The best open world games on Xbox
There’s nothing quite as engrossing as an open world game. With their sprawling maps and large number of missions and activities, you can absorb yourself in an open world game for tens of hours. In some cases even hundreds. And many of the best open world games you can play right now are available on Xbox.
As video game technology continually advances, these open worlds are getting bigger and more detailed than ever. Games like the Assassin’s Creed series have continually pushed boundaries to make the locations you explore as faithful and historically accurate as possible. And other games, like Grand Theft Auto 5, take artistic liberties with real world cities, making them believable yet as fun and frenetic as they possibly can.
There are a lot to choose from, but we’ve selected what we believe to be the best open world games on Xbox consoles right now. So, whether you game on Xbox One or an Xbox Series console, if you’re a fan of the open world adventure genre, these are the games you need to add to your collection.
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Playing Red Dead Redemption 2 is like stepping into an alternate reality. Never before has an open world felt so cohesive, immersive and real.
While there’s an in-game map available with important quests marked with icons, all of Red Dead Redemption 2’s side content plays out naturally. You might come across someone sifting for gold, for example, and hanging around might present you with an opportunity. Or you might find two escaped convicts at the side of the road, and it’s up to you whether to free them or not. You feel like you have a real choice in how you act in the world, making you feel like you belong there rather than just visiting.
The real draw of Red Dead Redemption 2, however, is its epic story that will take you around fifty hours to unravel. Needless to say, if you’ve got an Xbox console and love open world games, Red Dead Redemption 2 is absolutely essential. Open world games on Xbox don’t come much better than this.
Read our review of Red Dead Redemption 2
2. Grand Theft Auto V
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto titles have always been ambitious, but with the fifth main entry in the series it went above and beyond what anyone could have expected. With GTA 5, it delivered a world that is both vast yet densely populated with things to see and do.
With three playable characters, each with their own motives and missions to complete, it’s up to you who to play as and how to spend your time in the city of Los Santos. Want to play the markets to make a fortune? Go for it! Fancy a round of golf to relax? Sure! Have you ever wished you could see through the eyes of a dog while, er, “doing the deed”? You can do that too! The city is literally yours for the taking, and you’ll be having so much fun that you may even forget that there are story missions to do.
Oh, and let’s not forget the fully-featured online mode where you can team up with other like-minded individuals to create havoc on the streets or complete jobs. Grand Theft Auto V truly is the complete package when it comes to open world gaming.
3. Forza Horizon 5
Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Is it surprising that one of the best open world games on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S doesn’t involve violence or shooting? It shouldn’t be, because everyone should know that Forza Horizon 5 really is as good as open world gaming gets.
Previous Forza Horizon games have been great, but Forza Horizon 5 goes one step beyond. Its visuals will make your jaw drop, its map is vast, and its handling is perfect. It’s the best open world racing game ever made, and that’s not an exaggeration.
There’s always a reason to go back to Forza Horizon 5, too. New content is added on a regular basis, along with weekly and monthly challenges to take part in. You’ll be adding more cars to your garage and taking on new challenges well into the future if you pick it up.
Read our review of Forza Horizon 5
4. Elden Ring
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
When it was revealed that FromSoftware’s latest title would take place in an open world, players were excited. And the good news is that Elden Ring didn’t disappoint. Combining the tense, challenging combat that the developer is known for with a rich world that begs to be explored, Elden Ring is not only one of the best open world games on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, but also one of the best games of all time.
After creating your character you’re let loose in a harsh, dangerous world. Where you go from there is largely up to you. Granted you’re guided by the light provided by Sites of Grace, but you’re largely free to chart your own course if you wish. In any case, you’ll need to commit to a playstyle, effectively develop your character and hone your skills if you want to live long enough to make a name for yourself.
And while you can move directly from one major location in the game to the next, it genuinely pays to go off the beaten track and explore. In fact, we’d say that that’s the most magical thing about Elden Ring – the sense of discovery.
5. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- Playable on: Xbox Series X/S
Unlike most games with a medieval setting, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 isn’t fantastical. There are no dragons here, and you’re never going to find yourself surrounded by goblins. Instead, this open world RPG, like its predecessor, likes to keep things grounded. That means you’ll largely be fighting against bandits and creatures such as wolves. And its story concerns itself with politics, friendship and revenge.
While you can play through the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance if you wish, if you have an Xbox Series X or S you might want to jump straight in this sequel, which is simply bigger and better. Put in control of a bodyguard called Henry, you’ll find yourself let loose in a world that is hostile and reactive to your choices and actions. And while you can push on with the game’s story if you wish, it pays to explore, take things at a steady pace and develop your abilities in any way you can.
It’s not an easy game by any means, and its saving system is rather unfriendly. It’s incredibly immersive if you have the time for it, though. And with a story that is affected by your choices and actions, you might even want to play through it more than once. This is a stunning open world RPG, then, and one that you could feasibly spend hundred of hours with.
Read our review of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
The Witcher 3 is a truly massive experience – and not one to embark on lightly. As far as open worlds go, The Witcher 3 takes the gold metal in terms of size and scope; it’s apparently thirty times larger than the previous Witcher games. Unless you have a couple of hundred hours to spare, you won’t be getting far any time soon.
The Witcher 3 follows gruff and manly Geralt, a monster hunter who sets out to find his adopted daughter who’s being pursued by a group known as the ‘Wild Hunt’. It’s massive, it’s beautiful, and it’s without a doubt one of the best open world games available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Expect a lot of combat, a lot of horse riding, and a lot of sitting around in taverns trying your hand at Gwent.
Read our review of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
7. Dragon’s Dogma 2
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
The original Dragon’s Dogma is a good game, and you can play it on Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles thanks to a remaster. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is much improved in every single way, however, and so if you’re after an open world game to play that’s set in a fantasy world where mythical creatures such as dragons and giant trolls exist, this is for you.
What really makes Dragon’s Dogma 2 so magical is its sense of discovery. Heading out into the game’s open world to either progress the story or complete one of many side-quests, it’s so easy to get side-tracked by yet another side-quest or something else entirely. And everything’s so dynamic: this is a game where grabbing onto a griffon might find you being flown across the game’s map, or battling with a troll on a bridge might result in in collapsing.
A single-player endeavour, just be warned that Dragon’s Dogma 2 doesn’t make things easy for you, so some players might not get on all that well with it. Its fast travel system isn’t all that friendly, for example. But for those that want to truly immerse themselves in a fantasy world, this is exceptional.
Read our review of Dragon’s Dogma 2
8. Cyberpunk 2077
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
It’s no secret that Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t have the best launch. In fact, while it is playable on Xbox One consoles, you should only really consider picking it up if you’re going to play on an Xbox Series X or S. And on those consoles players will genuinely find one of the best open world games of recent times, with a brilliant story that will have them hooked from beginning to end.
Jump into Cyberpunk 2077 and you’ll find yourself in control of V, a mercenary determined to make a name for themselves in Night City. They find themselves in a bit of a pickle, however, after inserting a chip into themselves that they probably shouldn’t have. Now it’s a race against time to save their life, and they’ll soon find that achieving anything in Night City is not an easy task when there’s a target on your back.
In any case, if you fancy an open world RPG that allows you to customise your character with cybernetic implants, you can’t go wrong with Cyberpunk 2077. And what’s more, it stars Keanu Reeves as an enigmatic character called Johnny Silverhand. An brilliant expansion that stars Idris Elba is available, too.
Read our review of Cyberpunk 2077
9. LEGO City Undercover
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
While a LEGO game may seem an odd choice to put on this list, LEGO City Undercover is one of our favourite open world games on Xbox. It’s a game that’s been dubbed “GTA with LEGO” many times, and it’s a pretty accurate description. Minus all the violence, of course.
