The key is balance—the narrative enhances the experience without restricting player freedom. These games let you engage with the story at your own pace, respecting that some players want to mainline the plot while others prefer to take their time and soak in the world.
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Replayability Through Choice and Variety
Each of these games offers reasons to return after finishing the main story. Different character builds in Skyrim and Elden Ring. Alternate endings or mission approaches in Metal Gear Solid V and GTA V. The sheer joy of exploration in Breath of the Wild. New Game Plus modes that let you experience the story again with enhanced difficulty or carry-over progression.
This longevity justifies the investment of time and money. When a single game can provide hundreds of hours of entertainment across multiple playthroughs, it represents exceptional value and demonstrates the depth of content and systems.
How to Choose Your Next Open-World Adventure
With so many incredible options, how do you decide which game to play next? Here are some factors to consider based on your preferences.
If You Love Pure Exploration and Discovery
Choose: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
No other game on this list matches Breath of the Wild’s focus on curiosity-driven exploration. If you want a game where the journey matters more than the destination, where you can spend hours just wandering and discovering secrets, this is your best choice. The climbing mechanic and minimal UI create an unmatched sense of freedom.
The game is perfect for players who don’t need constant combat or narrative progression to stay engaged. If you find joy in simply existing in a beautiful world and uncovering its mysteries at your own pace, Breath of the Wild delivers that experience better than anything else.
If You Want Emotional Storytelling and Cinematic Presentation
Choose: Red Dead Redemption 2
For players who view games as an artistic medium capable of profound storytelling, Red Dead Redemption 2 stands alone. Arthur Morgan’s journey is one of the most emotionally resonant narratives in gaming, and the world is so detailed and alive that you’ll forget you’re playing a game.
Be prepared for a slower pace. This isn’t a game you rush through. It’s meant to be savored, with its deliberate animations, realistic travel times, and contemplative moments. If you have the patience to meet it on its terms, Red Dead Redemption 2 will reward you with an unforgettable experience.
If You Want Chaotic Fun and Urban Exploration
Choose: Grand Theft Auto V
Looking for a playground where you can cause mayhem, follow an entertaining story, and explore a bustling modern city? GTA V is your game. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and encourages you to experiment with its systems in ridiculous ways.
The satirical tone might not appeal to everyone, and the content can be controversial, but if you want a game that lets you live out action movie fantasies in a detailed open world, nothing beats Los Santos. Plus, GTA Online provides virtually endless multiplayer content if you want to extend your experience.
If You Crave Challenging Combat and Dark Fantasy
Choose: Elden Ring
For players who want their victories to feel earned and aren’t afraid of difficulty, Elden Ring offers the most rewarding combat system on this list. Every boss kill feels like a genuine achievement because you’ve mastered patterns, learned strategies, and overcome significant challenges.
The game respects your time by making death a learning experience rather than a punishment. You’ll die often, but each death teaches you something. The sense of progression—both in your character’s power and your own skill—is incredibly satisfying. If you enjoy games that challenge you to improve and reward mastery, Elden Ring is essential.
If You Want Endless Fantasy Role-Playing Freedom
Choose: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Want to truly live in a fantasy world where you can be anyone and do anything? Skyrim offers the most complete role-playing sandbox experience. The freedom to define your character not through predetermined classes but through your actions makes every playthrough feel personal.
The modding community (especially on PC) means the game can be transformed to match your exact preferences. Want it more challenging? There’s a mod. Want new quests? Available. Want to turn all the dragons into Thomas the Tank Engine? Yep, that exists too. Skyrim is the ultimate “make it your own” experience.
If You Love Tactical Stealth and Creative Problem-Solving
Choose: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
For players who enjoy planning approaches, executing strategies, and finding clever solutions to challenges, The Phantom Pain offers unmatched tactical depth. The satisfaction of completing a mission without being detected, or perfectly executing a plan you spent time developing, is immense.
The gameplay systems are so deep and interconnected that you’ll still be discovering new techniques dozens of hours in. If you’re the type of player who enjoys mastering mechanics and finding optimal strategies, The Phantom Pain will keep you engaged for hundreds of hours.
If You Want Unique Setting and Tactical Combat
Choose: Horizon Zero Dawn
Looking for something truly different? Horizon offers a setting unlike anything else in gaming. The post-apocalyptic world reclaimed by nature, combined with the mystery of what happened to our civilization, creates a compelling backdrop for exploration.
The combat against machines requires tactical thinking rather than button mashing. If you enjoy studying enemies, exploiting weaknesses, and feeling like a skilled hunter, Horizon delivers. Plus, Aloy is one of gaming’s best protagonists, making the narrative journey worthwhile on its own merits.
Tips for Getting the Most from Open-World Games
Open-world games can be overwhelming due to their size and scope. Here are strategies to maximize your enjoyment.
Don’t Rush the Main Story
One of the biggest mistakes new players make is treating open-world games like linear experiences, rushing from one main mission to the next. These games are designed to be explored at a leisurely pace. Take time to wander, accept side quests, and investigate interesting locations.
Often, the most memorable moments in open-world games aren’t part of the main story. They’re emergent experiences that happen when you’re exploring off the beaten path. Give yourself permission to get distracted and follow your curiosity.
Use Fast Travel Sparingly at First
While fast travel is convenient, it can rob you of spontaneous discoveries. During your first playthrough, consider traveling manually when reasonable. Random encounters, environmental storytelling, and unexpected discoveries happen during journeys between destinations.
Once you’ve thoroughly explored and are working on completion or replaying, fast travel becomes more practical. But initially, the journey is often as rewarding as the destination.
Engage with Side Content
Side quests in these games aren’t just filler—they often contain some of the best writing, character development, and rewards. In Skyrim, entire questlines rival the main story in quality. In Red Dead Redemption 2, stranger missions provide some of the most memorable moments.
Don’t dismiss side content as optional busywork. The developers put significant effort into these experiences, and they’re often where the game’s personality shines brightest.
