The Most Immersive Open World Games (May 2024)

Occasionally, a game comes out that players just want to cozy up to for hours on end. Open-world games can be riveting, or they can be frustrating and tedious. The scale of an open-world game can be both its strong and weak suit. On one side of the spectrum, some games have enormous maps that are time-consuming to traverse.

With focused gameplay, however, open-world games can provide immersive experiences that have immense replay value. The realism of these maps is awe-inspiring. Love or hate the following titles, they are some of the highest-selling in gaming. Let’s take a look at the most immersive open-world games.

Updated May 7, 2024 by Mark Sammut: March and April 2024 were decent months for open-world games. Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Rise of the Ronin both left their marks on the genre, while Bellwright launched into early access. Sand Lang also garnered a decent reception, even if it did not make that big of a splash. Manor Lords also took Steam by storm, although it might not fit most people’s interpretation of “open-world.” The future of immersive open-world games is also bright with the pending debuts of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Life by You, and Ghost of Tsushima’s PC release.

42 The Planet Crafter

Turn An Unwelcoming Planet Into A Home

After making waves via a demo, The Planet Crafter had its full release in April 2024, garnering near-universal praise in the process. A survival sandbox game set on a vacant planet not equipped for human life, this title shares quite a few hallmarks with other releases and is a fairly small project in the grand scheme of things. However, The Planet Crafter knows what it is trying to be and does a great job of actualizing that goal. The goal is simple: Terraform a planet.

Dropped in a harsh world with little to their name and almost no help, players will initially need to focus on meeting the bare minimum requirements to survive, which includes monitoring their oxygen levels. As they gather resources and slowly begin to craft tools and buildings, their new hellhole will start to transform into something a bit more charming and, eventually, beautiful.

With accessibility options that allow the gameplay’s difficulty to be tweaked to match a user’s preferences, The Planet Crafter can be either brutal or relaxing; either way, it should make for an immersive open-world game. Miju Games did a fantastic job of emphasizing visual progression through The Planet Crafter‘s base building and expansion, granting quite a bit of freedom in the terraforming process. After a considerable number of hours, players will have shaped the planet to their tastes.

41 Death Stranding

Slow Track Across A Post-Apocalyptic United States

Many fans were heartbroken to hear that masterclass game developer Hideo Kojima wouldn’t be working on the critically acclaimed Metal Gear Solid series any longer but were quickly placated to learn the iconic creator was opening his own studio. His first foray into the world of video games as an untethered designer was Death Stranding.

Although it’s a bit avant-garde for some, the world that Kojima created is nothing short of spectacular, especially from an immersion standpoint. Players get to control Sam, a “futuristic delivery man” portrayed by the talented Norman Reedus of Walking Dead fame. Although the game itself is superbly strange, it’s also incredibly enthralling (although some may find it hard to enjoy its quirky gameplay). It’s definitely worth a look, if just to appreciate its open world.

40 Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora

Beautifully Recreates Pandora

While not the be-all and end-all of what makes a great game, graphics do matter. Would Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora have made the grade if it was not so gorgeous? Probably not, and that is not an indictment of the rest of the experience. It is just that the title’s visuals are by far its most striking feature, and they bring to fruition a vibrant, lively, and reactive alien world that is packed to the brim with jaw-dropping vistas. The game is fully aware that its main selling point is its world, and it goes out of its way to ensure nothing distracts from its beauty.

The immersion goes beyond just the visuals though, as Frontiers of Pandora also does an admirable job of making players feel like they are controlling huge alien creatures that tower over humans. While the combat is not that far removed from the typical Ubisoft first-person experience, the game’s heightened mobility gives everything a different and refreshing flavor.

39 Prey

Metroidvania Horror Masterpiece

Prey is not an open-world game in the sense that players can immediately explore the entire map, but they will be able to return to previous areas. Essentially, Arkane created a 3D Metroidvania, and a fantastic one at that. Prey is an immersive sim set within Talos 1, a quite large space station that has been taken over by an alien threat.

Talos 1 is a masterclass of world design, with each area telling a story through its environment. The map is interconnected, not only in terms of exploration but also in consistency. Even though the campaign mainly takes place after the station has become a wasteland, it is easy to buy Talos 1 as a real place.

