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Some of the best open world games available on the Xbox Series X|S.
When it comes to single player, story driven narrative adventures, there’s a fair few to get stuck into. Yet while that’s great if you want it, sometimes players just want to go off the beaten track and explore.
Open world, or sandbox (or free-roam) games are great for that very reason. Given a world to explore, players just enjoy making their own fun. Be it in war-ravaged future wastelands, modern cityscapes or the far reaches of space, there’s something for everyone.
Fortunately, with such powerful consoles in the Xbox Series range, these following titles are a showcase of what developers can do with the open world format. Here are twenty of some of the best available for the Xbox Series platform:
A slightly different take on the open world to kick this list off, The Ascent is still worthy of an entry. By all appearances, it looks like an isometric/top-down shooter akin to Ruiner et all. But that’s not all there is to it.
Rather than a single track of progression, The Ascent encourages players to actively explore its dystopian, cyberpunk-ian world. Emphasis is on the grind, which in turn makes it one of the smallest open world (read: dense) games available. Party up with some friends and get stuck in.
Whilst not the first Yakuza game spin-off, 2018’s Judgment had players on the other side of the law for that one. A strong title, it gave rise to sequel, Lost Judgment.
Slipping back into the shoes of police detective Takuya Kimura, Lost Judgment retains that same wackiness the first game, and by extension the Yakuza series, brings to gaming. Players are encouraged to take in the sights and sounds of realistic Kamurocho and its surrounding areas. Ryo Ga Gotoku are masters at fine detail and action, so if fans of Shenmue were disappointed with its third one, maybe take the leap to SEGA’s other Japanese-centric series.
Open world and survival games go hand in hand, and whilst there was many to pick from, Subnautica: Below Zero takes this one. What better way to show off the depth of the Xbox’s power than by showing off the depth of the sea?
Subnautica: Below Zero, a sequel to 2018’s debut, is more of the same… but better. Again stranded on another planet, players will have to build bases and scavenge resources to survive both harsh climate and harsher monsters. There’s a lot to take in, as you start off with little but in time, you’ll be building Seaquest-worthy operating bases. It’s tough, like the weather conditions you face, but so worth it when it all comes together.
From below the sea to sailing the high ones, Rare’s exclusive pirate party has only gone from strength to strength with each update.
A massively online multiplayer, Sea of Thieves eschews standard plot progression for the freedom of the seas. Players are set loose to set sail, living whatever pirate’s life is fer them. Fancy looting and scuttling other player’s ships? More than welcome to. Want to act out your childhood Jim Hawkins fantasies? Go for it, me boy.
With constant updates and expansions, it’s never been a better time to get into Rare’s Microsoft exclusive.
If one were to separate the Mafia series from obvious Grand Theft Auto comparisons, there’s a rich universe to explore here. Mafia III brought the series back to prominence, leading the way for the first entry to be remade.
And what an impressive remake it is. Definitive by name and nature, the game’s complete overhaul benefits from the Series S|X’s processing power to deliver a realistic looking New York. Whilst there may be some restrictions on the open world formula, it doesn’t matter so much when the level of content makes up for it. Also, the infamous Fairplay mission has been much improved on too.
One of the “it got better over time” games on this list, No Man’s Sky is a fine example of a team making good on its promise. What started off a relatively simple and bare bones space sim has finally gone on to be something much, much bigger.
Cruising through space, building your own spaceport or leading expositions on planet has never been more seamless, thanks to massively improved loading times. Heaps of content, including mech suits and more ship options, not to mention multiplayer, make No Man’s Sky a much more improved experience that its hollow launch in 2016.
Coming back to the Earth’s atmosphere now, you can’t get any more open world than literally the open world. The Flight Simulator series has been popular on PC for a while now, but with the power behind the Series consoles, now Xbox fans can get involved too.
It may be fiddly to start with (hence why becoming a pilot in real life takes a while), but once you’re up in the air it’s worth it. Flying a wide selection of commercial aircraft, there’s no rushing each trip. Keeping a plane in the air requires constant attention, all the while taking in a meticulously crafted landscapes. It takes some concentration, but it’s surprisingly satisfying.
Forget all the discourse about its release then, this is about how the game is now. An ambitious title that, much like No Man’s Sky, has benefited from more time and attention put into it from CD Projekt Red. And as promised, the Xbox Series update has finally come out.
