Best Of
10 Best Open-World Games on PC
Explore ten open-world PC games for stories, survival and discovery, with spoiler-free guidance, official sources and matching trailers.
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A great open world gives you a reason to take the long way around. That might be an intriguing side quest, a difficult stretch of wilderness, or a landmark that makes you wonder what is waiting on the other side. These ten PC games offer different answers, from carefully written RPGs to self-directed exploration and survival. The ranking considers how enjoyable the world is to inhabit, not simply how large its map looks. Story descriptions stop at the setup, while the practical guidance explains where building, combat, or character choices give each game its identity. Check the linked PC requirements before buying, especially for the more demanding releases.
For another direction, our Best Open-World Games to Play guide offers a useful comparison.
10. Subnautica
After a crash on an ocean planet, you have to build the means to survive while investigating what lies beneath the surface. Subnautica’s world is open vertically as well as horizontally, with deeper water turning a familiar view into something much less comfortable. Resource gathering and crafting provide goals without removing the pleasure of following a promising shape into the blue. Pick it for exploration with a survival framework, and expect moments of unease. This is the original single-player adventure, not a promise about the features of its sequels.
Official game promotional video — XBOX. Watch on YouTube.
9. Enshrouded
A dangerous Shroud covers parts of a ruined fantasy landscape, leaving you to establish shelter and venture into the world beyond it. Enshrouded connects exploration, crafting, building, and action combat, with room for a group to divide those tasks. It is especially appealing if finding an attractive place for a home is as motivating as defeating the next enemy. Check the current release status and multiplayer requirements on Steam. Choose it for making your own foothold in the world rather than expecting a purely story-driven RPG.
Official game promotional video — Enshrouded. Watch on YouTube.
8. Avowed
As an envoy investigating a spreading affliction in the Living Lands, you encounter communities with different explanations for what is going wrong. Avowed organizes its exploration around substantial regions rather than one seamless continent, but those areas offer room to investigate, talk, and follow diversions. Its flexible mix of weapons and magic helps make character building approachable. Pick it for an RPG that puts conversations and discoveries close together. The setting comes from Pillars of Eternity, though the basic journey does not require you to have completed those games.
Official game promotional video — Obsidian Entertainment. YouTube may require age confirmation. Watch on YouTube.
7. Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Naoe and Yasuke bring different perspectives to an adventure set in feudal Japan. Shadows makes that contrast practical: one character favors a stealthier approach, while the other is better suited to confronting a situation more directly. The open world gives you room to consider how you want to approach a target instead of following one rigid path. Choose it if historical scenery, exploration, and a long progression loop sound appealing. On PC, compare the current requirements and settings guidance rather than assuming an older Assassin’s Creed build is a reliable performance guide.
Official game promotional video — PlayStation. YouTube may require age confirmation. Watch on YouTube.
6. No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky gives you a ship, an enormous procedural universe, and several reasons to wander through it. Following the story is one option, but building a base, investigating planets, trading, and improving your equipment can become the real attraction. It is the strongest pick here for players who want the scale of the journey to feel almost impossible to exhaust. The experience has changed considerably since launch, so use current feature information rather than treating the original release as a complete description of the game.
Official game promotional video — PlayStation. Watch on YouTube.
5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Geralt searches for someone important to him while taking work in a world where monsters are not always the simplest problem. The Witcher 3 makes many of its smaller stories worth following, giving villages and roadside discoveries more weight than their map icons suggest. You play an established character, but decisions still let you shape how he responds to people. Pick it if strong quest writing matters more than building a hero from nothing. Compare editions when buying, since the substantial expansions add separate adventures rather than minor cosmetic extras.
Official game promotional video — PlayStation Asia. Watch on YouTube.
4. Elden Ring
The Tarnished enters the Lands Between with a distant goal and an extraordinary amount of uncertainty in between. Elden Ring’s appeal is the freedom to leave a difficult encounter, explore somewhere else, and return with a better idea or a stronger build. Combat is demanding, while its story often asks you to interpret fragments rather than follow a clear briefing. Choose it for discovery and challenge. This entry covers the original open-world adventure; Nightreign is a different game, and Shadow of the Erdtree is an expansion.
Official game promotional video — BANDAI NAMCO Europe. Watch on YouTube.
3. Cyberpunk 2077
V takes work in Night City and becomes entangled in a situation that makes survival intensely personal. Cyberpunk 2077 offers a dense urban world rather than a countryside road trip, with character builds that change how you approach fights and infiltrations. Conversations, side stories, and the city’s visual identity do much of the heavy lifting. Pick it if you want an RPG with a strong central character and a place worth exploring between missions. Phantom Liberty is a separate expansion, so check whether your chosen edition includes it.
Official game promotional video — Cyberpunk 2077. YouTube may require age confirmation. Watch on YouTube.
2. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Henry’s journey continues through a historical Bohemia where social standing, equipment, and knowing how to behave can matter as much as a sharp weapon. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II leans into that sense of place, asking you to learn its world instead of treating every obstacle as a convenient target. Combat and everyday systems require patience, but that friction is part of its identity. Choose it for a grounded role-playing adventure. It follows the first game, so newcomers may appreciate the official background material before getting deeply involved.
Official game promotional video — Warhorse Studios. Watch on YouTube.
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
Arthur Morgan travels with an outlaw gang trying to find a future as the world around it changes. Red Dead Redemption 2 gives that story room to breathe through camp life, long rides, chance encounters, and quieter routines. It is a deliberate game, and its slower interactions are part of the experience rather than an occasional interruption. Pick it if atmosphere and character writing are what you want from an open world. On PC, use the current requirements and launcher information to avoid turning a thoughtful journey into a setup surprise.
Official game promotional video — Rockstar Games. Watch on YouTube.
Which Should You Play First?
Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Witcher 3 are the strongest starting points for character and quest writing. Choose Elden Ring for challenge, Subnautica for discovery, or Enshrouded if building a home is part of the adventure. No Man’s Sky offers a more self-directed journey. The useful question isn’t which map is largest, but which world gives you the kind of reason to keep exploring that you enjoy.
For more options, see Best Games Like Black Myth: Wukong.