38 Shenmue

The Daily Cycle

Before Shenmue arrived for the Sega Dreamcast back in 1999, the concept of open-world games was still very much in its infancy. While most other developers were still trying to figure out how to make the leap from 2D to 3D though, Yu Suzuki was instead focused on creating one of the most immersive and realistic video game worlds of all time; and boy, did he succeed.

Set in the late eighties, the game allows players to explore parts of Yokosuka; a small city in Tokyo’s Kanagawa prefecture. All the NPCs that they’ll encounter are fully voiced and have their own well-fleshed-out identities and daily routines. The game even utilizes historic geographical data to ensure that the in-game weather matches that of the period in which the story takes place.

37 Ghost Of Tsushima

Stunning Rendition Of 13th Century Japan

Where Shenmue serves as a window into life in 1980s Japan and, in its sequel, 1980s Hong Kong, Ghost of Tsushima instead takes players back quite a bit further. Set on the island of Tsushima during Japan’s Kamakura period, Sucker Punch Productions’ epic action-adventure tells the story of a samurai named Jin and is one of the best-looking games of the PS4 era.

What makes Ghost of Tsushima all the more impressive is that it was developed by a Western studio. Indeed, Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi once described the game as an amazing achievement and also expressed his surprise at how historically accurate the title is. The attention to detail paid throughout the game is astounding and helps to draw players into its beautiful open-world.

36 Microsoft Flight Simulator

Travel Across The World

Microsoft Flight Simulator is not for everyone, but if the game clicks with someone, it might just become one of their favorites. As the title implies, this project is all about simulating the flying experience, and realism is prioritized to quite an extent. That said, the game does provide players with some options to neutralize the difficulty. Alongside a mode revolving around specific flight plans, Microsoft Fight Simulator also includes the entirety of Earth as a world map, permitting players to just pick a location and fly there.

Outside of landing the planes, the map can only be interacted with from the sky; consequently, Microsoft Flight Simulator might not be exactly what most people are looking for in an immersive open-world game.

35 Sons Of The Forest

Survive Among The Locals

Sons of the Forest is the sequel to 2018’s The Forest, which is a great survival open-world game in its own right. After a stint in early access, the project made its full debut in 2024, launching in great shape if someone is mainly interested in the survival gameplay loop rather than the story. Once again, players find themselves stranded on a beautiful but hostile island that is home to cannibals (and other natives), who might or might not be aggressive toward the outsider.

Sons of the Forest is punishing and addictive. While encouraging exploration, the island is also packed to the brim with things that can spell someone’s doom, and discovering these dangers often produces a playthrough’s most enjoyable moments. Endnight’s project is a full-blown survival game set in a challenging and immersive world.

34 Kenshi

An Unforgiving Post-Apocalyptic Open-World Survival RPG

Kenshi is an ambitious game that drops people into a massive open-world and challenges them to make their own way. After creating a group of starting characters, players are not given much direction, so they must venture out into the unknown as they gradually develop their party’s skills through activity. They can build houses, farm goods, and establish settlements, just to name a few things.

Although not entirely without written quests, Kenshi largely relies on its established mechanics to organically inspire stories built upon a user’s personal ventures. The result is a punishing and overwhelming experience that is also immersive and frequently deeply satisfying.

33 Batman: Arkham City

Become The Batman

“Immersive” is not a synonym for “realistic.” Rocksteady’s Arkham games do not pretend to be grounded crime dramas; however, in terms of making players feel like they are the Dark Knight, they are almost flawless. An argument could be made that Arkham Knight represents the franchise’s peak in open-world design, but the polarizing Batmobile sections can pull someone out of the experience if they do not enjoy them. Arkham City has no such issue, and the game nails almost everything else.

After being purposefully arrested and imprisoned, Batman finds himself in the eponymous Arkham City, a large-scale prison that serves as the home of Gotham’s worst and most iconic criminals. Armed with an impressive arsenal of tools, DC’s Caped Crusader investigates Hugo Strange’s Protocol 10, all the while engaging in a plethora of side content. Arkham City’s nature means its streets are mostly devoid of NPCs, except for thugs who have a date planned with Batman’s fists. While this emptiness would be frustrating in most open-world projects, Arkham City provides narrative justification for this decision, helping to enhance the immersion.