Whilst it still needs work, these quality of life upgrades are a vast improvement on its bare launch. Gorgeous visuals, complete with ray tracing, and a whole bunch of new content make this closer to the lofty vision that CD Projekt Red may or may not have promised us eighteen months. It’s going to hard to sway naysayers, hence why it’s so low on this list, but there’s no better time than to show it off on that new console.
Much further into the future than 2077, Nier: Automata is a tale about the decline of civilisation as we know it. Based on Nier, which is itself based on the Drakengard series. It’s probably best not to try and piece it all together.
Convolution aside, Nier: Automata tells a cracking story about love, death and robots (in a non-linear way) set in several “open world” hubs. Not entirely connected, but each biome in large enough to explore, with many side quests and secrets abound. Featuring Platinum’s premier style of fast-paced action, it makes it worth be inquisitive when you might inexplicably come across a bunch of hostile robots.
To the other end of the timeline spectrum, we have Kingdom Come: Deliverance. No flashy flip-about combat, no living with dead rockstars in your brain. Just dirty, peasant life in pre-Czech Republic Bohemia. But just because they’re aren’t robots debating morality doesn’t make it bad.
Quite the opposite, as Deliverance offers a more humane, grounded affair. You are a commoner, a lowly son of a blacksmith, who just happens to get caught up in a bit of royal drama. What makes Kingdom Come great is its more realistic, first person combat. Faithfully replicating ye olde sword fighting, Deliverance makes the most of the latest Xbox’s by bringing Warhorse Studio’s wonderful replication of Bohemia to life.
By this stage in the series’ lifetime, I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you about Assassin’s Creed. The twelfth main entry in a once-flagging franchise, Valhalla was the kick up the Norse that it rightly needed.
Set against the backdrop of the Viking occupation of England, Valhalla tweaks the series slightly to make it fresh enough to get back into. But the real beauty of the game comes from, well, the beauty of the game. Exploring Britain has never looked so good, especially when utilising the power of the Series X. Lush greeneries against the glow of burning churches, it’s never been a more vibrant time to be a Viking/Assassin hybrid.
The first two Metro games were, whilst great games, largely on rails (pun intended). By the time of the third game, 4A were looking to expand, and open world seemed to be the next progression. It’s not completely open world: think more Mass Effect hub areas as your train takes you on to the next plot area.
4A made a good looking game the first time around. Yet with its Series S|X upgrade, they went further. It’s honestly one of the best post-apocalyptic looking games ever, and that’s not hyperbole. The threat of radiatioactive death feels paltry when you want to go exploring into the nuclear wastelands.
You don’t have to have played the first two (although it wouldn’t go amiss), as Exodus recaps and tells its own contained story. But it’s hard to feel the despair when the apocalypse looks this good.
Far Cry, Ubisoft’s premier sandbox series, has covered many locales in its lifetime. Jungles, beaches, middle America, all with plenty of things to do. Now, in its sixth main instalment, players are greeted with the beauty of the Caribbean.
While the general tone of each game is similar, Far Cry 6 adds a new leveling system to encourage players to get out and do more, rather than just cruise through the story. Considering how good the fictional island of Yara looks, why wouldn’t players want to go out and blow everything up?
Gunfights, explosions, car chases and everything in between look absolutely vibrant, offering a massively manic playground to sink hours into. All against the backdrop of Giancarlo Esposito’s brutal dictatorship. Lovely.
Metal Gear Solid. Open world. Not something we ever thought we’d see. But Konami and Kojima did it, even if they fell out over it. The end result, besides the much publicised spat, is one of the best open world stealth games to grace console.
It’s not perfect, in terms of its convoluted base building/equipment grind, not to mention story. Metal Gear games are head-scratchers at the best of times, but Phantom Pain is a whole new level. That its third act went unfinished says a lot of what players might gather from it without a Wiki.
But, focusing on the gameplay, The Phantom Pain is a masterclass in one-man army-ing. Multiple ways of approaching missions, either sneaky or Rambo-esque, complete with arsenal to boot, make MGSV one of the most fun open world experiences. Enemies adapt in real time to your efforts, as well as dynamic weather either hindering or helping “Snake” on his mission. Considering you can get Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain for pennies now, what better way to conclude the Metal Gear Solid saga?
