Open-world games are known for their exploration and player freedom, along with featuring some of the most beautiful locations in gaming. Not every title focuses on these aspects, but most of them try to emphasize at least one of them, and they need to craft a world that encourages players to fully immerse themselves. Notable landmarks are crucial for an open-world game to succeed, as they help players learn to navigate without having to rely on their maps. Also, they can be just jaw-dropping.
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The chaos of Medici in Just Cause 3 contrasts with the relative banality of Los Santos in GTA 5. Prototype's New York shines as a playground for destruction, while The Division's version of the city is desolate . Kingdom Come: Deliverance seeks to recreate history, while Cyberpunk 2077 suggests a world that is still to come. Each open-world game has its own voice and reason to exist, but the genre's greatest representatives all have unforgettable landmarks.
10 inFamous 2
The Colorful New Orleans-Inspired New Marais
InFamous was fun, though it came out when most games’ settings and graphics were as gritty as their tone. Empire City was beige, grimy, and didn’t get any color until the player maxed out their Good or Bad Karma, turning the sky blue or red, respectively. InFamous 2 stepped things up by taking the electric-power protagonist Cole McGrath to a New Orleans-inspired city called New Marais.
It was much more colorful and varied in its locations, with bayous, rideable tram lines, tricolor banners, balconies, and grand churches that players could climb all over. The waterlogged, hurricane-ravaged homes even offered a challenge to the water-prone hero. The only downside is the final industrial area, which was a dull note to go out on.
9 Saints Row 2
Despite Being Dangerous to Live In, Stilwater Offers Beautiful Locations
Stilwater first appeared in Saints Row 1, though it was arguably improved in Saints Row 2 in terms of gameplay and creative options. Its different districts are so recognizable that, after a while, players might not even need the mini-map to tell them where they are. They’ll recognize the locations from their distinct features, like Chinatown's ornate gates and architecture, and their positions relative to each other.
For example, from Chinatown, they’ll know the preppy university with its sarcastic cheerleaders is just a short drive northwest. Then one drive on the highway north from there will take them to the grungy trailer park, which is just east of the suburbs where Johnny Gat’s girlfriend Aisha lives. It’s a town rich in variety that the more generic Steelport from Saints Row the Third and Saints Row 4 couldn’t top.
8 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Bringing the Decadence of 1980s Miami to the PS2
It’s hard to pick out an individual Grand Theft Auto game for this list. GTA 4 stepped up on GTA 3 in replicating and mocking New York City. GTA5’s Los Santos has entertained players for over a decade with a wide variety of things to do and see. Though some still prefer its incarnation in GTA: San Andreas, which had more towns and landscape to explore.
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However, the series has yet to return to the Miami-esque splendor of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Sure, Vice City is making its return in GTA 6, but that’s a while away. Even then, it’ll be set in the modern day compared to GTA: Vice City’s 80s setting. It sounds like a minor difference, but cruising past the beaches and palm trees with classic music on the radio gave GTA: Vice City a unique vibe.
7 Yakuza Kiwami 2
Memorable Japanese Cities That Feel as Real as Their Counterparts
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
If picking out a single GTA game for this was hard, it’s harder still for the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. They’ve got a lot of standout locations, though some offer more to do than others. The most common locations in the series are the original home base, Kamurochō in Tokyo, and Sōtenbori in Osaka, which debuted all the way back in Yakuza 2.
Both cities resemble their real-life counterparts, Kabukichō and Dōtonbori, respectively, from the former’s plaza of cinemas to the latter’s Kani Doraku crab restaurant. The remake, Yakuza Kiwami 2, offers more to do and explore. But the original gets props for including Shinseicho, based on Osaka’s infamous Shinsekai district. It's famous for its Tsutenkaku Tower, though neither it nor Shinseicho has reappeared in the series since Yakuza 2.
6 Where Winds Meet
10th-Century China In All Of Its Evolving Beauty
- Developer(s)
- Everstone Studios
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC, Android, iOS
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Wuxia, Open-World
Where Winds Meet is still young, at least when it comes to live-service games that will constantly receive new content. While launching into early access in 2024 in China, the full launch didn't happen until November 2025, and Western regions are a bit behind in terms of updates. Basically, Everstone Studio's free-to-play game is far from done, and it will probably remain a fixture of the gaming landscape for a few years.
