Open-world games have been "hot" since GTA 3 arrived on the scene, and the genre's relevance and popularity have only strengthened since the mid-2000s. Nowadays, each month produces at least one major project that drops players into a massive map and allows them to go wild. 2025 alone has had Assassin's Creed Shadows, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, while Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, Mafia: The Old Country, Dune: Awakening, and Donkey Kong Bananza are expected to launch by the end of the year.
While some genre fatigue has set in over the last few years, the 2020s have generally been fantastic for open-world releases. The decade has supplied both quantity and quality, and there are enough games to keep players engaged indefinitely. Let's take a look at the best 2020s open-world games.
Some criteria:
- No remakes or remasters of games that originally came out before 2020.
- Open-world games that entered early access before 2020 but made their full debuts in the current decade will be considered.
- While a holistic view of a game will be taken, the quality of its open-world will be prioritized.
Honorable Mentions
The 2020s have had so many memorable open-world games, an honorable mentions section is required.
- Cyberpunk 2077 – If it was not for a very messy launch, CD Projekt Red's sci-fi epic would have had a guaranteed spot among the best open-world games of the decade. Despite being playable on some systems in 2020, it is 100% worth playing nowadays.
- Infinity Nikki – The 2020s have produced some great online open-world RPGs, and Infinity Nikki is arguably the pick of the bunch.
- Rise of the Ronin – The open-world itself is repetitive and not particularly enjoyable, but the gameplay is among the strongest in the genre.
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2 – Does not shake up its predecessor's formula all that much, and the open-world activities are underwhelming. That said, the story is decent, the combat is fast-paced and fun, and the webswinging is liberating.
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – A fantastic action JRPG in a series known for producing solely great games. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has complex combat, a compelling narrative, and runs reasonably well considering it is solely available on the Nintendo Switch.
10 Echo Point Nova
Some Of The Best Movement In The Open-World Genre
Echo Point Nova
- Released
- September 24, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Greylock Studio
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, FPS, Exploration
- Platform(s)
- PC
Although not as recognizable of a name as some other 2020s open-world games, Echo Point Nova is an absolute delight that should be a must-play for anyone craving frantic but controlled FPS action. Coming from the same developer behind the underrated Severed Steel, Echo Point Nova essentially transposes that game's fluid movement into a sandbox.
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While not devoid of a story, the campaign mostly leaves players to their own devices, letting them loose on an island-based world where every small biome can be reached, regardless of how far away it seems. Echo Point Nova's combat is intense, satisfying, and stylish, and the gameplay maintains a ridiculously quick pace that is unusual for an open-world project. The game even has 4-player co-op.
9 Forza Horizon 5
The Best Open-World Racing Franchise Heads To Mexico
Forza Horizon 5
- Released
- November 9, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone // In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Playground Games
- PS5 Release Date
- April 29, 2025
- Genre(s)
- Racing, Open-World
Frankly, Playground Games has yet to produce anything but pure gold when it comes to Forza Horizon. Each entry represented the open-world racing genre at its best during its era, and the fifth entry will be extremely difficult to beat. The game delivers over-the-top gameplay, events, accessible controls, and a ludicrous roster of unlockable cars across a wide range of classes, along with building upon the four-season system introduced in Forza Horizon 4.
While someone's favorite game might be dictated by their preference in location, Forza Horizon 5's interpretation of Mexico arguably resulted in the most diverse map in the franchise. The open-world is huge but not exhausting, and its activities are consistently fun due to the pitch-perfect arcade gameplay.
8 Horizon Forbidden West
A Sequel That Mostly Improves On Every Aspect Of Its Predecessor
Horizon Forbidden West
- Released
- February 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Guerrilla Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Horizon Zero Dawn's success pretty much guaranteed that a follow-up would be put into production, and Horizon Forbidden West largely succeeded in living up to those high standards. Admittedly, the sequel does not quite have the original title's novelty or sense of mystery, but it manages to improve nearly everything else. With more weapons, improved AI, and a few new enemy types, the combat offers more variety and depth, and battles against massive mecha dinosaurs are still exhilarating. Sadly, encounters with human enemies are still not that great, but they are also slightly better than in HZD.
Taking Aloy and players to another part of the fallen world, HFW's map is impressively massive, to the point that it can be overwhelming at times. However, the game constantly shakes things up to ensure there is always something new to experience, despite otherwise maintaining a fairly standard open-world formula.
7 Satisfactory
Arguably The Most Unique Open-World Game Of The 2020s
Satisfactory
- Released
- September 10, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Coffee Stain Studios
- Genre(s)
- Simulation, Sandbox, Base Building, Open-World, Management
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Open-world games are ultimately rare, but due to so many of them being relatively similar and usually requiring significant investment, they can seem like they are a dime-a-dozen. A lot of positive things can be said about Satisfactory, but arguably its greatest success is that there are almost no other open-world games like it. After spending half a decade in early access, Coffee Stain finally released version 1 toward the end of 2024, and the time and effort spent on the project completely paid off.
Satisfactory takes place on an alien planet, with players being charged by their company to set up a factory that can mine for resources. While the sense scale starts relatively small, things expand with every passing hour, and the game does a fantastic job of making players feel like they can create almost anything that they set their minds to. Honestly, Satisfactory is primarily for people craving a factory sim rather than an open-world, but the latter is present through first-person exploration sections. This element is not bad either, even if it is not as addictive as setting up a factory's pipelines.
