Games
Most Immersive Open World Games
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 February 7, 2025 by Mark Sammut: One of the most, if not the most immersive open-world games of 2025 has just been released. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is now available on PC and consoles, and it is a triumph in open-world design, storytelling, and pretty much every other area. Click below to jump to this entry.
49
The Planet Crafter
Turn An Unwelcoming Planet Into A Home
- Released
-
April 10, 2024
- Developer(s)
-
Miju Games
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.
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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.
48
Little Kitty, Big City
From A Feline Perspective
- Released
-
May 9, 2024
- Developer(s)
-
Double Dagger Studio
Open-world games are generally synonymous with size. They take players on expansive adventures that last dozens upon dozens of hours; sometimes, they even crack the 100-hour mark. They bring to life fantastical or realistic worlds stuffed with NPCs, enemies, side quests, loot, and hidden secrets. They are meant to be time-sinks.
However, exceptions not only exist, but they sometimes offer a much-needed change in pace. Little Kitty, Big City follows a cat that falls from its home’s window sill and lands on the streets of a (somewhat) bustling metropolis. Now, the cat needs to travel through the neighborhood to try and find its way back to safety, all the while interacting with other animals, collecting trinkets, and maybe jumping on a bird or two. The concept and execution are both fairly straightforward, delivering exactly what the title advertises without throwing out any notable twists.
Little Kitty, Big City is just pleasant fluff. The adorable protagonist controls well enough to (mostly) avoid frustration, while most of the plot progression challenges are easy to complete. The world is fairly small in the grand scheme of things, but it seems huge due to being presented from a cat’s perspective. While not designed to be played for weeks on end, Double Dagger’s game is perfect for a short 5-hour immersion.
47
Echo Point Nova
Satisfying Movement In An Almost Absurdist World
Open-World
FPS
Exploration
- Released
-
September 24, 2024
- Developer(s)
-
Greylock Studio
“Immersive” tends to be synonymous with realistic sims or slow-paced adventures with lengthy campaigns. For the most part, that association makes complete sense and is usually accurate; however, some games opt to go down a different direction entirely. Echo Point Nova is almost the direct opposite of a conventional immersive open-world game, and it is all the better for that distinction.
Greylock Studio seems to specialize in movement-first FPS games, embracing and evolving the run and gun concept to provide loops that demand constant action and split-second choices. Severed Steel is a great example of the studio’s take on the FPS genre, and its level-based structure perfectly complements combat that just screams “speedruns.”
On paper, this type of high-octane and relentless gameplay rhythm seems like a poor fit for an open-world, but Echo Point Nova somehow makes it work. The concept is pretty simple: Players are dropped on an island-based planet and are left to their own devices. Naturally, that means they need to kill a lot of enemies, a process that involves rampaging through outposts, upgrading weapons, and leaping from island to island using a movement system that is like a mix of Titanfall 2 and Bulletstorm.
While not immersive in the traditional narrative sense, Echo Point Nova‘s gameplay loop is so addictive that players will be 100% focused at all times.
46
Death Stranding
Slow Track Across A Post-Apocalyptic United States
- Released
-
November 8, 2019
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.
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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 Death Stranding is superbly strange, it’s also incredibly enthralling (although some may find it hard to enjoy its quirky and slow-paced gameplay). Ultimately, this title is not for everyone, but it is definitely worth a look, if only to appreciate its world.
45
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
Beautifully Recreates Pandora
- Released
-
December 7, 2023
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.
44
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.
43
The Saboteur
Fresh Take On WW2
Action-Adventure
Open-World
- Released
-
December 8, 2009
- Developer(s)
-
Pandemic Studios
Pandemic Studios was great. The developer knew how to combine cool settings with addictive and accessible gameplay while telling unique and (occasionally) comedic stories. While perhaps not “immersive” in the traditional sense, both Mercenaries games are highly entertaining sandbox projects that feature some of the genre’s best-ever destruction. The Destroy All Humans! games also offered fun smaller-scale twists on the open-world format. The developer could also handle non-sandbox projects masterfully, as shown by Star Wars: Battlefront and Full Spectrum Warrior. Even The Lord of the Rings: Conquest deserves praise for its presentation, despite not being among the franchise’s best titles.