32 Hogwarts Legacy

Detailed Recreation Of Hogwarts

Avalanche’s Hogwarts Legacy rode the hype train all the way to a wildly successful launch. Harry Potter games are nothing new, but great ones are rare; in many ways, the 2023 release is the first title to properly take advantage of the franchise’s gaming potential.

Regardless of someone’s feelings for Harry’s story, Harry Potter‘s universe is generally regarded as fantastic, and Hogwarts Legacy enables fans to immerse themselves in a world filled with magic, mystery, and charm. Even if its story is nothing to write home about and everything outside Hogwarts leaves something to be desired, the game nails its aesthetic and recreation of the eponymous academy, and players can spend dozens of hours living out their Wizarding World fantasies.

31 Yakuza 0 (& Most Yakuza Games)

Size Does Not Matter

Nowadays, the mantra for open-world games seems to be that “bigger is better”, but Yakuza has constantly proven that is not really the case. Yakuza 0 takes place in two districts called Kamurochō and Sotenbori, neither of which is particularly huge. However, these settings nevertheless effectively complement the main story and also provide players with a playground to participate in entertaining optional content.

The Yakuza games blend realism with over-the-top silliness fit for B-movies, and the open-world tends to focus on the former. These maps are packed with arcades, restaurants, and bars, along with containing plenty of side activities and mini-games.

30 Mafia 2

Era-Accurate City

This one is a different case than all the other games on this list as Mafia 2‘s open-world is mostly set dressing that does not offer much to do outside of driving from one main mission to the next. This is not a map designed to distract people for hours on end.

However, in terms of realism, Mafia 2 does a fantastic job of recreating the aesthetic of the late 1940s and early ’50s. The cars, slums, and shops all come together to craft an immersive landscape soaked in historical accuracy (despite the game taking place in a fictional city), albeit one that cannot be interacted with in any significant way.

29 Dragon’s Dogma 2

The Joy Of Taking Things Slow

Similar to its predecessor, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is not the prettiest or biggest open-world game on the market. The main storyline is little more than serviceable, and the enemy selection is decent but a touch limited. Most of the map consists of roads, caves, and mountains, which can get repetitive at times. If someone wants to dash through the campaign, they just need to stick to the primary paths and will generally be fine. Despite all that, Capcom’s RPG is impressively immersive, and that largely stems from its willingness to force players to take things slow.

While possible with some prep, Dragon’s Dogma 2 makes fast-travel inconvenient enough that players will likely restrict it to special case scenarios. Even though making a beeline for the next plot point is a viable way to play the game, doing so is not encouraged; in fact, an argument could be made that Dragon’s Dogma 2 truly comes alive when quests are ignored in favor of exploring off the beaten path. Before long, players will find themselves running into random encounters that feel like genuine emergent experiences, rather than enemies that are forever pinned to one spot on the map.

28 Outward

Hard-As-Nails Open-World About Being An Average Person

An acquired taste, Outward somehow combines many standard ideas found in action RPGs in a way that gives the game an entirely unique feel. For one, this open-world title incorporates survival elements like a hunger meter, and players will need to keep a close eye on these mechanics as they are not especially forgiving. Outward also opts against the typical “save the world” premise, focusing instead on a more mundane debt-clearing quest to get players started. This storyline is primarily there to incentivize the main character to begin adventuring, at least until they no longer need a reason to justify heading out into the unknown.

Outward is all about exploration and discovery. Whenever heading out into the world, players need to prepare themselves for their travels as they could quickly find themselves stuck in a dire situation. The map can be accessed in its entirety right from the start, even though some sections are obviously designed for higher-level players. Outward has its share of issues, such as underwhelming combat, that could be deal-breakers for some people, but the game’s open-ended structure is a huge positive in its favor.

Outward: Definitive Edition
is the version to get.

