I don’t want to be told where to go. That’s the whole thing.
When it comes to open world games, I don’t really like having my hand held. Not the entire time, anyway. Give me the chance to wander off the beaten path and see what happens. Maybe it leads to some awesome loot. Maybe it leads to a dragon that bites my head off. The fun is in not knowing what’s around the next corner.
So here are five games you can get well and truly lost in. Plenty of great open worlds didn’t make the cut, but these are the ones that, years after release, are still full of surprises and still worth loading up just to wander and soak in the atmosphere. Disagree? The comments are right there. Tell me how wrong I am.
Hyrule got bigger, and that’s the whole argument
Why Tears of the Kingdom over Breath of the Wild? Simple: there’s more of it.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom drops you back into the Hyrule you learned in 2017’s Breath of the Wild, then stacks new places on top of it. The sky is littered with islands, big and small. Far below Hyrule sits a terrifying cavernous void that feels a lot like the Upside-Down. And Hyrule proper is now riddled with caves and wells that lead to things you won’t see coming.
Getting around is half the pleasure, because you can travel pretty much however you want. Link’s build-anything ability means you can soar across the sky on a hoverbike, roll through the depths in a hefty tank, or go old school and take in the scenery on horseback.
I’ve put hundreds of hours into this one. I still don’t feel like I’ve seen everything.
Ancient Greece is too big, and I mean that as a compliment
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is the most formulaic game on this list. No argument here. What it lacks in inventiveness it makes up for in sheer scope.
Bigger isn’t always better, and I wouldn’t even push back if you told me the map of Ancient Greece is too big. But there’s real joy in sailing between islands and finding new dangers waiting on each one. Especially right after you’ve watched Christopher Nolan’s take on The Odyssey.
This world hates you and wants you dead
Some games here are good for relaxing. Elden Ring is not one of those games.
Exploring The Lands Between means staying locked in, constantly, alert to every threat. You’ll clear a dungeon full of death traps only to reach the bottom and meet an ancient tree demon that eviscerates you. You’ll open a treasure chest and get teleported somewhere full of monstrously strong enemies who turn you into a kebab. You’ll wander past a sleeping dragon and get cooked alive.
There are so, so many ways to die here. The beauty is in slowly piecing the world together anyway, and learning to kill the things walking around in it.
Eight years on, nothing looks like Red Dead 2
In pure beauty and detail, nothing else on this list comes close to Red Dead Redemption 2. Eight years later, this Rockstar Games masterpiece is still one of the best-looking games ever made, a complete feast for the eyes.
Strip out the story and the performances (both excellent) and just existing in the world is phenomenal on its own.
Stepping into the dusty boots of Arthur Morgan, and nobody else, because we all know the game ends before Micah gets busted out of jail, hits the same in 2026 as it did in 2018. The place feels alive, largely because of the random encounters scattered everywhere. You can sink hundreds of hours in and still get caught off guard on the next playthrough.
Good luck reaching that quest marker
From the crowded streets of Novigrad to the wide moors and seas of Skellige, The Witcher 3’s open world is staggering. Quests, monsters, dungeons, secrets, treasure. It’s almost too much.
Hell, try getting from any one location to your quest marker without being pulled off course by at least five or six question marks along the way. Could be a powerful beast. Could be a cave stuffed with loot and rare gear. If you’re lucky, it’s someone willing to play Gwent with you.
I’ve put a genuinely alarming amount of time into this game and I still get a little jolt thinking about another replay. New DLC is coming next year, and I don’t have the words.
