The best open world games give you a huge space and then trust you to find your own way through it. Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Grand Theft Auto V lead this list, tied on a Metascore of 97, and in 2026 all three can still be bought on current hardware.
Below, 15 games are ranked by critic score, with ties broken by user score, and each one is shown in an official screenshot. You also get the platforms it runs on now and the sales its publisher reports, so you can see what is worth playing on the system you already own.
Best Open World Games: Score, Platforms and Sales Side by Side
| # | Game | Metascore | Where to play | Publisher sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | 97 | PS4, Xbox One, PC | 87M+ units |
| 2 | Breath of the Wild | 97 | Switch, Switch 2 | 34.06M on Switch |
| 3 | Grand Theft Auto V | 97 | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC | 230M+ units |
| 4 | Tears of the Kingdom | 96 | Switch, Switch 2 | 22.71M on Switch |
| 5 | Skyrim | 96 | PC and consoles | Not published |
| 6 | Elden Ring | 96 | PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC, Switch 2 | 30M+ units |
| 7 | Minecraft | 93 | PC, consoles, mobile | 300M+ copies |
| 8 | Metal Gear Solid V | 93 | PS4, Xbox One, PC | Not published |
| 9 | The Witcher 3 | 92 | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 | 65M+ copies |
| 10 | Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | 90 | PS5, PC | 2.5M in first day |
| 11 | Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | 89 | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S | 6M+ copies |
| 12 | Death Stranding 2 | 89 | PS5, PC | Not published |
| 13 | Horizon Zero Dawn | 89 | PS4, PS5, PC | 20M+ copies |
| 14 | Batman: Arkham Knight | 87 | PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch | Not published |
| 15 | Fallout 4 | 87 | PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC | Not published |
15 Best Open World Games, From Red Dead to Fallout
1. Red Dead Redemption 2: An Outlaw Epic Set in 1899
Metascore 97 | Play on: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Sold: 87 million+ units (Take-Two)
Red Dead Redemption 2 follows Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang as they flee across a vast western America after a botched robbery in Blackwater. The scene above, a canoe crossing a bayou by moonlight, is the kind of quiet moment the game is built on between shootouts.
It came out on October 26, 2018 for consoles and on December 5, 2019 for PC, and it includes Red Dead Online. Its 9.0 user score puts it ahead of the two other games tied on 97.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: A Hyrule With No Fences
Metascore 97 | Play on: Switch, Switch 2 Edition | Sold: 34.06 million on Switch (Nintendo)
Breath of the Wild starts with Link waking from a century-long sleep and then gets out of the way. You can climb towers to survey the land, glide off cliffs and take on more than 100 Shrines of Trials in any order you like.
It released on March 3, 2017. The Switch 2 Edition runs at higher resolution with HDR, smoother frame rates and faster loading, and it adds Zelda Notes in the Nintendo Switch app.
3. Grand Theft Auto V: Heists in Los Santos
Metascore 97 | Play on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC | Sold: 230 million+ units (Take-Two)
Grand Theft Auto V splits its story between three criminals planning heists across Los Santos and the hills and desert of Blaine County. It first released on September 17, 2013 and has since come out across three console generations.
Take-Two says it reached $1 billion in retail sales faster than any entertainment release in history. GTA Online supports up to 30 players in the same world.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Sky Islands and Homemade Machines
Metascore 96 | Play on: Switch, Switch 2 Edition | Sold: 22.71 million on Switch (Nintendo)
Tears of the Kingdom stacks a new layer on top of Hyrule: islands floating in the sky, plus the depths below. The Ultrahand ability lets you glue logs, fans and wheels into rafts, bridges and cars, and Fuse attaches objects to your weapons and arrows.
It launched on May 12, 2023 to a 96 Metascore from 150 critics. Ascend lets Link rise straight up through a ceiling, and Recall sends a moving object back along its path.
5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Dragons, Ruins and a Decade of Mods
Metascore 96 | Play on: PC and consoles (Special Edition) | 200+ Game of the Year awards
Skyrim’s snowy north is full of ruins like the one above, and as the Dragonborn you can absorb the power of the dragons you defeat. It launched on November 11, 2011 with a 96 on Xbox 360.
The Special Edition from October 27, 2016 brought Bethesda’s Creations, its mod content, to consoles as well as PC. That mod scene keeps the game fresh long after you finish the main quest.
6. Elden Ring: Ride Torrent Toward the Erdtree
Metascore 96 | Play on: PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC, Switch 2 | Sold: 30 million+ units (Bandai Namco)
Elden Ring sets FromSoftware’s punishing combat in a connected open world designed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with George R. R. Martin. The golden Erdtree on the horizon acts as a landmark you can see from almost anywhere you ride.
It released on February 25, 2022. Its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion sold 5 million copies in three days, and the Tarnished Edition brought the game to Switch 2 in August 2026.
7. Minecraft: Every Biome Is Yours to Rebuild
Metascore 93 | Play on: almost everything, with cross-play | Sold: 300 million+ copies (Mojang)
Minecraft’s worlds are generated without end, with biomes from cherry groves to snowy peaks, and every block can be dug up or placed. Survival mode is the classic challenge, and Creative mode gives limitless resources and flight.
It reached version 1.0 on November 18, 2011 and scored 93 on PC. Cross-platform play and Realms let friends share one world across devices.
8. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain: A Cold War Stealth Sandbox
Metascore 93 | Play on: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Released: September 1, 2015
The Phantom Pain opens in a hospital in 1984, as Snake wakes from a nine-year coma, then turns into an open-world stealth game where you choose how to tackle each mission. Between missions you build up a private army.
Kojima Productions made it on Konami’s Fox Engine, and it scored 93 on PS4 from 86 critics, with a user score of 8.1.
9. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Monster Hunting With Consequences
Metascore 92 | Play on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 | Sold: 65 million+ copies (CD Projekt)
Geralt earns his living hunting monsters like the griffin above while he searches the Northern Kingdoms for Ciri. Players rate it higher than any other game here, with a 9.1 user score from more than 20,000 ratings.
The Remastered edition, free for existing owners, launched on September 29, 2026 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and natively on Switch 2, with Hearts of Stone, Blood and Wine and cross-platform mod support.
10. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: Swing Through Brooklyn and Queens
Metascore 90 | Play on: PS5, PC | Sold: 2.5 million in 24 hours (Sony)
Spider-Man 2 hands you two heroes, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, and a larger New York that now includes Brooklyn, Queens and Coney Island. Web Wings let you glide between swings.
Sony’s company timeline records that it sold more than 2.5 million copies in its first 24 hours after the October 20, 2023 launch. The PC version arrived on January 30, 2025.
11. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II: Real Swordplay in Bohemia
Metascore 89 | Play on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S | Sold: 6 million+ copies (Deep Silver)
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II trades fantasy for 15th-century Bohemia, with first-person sword fights like the one above. Henry’s revenge story runs from the forests of Apolena to Trosky Castle and the city of Kuttenberg.
It released on February 4, 2025 and scored 89 on PC. A Royal Edition with its expansions comes to Switch 2 in 2027.
12. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach: Weather Is the Enemy
Metascore 89 | Play on: PS5, PC | Released: June 26, 2025
In Death Stranding 2 the terrain and the weather are the challenge: earthquakes, sandstorms, forest fires and Timefall rain that ages anything it touches stand between Sam and each delivery across Australia.
It scored 89 on PS5 from 148 critics, and the PC version, released on March 19, 2026, scored 91.
13. Horizon Zero Dawn: Machines Rule the Wild
Metascore 89 | Play on: PS4, PS5, PC | Sold: 20 million+ copies (Sony, 2022)
Horizon Zero Dawn turns a far-future Earth into a hunting ground, where Aloy tracks giant machines through jungles, deserts and frozen mountains with a bow.
It released on February 28, 2017, and the Remastered version for PS5 and PC followed on October 31, 2024 with 4K quality and performance modes.
14. Batman: Arkham Knight: Gotham From the Batmobile
Metascore 87 | Play on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch | Released: June 23, 2015
Arkham Knight lets you leap straight out of the Batmobile into a street fight, as in the screenshot above, across a rain-soaked Gotham City.
Rocksteady Studios made it and WB Games published it. It scored 87 on PS4, and its 8.2 user score puts it ahead of Fallout 4 on the same Metascore.
15. Fallout 4: Wander the Ruins of Boston
Metascore 87 | Play on: PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC | 200+ Best Of honors (Bethesda)
Fallout 4 starts in Vault 111 and sends you out onto cracked roads with the ruined Boston skyline ahead and Dogmeat at your side.
It released on November 10, 2015 and scored 87 on PS4. Versions for PS5 and Xbox Series X followed the originals.
Best Open World Games by Platform
- PlayStation 5: GTA V, Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, Spider-Man 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Death Stranding 2, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Fallout 4 and Minecraft.
- Xbox Series X|S: GTA V, Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Fallout 4.
- PC: every game on the list except the two Zelda titles.
- Nintendo Switch 2: Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition, The Witcher 3 Remastered and Minecraft.
If you are still choosing hardware, our guide to the best gaming consoles compares the current systems.
What Counts as an Open World Game, and How This List Was Ordered
An open world game lets you move freely through one large, continuous space instead of a series of separate levels. That covers Minecraft’s blocky sandbox as easily as Elden Ring’s fantasy realm, so taste alone makes a poor ranking tool.
Each game here sits where its Metascore places it, using the critic score at the top of its Metacritic page. Ties go to the higher user score, then to the larger number of user ratings. Where two entries in a series qualified, only the higher-rated one stays, which is why Horizon Forbidden West (88) and Fallout: New Vegas (84) are not listed.
Coming November 19, 2026: Grand Theft Auto VI
Rockstar lists GTA VI for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, 2026, set in Vice City in the fictional state of Leonida, with Jason and Lucia as the two leads. Take-Two says its first trailer passed 93 million views in 24 hours and the second topped 475 million. If you want to know who is on the radio, see our list of GTA 6 music artists.
Close Calls: Open World Games Just Outside the Top 15
- Ghost of Yotei (86): a lone mercenary, Atsu, hunts six outlaws in 1600s Japan; its Echoes of Sekigahara expansion arrived on October 1, 2026.
- Cyberpunk 2077 (86): Night City as the mercenary V, with more than 40 million copies sold.
- Ghost of Tsushima (83): a 9.1 user score and more than 13 million copies.
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (83): Ubisoft Quebec’s 2018 trip to ancient Greece.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best open world games on PC?
On PC, GTA V scored 96, Skyrim 94, and Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Witcher 3 both 93. Death Stranding 2 scored 91 on PC after its March 2026 release, two points higher than on PS5.
What is the best-selling open world game?
Minecraft is the best-selling, at more than 300 million copies according to Mojang. Grand Theft Auto V follows with more than 230 million units sold in to stores.
Is The Witcher 3 still worth playing?
Yes. It has the highest user score on this list at 9.1, and the free Remastered update on September 29, 2026 added path tracing on PC, a reworked skill system and a native Switch 2 version.
What open world games are coming next?
Grand Theft Auto VI is dated for November 19, 2026. CD Projekt plans The Witcher 3 expansion Songs of the Past for 2027 and The Witcher 4 for 2028.
