.A. landmarks, you can spot them in the game and use them as navigation aids. The odd interrogation mechanics can be a source of frustration, but it definitely deserves to be played at least once.

[rishabmehta]

Rdr2 and witcher 3 are best by far in terms of everything... Two of the best games I've ever played

[wolf]

Now that's what i call a good list!

[bexisdying]

watch dogs 2 will always have a very dear place in my heart. When I finally saved up enough money from doing a paper round at 13, I bought my PS4, and a copy of the game. I lost myself for hundreds of hours In that game, completed the story twice and still occasionally play online 6 years later. Its such a fun game. Takes common concepts of open world games and puts a new spin on it with the whole hacking aspect. Being chased by police? hack traffic lights, stuff like that. Its just a shame watch dogs legion wasn't that good. I would recommend watch dogs 2 to anybody.

[tendaishechidakwa]

This list clearly shows how few good open-world games are. My first introduction to open-world gaming was GTA 5 since I started gaming as an adult. It blew me away and set the standard I expected in any open-world game. RDR, Sleeping Dogs, Skyrim, The Witcher 3, RDR2, and Assasins Creed Syndicate were also enjoyable. I tried GTA 4 but playing it after GTA 5 was a mistake, the mechanics were not easy to get used to. Ubisoft open-worlds are generally poor and dull as well as the repetitive Just Cause games. At the end of the day, I feel most games are better off as linear experiences rather than massive open worlds that are empty and have repetitive missions with no depth.

[andipajeroking]

Kudos for including GTA IV. You could also add Gothic series to this list.