Adjust Difficulty to Match Your Goals
If you’re playing for the story and exploration, don’t feel obligated to play on the hardest difficulty. Conversely, if you want a challenge and find normal mode too easy, bump it up. These games are meant to be enjoyed on your terms.
Most open-world games let you adjust difficulty mid-playthrough, so experiment to find the right balance. The goal is engagement, not frustration or boredom.
Take Breaks When Needed
Open-world games can be mentally exhausting due to their scope. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or experiencing burnout, take a break. These games aren’t going anywhere, and returning after a pause can reignite your enthusiasm.
Burnout often happens when players try to complete everything in a single marathon session. Pace yourself, and remember that these games are meant to be enjoyed over weeks or months, not days.
Engage with the Community
Online communities for these games are treasure troves of tips, discoveries, and shared experiences. Reddit communities, YouTube guides, and wikis can enhance your understanding and appreciation of the games.
Be mindful of spoilers if you’re sensitive to them, but don’t isolate yourself completely. Sharing discoveries and learning from other players’ experiences adds an additional layer of enjoyment to these single-player adventures.
The Evolution of Open-World Design: Past, Present, and Future
Understanding how we got here helps appreciate what makes these games special and provides insight into where the genre might be heading.
The Early Days: Pioneering Freedom
Open-world games have roots going back decades. Early examples like Elite (1984) offered open space exploration, while The Legend of Zelda (1986) provided non-linear exploration in a fantasy setting. Grand Theft Auto III (2001) is often credited with defining the modern 3D open-world formula.
These early games established core principles: player freedom, exploration-driven gameplay, and emergent experiences. However, technical limitations meant worlds were relatively small and sparse by today’s standards.
The Modern Era: Bigger and More Detailed
As technology improved, open-world games became larger and more detailed. The Elder Scrolls and GTA series pushed boundaries with each entry. By the time Skyrim released in 2011, open-world games had become mainstream gaming’s dominant genre.
This era saw the establishment of many conventions: climb towers to reveal the map, collect scattered items, complete side activities for rewards. While these systems worked, they also became predictable, leading to “open-world fatigue” among some players who felt games were following a checklist template.
The Current Innovation: Quality Over Quantity
Recent years have seen developers question standard open-world conventions. Breath of the Wild removed many UI elements and trusted players to explore naturally. Elden Ring proved that mystery and challenge could coexist with open-world design. Red Dead Redemption 2 showed that realism and detail could enhance immersion even if it meant slower gameplay.
The trend is toward more focused, intentional design. Rather than making maps bigger just because they can, developers are thinking carefully about what makes worlds engaging. Quality of content is trumping quantity of icons on a map.
The Future: Where Open-Worlds Are Heading
Looking ahead, several trends seem likely:
AI-Driven NPCs: Advances in artificial intelligence could create NPCs that respond more naturally to player actions, remember interactions more complexly, and behave with greater autonomy. Imagine NPCs with actual daily lives that continue whether you’re watching or not.
Procedural Generation with Hand-Crafted Quality: Combining procedural generation with careful curation could create massive worlds that maintain the quality of hand-crafted content. Games like No Man’s Sky have experimented with this, but the technology continues improving.
Seamless Multiplayer Integration: Future games might blur the lines between single-player and multiplayer experiences, letting friends drop in and out of your world naturally without loading screens or menus.
Virtual Reality Open Worlds: As VR technology improves and becomes more accessible, open-world games in VR could provide unprecedented immersion. The sense of presence in virtual worlds will reach new heights.
More Diverse Settings: We’re seeing games move beyond medieval fantasy and modern cities. Future open-world games will likely explore more diverse settings, time periods, and cultures, bringing fresh perspectives to the genre.
Player-Created Content: Tools for players to create and share content within games will likely become more sophisticated. Imagine Skyrim’s modding culture but built into games from the start, with easy sharing and discovery mechanisms.
Environmental Consequences: Future games might feature worlds that genuinely change based on player actions, with ecosystems that respond to your choices and civilizations that evolve independently.
Common Criticisms of Open-World Games and How These Titles Address Them
While open-world games are popular, they’re not without critics. Let’s examine common complaints and how the best games on our list tackle these issues.
Criticism: “Open Worlds Feel Empty and Repetitive”
How These Games Address It: Each game on this list fills its world with meaningful content. Breath of the Wild uses environmental puzzles and Korok seeds to ensure every area has something interesting. Red Dead Redemption 2 populates its world with random encounters that feel organic rather than scripted. Elden Ring hides secrets in every corner, rewarding thorough exploration.
The key is density of meaningful content rather than spreading thin activities across a massive map. These games understand that a smaller world packed with interesting content beats a huge map full of repetitive tasks.
Criticism: “Too Many Icons and Checklists Ruin Exploration”
How These Games Address It: Breath of the Wild pioneered minimalist UI design, letting players discover things naturally rather than following waypoints. Elden Ring similarly avoids cluttering the screen with markers. Even games like Horizon and GTA V let you customize UI elements to reduce visual noise.
The trend is moving away from the “Ubisoft formula” of towers, collectibles, and map markers toward more organic exploration driven by curiosity rather than completion percentages.
Criticism: “Open-World Games Are Too Long and Padded”
How These Games Address It: Quality over quantity is the mantra. While these games offer dozens or hundreds of hours of content, most of that playtime is optional. You can complete main stories in reasonable timeframes if you choose, or extend your experience indefinitely through side content.
The important distinction is that these games don’t force you to complete filler content to progress. Side content exists for those who want it but doesn’t gate story progression. This respects different players’ time and preferences.
Criticism: “Stories Get Lost in Open-World Games”
How These Games Address It: Games like Red Dead Redemption 2 prove that open-world design and strong narrative can coexist. The key is pacing—knowing when to give players freedom and when to focus them on narrative moments. Horizon Zero Dawn’s mystery unfolds naturally through exploration, making the open-world structure enhance rather than distract from the story.
Even games with minimal narrative like Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring use environmental storytelling and lore to create narrative texture that players can engage with at their own depth.
