Top 10 Best Open World Games Ever Made

Hook Introduction

A game with almost no dialogue for its first hour, no clear objective marker, and a map that actively encourages you to ignore the main quest currently holds the highest all-time score of any open world game ever critically reviewed.

We anchored this list to OpenCritic’s official all-time open-world ranking — aggregated from hundreds of professional reviews — and supplemented it with additional widely-acclaimed titles to build a complete top 10, with full transparency about exactly which numbers come from which source.

Key Highlights (Quick Facts)

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) holds the highest score of any open world game on OpenCritic’s official all-time ranking at 96/100, aggregated from hundreds of professional critic reviews.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are tied for second place on OpenCritic’s ranking at 95/100 each, with Grand Theft Auto IV and Elden Ring also tied at that same score.
• Grand Theft Auto V is not part of OpenCritic’s visible all-time top rankings; its position on this list (#8) instead reflects its Metacritic score (~97 on original release) and sales data — a source shift we’ve flagged clearly below, since it’s a meaningfully different kind of number than the OpenCritic-ranked entries above it.
• Elden Ring won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022, cementing its status as one of the most decorated open world releases of the past decade.
• Grand Theft Auto VI has a confirmed release date of November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, after Rockstar delayed the game from its originally targeted May 2026 window; no PC release date has been confirmed as of this writing.
• 2026 has already delivered two major, confirmed open-world releases: Crimson Desert launched in March 2026 after years of delays, and Forza Horizon 6 launched May 19, 2026 — both shifted earlier in the year, reportedly to avoid a direct release-date collision with GTA VI’s November window.
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s most recently reported sales figures put it above 60 million copies, and its expansion-driven content model (particularly the Blood and Wine DLC, which itself scored 92 on OpenCritic) is frequently cited as a template other studios have tried to replicate.
• Critics consistently note that the genre has shifted decisively toward verticality and interconnected world design over the past decade, moving away from the flatter, more segmented open worlds common in the early 2010s.

How This Ranking Was Built

This list is anchored to OpenCritic’s official all-time open-world ranking, which aggregates scores from hundreds of professional game reviews into a single weighted average per title — one of the most methodologically transparent aggregation systems available in games criticism, comparable to Metacritic but with its own distinct weighting approach.

OpenCritic’s publicly visible ranking confirms positions 1 through 7 on this list precisely. For positions 8 through 10 — including Grand Theft Auto V — we’ve shifted sources to Metacritic and verified sales data, since these titles either don’t appear in OpenCritic’s visible top rankings or are better represented by a different metric. We’ve flagged this source change explicitly in each relevant entry and in the statistics table below, so it’s clear OpenCritic itself did not rank Grand Theft Auto V at #8 — that position reflects our own supplementary research, not OpenCritic’s methodology.

The Top 10 Best Open World Games Ever Made

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) — OpenCritic: 96

Breath of the Wild holds the highest score of any open world game on OpenCritic’s official all-time ranking, and it earned that position by fundamentally rethinking what open-world freedom could mean. The game strips away traditional hand-holding almost entirely — you can walk directly toward the final boss from the opening tutorial area if you’re skilled enough to survive the attempt, a level of genuine player freedom rare even among open-world games that claim to offer it.

Its physics-and-chemistry-based interaction systems, letting players combine fire, wind, electricity, and metal in ways the developers didn’t always explicitly design for, created a genuinely emergent style of problem-solving that’s since influenced countless other open-world titles, including its own celebrated sequel.

OpenCritic score: 96/100. Copies sold: Most recently reported above 35 million. Why it endures: Redefined open-world freedom through physics-based emergent gameplay.

2. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) — OpenCritic: 95 (tied)

Red Dead Redemption 2 ties for second place on OpenCritic’s ranking, and it’s widely considered Rockstar Games’ crowning technical and narrative achievement — a genuinely remarkable claim from the studio behind the Grand Theft Auto series. Its recreation of the American frontier, spanning detailed forests, mountains, and towns, took roughly eight years to develop.

The game’s commitment to slow, deliberate pacing and morally complex storytelling, following outlaw Arthur Morgan through the twilight of the Wild West era, gave it emotional weight that critics widely regard as unmatched among open-world titles. Its most recently reported sales figures put it above 79 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time.

OpenCritic score: 95/100 (tied). Copies sold: Most recently reported above 79 million. Why it endures: Unmatched narrative depth and world density among story-driven open-world games.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023) — OpenCritic: 95 (tied)

Tears of the Kingdom also ties for second place at 95, taking everything that made Breath of the Wild remarkable and genuinely expanding on it rather than simply repeating the formula. Its map now spans three giant interconnected areas — the surface, the sky islands, and an underground Depths region — and its Ultrahand mechanic let players build functional vehicles, weapons, and contraptions limited mainly by their own imagination.