6 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Square Enix's Best Open-World Game
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Released
- February 29, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
Building on the success of FF7 Remake, Rebirth is the definition of "bigger is better." Unlike its predecessor's fairly linear campaign, the sequel opted to go full open-world, delivering by far the most complete and expansive look into this universe. Along with incorporating the typical high-quality cutscenes associated with Square Enix's franchise, FF7 Rebirth features multiple vast regions that are just begging to be explored, all of which look great and are stuffed with content.
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Be it Queen's Blood, side quests, optional boss fights, or Chocobo races, players pretty much always have too many things to do. Now, Rebirth's open-world content does, at times, seem to prioritize quantity over quality, but the latter is not completely absent either. The main narrative is also great, and it is backed by a complicated but satisfying combat system that benefits greatly from having a versatile party of characters.
5 Ghost of Tsushima
Starting The 2020s On The Highest Note
Ghost of Tsushima
- Released
- July 17, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
While Yakuza is the best open-world franchise for games based in modern Japan, Ghost of Tsushima is the definitive project for those yearning to take a historical trip into the country's past. Sucker Punch's PS4 swansong casts players as Jin, a samurai who goes into hiding after his home, Tsushima Island, is taken over by Mongols. Although some liberties are taken, the story is based on legitimate history, and the game goes to great lengths to deliver an authentic experience.
An argument could be made that Ghost of Tsushima is the most beautiful open-world game of the 2020s, at least in terms of environmental presentation. Despite incorporating quite a few conventional design decisions associated with the genre, GOT emphasizes immersion above nearly everything, including one of the smarter guidance mechanics in the genre. The combat is designed around managing crowds and improves substantially as more skills are unlocked and when played on the highest difficulty setting.
4 Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
The 2020's Best Open-World Game Franchise
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Released
- January 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC
Focusing solely on open-world IPs, Yakuza/Like a Dragon has had the most fruitful decade so far. Since 2020, the franchise has dropped Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Lost Judgment, Like a Dragon: Ishin!, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. That is a game per year, a ridiculous return for any genre, let alone open-world. Sure, not all these releases are masterpieces, but they are all good and worth playing.
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Infinite Wealth is, by far, the biggest Like a Dragon game of all time. Featuring two playable characters and three cities/maps, the 2024 sequel manages to deliver quantity without sacrificing quality. While recycling some content, Infinite Wealth is primarily set in Hawaii, an area that is not only new for the franchise but also for the gaming industry in general. The narrative is long, dense, and periodically brilliant, while the turn-based combat improves upon the rock-solid foundation set by Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
3 Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
A Masterfully Done Open-World Sequel
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Released
- February 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Warhorse Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action-Adventure, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
Warhorse created something special with Kingdom Come: Deliverance, a hard-as-nails medieval RPG that completely commits to simulating an era-appropriate life. As great as that game is, it is the definition of niche, and some people might struggle to get through its opening few hours.
Somehow, Warhorse accomplished the impossible with the second game. The developer succeeded in enhancing accessibility without sacrificing anything that made the original game so captivating to a specific audience. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 should be studied as the ideal example of how to create the ultimate sequel. Even moving beyond comparisons to the first game, KCD2 is one of the decade's most gorgeous, ambitious, and self-assured releases of any genre, a title that knows exactly what it wants to be and believes in that vision.
2 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
The Best Open-World Nintendo Game Of The 2020s
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Released
- May 12, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Breath of the Wild was among the best open-world games of the 2010s, and its successor could be argued as the current decade's crowning achievement. While set in the same general areas as BOTW, Tears of the Kingdom adds a ridiculous amount of content, including two vast new areas that exist parallel to the main map. The Depths and Sky Islands can be somewhat frustrating at first, but they both get better as they are explored further, particularly the former.
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Like BOTW, TOTK encourages players to go out into the unknown and discover. See something interesting in the distance? Well, grab a horse and start working towards it, although Link might need to prepare some food or find weather-appropriate outfits to make the journey. Also, the game introduces an incredibly versatile building system designed to inspire and reward player creativity, allowing them to design all sorts of technology that facilitates exploration.
1 Elden Ring
The Best Open-World Game Of The 2020s
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
FromSoftware spent the entirety of the 2010s perfecting the Souls formula, creating some of the best 3D Metroidvanias of all time. While games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne offered quite a bit of freedom, they were not open-world, nor did it seem like their gameplay loop would be a natural fit for a sandbox. Yet, Elden Ring proved that the Soulslike concept could not only adapt to an open-world but also excel within it.
Set in The Lands Between, Elden Ring gives players enough direction to have a general idea of where to go next for the main quest but otherwise leaves them to their own devices. Taking some ideas from BOTW, Elden Ring has arguably the most addictive sense of discovery in the open-world genre, where every step could lead to a surprise boss fight, catacomb, or valuable loot. While not particularly beautiful, the game nails its atmosphere, delivering an experience that can be haunting, intense, and even silly. The sandbox aspect is pretty great, but Elden Ring also caters to players who crave more traditional level design by incorporating a few major dungeons that are reminiscent of Dark Souls.
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