Criticism: “Open-World Games All Feel the Same”
How These Games Address It: The diversity on this list demonstrates that open-world games can have drastically different feels. The tactical stealth of Metal Gear Solid V plays nothing like the action combat of GTA V. The methodical challenge of Elden Ring is worlds apart from the relaxed exploration of Breath of the Wild.
These games succeed because they have strong identities beyond just being “open-world.” They’re open-world games that happen to be tactical stealth games, Western dramas, fantasy epics, or post-apocalyptic mysteries. The open-world structure serves the game’s core identity rather than defining it.
The Cultural Impact of Open-World Games
Beyond entertainment, these games have influenced culture, technology, and the industry itself in significant ways.
Pushing Technical Boundaries
Open-world games drive technological innovation. The need to stream large environments seamlessly, manage complex AI systems for numerous NPCs, create realistic physics simulations, and maintain performance across massive draw distances has pushed hardware and software development forward.
Techniques developed for open-world games often benefit other software. Streaming technology, LOD (level of detail) systems, and procedural generation techniques have applications beyond gaming.
Influencing Other Media
The success of games like GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 has influenced film and television. The way these games handle narrative, character development, and world-building has caught Hollywood’s attention. We’re seeing more cinematic approaches to gaming and more interactive approaches to film and TV.
The massive budgets and cultural impact of these games have also elevated gaming to mainstream entertainment status. Games are now discussed alongside movies and TV shows as significant cultural products.
Creating Online Communities
These games spawn vibrant online communities where players share experiences, discoveries, theories, and creations. Skyrim’s modding community, Elden Ring’s lore discussion forums, and Red Dead Redemption 2’s photography communities demonstrate how games create social connections beyond the gameplay itself.
These communities extend the games’ lifespans and cultural relevance far beyond their release dates. Games become ongoing conversations rather than finite experiences.
Economic Powerhouses
The financial success of these titles has reshaped the gaming industry. GTA V has generated over $8 billion in revenue. Elden Ring sold over 20 million copies. These numbers rival or exceed Hollywood blockbusters, demonstrating gaming’s economic significance.
This success has attracted investment, talent, and attention to gaming, raising production values and creative ambitions across the industry.
Conclusion: The Enduring Appeal of Open-World Action Games
Open-world action games represent gaming at its most ambitious and rewarding. They offer freedom, discovery, challenge, and storytelling in ways that no other entertainment medium can match. The seven games we’ve explored—Breath of the Wild, Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA V, Elden Ring, Skyrim, Metal Gear Solid V, and Horizon Zero Dawn—each demonstrate excellence in their own way.
These aren’t just games you play; they’re worlds you inhabit, experiences you live through, and stories you’ll remember long after the credits roll. Each offers something unique: Breath of the Wild’s pure exploration joy, Red Dead Redemption 2’s emotional depth, GTA V’s satirical chaos, Elden Ring’s challenging mastery, Skyrim’s role-playing freedom, Metal Gear Solid V’s tactical creativity, and Horizon Zero Dawn’s unique setting.
The beauty of open-world games is that they meet you where you are. Want a weekend adventure? You can have that. Looking for a months-long obsession? These games provide that too. Prefer exploring to combat? There’s a game for you. Love challenging fights? Another game awaits.
As technology continues advancing and developers push creative boundaries, the future of open-world gaming looks incredibly bright. We’ll see more innovation, more diversity, and more ambitious visions brought to life. But these seven games will remain landmarks—benchmarks of quality that demonstrate what the genre can achieve when talented teams pursue excellence.
Your Journey Begins Now
Whether you’re a veteran gamer or someone just discovering the magic of open-world adventures, these games offer something special. Each represents hundreds of hours of potential entertainment, countless moments of discovery, and experiences that will stay with you for years.
So pick the one that speaks to you. Maybe it’s the Wild West calling, or perhaps a fantasy kingdom awaits. Robot dinosaurs might be your thing, or tactical stealth operations. Whatever your preference, one of these masterpieces is ready to welcome you into its world.
The map is vast, the adventure is calling, and the choice is yours. Where will your journey take you?
Frequently Asked Questions
Which open-world game should I play first if I’m new to the genre?
For newcomers, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Horizon Zero Dawn are excellent starting points. Both offer intuitive gameplay, clear progression, and worlds that teach you their mechanics naturally without overwhelming you. They’re also more forgiving than challenging games like Elden Ring.
Are these games appropriate for all ages?
Content ratings vary. Breath of the Wild is family-friendly. Games like Skyrim and Horizon are rated for teens. Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA V, Metal Gear Solid V, and Elden Ring contain mature content including violence, language, and adult themes. Always check ratings and content descriptors to make informed decisions.
Do I need to play previous games in these series?
No! Each of these games works as a standalone experience. While some have predecessors (GTA V follows GTA IV, Skyrim follows previous Elder Scrolls games), they’re designed to be accessible to new players without requiring knowledge of earlier entries.
How long does it take to complete these games?
Main story completion times range from 20-50 hours depending on the game. However, 100% completion can take 100-300+ hours for games like Skyrim or Elden Ring. The beauty is you can engage as deeply as you want—finish the story and move on, or explore everything the world offers.
Which game offers the best value for money?
All of these games offer exceptional value given their content depth. Skyrim, given its age and frequent sales, plus its modding community, might offer the most hours-per-dollar. However, any game on this list will provide dozens to hundreds of hours of entertainment, making them all worthwhile investments.
Can I play these games casually, or do they require significant time commitment?
Most of these games are designed for both casual and hardcore players. You can play in short sessions, picking up and putting down the game as your schedule allows. The open-world structure supports casual play—do a side quest here, explore for 30 minutes there. Only Elden Ring might be challenging to play casually due to its difficulty requiring focus and practice.
Which game has the best graphics?
Red Dead Redemption 2 is often considered the most graphically impressive, with photorealistic visuals and incredible attention to detail. However, Breath of the Wild’s stylized art direction and Horizon Zero Dawn’s colorful world are equally beautiful in different ways. Graphics quality matters less than artistic direction in creating memorable visual experiences.