The sequel’s willingness to fundamentally rebuild its predecessor’s core mechanics, rather than treating Breath of the Wild’s systems as untouchable, reflects a genuine confidence that’s paid off critically — a rare achievement for a direct sequel to an already widely beloved game.

OpenCritic score: 95/100 (tied). Notable mechanic: Ultrahand building system. Why it endures: Meaningfully expanded rather than repeated its predecessor’s acclaimed formula.

4. Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) — OpenCritic: 95 (tied)

Grand Theft Auto IV also holds a 95 on OpenCritic’s all-time ranking, a genuinely striking result given how much the open-world genre has evolved technically since its 2008 release. Its detailed recreation of Liberty City, alongside protagonist Niko Bellic’s morally weighty immigrant-crime story, set a narrative and tonal template that influenced the franchise’s subsequent entries.

Its continued high ranking, competing directly with far more recent and technically advanced titles, speaks to how much critics still value the game’s writing, satire, and city design over a decade and a half after release — a genuine testament to the strength of its fundamentals over pure technical spectacle.

OpenCritic score: 95/100 (tied). Setting: Liberty City. Why it endures: Writing and city design that still holds up against far newer, more technically advanced competitors.

5. Elden Ring (2022) — OpenCritic: 95 (tied)

Elden Ring rounds out the four-way tie at 95, applying FromSoftware’s notoriously demanding “Soulslike” combat and design philosophy to a genuinely open world for the first time in the studio’s history. Its central design principle — encountering an enemy too difficult to beat and simply going elsewhere to grow stronger before returning — gives its brutal difficulty a genuinely player-directed structure missing from the studio’s earlier, more linear titles.

The game won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022, cementing its position as one of the most decorated open-world releases of the past decade, and its success has directly inspired a wave of “open-world Soulslike” competitors still emerging years later.

OpenCritic score: 95/100 (tied). Awards: Game of the Year, The Game Awards 2022. Why it endures: Successfully translated FromSoftware’s demanding combat philosophy into genuine open-world freedom.

6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015) — OpenCritic: 93

The Witcher 3 sits at 93 on OpenCritic’s ranking, and it’s frequently cited as the definitive example of a fantasy RPG built on Skyrim’s open-world influence while substantially exceeding it in writing and quest design. Its side quests are widely regarded as unusually strong, frequently offering narrative complexity that rivals many games’ main storylines.

With most recently reported sales above 60 million copies, its expansion content — particularly the Blood and Wine DLC, which itself scored 92 on OpenCritic as a standalone entry — set a genuine benchmark for post-launch content that other studios have spent years trying to match in scope and quality.

OpenCritic score: 93/100. Copies sold: Most recently reported above 60 million. Why it endures: Widely considered the gold standard for open-world quest writing and narrative depth.

7. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015) — OpenCritic: 92

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain sits at 92 on OpenCritic’s ranking, applying series creator Hideo Kojima’s stealth-action expertise to a genuinely open-world structure for the first time in the franchise’s history. Its mission-based approach to open-world design — deploying into large, sandbox-style areas to complete objectives using genuinely emergent stealth and combat systems — differs structurally from the more traditional exploration-driven worlds elsewhere on this list.

Despite a genuinely unusual, unfinished-feeling final act (widely attributed to a public falling-out between Kojima and publisher Konami during development), the game’s core systems remain so refined that it’s still frequently cited as one of the best stealth games ever made, open-world or otherwise.

OpenCritic score: 92/100. Director: Hideo Kojima. Why it endures: Genre-defining stealth systems within a mission-based open-world structure.

8. Grand Theft Auto V (2013) — Metacritic: ~97 (original release; not an OpenCritic-ranked entry on this list)

Grand Theft Auto V shifts our source specifically to Metacritic and verified sales data, since it does not appear within OpenCritic’s visible top rankings the way its predecessor GTA IV does — this position reflects our supplementary research, not OpenCritic’s own ranking. Its original Metacritic score sat around 97, and its most recently reported sales figures put it above 220 million copies, making it not just the best-selling open-world game ever made, but one of the best-selling entertainment products in any medium, film or music included.

Its three-protagonist structure — letting players approach the same city from three fundamentally different narrative and mechanical perspectives — remains a genuinely distinctive structural choice that few open-world games have attempted to replicate at the same scale, and GTA Online’s continued content updates have kept the game commercially and culturally relevant well over a decade after release.

Metacritic score: ~97 (original release). Copies sold: Most recently reported above 220 million. Why it endures: Best-selling open-world game ever, with a genuinely distinctive three-protagonist structure.

9. Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) — Metacritic: 89

Horizon Zero Dawn brought a genuinely distinctive premise to the open-world genre — a post-apocalyptic Earth reclaimed by robotic dinosaur-like machines, explored by protagonist Aloy using a combination of stealth, ranged combat, and machine-hacking mechanics. Its Metacritic score of 89 reflects strong, though not universally top-tier, critical reception relative to some titles ranked above it.

Its visual design, blending lush natural environments with genuinely unsettling robotic wildlife, became an immediate visual signature for the PlayStation platform, and its success helped establish Guerrilla Games (previously known primarily for the Killzone series) as a studio capable of genre-defining open-world design.

Metacritic score: 89. Setting: Post-apocalyptic robotic Earth. Why it endures: A genuinely distinctive open-world premise and visual identity within a crowded genre.

10. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) — Metacritic: 94

Skyrim rounds out the list at a Metacritic score of 94, and its influence on the broader open-world RPG genre is difficult to overstate. It’s widely credited as an influence on later fantasy RPGs, including The Witcher 3, which built on the open-world template Skyrim helped popularize. Its combination of genuine open-ended freedom, deep character customization, and a world absolutely packed with hand-placed detail set a new bar for the genre upon release.

Remarkably, Skyrim has remained commercially and culturally relevant for well over a decade, re-released across numerous platforms and generations of hardware, with an enduring modding community that continues adding new content long after Bethesda’s own official support effectively ended.

Metacritic score: 94. Influence: Widely credited as an influence on later open-world RPGs, including The Witcher 3. Why it endures: Helped establish the modern template for open-world fantasy RPGs; remains actively played over a decade later.

Important Statistics Table

Rank	Game	Year	Score	Source
1	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	2017	96	OpenCritic
2	Red Dead Redemption 2	2018	95	OpenCritic
3	The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom	2023	95	OpenCritic
4	Grand Theft Auto IV	2008	95	OpenCritic
5	Elden Ring	2022	95	OpenCritic
6	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	2015	93	OpenCritic
7	Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain	2015	92	OpenCritic
8	Grand Theft Auto V	2013	~97	Metacritic (not OpenCritic-ranked here)
9	Horizon Zero Dawn	2017	89	Metacritic (not OpenCritic-ranked here)
10	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	2011	94	Metacritic (not OpenCritic-ranked here)

Sources: OpenCritic official all-time open-world ranking (positions 1-7), Metacritic (positions 8-10, explicitly not part of OpenCritic’s own ranking), cross-referenced against IGN and GameSpot 2026 coverage. Ranks 2-5 reflect a genuine four-way tie at 95 on OpenCritic; order among them reflects OpenCritic’s own listed sequence, not a further quality distinction. Sales figures reflect the most recently reported totals available and may have since increased.

Step-by-Step: How Open-World Game Scores Are Actually Aggregated

1. Understand that OpenCritic and Metacritic use different weighting methods. Both aggregate professional critic reviews into a single score, but their specific formulas and which outlets they include can produce slightly different results for the same game.
2. Check whether a score reflects original release or a later “definitive” version. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 have seen major post-launch overhauls that meaningfully changed critical and player reception well after the score was first recorded.
3. Distinguish base games from expansion/DLC scores. The Witcher 3’s Blood and Wine expansion has its own separate 92 score on OpenCritic, distinct from the base game’s 93 — don’t conflate the two when comparing titles.
4. Recognize that older games competing on current all-time lists reflects real staying power. Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) still holding a 95 alongside 2022’s Elden Ring is a genuine signal of lasting critical respect, not just an outdated relic.
5. Cross-check sales figures separately from critic scores, and treat both as moving targets. Grand Theft Auto V’s 220 million-plus copies sold reflects commercial success as most recently reported, which doesn’t always track precisely with critical acclaim — both matter, but they’re different measures, and both numbers can rise over time.
6. Remember these rankings continue to update. New releases will continue to be added to and potentially reshape these all-time lists over the coming years, including whatever position Grand Theft Auto VI eventually earns after its confirmed November 19, 2026 launch.