27 Gothic 1 & 2

Fully-Realized World & NPCs

Piranha Bytes achieved open-world perfection with the original two Gothic games, so much so that the developer spent the next two decades trying to recapture the same magic, to mixed results. The first entry is impressive and arguably features the best story in the trilogy, but in terms of open-world design, Gothic 2 is up there with the genre’s best projects. Set on an island, the campaign finds the Nameless Hero going on a quest to defeat the dragons, a journey that will take them all across Khorinis.

The central storyline is nothing all that special, but Gothic 2 shines in its minute details. NPCs feel like they are leading lives within this world, and they have their own things going on that have nothing to do with the protagonist. Featuring an impressive range of customization and progression options, Gothic 2 encourages players to craft their ideal adventurer, granting them endless choices in how they fight, live, and explore. Although fairly small by modern standards, Khorinis is a joy to traverse, provided someone does not mind the occasional difficulty spike.

26 Sea Of Thieves

Live The Pirate Life As Part Of A Crew

Rare’s Sea of Thieves garnered a mixed reception upon launch due to a lack of content. More than 5 years later, the pirate-themed game is still going strong, a triumph credited to the developer’s commitment to the project and the community’s appreciation of that work. Sea of Thieves can be played solo or as part of a crew, and both iterations have their positives; however, the latter opens up more avenues. The game takes place in a shared world, so groups of players can engage in PvP as they try to sink each other’s vessels.

Although not especially difficult, Sea of Thieves encourages exploration and self-reliance. Treasure seekers will need to read and figure out maps for themselves rather than just follow a waypoint. While on the sea, there is a sense that something could happen at a moment’s notice, challenging crews to stay on their guards at all times.

25 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Revisiting A Well-Known World

Square Enix has dabbled in open-world design a few times, but most of these attempts left something to be desired. Final Fantasy 15 serves as a prime example, with the game featuring a beautiful but empty open-world that does not particularly complement the main story. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is fairly linear in design, despite incorporating open areas that encourage exploration. In comparison, Rebirth feels like a full attempt to incorporate an open-world, and it is comfortably the developer’s best effort at this type of project.

Set after AVALANCHE leaves Midgar, the characters (and players) are quickly exposed to an expansive horizon that goes well beyond what they have ever experienced, and the sequel does a fantastic job of emphasizing the sheer freedom in front of them. Many people grew up with the original Final Fantasy 7, and as influential and masterful as that JRPG is, its post-Midgar sections are relatively small-scale. Rebirth brings these areas to life in all of their modern glory, allowing fans to immerse themselves in locations they knew but had yet to fully experience.

24 Rust

Unforgiving Survival Sandbox

Rust often gets criticized due to the large number of players who shoot on sight and raid other peoples’ bases. Though this kind of behavior can make things difficult for new players, it’s arguably exactly what one should expect from a post-apocalyptic wasteland and therefore helps to make the game’s open-world a lot more immersive.

When all’s said and done, the radiation zones and irradiated animals in Rust pose very little threat to those who know what they’re doing. The unpredictable nature of humanity, on the other hand, ensures that players need always remain on their toes, while simultaneously making the experience feel a lot more genuine than it would otherwise have been.

23 Fallout 4 (Survival Mode)

The Wasteland Should Be Deadly & Harsh

The Fallout games in general are not bad picks for immersive experiences, and the 3D ones all have something to offer. Even the much-maligned Fallout 76 has improved significantly since its launch and is nowadays well worth a playthrough. New Vegas tends to be considered the pinnacle of the franchise’s modern entries, and its quest system, factions, and writing are all top-notch. Fallout 3 shows its age in many ways, but the Wasteland is still drenched in atmosphere and clever world-building. Finally, there is Fallout 4, an entry that shifted the series slightly in a more action-oriented direction. Mods bring out the best in Fallout 4, and PC users should look into the community’s projects as they will likely be able to tweak the game to suit their needs.

However, if someone wants to increase immersion without doing any of that, they should just play Survival mode. As its descriptor suggests, this mode turns Fallout 4 into essentially a survival game, and it is quite deep. For one, players have to keep track of meters concerning hunger, thirst, and exhaustion, a small change that makes a big difference to the playstyle. Fast travel is no longer an option, and players need to sleep to save progress, so they cannot just abuse the manual save option. These examples only scratch the surface of Survival mode’s unique challenge, and it turns an already enjoyable RPG into a far more immersive one.