Meta Description: Discover the top-rated open-world action games according to Metacritic scores. From Breath of the Wild to Red Dead Redemption 2, explore the best adventures in gaming with our comprehensive 3000+ word guide featuring Zelda, GTA V, Elden Ring, and more.
Keywords: open world action games, best open world games, Metacritic highest rated games, top video games 2024, Breath of the Wild review, Red Dead Redemption 2 guide, GTA V gameplay, Elden Ring tips, Skyrim mods, Horizon Zero Dawn, Metal Gear Solid V, best adventure games, gaming guide, video game rankings gaming landscape has been revolutionized by open-world action games, offering players unprecedented freedom to explore, fight, and create their own stories within expansive digital universes. These aren’t just games—they’re living, breathing worlds that invite you to lose yourself for hundreds of hours, discovering secrets, completing challenges, and forging your own path through epic adventures.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the highest-rated open-world action games according to Metacritic, the industry’s most trusted review aggregator. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer looking for your next obsession or a newcomer wondering where to start, this list will help you discover the masterpieces that have defined the genre.
Table of Contents
- Why Open World Action Games Dominate Gaming
- The Top 7 Open World Action Games by Metacritic Score
- What Makes These Games Exceptional
- Choosing Your Next Adventure
- The Future of Open World Gaming
Why Open World Action Games Dominate the Gaming Industry
Open-world action games have become the gold standard in modern gaming, and for good reason. These titles represent the pinnacle of what interactive entertainment can achieve, combining cutting-edge technology with creative storytelling and player agency in ways that were unimaginable just a decade or two ago.
The Power of Player Freedom
At the heart of every great open-world game is freedom. Unlike linear games that guide you along a predetermined path, open-world titles respect your autonomy as a player. Want to ignore the main quest and spend twenty hours hunting legendary animals? Go ahead. Prefer to become a master blacksmith instead of saving the world? That’s your choice. This freedom transforms players from passive participants into active authors of their own gaming narrative.
The beauty of this approach is that it caters to different play styles. Completionists can hunt down every collectible and achievement. Story-focused players can mainline the narrative. Explorers can get lost in the wilderness, discovering environmental storytelling that many players might never see. This flexibility means that two players can have completely different experiences with the same game, sharing the same world but creating unique personal stories.
Exploration That Rewards Curiosity
The best open-world games are designed to reward your natural curiosity. See that mountain in the distance? You can climb it. Notice a cave hidden behind a waterfall? There’s probably treasure inside. Spot a mysterious ruin on the horizon? It likely holds secrets about the game’s lore.
This design philosophy taps into fundamental human psychology—our innate desire to explore and discover. Game developers carefully craft these worlds with layers of content, ensuring that curious players always find something interesting. Whether it’s a powerful weapon, a touching side story, or simply a breathtaking view, exploration never feels empty or pointless.
Immersion Beyond the Screen
Modern open-world games blur the line between gaming and reality through sophisticated world-building. Weather systems change dynamically. Non-player characters follow daily routines. Wildlife behaves according to realistic patterns. Economies react to your actions. All these details combine to create worlds that feel genuinely alive, places you can inhabit rather than simply visit.
This level of immersion has psychological effects. Players report feeling genuine emotions—joy, sadness, fear, triumph—as if the events in the game world truly matter. You’re not just controlling a character; you’re living as them, making decisions that feel weighty and consequential. This emotional investment is what separates good games from unforgettable experiences.
Endless Replayability
One of the most compelling aspects of open-world games is their replayability. Because these games offer multiple approaches to problems, different character builds, varied quest outcomes, and hidden content, you can play them multiple times and have fresh experiences each time.
Maybe on your first playthrough you were a honorable hero. On your second, you could explore what it’s like to be a ruthless villain. Different playstyles—stealth versus combat, magic versus melee—can make the same encounters feel completely different. This longevity means you get tremendous value from these games, with some players logging hundreds or even thousands of hours in a single title.
The Top 7 Open World Action Games According to Metacritic
Let’s dive deep into the games that have achieved the highest critical acclaim, earning their place as some of the greatest video games ever created.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Metacritic Score: 97/100)
When Nintendo released Breath of the Wild in 2017 alongside the Nintendo Switch console, they didn’t just launch a new Zelda game—they revolutionized open-world design and set a new benchmark that the entire industry is still trying to match.
The Revolutionary Approach to Open World Design
What makes Breath of the Wild so special? It’s the way the game trusts you as a player. After a brief tutorial area, you’re released into the vast kingdom of Hyrule with minimal guidance. You can see the final destination—Hyrule Castle—from the starting area, and if you’re skilled enough, you could theoretically go straight there and finish the game. Of course, you’d miss 99% of what makes the experience magical, but the option is there.
The climbing mechanic alone changed everything. In most open-world games, mountains are barriers, forcing you to find the designated path up. In Breath of the Wild, if you can see it, you can climb it (assuming you have enough stamina). This one feature opened up the world in ways players had never experienced before, making exploration feel genuinely free rather than constrained by invisible walls and artificial barriers.
Environmental Puzzle Solving
The game’s physics engine is another marvel. Fire spreads realistically. Metal objects conduct electricity. Wind can carry you or your projectiles. Every element interacts in logical ways, allowing for creative problem-solving that the developers might not have even anticipated. Players have shared countless clips of ingenious solutions to challenges, from using metal objects to create electrical circuits to launching themselves across the map with bombs.
A World That Invites Curiosity
The visual design uses subtle environmental cues to guide exploration without relying on waypoints or quest markers cluttering your screen. See a spiral of smoke in the distance? That’s a cooking fire. Notice rocks arranged in a perfect circle? There’s likely a Korok puzzle nearby. This design philosophy respects your intelligence, allowing you to feel like you’re genuinely discovering things rather than following GPS coordinates.
Why It Earned a 97/100
Critics praised Breath of the Wild for its masterful balance of freedom and structure, its stunning art direction that prioritizes beauty over raw graphical power, and its ability to make every discovery feel meaningful. The game won countless Game of the Year awards and is regularly cited as one of the greatest video games ever made. It proved that innovation in game design can be just as impactful as cutting-edge graphics or massive budgets.
