There is a large base of gamers that love to dive deep into an open world. These video games have large playgrounds for you to explore and get lost in, all while performing various tasks and missions. There is no shortage of open world games you can find on Xbox, but the best of the best always rise to the top. Here are the ten best open world games you can play on Xbox Series X/S in alphabetical order.
Related: The 5 best open world games on Switch
The best open world games on Xbox Series X
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
We believe that Odyssey stands above all other Assassin’s Creed games as the very best in the series, and its Ancient Greek map is a good starting point as to why. Kassandra is one of our favorite assassins ever in the long-running series and this is the second game to incorporate more of an RPG feel than previous titles in the series did. The story is pretty good for the most part, and the progression here feels great as you continually play. If you wanted to climb and sneak through a large Ancient Greece, this is your best choice for that.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a collaborative effort between FromSoftware, makers of Dark Souls, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Bloodborne, and George R.R. Martin, author of the books that were adapted into the Game of Thrones television series. Like other popular games made by FromSoftware, Elden Ring is a challenging affair that is not for the faint of heart. You will constantly take on challenging bosses that will test your resolve and force you to adapt from every failure to find success. This isn’t the type of game that is for everyone, but the people who fall into this niche will be fully entertained for a long time.
Forza Horizon 5
It’s not often that you would consider a racing open world game as one of the best in its genre, but the Forza Horizon series has firmly established its grasp as one of the premiere racing games on the market. You can’t go wrong with any of these games, but Horizon 5’s Mexican setting is gorgeous and diverse enough to keep you interested wherever you drive. The Hotwheels expansion is also generally considered one of the most fun add-ons for recent racing games, letting you go away from the more grounded gameplay in the base game.
Grand Theft Auto V
While originally releasing back on the Xbox 360, Rockstar has drained every little bit of value out of Grand Theft Auto V thanks to its online play that still gets regularly updated with new content today. Los Santos is not the largest open world on this list, but it can be argued that this is the game that allows you to do the most with what you have here. It’s rare for you to run out of things to do with jobs and activities ranging from heists and shootouts to races and something as simple as arm wrestling if you really wanted.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Can you really say there is an open world map more impressive than the entire planet Earth being incorporated in Microsoft Flight Simulator? You can fly planes anywhere in the world, looking at iconic structures and various vacation spots. You can also fly above your house to see how things look from thousands of feet in the air. This is not a massive RPG with tons to do, but the technology included in this game is very impressive for anyone who likes simulation games.
No Man’s Sky
Shifting from a game with an impressive realistic map to one with an unimaginable number of planets to explore in space, No Man’s Sky allows you to travel the stars and get lost in the cosmos. While its content was very disappointing at launch, it has received regular updates since then to have various features that have made its playerbase much happier. Additionally, those quintillions of planets means you will never run out of new places to see.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar’s second outlaw redemptive story featured one of the better protagonists we have seen in recent years with Arthur Morgan. This prequel to the previous game showed what life was like before players took over as John Marston and expanded the map drastically. The graphics seen here are still one of the most realistic we have seen in a video game to this point and a lot of more life-like features were added. Some people are not crazy about those realistic parts of the game, but anyone impressed by them have been blown away.
Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves is a pirate fan’s dream, letting you group up with a few friends to sail the open sea. As you might expect, you will do plenty of plundering and searching for gold, but there are other activities like fighting off skeletons, searching shipwrecks, and defending yourself against a gigantic megalodon. Be weary when coming across another team of players in the world, as you can work together, but we are talking about pirates here. There is also a set of smaller campaign missions and Pirates of the Caribbean content to let you interact with Jack Sparrow.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a long-spanning action RPG that has you play as Geralt of Rivia, a man who hunts mystical beasts for the protection of people. You will use his equipment and magical abilities in battles while making important dialogue decisions outside of combat. The story revolves around Geralt’s search for his adopted daughter, Ciri, who has massive magical potential. Between the base game and the excellent Blood and Wine expansion, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is filled with dozens and dozens of hours of content for you to work through. There are not many fantasy games that can say they are on the same level as this title.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a game that took the long-running RPG series about crime and deceit and changed its gameplay to focus on a turn-based combat system. You play as Ichiban Kasuga, a man betrayed and shot by his boss after taking the fall and spending 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. As you build up a party, you will take on a variety of odd jobs and missions that the Yakuza series is famous for, including the iconic karaoke mini-game.