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EA shut down Pandemic in November 2009, a month before the developer’s final game hit store shelves. Putting everything else aside, The Saboteur saw Pandemic go out on a high note that is still worth revisiting to this day, as long as new players have a fondness for PS3-era open-world projects that take fairly heavy inspiration from the first few 3D GTAs. Surprisingly, very few open-world games have tried covering World War 2, and The Saboteur is extra special due to taking place in Nazi-occupied Paris. The city’s recreation is historically accurate, albeit stylized through artistic choices like depicting yet-to-be-liberated areas in black and white (and introducing color as a reward for liberating them).
The Saboteur has a few shortcomings and enjoyable gameplay that does not break any new ground. Nevertheless, its unique and immersive setting is more than enough to keep things interesting, and it is hardly the game’s only strong suit.
42
Infinity Nikki
An Outfit For Every Occasion
While the series has been around for a while on mobile devices, Infinity Nikki represented a substantial leap forward for the franchise, with the console and PC game serving as most people’s introduction to this cozy and stylish universe. Set in Miraland, players guide Nikki through a slow-life adventure that rewards exploration, encouraging players to just live in the moment and venture off the beaten path. Despite containing combat and a somewhat high-stakes main story, Infinity Nikki is mostly stripped of tension or challenge, which is a refreshing change of pace compared to most other open-world games.
Now, on paper, this free title does not seem that unique. The gameplay loop largely revolves around collecting materials, completing the occasional side quest, engaging in easy combat, figuring out light puzzles, clearing dungeons, and interacting with quite a lot of NPCs. There are also mini-games like fishing which are required in modern open-world projects. All familiar stuff, but Infinity Nikki stands out due to its wardrobe system. Nikki has outfits better suited for certain tasks, promoting her to change her look up fairly frequently. This adds to the game’s immersion.
41
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.
40
Shenmue
The Daily Cycle
- Released
-
December 29, 1999
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.
39
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.
The 2024 version also has plenty of positives.
38
Sons Of The Forest
Survive Among The Locals
Survival
Open-World
Survival Horror
- Released
-
February 22, 2024
- Developer(s)
-
Endnight Games
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.
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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.
37
Kenshi
An Unforgiving Post-Apocalyptic Open-World Survival RPG
- Released
-
December 6, 2018
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.
36
7 Days to Die
A Long Journey To A Mostly Satisfying 1.0 Release
- Released
-
December 13, 2013
- Developer(s)
-
The Fun Pimps
7 Days to Die is a very unique case. The game has been around in some form since 2013, spending more than a decade in early access before eventually making its full debut in 2024. Obviously, this road to completion was extremely long and filled with winding turns that saw the implementation or removal of various ideas and mechanics. After all that time, the 1.0 version hardly felt like a “new” experience, but rather just the same general game that has been around for a few years, albeit with a few tweaks. Even then, an argument could be made that 7 Days to Die‘s shift from early access to complete seemed to come out of nowhere.
For all its flaws, this open-world zombie game remains a fairly one-of-a-kind option. Combining survival, horror, crafting, and multiplayer, 7 Days to Die shines in the relative freedom it presents players, allowing them to pave singular roads as they try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Like the early access version, the 1.0 release is very much an acquired taste that will not cater to everyone; however, 7 Days to Die can be addictive.
35
Batman: Arkham City
Become The Batman
- Released
-
October 18, 2011
“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.
34
Hogwarts Legacy
Detailed Recreation Of Hogwarts
- Released
-
February 10, 2023
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.
33
Yakuza 0 (& Most Yakuza Games)
Size Does Not Matter
Action
Adventure
Beat ‘Em Up
- Released
-
January 24, 2017
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.
32
Mafia 2
Era-Accurate City
- Released
-
August 24, 2010
- Developer(s)
-
2K Czech
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.
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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.
31
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.
30
Gothic 1 & 2
Fully-Realized World & NPCs
- Released
-
October 28, 2003
- Developer(s)
-
Piranha Bytes
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.
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