Open-world games are for those who love adventure and freedom in worlds that fully welcome player exploration. When these game worlds are well-made and engaging, they can offer up some of the biggest surprises that reward curiosity. If that’s the experience you’re looking for, here’s our list of the best open world games on PS5.
Rise of the Ronin
Rise of the Ronin starts you as part of the Veiled Edge, a secret group of elite warriors protecting Japan from the shadows. Every Veiled Edge warrior is trained with another from an early age, and they are referred to as Blade Twins. After a failed mission has you separate from your Blade Twin, you must venture out into the expanse of Japan to find them.
This game offers the same excellent swordplay from the Nioh series mixed with some of Wo Long’s flashiness. However, Team Ninja is trying something new in giving you massive maps to explore rather than locking you into mission after mission. You also experience a terrific history lesson as you experience events that led to a massive turning point in Japan.
Dragon’s Dogma 2
Dragon’s Dogma 2 resembles Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Though there is a little more guidance regarding quest waypoints, nothing says you have to get there in a certain amount of time. You are the Arisen, someone who has been chosen to defeat a mighty dragon in order to retrieve their stolen heart.
With being the Arisen, you can command Pawns, deathless beings of all sizes and shapes. The game lets you take one Pawn of your own creation and two others made by other players. This lets you build your own party from other players’ progression. The world of Gransys is massive, and it feels like every path leads to something worthwhile. Dragon’s Dogma 2 can get rather brutal with its difficulty, but that only makes the game more rewarding.
Baldur’s Gate 3
It’s impossible to start this list off with anything other than the biggest RPG of the last few years. Baldur’s Gate 3 offers a crazy level of freedom in character creation, interactions, and exploration. The story starts with your character aboard a Mind Flayer ship destined to become one of the tentacled monsters unless you can stop it.
After crash landing, you must find your own way around the unknown area, with only the most vague sense of direction, and there is plenty to see. It can be argued that map breaks make Baldur’s Gate 3 not a fully open world, but the massive scope of the game’s combined regions makes for a huge amount of ground to cover.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Valhalla is the latest entry in the long-running Assassin’s Creed franchise, and it brings us back to a time when Vikings were a real force in the British Isles. It’s a significant departure from Odyssey, which took place in ancient Greece, and Origins’ Egyptian setting.
This time around, Eivor is the main Assassin, and they also happen to be a Viking. Their main initial focus is to get revenge for the death of their parents while expanding and providing for the clan in a whole new settlement.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut adds a large amount of content that wasn’t in the original version of the game, including new weapons, vehicles, and equipment alongside new game modes, expanded storylines, and additional areas to get lost in. There’s even a leaderboard to compare scores with friends and other players across the world.
Additionally, there are visual, audio, and performance improvements for those looking to get the full next-gen package while reconnecting a broken America in a post-apocalyptic setting. Those who already own the standard edition can upgrade to this PS5 version with a $10 purchase.
Demon’s Souls
If Elden Ring served as your introduction/re-introduction to FromSoftware’s Soulsborne genre, you might want to look into the Demon’s Souls PS5 remake — a vastly updated version of their first entry in the Souls series.
Bluepoint Games managed to breathe new life into Boletaria, giving it a never-before-seen look that’ll leave both veterans and newcomers in awe of the final product. There’s even a Fractured Mode that didn’t exist in the original. It provides a fresh experience by mirroring the entire game map, including the player character, making their left hand the main hand.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is one of the very best examples when it comes to a game that directly rewards players for their curiosity. The Lands Between is a setting that’s full of secrets, hidden paths, and of course, dangerous bosses to discover. The lack of enemy scaling in a game like this means you must always figure out for yourself if exploring is worth the risk.
A huge positive about Elden Ring is that its challenges can be taken on at whatever pace you decide is best for your gaming experience. It’s still tough, but being able to venture out in any direction helps keep things fresh if and when any obstacles arise.
Far Cry 6
This series is known for its huge maps and large areas to explore, and Far Cry 6 does not disappoint in that regard. It brings us to the fictional country of Yara, where a dictator, Anton Castillo, is exploiting the citizens to profit from a new drug called Viviro.
As Dani, players will need to join freedom-fighting factions to remove Castillo’s iron grip on Yara. This huge undertaking is filled to the brim with chaos, violence, and a whole lot of explosions. And it can all be experienced in co-op with friends if you don’t want to liberate Yara alone.
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact has been receiving regular updates for some time to keep things fresh for those who continue to play, including one that optimized the open-world RPG for PS5. With shorter load times, better visuals, and higher-quality performance, the game feels like a huge step up on the next-gen console.
If you haven’t yet stepped foot into Genshin Impact’s Teyvat, just know that now is as good a time as any with all of the events miHoYo introduces to go along with the free-to-play format. New quests, characters, and storylines are around every corner.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut
Ghost of Tsushima’s open world is the right one for you if you’re looking to journey through a small section of Japan as a samurai. The game focuses on a man named Jin Sakai as he struggles to stick to his teachings of honor as the Mongols invade Tsushima.
