10. Red Dead Redemption
Available on: PlayStation Now, Xbox One
(Playable on Xbox Series X and PS5)
The wild West is on its last legs, and you’re there to see its final steps. Red Dead Redemption is a swan song for the dying age of cowboys, outlaws, and frontier towns which’ll become all too clear when you’re galloping through its scrubland as former outlaw John Marston pondering whether you can ever retire from a life of crime. Prepare to feel like a tiny speck in Rockstar’s massive world thanks to breathtaking scenery and the vast open spaces. But feeling lost in the colossal scale of the game is the whole point of Red Dead Redemption: its sparse surroundings prove just how hard it is to survive in the inhospitable land. The quests will force you into all the map’s nooks and crannies, and its characters - especially John Marston - are so well-written that they won’t budge from your memory. Get some handkerchiefs ready. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
9. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
All of the recent Assassin's Creed titles have been excellent open-world games, but Assassin's Creed Valhalla is definitely one to check out - particularly because it's already one of the best Xbox Series X games and best PS5 games. Building on the improvements made with Assassin's Creed Origins and Assassin's Creed Odyssey (both of which are very worth your time), Valhalla takes you to the Dark Ages, traveling across England as Viking Eivor to find a new home for your clan. Build your settlement, meet new friends, forge new allyships, dabble in politics, and do a heck of a lot of exploring to find the secrets and treasures lurking in old England.
8. Ghost of Tsushima
Available on: PS4, PS5
Although you may be surprised to find a samurai game full of swords, blood and violence in a list of the best open-world games to play right now, hold back your shocked faces. Away from the sword clashing, Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima is surprisingly zen. Craft haikus whilst you marvel on a peaceful lake, contemplate the death of your father in a hot spring, follow a fox through the wilderness to a hidden shrine, or just go and see what that smoke in the sky is all about. A minimalist UI, waypoints pointed out by fluttering yellow birds and the wind makes for one of the most interesting, natural open-world experiences to date. Of course, helps that the combat and story are really great too. Not one to miss out on.
7. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
(Playable on Xbox Series X and PS5)
Malaka, Ubisoft really didn’t hold back when it comes to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Set in Ancient Greece, you have the choice of playing as Kassandra or Alexios the misthios (mercenary), ready to sell his or her sword to either Athens or Sparta. Odyssey is truly a remarkable achievement, as the story-rich main questlines all interweave to leave you wrestling with personal revelations as well as something mysterious which will - of course - affect the entirety of the Ancient Greek world.
There are mercenaries that will hunt you down if you murder or steal (who you can then defeat and climb up the ranks of notoriety yourself), as well as mythical monsters for you to tackle, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey romance storylines, and the return of naval combat. Plus for the first time in an Assassin’s Creed game you have dialogue options to choose from, so you can finally decide whether your misthios is a massive dick or just wants to be everyone’s friend. There’s enough to keep you busy for at least 100 hours (no exaggeration, promise), so if you’re looking for a game that’ll give you value for money with the amount of content bubbling inside it, you really can’t go wrong with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
6. Horizon Zero Dawn
Available on: PS4, PS5
As well as being one of the best PS4 games around, Horizon: Zero Dawn is also one of the most original titles to come out since Bioshock. I’m not kidding. Taking place in a post-post apocalyptic world where tribes hunt robots in a lush overgrown landscape, you’re put in the shoes of Aloy, the razor-sharp outcast. Hunt robots sneakily or with your dizzying range of weapons as you uncover the mysterious past of the Old Ones, their ruins dotted through this massive open world game being sure to keep your interest at its highest peak. Breathtaking surroundings mean that even after you’ve hoovered up the sidequests just traversing the map is a joy, whether you stop to take advantage of its photo mode or not. The New Game+ mode even keeps Horizon challenging, and begs you to revisit it even when the main quest is done and dusted. Trust me: it’s truly phenomenal. You'll want to check this one out before the sequel too, Horizon Forbidden West has just been announced.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Available on: Nintendo Switch
See that mountain? You can climb it. You can also attach octopus balloons to a raft to float into the air, or turn a fallen tree into a deadly projectile. Mixing up the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s ingenious mechanics is what makes its open world so deliriously freeing as it encourages that special breed of mad scientist experimentation so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the best Nintendo Switch games available right now as well as one of the best open world games. Instead of quests propelling you around most of the map, you’ll find curiosity getting the better of you most of the time as Breath of the Wild’s landmarks are downright intriguing and offer the chance to find out more about the world before Calamity Ganon struck. Or you can hunt down the 600 adorable Korok Seeds. Or perfect your cooking repertoire. Or take on a Lynel. Or...you get the idea.