Pros and Cons Table

Game	Pros	Cons
Breath of the Wild	Highest all-time OpenCritic score, genuine emergent freedom	Weapon durability system remains divisive among players
Red Dead Redemption 2	Unmatched narrative depth and world detail	Deliberately slow pacing isn’t for every player
Tears of the Kingdom	Meaningfully expanded on an already-acclaimed predecessor	Some players find building mechanics have a learning curve
Grand Theft Auto IV	Writing and satire still hold up over 15+ years later	Dated by modern technical/graphical standards
Elden Ring	GOTY-winning combat, genuine player-directed difficulty	Notoriously difficult, a real barrier for some players
The Witcher 3	Gold-standard quest writing, huge expansion content	Combat system less refined than some competitors
Metal Gear Solid V	Genre-defining stealth systems	Widely regarded as unfinished due to development conflicts
Grand Theft Auto V	Best-selling open-world game ever, distinctive 3-protagonist structure	Base game now over a decade old
Horizon Zero Dawn	Genuinely distinctive premise and visual identity	Slightly lower critical score than others on this list
Skyrim	Set the modern genre template, massive modding community	Shows its age technically despite numerous re-releases

Comparison Table: Best Open World Game by What You Want

Your Priority	Best Pick	Runner-Up	Why
Pure exploration freedom	Breath of the Wild	Elden Ring	Highest all-time OpenCritic score for a reason
Story and cinematic immersion	Red Dead Redemption 2	The Witcher 3	Widely considered unmatched narrative depth
Combat challenge and difficulty	Elden Ring	Metal Gear Solid V	GOTY-winning, player-directed difficulty curve
Quest writing specifically	The Witcher 3	Grand Theft Auto IV	Gold-standard side-quest complexity and depth
Best-selling / most culturally dominant	Grand Theft Auto V	Skyrim	Most recently reported at 220 million-plus copies sold
Genre-defining RPG template	Skyrim	The Witcher 3	Widely credited as an influence on later genre entries
Most distinctive premise	Horizon Zero Dawn	Metal Gear Solid V	Post-apocalyptic robotic-dinosaur setting stands apart
Best stealth/mission-based structure	Metal Gear Solid V	—	Genre-defining systems within an open-world sandbox

2026 News and Trends

The clearest 2026 storyline is a genuine scheduling standoff around Grand Theft Auto VI’s confirmed release. Rockstar has set GTA VI for November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S (no PC date confirmed), after delaying it from an originally targeted May 2026 window. Several other major open-world releases have reportedly shifted their own timing to avoid landing in that same window: Crimson Desert launched in March 2026 after years of delays, and Forza Horizon 6 launched May 19, 2026 — both moving earlier in the year rather than risk direct competition with what’s widely considered the most anticipated open-world game ever made.

Forza Horizon 6’s Japan setting has been particularly well received by critics, with reviewers praising its overhauled seasons system and seamless open-world integration as a strong evolution of the arcade-racing open-world formula.

Redemption narratives are increasingly common for the genre’s biggest names. Cyberpunk 2077, whose disastrous December 2020 launch triggered an investigation by Poland’s Financial Supervision Authority and a six-month removal from the PlayStation Store, has been widely praised by critics and players following its 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty expansion — a significant critical turnaround that’s become a case study in how sustained post-launch support can reshape a game’s reputation.

No Man’s Sky remains one of the most remarkable redemption stories in gaming more broadly. Since its similarly rocky 2016 launch, developer Hello Games (a studio of roughly 25 people) has released over 20 major free updates, and the game now bears little resemblance to its original launch state beyond its core procedural-generation engine, spanning over 18 quintillion unique planets.

Conclusion

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s 96/100 makes it the highest-scored open world game on OpenCritic’s official all-time ranking, but the four-way tie at 95 between Red Dead Redemption 2, Tears of the Kingdom, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Elden Ring shows just how tightly contested the very top of this genre has become. With Grand Theft Auto V’s unmatched sales figures and Grand Theft Auto VI now confirmed for November 19, 2026, this remains a continuously evolving ranking rather than a settled piece of gaming history.

References

1. OpenCritic – Best Open World Games of All Time: https://opencritic.com/browse/all/all-time/score/open-world
2. Metacritic – Grand Theft Auto V, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: https://www.metacritic.com/
3. GTA BOOM – Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6): Release Date, Map, Trailers & Everything We Know: https://www.gtaboom.com/grand-theft-auto-vi-a428
4. gHacks Tech News – 2026 Game Release Schedule: GTA 6, Halo Campaign Evolved, and Forza Horizon 6 Headline the Year: https://www.ghacks.net/2026/07/19/2026-game-release-schedule-gta-6-halo-campaign-evolved-and-forza-horizon-6-headline-the-year/
5. GamingBible – Forza Horizon 6’s Perfect Open-World Is A Worthy Match For Crimson Desert And GTA 6: https://www.gamingbible.com/reviews/forza-horizon-6-gta-review-757712-20260514
6. GTA BOOM – Every Major Game That Moved From GTA 6’s November Launch: https://www.gtaboom.com/every-game-that-moved-its-release-date-because-of-gta-6-1893
7. GameRant – 10 Open-World Games With 90+ Scores On Open-Critic: https://gamerant.com/open-world-games-with-90-open-critic-score/
8. IGN – Forza Horizon 6 Review: https://www.ign.com/

FAQs