Whether playing single-player or in the multiplayer mode, players can rest assured that they will be constantly bombarded with beautiful buildings, gorgeous stretches of nature, and landmarks that simply ooze culture and history. You can take a stroll through the peaceful Bamboo Abode, bask in the majesty of the Jadewood Court, tentatively explore the Ghostlight Market, or make the climb up Crimson Cliff. Where Winds Meet not only uses its landmarks to orient players, but also to teleport them to a part of history that many people are likely not familiar with.
5 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Immersive New York City Landmarks, With a Marvel Twist
- Developer(s)
- Insomniac Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
Plenty of games have used proxy cities based on New York City, and some have even used the real deal. Marvel’s Spider-Man games aren’t even the first ones to replicate the Big Apple. Those games just encourage players to check out all the classic landmarks (and a few Marvel-exclusive ones like Avengers Towers) by snapping photos of them for a little XP and a remark from Spidey.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 skips these Photo Ops for snapping people, yet it adds more landmarks than before, thanks to its expanded reach beyond Manhattan. Maimonides Park, the Coney Island Boardwalk, and Brooklyn’s Brownstones join Madison Square Garden, Central Park, and the Guggenheim Museum as reasons to see NYC without needing an air ticket.
4 Red Dead Redemption 2
Explore an Expansive Frontier for Treasure and Natural Beauty
Games don’t need urban sprawls to catch people’s eyes, as Red Dead Redemption 2 is stunning without big cities. The wilderness of the Wild West provides some stunning views of the lakes, rivers, and mountains that few games could match. However, it still offers some enigmatic sights among the woods, particularly in the ‘Landmarks of Riches’ Treasure quest.
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If players want an excuse to go beyond the town, this quest gives it to them as they go on the trail for treasure maps. It’ll lead them to all sorts of oddities, like the tiny church east of Lakay, a hobbit-like hill house in Grizzlies East, and a sundial on top of Mount Shann. Aside from a shot at getting some gold, it’ll give players a tour of RDR2’s nicest sights.
3 Assassin’s Creed Origins
See Ancient Egypt's Legendary Icons Before They Became Ancient
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
Practically any Assassin’s Creed game is good for checking out classic landmarks in any historical location. The Ezio Trilogy (Assassin’s Creed 2-Brotherhood) offers an in-depth look at the sights and sounds of Renaissance Italy. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla recreates Dark Ages England, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey brings the Athenian Ruins back to life.
That said, as nice as a pristine recreation of the Acropolis is, it can’t beat the sights of Ancient Egypt in Assassin’s Creed Origins. The sight of the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, painted gold, capstone, and all, is stunning, and it is a decent replacement for people who might never make the trip to Egypt. AC Origins also has plenty of sights for players who want something different, like Krokodilopolis, Nitria, the Library of Alexandria, and Memphis.
2 Elden Ring
Fantasy Sights That Are Equally Beautiful as They Are Dangerous
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
Fromsoft’s Soulsborne games offer wide worlds with plenty to see in them, though few would call them ‘picturesque’ in the traditional sense. Even the nicest sights have something twisted or eerie about them. Elden Ring is different as its locations manage to be stunningly beautiful while still being surreal.
For example, the Underground sounds like it would be a dingy series of caves, but instead looks like a broad series of ornate ruins under a starry sky. Liurnia of the Lakes comes straight out of a Gothic novel with its mists, castles, and rocky outcrops. Meanwhile, the dark turquoise skies of Limgrave contrast nicely with the golden trees. If players can handle the dangers, it would be worth going off the beaten track in Elden Ring.
1 Genshin Impact
Each Region Comes With Beautiful And Unique Landmarks
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, iOS, Android
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action, Adventure, Gacha, Open-World
Hard to believe, but Genshin Impact has been out for 5 years, and the gacha game kind of feels like old news nowadays. However, make no mistake, miHoYo's juggernaut is still going strong and seems unlikely to lose momentum anytime soon. The biggest contributor to the game's continuous success is the characters, as there is always somebody new to look forward to (or try to collect). The second-biggest contributor is Teyvat and its many, many nations, all of whom have their own cultures, aesthetics, and landmarks. Whenever a new area is revealed, it feels like a brand-new game has dropped, and miHoYo has done a fantastic job of differentiating Mondstadt from Inazuma, Sumeru, and Natlan.
Rather than striving for realism, Genshin Impact embraces fantasy with every fiber of its being, delivering a vibrant world filled with sights that are unlikely to be found on Earth. Frankly, there are too many landmarks to go into, but the likes of the Stone Forest, Tree of Dreams, Opera Epiclese, and Apam Woods are worth visiting just to see them, and all of these locations have substantial content.
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