4. Grand Theft Auto 5
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Come on, GTA 5 was always going to be in the top three best open world games. You know it. I know it. It’s the most successful entertainment product of all time, for Christ’s sake! Driving through the winding streets, taking advantage of certain adult clubs, skydiving, stabbing sharks with knives, tracking a serial killer, running from the police (or fighting them if you’re thirsting for that 5-star wanted rating), going full Trevor and causing as much chaos as possible, and do I really need to carry on listing all the stuff you can do? Grand Theft Auto is a web of criminal exploits and mind-boggling potential, with every single inch of the world filled with NPCs to manipulate, missions to hunt down or just colossal heights of shenanigans to engage in. It’ll swallow you whole, spit you out, and have you itching for more.
3. Red Dead Redemption 2
Available on: PS4, Xbox One
Doesn’t matter if you want to hunt. Doesn’t matter if you want to try and help Dutch achieve his elusive goals, and it definitely doesn’t matter if you’d rather just try to own the fanciest rootin’ tootin’-ist wardrobe in all America: Red Dead Redemption 2 is absolutely packed full of activities to keep you busy as soon as you step foot in its world. On its own, the story tells the tale of Dutch Van Der Linde’s efforts to keep his gang afloat while trying not to succumb to his own ego, all watched by his loyal friend Arthur Morgan. Its tale of a gradually disappearing age of outlaws as civilisation comes to the Wild West means there’s plenty of people who need your help. Although you could always rob them instead...Each different region is so stunning it actually hurts your eyes a little bit as you try to drink in every detail: Rockstar’s game will have you hunting for dinosaur bones, trying to solve a murder mystery, or even summoning that infamous Red Dead Redemption 2 vampire. The sheer variety of choice as well as things to do easily makes Red Dead Redemption 2 one of the best open world games to play right now, so what are you waiting for, partner?
2. Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
(Playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X)
Skyrim’s world doesn’t revolve around you. Somewhere in the wilds there’s a necromancer trying to animate a skeleton. At the same time during the day you’ll find a pack of bandits taking on a giant (R.I.P.), or wander into a nearby village only to have a dragon attack it when you’re stumbling out of the inn. Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is made for stories, and it’s so eager for you to sample its delights that even if you were to avoid every major settlement you’d still run into 30% of its quests out in the wild. The map is just filled with stuff to do, bizarre things to see, creatures to impale with sharp implements, NPCs to pickpocket, creepy Dwemer ruins to explore...oh, and dragons to fight. Even after playing it for a casual 100 hours (those are rookie numbers) there are still quests that you won’t have found, and hidden bosses waiting to be slayed. It’s hard to overestimate the impact Skyrim has had on the lives of gamers everywhere, but to get a good idea of its effect and just what Elder Scrolls 6 has to live up to, you’re best off jumping in and starting your new life in its world.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Geralt isn’t perfect. His surroundings aren’t perfect either. War ravages most of the countryside, with bloodthirsty creatures who don’t even stick to the shadows anymore preying on innocent civilians, while others try to keep their identity secret in the human-dominated landscape. Yet that’s what makes The Witcher 3 the best open world game to play right now. Because everything is broken in its own special way, there’s always something plastered on peeling notice boards for Geralt to do (for gold, of course). Stick to the dirt country roads and help villagers with the monsters baying at the door while they look at you and your yellow eyes with suspicion, negotiate with a well-meaning poltergeist in the middle of a city, or just uncover all those mysterious question marks dotted over the map. The Witcher 3’s imperfect world makes for a perfect game, meaning it’s set an incredibly high bar for the future of open world games.