Playing as minifig cop-slash-everyday hero Chase McCain, there’s a whole lot of crime breaking out all over LEGO City and it’s up to you to bring peace back to the colourful brick-built world. If you’ve ever played a Traveller’s Tales LEGO game, Undercover will feel instantly familiar to you. It’s the traditional LEGO game gameplay we all know and love, but in a fully open world environment.
There’s a story to follow, spread across 15 chapters. But outside of that, there’s a good 40-60 hours’ worth of extra content to sink your teeth into; whether it’s taking part in races, finding hidden golden bricks or completing master builds across the city.
It may be a bit ‘childish’ compared to some of the other entries on this list, but just because your six year old can enjoy playing it with you doesn’t make it any less fun. In fact, the family-friendly element only makes it more enjoyable, and it’s packed with plenty of humour that even the most fully grown of fully-grown adults will get a chuckle out of.
Read our review of LEGO City Undercover
10. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
- Playable on: Xbox Series X/S
You don’t need to have seen either Avatar movie to enjoy Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, but it might help. Even if you know nothing about the world of Pandora, though, this open-world epic from Ubisoft is absolutely fantastic. It has all the elements that we’ve come to expect from an Ubisoft open worlder: outposts to take over, lookout towers to unlock, a huge map to explore, settlements to become familiar with and a whole lot more.
Forget the fact that you’re blue and seven-feet-tall: Avatar feels very much like a Far Cry game, and that’s no bad thing. Combat is satisfying, the world looks absolutely beautiful, and the story strands you’ll follow as you explore Pandora are engaging and interesting. The world is packed so full of side quests and random activities to engage with that it’s almost impossible to focus on the main campaign alone, but that’s no bad thing. Going wherever you want and simply following your instincts is the best way to play Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, we think.
Read our review of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
11. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla casts you in the shoes of Eivor, and, along with their band of fellow vikings, they’ve sailed to England in search of a new life. You’ll work towards building up your new village while creating partnerships – and rivalries – with nearby towns.
The world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is huge and beautiful. It’s England like you’ve never seen it before; stark, picturesque, and often violent. But that’s no problem for Eivor – equipped with weaponry and armour, they’re ready to take on anything this world can throw at them.
It’s a huge game with an endless amount of side activities to take on. Even after 100 hours, you’ll still be finding new places to explore. It’s not just its sheer size that makes Assassin’s Creed Valhalla one of the best open world games on Xbox, it’s everything; its story, its setting, its characters. We love it all.
Read our review of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
12. Hogwarts Legacy
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, then Hogwarts Legacy is one of the best open world games on Xbox, hands down. While this wizarding jaunt doesn’t feature Potter and his friends — it’s actually set roughly 100 years before Harry was even born — it captures the feeling of the Wizarding World perfectly, giving you free roam of Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and numerous surrounding areas.
Simply wandering around Hogwarts and trying to uncover many of its secrets is fantastic, but that’s just the beginning of Hogwarts Legacy. In the wider world, there are battles to engage in — and yes, the Unforgivable Curses can be learned and cast, if you want to become a dark wizard. A simple ‘expelliarmus’ is fine too, but if you want to win in combat you are going to have to be at least a little brutal.
It looks fantastic, its world is massive, and the story it tells is great — but ultimately, our favourite thing about Hogwarts Legacy is how well it captures the feeling of being a wizard. For us muggles, that’s absolutely priceless.
Read our review of Hogwarts Legacy
13. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
The Elder Scrolls games have always provided players with a huge fantasy world to explore, but none have been as varied or cohesive as Skyrim’s.
Sure, it’s been around the block a few times and it’s available on just about every format going. Chances are most gamers have already played it numerous times. But do we ever really get tired of exploring its rich and varied lands?