For anyone who loves exploration, puzzle-solving, and the joy of pure discovery, Breath of the Wild is essential gaming. It’s a testament to what happens when developers trust players and give them the tools to create their own adventures.
2. Red Dead Redemption 2 (Metacritic Score: 97/100)
Rockstar Games’ magnum opus, Red Dead Redemption 2, isn’t just a game—it’s a fully realized world that transports you to the dying days of the American frontier with unprecedented authenticity and emotional depth.
A Living, Breathing World
The level of detail in Red Dead Redemption 2 is staggering. Your horse’s testicles shrink in cold weather. Snow accumulates realistically on your character’s coat. You can watch your beard grow in real-time. NPCs remember your previous interactions and react accordingly. These aren’t just technical achievements—they’re deliberate choices that make the world feel tangible and real.
Every town has its own personality, economy, and cast of characters. Valentine feels like a muddy cattle town. Saint Denis captures the bustling energy of a turn-of-the-century city. The bayou is humid and dangerous. Each region has distinct wildlife, weather patterns, and challenges, making cross-country travel feel like genuine exploration rather than just crossing a map.
Arthur Morgan’s Journey
At the heart of Red Dead Redemption 2 is Arthur Morgan, one of gaming’s most complex and well-written protagonists. As a senior member of the Van der Linde gang, Arthur grapples with loyalty, morality, and his place in a changing world. The game doesn’t shy away from difficult topics—the violence of frontier life, the treatment of Native Americans, the costs of loyalty, and what it means to be a good person in a bad situation.
The story is deliberately paced, unfolding like a prestige television series rather than a blockbuster action movie. Some players found this slow-burn approach frustrating, but for those who embraced it, the payoff is one of the most emotionally resonant narratives in gaming history. You’ll spend dozens of hours with these characters, making their triumphs and tragedies hit with genuine emotional weight.
Random Encounters and Emergent Storytelling
Beyond the main story, the world is filled with random encounters that make every journey memorable. You might help a snake bite victim, only to be ambushed by his accomplices later. You could stumble upon a couple whose horse has died, offer them a ride to town, and weeks of game time later encounter them again, now running a successful business because of your kindness.
These moments aren’t scripted sequences that everyone experiences—they’re organic events that make your playthrough feel unique. The game tracks hundreds of variables, ensuring that your choices and actions ripple through the world in subtle but meaningful ways.
The Technical Marvel
From a technical standpoint, Red Dead Redemption 2 pushed console hardware to its absolute limits. The lighting engine creates breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. The animation system makes every movement feel weighty and realistic. The facial capture brings performances to life with cinematic quality. The game’s scale—encompassing mountains, prairies, swamps, and cities—is matched by its attention to minute details.
Why It Deserves Its 97/100
Critics lauded Red Dead Redemption 2 for its uncompromising artistic vision, its technical achievement, and its emotional storytelling. While some noted that the realistic pacing might not appeal to everyone, those who connected with the game found it to be a profound experience that stayed with them long after the credits rolled.
This is a game that demands patience and rewards immersion. If you’re willing to slow down and truly inhabit this world—to go hunting, to play poker with strangers, to watch a perfect sunset from a mountain peak—Red Dead Redemption 2 offers something no other game can match.
3. Grand Theft Auto V (Metacritic Score: 97/100)
Released in 2013 and still going strong today, Grand Theft Auto V is a cultural phenomenon that transcends gaming. It’s simultaneously a satirical take on modern America, an action-packed crime saga, and a playground for chaos and creativity.
Three Protagonists, Three Perspectives
GTA V’s innovative three-protagonist structure was a masterstroke. Michael, a retired bank robber in witness protection struggling with family life. Franklin, a young hustler looking for his big break. Trevor, a unhinged criminal whose unpredictability makes every scene memorable. You can switch between them at will, and each brings a unique perspective to the story and gameplay.
This structure also allowed Rockstar to explore different tones and themes. Michael’s missions often dealt with crime movie tropes and midlife crisis themes. Franklin’s story touched on gang culture and ambition. Trevor’s content pushed boundaries with dark humor and violence. Together, they created a narrative tapestry that kept the 30+ hour story fresh and engaging.
Los Santos: A Satirical Masterpiece
The fictional city of Los Santos (based on Los Angeles) is a biting satire of American culture, skewering everything from celebrity worship to corporate greed, from political corruption to shallow social media culture. Every radio station, billboard, TV show, and commercial is crafted to lampoon some aspect of modern life.
But beyond the satire, Los Santos is simply an incredible place to exist. The city feels alive with traffic patterns, pedestrian behavior, and a day-night cycle that changes the entire mood. The countryside surrounding the city offers mountains to climb, beaches to explore, and wildlife to hunt. Underwater exploration reveals shipwrecks and hidden treasures. The diversity of environments ensures that exploration never feels repetitive.
Missions That Push Boundaries
GTA V’s missions are essentially playable action movie sequences. You’ll execute elaborate heists, engage in high-speed chases, escape military bases, and even engage in a torture sequence that sparked considerable controversy. The heist missions, in particular, let you plan your approach, select your crew, and watch your preparation pay off in spectacular set pieces.
The game gives you an arsenal of weapons, vehicles, and abilities to tackle challenges. Want to approach stealthily? You can. Prefer to go in guns blazing? That works too. The mission design usually offers multiple approaches, respecting different playstyles while maintaining the cinematic intensity that the series is known for.
GTA Online: The Game That Never Ends
While the single-player campaign is exceptional, GTA Online has become a phenomenon in its own right. This massively multiplayer component has received years of free updates, adding new missions, vehicles, properties, and activities. It’s essentially evolved into its own separate game, with players building criminal empires, racing supercars, running nightclubs, and more.
The success of GTA Online has been so significant that it’s generated billions in revenue and kept the game relevant nearly a decade after its initial release. It’s proof that a well-designed open world can continue providing value long after players finish the main story.
The Cultural Impact
GTA V has sold over 180 million copies, making it one of the best-selling games of all time. It’s become a touchstone in popular culture, referenced in movies, TV shows, and music. Its influence on open-world game design cannot be overstated—countless games have tried to replicate its formula of detailed world-building combined with strong narrative and player freedom.