Parkour. Zombies. Parkour-ing over a ledge to dropkick a zombie over a ledge. Vaulting off of a building to land axe-first into a zombie. These are just several of hundreds of creative ways to kill the undead in Dying Light 2.
A sequel to 2015’s open world undead-fest, Dying Light 2 incorporates the power of new consoles to offer lush, expansive regions to go nuts in. Fairly rote story, sure, but when players are taking out both hostile humans and nighttime nasties with electricifed swords, who cares?
Couple that with co-op multiplayer, Dying Light 2 lets players run rampant across the rooftops in one of this year’s biggest (and longest) games.
Now, before you read this and yell, “It’s a driving game” remember two things: 1) yes, it is and 2) it’s set in a big, open space. That technically makes it open world, as players are free to explore with any of the luxurious vehicles they have to hand.
What started as a spin-off from the stricter Motorsport series, Forza Horizon has continued to grow with each iteration. From America, to the UK, right back to Mexico (albeit fictionalised versions), Horizon boasts some of the lushest graphics and realistic interpretations of era-defining cars for petrolheads to play around with. There’s also plenty to see and do, taking in gorgeous views as you find hidden cars, coves and collectibles along the way.
Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar’s other massive open world series, still delivers on content today. The 2018 sequel is packed with so much detail, players are still discovering things that would pass most by to this day. Like bodies decomposing in real time, for example.
Such is the level of attention in Arthur Morgan’s prequel story that it’s easy to forget the main quest. Countless citizens and side missions against some of the most detailed and good looking Western landscapes will never make players lose interest.
Complete with Rockstar’s impressive gunplay, not to mention the meticulousness in character maintenance, makes this one of the most engage sandboxes to play in. Just don’t look too closely at your horse’s… undercarriage.
The most recent entry on this late, Elden Ring is just as worthy as the oldest game here. Could we call it “open world Dark Souls” and be done? Sure, but that doesn’t do it credit.
It is all that and then some. Yes, it follows a similar template to Dark Souls in terms of general basics. But that’s only a small part of it. The bigger picture is that Elden Ring is huge; a massive world that players can get lost in for hours. Whilst there are certain boss restrictions at points, the game encourages you to explore.
Yet this isn’t “dumbed down” Souls, either. The challenge is still there, the bosses still gigantic and fearsome. But all that does is encourage players to go off and “get good” whilst exploring beautiful landscapes. That, and you get a double-jumping horse to sight see with. What more could you want?
The Witcher, on its debut, was a niche PC RPG. Full of story, but not the most accessible, it didn’t reach millions. Two sequels later and it’s not hard to see why The Wild Hunt comes up on many Game of the Year lists.
Boasting some of the most impressive world building ever, especially in the Blood and Wine DLC, The Witcher 3 is a tale to get lost in. A fine tuned crafting, combat and level system sees many a different character build, as players guide Geralt through the many trials and tribulations of Velen.
It’s high fantasy, and with an actual Series S|X upgrade [hopefully] not far off, it is going to be a beautiful experience to dive back into.
You can’t have “modern open world” without mentioning a Grand Theft Auto. GTAV was originally released nine years ago, and still shows no signs of slowing down.
With one then-next generation upgrade under its belt, it can only get better with the upcoming improvements. Exploring Los Santos again as Michael, Franklin and Trevor looks to be every bit as fun as it did back in 2013.
New visual improvements like ray tracing and 4K visuals, all supported on the Series X, GTAV looks set to wow us again when if comes out this month. If Grand Theft Auto VI is a while off yet, what better time to jump back in than with this update?
Skyrim… transcends ranking, but not because it’s the best open world game. Or even the worst. It is, in a way, just Skyrim. Anyone who’s ever sunk hours into this will always have an anecdote, or a glitch story, or something truly unbelievable… that is actually quite believable in this game.
When released in 2011 (making it the oldest on this list), Skyrim was a massive, messy affair. It’s what Bethesda became known for, alongside Fallout. But after many years, and enough ports to rival Resident Evil 4, The Elder Scrolls V has become the open world of legend.
No two stories are ever the same, which in turn makes players want to explore to find new tales of whatever to tell their friends. It’s not for everyone, but with a strong modding community offering up constant quality of life improvements (and Thomas the Tank Engine dragon mods), Skyrim continues to be a sandbox juggernaut. Now that it’s in its best (well, current) state, get stuck in with the Xbox Series upgrade for the anniversary edition.
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