Abandoning the class system used by previous entries in the series, Skyrim enables players to develop a character as they see fit throughout the course of the game. This, along with a streamlined menu system, makes the game much more accessible to those new to the series. With a world full of mysteries and quests to solve, as well as dragons to defeat, Skyrim is still one of the best open world games for those seeking an absorbing and time consuming fantasy.
Read our review of Skyrim Special Edition
14. Dying Light 2: Stay Human
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
If you like your open world games with a slightly horror-ish tinge, may we suggest Dying Light 2? A rather excellent follow-up to an already great game, Dying Light 2 casts you as Aiden as you try to survive in a hostile world overrun by zombies.
There’s a story to follow through, of course, and over the course of the game you’ll move between several locations, meeting new characters along the way. But like any great open world game, you’re also free to go wherever you please, picking up side quests and engaging in various activities. Wherever you go, though, you’ll need to do so with caution; the world of Dying Light 2 is deadly and dangerous, especially if you go off wandering at night time…
Read our review of Dying Light 2
15. Saints Row: The Third Remastered
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
The best Saints Row game has been given a major makeover. In fact, in many ways, Saints Row: The Third Remastered feels more like a remake. The series may have since been rebooted with 2022’s Saints Row, but we think this entry remains one of the best open world games on Xbox and Xbox Series X/S. Particularly if you like things a little… zany.
The visuals have been massively overhauled, making the city of Steelport prettier than ever. It’s one of the most polished remasters that we’ve seen in recent years. But it’s not the visuals that draw us to Saints Row: The Third, no matter how nice it looks. No, it’s the gameplay. The Saints Row series started life as a competitor to GTA, but it evolved into something quite different. It’s filled with humour, over the top action and crazy weapons, and that’s what makes it such a joy to play.
Sticking to the game’s main campaign, you’ll find around 20 hours of excellent action to sink your teeth into. But if you want to make the most of everything that Steelport has to offer, you’ll find yourself engrossed for many more.
Read our review of Saints Row: The Third Remastered
16. Watch Dogs Legion
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Watch Dogs Legion takes you to the streets of London, giving you a hyper-realistic version of the city to play around in. But unlike other games on this list of best open world games on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, Watch Dogs Legion doesn’t have a central protagonist. Essentially, you can play as anyone you meet on the street.
It’s a very cool gimmick, and one that allows more freedom than ever to tackle the game as you see fit. You see, everyone has their own unique skills and abilities. Want to infiltrate your enemy from the inside? You can recruit a disgruntled employee. Or maybe you need someone with their own drone. There’s plenty of drone experts around. The freedom is unparalleled, and the game’s vision of London is simply breathtaking.
Read our review of Watch Dogs Legion
17. Immortals Fenyx Rising
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Taking clear inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Immortals Fenyx Rising builds on Ubisoft’s traditional open world formula to deliver a game quite unlike any other.
Jump into Immortals Fenyx Rising and you’ll discover a beautiful and colourful world steeped in Greek history and mythology. Playing as the titular Fenyx, you’ll race to take down the nefarious Typhon who threatens the land. To do so, you’ll have to conquer countless puzzles, vanquish powerful foes and negotiate hostile environments. Wrapping it all up is a narrative told by Zeus and Perseus which ramps up the humour found in the game.
If you want to play something that will consume tens of hours of your life, test your grey matter and give you a chuckle along the way, Immortals Fenyx Rising is one of the best open world games on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S you can pick up.
Read our review of Immortals Fenyx Rising
18. Fallout 4
- Playable on: Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the Fallout series has always been one of the most popular RPG franchises out there. The latest mainline addition, Fallout 4, is bigger and more expansive than ever, letting you and your vault hunter make your own journey through the wasteland however you see fit.
Fallout 4 is simply massive. And since its release, Bethesda has continued to support it with additional DLC making it even bigger. For those wanting a truly immersive open world experience on Xbox, Fallout 4 is definitely one of the best options. It just might be too big for some.