Why Critics Gave It 97/100
The critical acclaim for GTA V recognized its technical achievement, its ambitious storytelling, and its unparalleled world-building. While some reviews noted the controversial content and satirical tone might not be for everyone, there was universal agreement that Rockstar had created something special—a game that pushes the medium forward while providing entertainment on a massive scale.
For players seeking a modern, urban open-world experience with endless possibilities for both structured missions and emergent chaos, GTA V remains the gold standard.
4. Elden Ring (Metacritic Score: 96/100)
When FromSoftware partnered with fantasy author George R.R. Martin to create Elden Ring, they merged the studio’s signature challenging gameplay with a truly open-world structure, creating something that felt both familiar and revolutionary.
The Lands Between: A Hostile Paradise
Elden Ring’s world, known as the Lands Between, is hauntingly beautiful. Golden forests give way to poison swamps. Crumbling castles loom over windswept plains. Underground cities hide beneath the surface. The environmental design is spectacular, with each region having a distinct visual identity that tells stories without words.
But beauty comes with danger. This world wants you dead. Enemies lurk around every corner, traps await the unwary, and even the landscape itself can kill you. Yet unlike previous FromSoftware games that were more linear, Elden Ring’s open world means you always have options. Struggling with a boss? Go explore somewhere else, level up, find better equipment, then return when you’re ready.
Freedom Through Challenge
The game’s difficulty is legendary, but it’s not arbitrary or unfair. Every enemy has patterns you can learn. Every boss has weaknesses you can exploit. The game rewards observation, patience, and perseverance. When you finally defeat that boss who killed you twenty times, the sense of accomplishment is unmatched in gaming.
The open-world structure makes the difficulty more approachable than previous FromSoftware titles. In Dark Souls, if you hit a wall, you had limited options. In Elden Ring, you can take a break from your current challenge and explore entirely different areas, building your character and skills before returning to that tough encounter.
Build Diversity and Experimentation
Elden Ring offers incredible build diversity. You can be a sword-wielding knight, a spell-slinging sorcerer, a dex-based assassin, a strength monster with a giant hammer, a summoner who lets spirits fight for you, or any combination thereof. The game has hundreds of weapons, spells, and abilities, each with unique movesets and strategies.
This encourages experimentation and replayability. Your first playthrough might be as a magic user, keeping enemies at distance. Your second could be a up-close brawler, learning different patterns and strategies. The game feels different depending on your build, offering fresh experiences on subsequent playthroughs.
Lore and Environmental Storytelling
True to FromSoftware’s style, the story isn’t told through cutscenes and exposition—it’s embedded in item descriptions, environmental details, and cryptic NPC dialogue. The collaboration with George R.R. Martin brought rich mythology and world-building, but you have to work to piece it together.
This approach won’t appeal to everyone, but for those who enjoy actively engaging with a game’s lore, Elden Ring offers incredible depth. Online communities have spent countless hours discussing theories, connecting narrative threads, and uncovering secrets. The mystery is part of the appeal.
Multiplayer Elements
Elden Ring includes cooperative and competitive multiplayer options that enhance the experience without being mandatory. You can summon friends to help with difficult areas. You can leave messages for other players, warning them of dangers or misleading them for laughs. You can invade other players’ worlds for PvP combat. These elements create a sense of community even in a largely solo experience.
Critical Reception: 96/100
Critics praised Elden Ring for successfully translating FromSoftware’s formula into an open-world context, for its stunning visual design, and for offering one of the most rewarding challenges in gaming. Some noted that the difficulty and cryptic storytelling might alienate certain players, but for those willing to meet the game on its terms, it offers an unforgettable journey.
Elden Ring proved that open-world games don’t have to follow the Ubisoft formula of waypoints and checklists. Sometimes, mystery, difficulty, and discovery can create a more memorable experience than accessibility and convenience.
5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Metacritic Score: 94/100)
Released in 2011, Skyrim has achieved something few games manage—it remains popular and actively played more than a decade later. It’s been released on every platform imaginable, spawning countless memes and an enduring legacy that influences RPGs to this day.
A Fantasy Sandbox Without Boundaries
Skyrim hands you the keys to a massive fantasy kingdom and says “do whatever you want.” Want to be the Archmage of the College of Winterhold? Go ahead. Prefer to join the thieves’ guild? That’s cool too. Maybe you want to ignore all that and just become a master blacksmith who sells weapons to make a honest living. The game supports all of these paths and more.
The freedom extends to your character build. There are no classes—you improve skills by using them. Swing swords and you become better at melee combat. Cast spells and your magic improves. Sneak around and you become a better thief. This organic progression system means your character naturally develops based on your playstyle rather than choices you made at character creation.
Dragons, Shouts, and Saving the World
The main quest involves you discovering you’re Dragonborn—blessed with the ability to absorb dragon souls and use powerful Thu’um (shouts). These shouts add a unique flavor to combat and exploration, letting you slow time, push enemies back with your voice, or even become ethereal to avoid damage.
But here’s the thing—you don’t have to care about the main quest if you don’t want to. Many players have spent hundreds of hours in Skyrim without ever progressing the main story. The world is filled with so many distractions, side quests, and activities that it’s entirely possible to forget you’re supposed to be saving the world from dragons.
The Modding Community’s Masterpiece
One major reason Skyrim has remained relevant is its incredible modding community. On PC especially, mods can completely transform the game. Want better graphics? There are mods for that. Prefer different combat mechanics? Available. Want to add entirely new questlines, lands, and characters? The community has created content that rivals official expansions.
Some mods are silly—adding Thomas the Tank Engine as a dragon skin, for instance. Others are ambitious total conversions that create entirely new games within Skyrim’s framework. This user-generated content has extended Skyrim’s lifespan indefinitely, ensuring there’s always something new to discover.