Jin learns to defend his home by becoming a ‘ghost’ and utilizing stealth combat, even if taking down unaware foes from the shadows goes against everything he was taught. And there’s even a multiplayer mode for those who want to experience that gameplay with friends.
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West is another open-world game that launched in 2022, around the same time as Elden Ring. However, the games couldn’t be any more different in terms of gameplay and narrative focus. This sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn improves upon its predecessor in multiple ways, including better combat mechanics, visuals, and even a more immersive world.
The story of Aloy continues here, and it’s got more twists and turns than before as it tackles the issue of humanity’s ignorance and how that affects everything around them. With links back to the real world and solid storytelling, this is a must-play for fans of the first game.
Immortals Fenyx Rising
Immortals Fenyx Rising is a Ubisoft title that plants players in the middle of an open world. In this one, there’s a large focus on Greek gods as Fenyx travels across all seven of the game’s main regions while gearing up to overthrow Typhon.
Typhon has taken and removed the powers from the Olympian gods, which is where Fenyx comes into play. Prometheus uses his power of foresight to predict that the titular character will be able to defeat Typhon in battle, and it’s up to you to make that prophecy come true.
Lost Judgment
Lost Judgment is a sequel that pulls us back into the life of Takayuki Yagami as he investigates a criminal who is accused of both sexual assault and murder. There are a number of twists and turns you won’t see coming as a story involving moral grey areas and a broken justice system unfolds.
Lost Judgment takes all of the positives from the first game and only improves upon them while creating an experience that’ll be tough to put down as the Tokyo mystery narrative unfolds at a perfect pace.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
The story picks up a few years after the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Ichiban Kasuga is using everything in his power to help the struggling former Yakuza members get back on their feet. After a rough setback derails his good intentions, he is met with a new task: travel to Hawaii. This takes the franchise to America for the very first time.
Players get to explore the massive map that is Honolulu, complete with brand-new sights and silly characters to meet. This is on top of players still being able to explore two other full-sized maps from previous games. That easily makes Infinite Wealth the largest Yakuza-verse game to date in terms of exploration.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
This standalone chapter of Marvel’s Spider-Man can also be played on PS4. But, in reality, playing on PS5 provides an experience that you just won’t find on the last-gen console. All of the marketing was shown on a PS5 version, and that’s for good reason.
Miles Morales and his family and friends shine here in this wholesome winter holiday story. You follow Miles as he comes into his own as a second, totally unique Spider-Man. And, of course, you still get to swing around New York City with the terrific web-swinging mechanics that weren’t topped until the sequel.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
The first Spider-Man and Miles Morales offered the best superhero games in existence. It was hard to see how they could be beaten when they came out. However, the proper Spider-Man 2 was released, and that became clear. Not only do you get to face two of Peter Parker’s greatest villains, Kraven and Venom, but the city has been enhanced to an incredible level.
New York City once again feels like another character in the story, and it’s more alive than ever. New threats in the city mean more of the city to explore. As Harry Obsorn has returned to the story, you also get to see more of the places Peter loves. The addition of a wingsuit only helps you understand the massive scope of the map.
No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky has changed and evolved incredibly since its initial launch in 2016. It’s become one of the most unique open-world games that you can get your hands on these days and it is definitely worth picking up and playing if you’re looking to fly through outer space, moving from planet to planet.
Also, all updates are completely free as the game continues to grow, making this one of the better live-service games on the market for those who just want to explore a vast world full of discoveries to be made. This procedurally generated universe is just waiting for newcomers to join in on the fun.
Subnautica: Below Zero
Subnautica: Below Zero takes place two years after the first Subnautica, bringing players back to Planet 4546B in order to find the truth behind a dangerous cover-up of a mysterious incident. A number of abandoned research stations are scattered throughout the area, and it’s up to you to figure out exactly what’s going on while managing limited resources to stay alive.
Uncharted biomes full of caverns, basins, and other aquatic environments are the settings for Subnautica: Below Zero. However, one of the big survival twists in this sequel is the freezing temperatures mentioned in the title. Can you solve an underwater mystery while staying warm enough to keep swimming?
The Pathless
The Pathless is another unique pick that stands out among the heavy-hitting AAA titles listed, but instead of an entire universe to get lost in, this indie gem plants players in a mystical wilderness as a quick and agile Hunter.
This is another hit for Annapurna Interactive and Giant Squid — the creators of ABZU. As a Hunter, you and your eagle companion will travel across an island that’s shrouded by darkness. The archery system will have you hitting targets to move at high speed across grassy plains, tall forests, and snowy tundras as you fight to dispel a curse.
Watch Dogs Legion
Watch Dogs Legion is another Ubisoft entry on the list, and it’s completely different from the previous ones. We have a futuristic London cityscape instead of magic and monsters being prevalent. You’re back as a member of DedSec, but this time, it’s more like several members at once.
Instead of having one main character, Legion tasks players with recruiting new members from the citizens who roam the streets. They can be switched between and used in a number of ways, depending on their talents, with the end goal of taking down Albion, a military group that has turned London into a surveillance state.
Published: Mar 24, 2024 10:23 pm