The Living World of Skyrim
Despite being over a decade old, Skyrim’s world still feels alive. Towns have daily cycles with NPCs following routines. The weather changes dynamically, with blizzards in the mountains and clear skies in the plains. Wildlife behaves according to animal logic—predators hunt prey, prey flees danger. These systems create emergent moments where you might witness a fight between a giant and a dragon, or see bandits ambushing a merchant on the road.
The world is dense with content. Dungeons aren’t just combat arenas—they tell stories through their layout and details. Ancient Nordic tombs reveal cultural history. Dwemer ruins show a lost civilization’s technology. Caves have unique characteristics and inhabitants. Exploration is consistently rewarded with lore, treasure, and interesting encounters.
Skills and Progression
Skyrim’s skill system is elegant in its simplicity. There are 18 skills across three main categories: Combat, Magic, and Stealth. Each skill has its own perk tree where you can specialize. Do you want your destruction magic to have higher damage? More area of effect? Lower cost? The perk trees let you customize your build to match your preferred playstyle.
The level scaling system means the world adjusts to your power level, keeping challenges relevant throughout the game. While this system has critics who prefer static world levels, it does ensure that you can tackle content in any order without being completely overwhelmed or bored.
Why It Earned 94/100
When Skyrim launched, critics praised its expansive world, its freedom of choice, and its ability to make players feel like they were living in a fantasy world rather than just playing a game. Some technical issues and repetitive quest structures were noted, but they did little to diminish the overall experience.
Skyrim represents the quintessential Western RPG experience—a massive world full of possibilities where your choices matter and your character truly feels like your own creation. It’s comfort food for gamers, a world you can return to again and again, each time finding something new.
6. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Metacritic Score: 91/100)
Hideo Kojima’s final Metal Gear game before his departure from Konami, The Phantom Pain represents the series’ bold leap into open-world design while maintaining the tactical stealth gameplay the franchise is known for.
Tactical Freedom in an Open World
The Phantom Pain’s genius lies in how it translates stealth gameplay into open-world contexts. Unlike traditional stealth games with carefully designed linear levels, here you’re dropped into large open environments and given a target. How you approach the mission is entirely up to you.
Go in at night with night-vision goggles for easier stealth. Attack during a sandstorm for visual cover. Snipe from a distance. Call in air support. Extract the target non-lethally. Go loud with heavy weapons. Every approach is valid, and the game rewards creativity. The emergent gameplay that results creates unique stories for every player.
The Fulton System and Base Building
One of the game’s most addictive mechanics is the Fulton extraction system. Using balloons, you can extract enemy soldiers, equipment, vehicles, and even animals back to your Mother Base. Why kill enemies when you can recruit them to your private army?
This feeds into the base-building metagame where you develop new weapons, gadgets, and upgrades. Better staff means better equipment. Better equipment makes missions easier. This loop encourages thorough exploration and creative problem-solving—sometimes extracting a skilled engineer is more valuable than completing the primary objective.
Quiet, D-Dog, and Companion Mechanics
The Phantom Pain features buddy characters who accompany you on missions, each offering unique advantages. D-Dog can mark enemies and detect mines. Quiet provides sniper support. D-Horse offers transportation. D-Walker is a customizable mech suit. Learning when and how to use each buddy adds strategic depth.
These companions also develop relationships with you over time, becoming more effective and unlocking new abilities. They’re not just tools—they’re characters with personalities that grow through gameplay.
The Afghanistan and Africa Sandbox
The game’s two primary regions—Afghanistan and Africa—offer distinct environments and challenges. Afghanistan’s rocky, mountainous terrain favors long-range tactics and verticality. Africa’s grasslands and industrial complexes require different approaches. Each region feels alive with enemy patrols, side missions, and secrets to discover.
Weather and time of day significantly impact gameplay. Rain provides audio cover for your movements. Daytime means better visibility but more guards on alert. Night offers stealth opportunities but limited visibility. These dynamic systems make repeated missions in the same areas feel fresh.
The Controversial Story
The Phantom Pain’s story is divisive. It’s ambitious, tackling themes of language, identity, revenge, and the costs of war. Kojima’s signature style—codec calls replaced by cassette tapes, minimal cutscenes compared to previous entries, and an incomplete feeling due to development issues—means not everyone connected with the narrative.
However, those who appreciated the subtler storytelling approach found it thought-provoking. The game doesn’t spell everything out, requiring active engagement to piece together the thematic puzzle Kojima constructed.
Mission Structure and Replayability
Missions in The Phantom Pain are designed for replayability. Each can be completed in countless ways, and the game tracks your methods, encouraging you to try different approaches. Going for all S-ranks means mastering speed, stealth, and efficiency. Challenge missions add modifiers like limiting your loadout or requiring specific tactics.
This structure, combined with the deep mechanical systems, means The Phantom Pain offers hundreds of hours of content for those who want to master its systems. It’s not just about finishing missions—it’s about perfecting them.
Why It Received 91/100
Critics lauded The Phantom Pain for its exceptional gameplay systems, its freedom of approach, and its technical accomplishment. The controversial story and the game’s unfinished nature (the final chapter was never completed) prevented it from achieving even higher scores, but the core experience was recognized as some of the best stealth gameplay ever designed.
For players who love tactical thinking, experimentation, and emergent gameplay, The Phantom Pain offers a sandbox of possibilities that respects your intelligence and rewards creativity.
7. Horizon Zero Dawn (Metacritic Score: 89/100)
Guerrilla Games, previously known for the first-person shooter Killzone series, made a dramatic shift with Horizon Zero Dawn—a post-apocalyptic open-world action RPG with one of the most unique settings in gaming.
Robot Dinosaurs: The Hook That Works
The premise sounds like it came from a brainstorming session of “cool ideas”—what if Earth was overrun by robotic dinosaurs and other machines, and humanity had regressed to tribal societies? It’s a high-concept pitch that could easily have been cheesy, but Horizon Zero Dawn sells it completely through strong world-building and compelling lore.
The machines aren’t just enemies—they’re integral to the world’s ecosystem. They serve purposes in maintaining the environment, and understanding their behaviors is key to survival. Some are docile unless threatened. Others are aggressive predators. The variety of machine types, from small Watchers to massive Thunderjaws, keeps combat encounters fresh and exciting.
Aloy: A Protagonist Worth Following
Aloy ranks among gaming’s best protagonists. She’s curious, compassionate, clever, and capable without being a Mary Sue. Her journey from outcast to savior is compelling, and voice actress Ashly Burch brings remarkable depth to the character.
What makes Aloy special is that she asks the questions players are thinking. She’s not an established part of this world—she’s discovering its mysteries alongside you. Her genuine curiosity about the Old Ones (our civilization) and what happened to the world mirrors the player’s own desire to uncover the truth.
Tactical Combat Against Machines
Fighting machines in Horizon requires strategy, not just quick reflexes. Each machine type has weaknesses—certain components can be destroyed, exposing vulnerabilities. A Thunderjaw’s disc launchers can be torn off and used against it. A Stormbird’s engines can be disabled to ground it. Learning these weaknesses and exploiting them is essential, especially on higher difficulties.
Aloy’s arsenal focuses on various types of bows and traps. You’re not gunning down enemies—you’re hunting them. Elemental ammunition can freeze, burn, or shock machines. Tripwires and traps can be set in advance. The combat system rewards preparation and tactical thinking over brute force.
Scanning and Detective Work
Aloy’s Focus—a device that lets her scan the environment—adds a detective element to gameplay. She can highlight machine paths, see their patrol routes, identify components, and even scan ancient ruins to reconstruct past events as holographic projections.
This scanning mechanic makes the player feel like a skilled hunter and archaeologist. You’re not just fighting—you’re learning about your enemies and uncovering the world’s secrets through careful observation.
The Mystery of the Old World
Horizon’s greatest strength might be its lore. Discovering what happened to our civilization is genuinely gripping. As you explore ruins, read ancient logs, and piece together clues, a dark and fascinating story emerges about hubris, sacrifice, and survival.
The game respects players’ intelligence by not dumping exposition all at once. Information is scattered throughout the world, rewarding exploration and attention to detail. By the end, when the full picture becomes clear, it’s one of the most satisfying revelations in gaming.
The Beautiful Post-Apocalypse
Visually, Horizon is stunning. Nature has reclaimed the ruins of human civilization, creating a world where lush vegetation grows over collapsed skyscrapers and ancient technology. The dynamic weather system and day-night cycle enhance the visual beauty, with sunsets over machine-patrolled plains creating memorable vistas.
The various regions each have distinct biomes—snowy mountains, desert canyons, lush forests, and more. This environmental diversity keeps exploration interesting and showcases the game’s impressive technical achievement.
Side Content and Activities
Beyond the main quest, Horizon offers substantial side content. Hunting Grounds let you test your skills in specific challenges. Cauldrons are dungeon-like areas where you can override new machine types. Corrupted Zones task you with clearing out dangerous machines. Bandit camps provide human combat encounters.
The side quests often have meaningful stories rather than being simple fetch quests. Characters you help remember you later. Your choices in certain quests have consequences. While not every side mission is memorable, enough of them are compelling to make exploration worthwhile.
Why It Achieved 89/100
Critics praised Horizon Zero Dawn for its unique setting, its strong protagonist, its tactical combat system, and its compelling mystery. Some noted that certain open-world conventions (climbing towers to reveal the map, gathering resources) felt familiar, but the execution was strong enough that these elements didn’t detract significantly from the experience.
The game proved that new IPs can still succeed in the AAA space and that taking creative risks can pay off. Its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, built upon this foundation with even more refinement and content.
What Makes These Games Exceptional: Common Elements of Success
After examining these seven masterpieces, certain patterns emerge—elements that separate truly great open-world games from mediocre ones.
Cohesive World Design
The best open-world games don’t just give you a big map—they create a place that feels like it exists independent of the player. These worlds have history, culture, ecosystems, and internal logic. Whether it’s the dying Wild West in Red Dead Redemption 2 or the post-apocalyptic tribal societies in Horizon Zero Dawn, these settings feel lived-in and authentic.
Details matter immensely. When NPCs have daily routines, when weather affects gameplay, when your actions have consequences that ripple through the world—these elements combine to create immersion. The worlds stop being mere game levels and become places you inhabit.
Respecting Player Agency
Every game on this list trusts you as a player. They don’t hold your hand with constant tutorials or intrusive waypoints. They present challenges and let you figure out solutions. They offer multiple paths and respect your choices about which to take.
This respect for player intelligence creates a more engaging experience. When you solve a puzzle or overcome a challenge, it feels like your accomplishment, not something the game allowed you to do. This sense of genuine achievement is what keeps players coming back.
Meaningful Exploration
These games ensure that curiosity is always rewarded. Whether it’s a powerful item, a touching character moment, a beautiful view, or an interesting piece of lore, exploration never feels like wasted time. The reward isn’t always tangible—sometimes it’s just the satisfaction of seeing something few other players will discover.
Environmental storytelling plays a huge role. A skeleton clutching a bottle in Red Dead Redemption 2 tells a story without words. A hidden message in Breath of the Wild’s landscape reveals ancient history. These details enrich the world and reward attentive players.
Combat That Stays Fresh
All seven games feature distinct, engaging combat systems that maintain interest across dozens of hours of play. Whether it’s Elden Ring’s precise, pattern-based combat or Metal Gear Solid V’s creative stealth takedowns, the combat never becomes a boring routine.
Variety is key. Different enemy types, situational challenges, and player build options ensure that combat encounters feel different throughout the game. When combat becomes routine, engagement drops, so the best games constantly introduce new wrinkles and challenges.
Technical and Artistic Excellence
These games push their respective platforms to the limit. They achieve high framerate performance, stunning visuals, seamless world streaming, and minimal loading times (or hide loading through clever design). Technical excellence ensures that immersion isn’t broken by bugs, framerate drops, or other technical issues.
Artistic direction is equally important. Some of these games have photorealistic graphics; others use stylized art styles. What they all share is a strong, cohesive visual identity that serves the world and narrative. Art direction that supports the game’s themes and tone elevates the entire experience.