Which Open-World Game Should You Play Next?

Open-world is a massive video game category that encompasses a lot of different sub-genres and niches. Depending on what your personal preferences are, you might lean more towards survival sandboxes like Minecraft and ICARUS, or maybe you prefer RPGs with lots of action and story, like Cyberpunk 2077 or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

The genre has grown exponentially in the last two decades, so there’s plenty to pick from if you know what you’re looking for. In case the open-world game fatigue bug still hasn’t gotten to you, here’s a list of a variety of games to pick up next if you’re looking for another big world to dive headfirst into. We’ll cover a variety of sub-genres here, not just individual games.

If You’re Into Survival Games And Crafting

These Games Will Challenge Your Wits And Creativity

The survival and crafting genre is a massive one, and a lot of these types of games tend to feature open-world environments where you have to find a good spot to build a base to survive against all odds. There’s usually crafting included, and you get a lot of different options on how you approach thriving in a challenging environment. Some games are a bit tougher than others, even at the easiest difficulty. Some foundational open-world games in this genre are Minecraft and Terraria, but if those are getting old, here are a few others to try.

Green Hell: Against venomous frogs, dangerous predators, and hostile locals, you need to survive and thrive by building a shelter and ensuring you receive all four nutrients in order to not start losing your mind.

Satisfactory: An open-world environment to build your very own factory. Automate processes, gather resources, and go as deep as you like in this sandbox game that will appeal to fans of games like Factorio.

ICARUS: Survive on a hostile planet where terraforming didn’t go exactly according to plan. You’ll face environmental hazards and predators in this game that also comes with story missions.

The Long Dark: A winter survival game in the freezing cold wilderness where you need to hunt for food, tend to your needs, and make sure you don’t get cabin fever.

If You Like An Action-Packed Shooter

There Won’t Be A Dull Moment

FPS fans, good news, there’s an open-world game for you out there, too. You might think a more linear game might deliver better action, but there are plenty of games that prove that thought wrong. A solid, action-packed open-world shooter should have gunplay that feels buttery smooth and rewarding, a nice variety and density of enemies, and possibly a bit of story thrown into the mix to keep things moving forward. If you’re not against older games, Fallout: New Vegas is a great shout, along with some of the Borderlands games, but if you’ve explored those to death, here are some suggestions on where to head next.

Cyberpunk 2077: A visually stunning, action-packed dive into a futuristic, dystopian Night City where you play as a mercenary known as V. Ride vehicles, complete side hustles, and build V into anything from a cyberninja to a strong, melee-based solo.

STALKER 2: The latest in the STALKER series, take on the role of Skif, a stalker on a mission in the dangerous Zone full of anomalies, mutants, and warring factions. Get ready to fight tooth and nail for survival and scarce resources.

Fallout 4: Bethesda’s most recent take on its atompunk Fallout universe, the fourth installment sets you into the Boston area known as the Commonwealth, where you need to find your missing son, but keep getting distracted by side quests.

Far Cry 5: The franchise’s fifth game drops you into Montana, on the site of an over-the-top cult that rules the area. In true franchise fashion, you get a hefty variety of weapons and vehicles to mess around with.

If You’re Not Afraid Of A Dash Of Horror

Not For The Faint Of Heart

Leaning more into the spookie-ookie side of things? No problem, plenty of open-world games manage to deliver a tense, atmospheric horror experience, too. These games might not be fully horror-only games, but they do have moments that are potentially scary and stressful, so be warned. Whether its straight up zombie survival a la 7 Days to Die (great game as well, by the way, if you haven’t already tried it), or something a bit more subtle, your thirst for spooky thrills will be satisfied.

The Forest: A plane crash separates you from your son in a strange forest with some extremely unwelcoming locals. Heavy survival crafting gameplay is included here.

Subnautica: Crashlanding on a water planet, you need to find a way to survive and escape by diving into the depths for resources. Better gear means you get to dive deeper, but do you dare?

Dying Light: Kyle Crane is dropped into Harran, a city overrun by the infected. Known for its impeccable traversal gameplay in the form of parkour, it’s a gold standard game among zombie titles that was clearly ahead of its time.

Project Zomboid: A tense and deep survival zombie game in Knox Country, where you, as the sole survivor, need to gather resources and live as long as possible. A charming, isometric game to tickle that nostalgia bone.

If You’d Like To Explore Planets And Stars

We’ll See You Starside

On the sci-fi side, it’s really not easy to deliver something that feels as infinite and immersive as real space. A lot of games have tried, but only a few seem to really nail that exploration vibe perfectly. If you’re intrigued by new frontiers, alien planets, and don’t mind controlling a space vessel while potentially crafting and gathering resources, these games are right up your alley. For something more mysterious and story-oriented that still falls into sci-fi, Outer Wilds is a must-play, but if you’ve already solved that puzzle, here’s where to fly next for different space vibes.

No Man’s Sky: Arguably one of the best and most vast space exploration games. A highly customizable experience in a sandbox, you can become and do whatever you’d like, from building your own base to flying around freely.

Planet Crafter: A base-building and crafting game about turning an otherwise hostile planet into a livable environment through terraforming efforts. Turn those deserts into lush grass fields. Bonus points for inviting your friends along for co-op.

Starfield: Bethesda’s procedural generation and space travel is decent fun, paired with some classic RPG features of faction quests and a mysterious main quest that has you exploring the universe’s deepest secrets.

Astroneer: Survive, build, and shape your environment in this cutesy and colorful space exploration game. There’s a bit of everything here, from factory-like automation to resource gathering to base-building. An unbeatable wombo-combo.

If A Good Story Is What You’re Really After

Bring Your Tissues, It’s About To Get Emotional

In case you’re more discerning when it comes to lore and the narrative, you’re also spoiled for choice in the open-world category. A few great story titles were already mentioned in previous categories, namely, Cyberpunk 2077, so do check the other ones for a few more story-oriented picks, too. However, for the best of the best, the following open-world games will have you hanging on to every dialogue, every twist and turn, and they’ll probably live rent-free in your head for some time after completing them.

Red Dead Redemption 2: Witness the changes in a fictional Old West through the lens of Arthur Morgan and his gang of fellow outlaws. Rockstar Games doesn’t spare you from emotions and detail in this deeply personal story with fantastic side quests.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Inspired and based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series, the third game in the series is more beautiful, deeper, and vaster in every way possible. Follow Geralt as he chases after his adoptive daughter Ciri.

Ghost of Tsushima: Follow the aftermath of a Mongol attack on his home, Jin Sakai is the sole survivor, determined to liberate his home and start anew. Not just an emotional story, but a world that will have you gasping at its beauty.

Horizon Zero Dawn: Aloy’s tale begins in a world ravaged by an apocalyptic event that has left its people in survival mode against machines that roam the lands. The game’s lore and the world’s beauty are some of its greatest highlights.

If You Enjoy A Medieval Fantasy World

Swords And Shields, Magic And Mystery

Finally, one of the strongest categories in the open-world genre is undoubtedly all things medieval fantasy. The recommendations here assume you’ve already experienced the joy of all the Elder Scrolls games from Morrowind to Skyrim (and perhaps even the earlier titles!), and that you’re now hungry for something more. Whether you prefer a magical, surreal world with plenty of build options or lean more towards a grounded experience, you’ll find your next medieval fantasy life here.

Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon: Drawing inspiration from Arthurian legends, this game is often cited as the next to try after Skyrim. Just prepare for somewhat tougher enemies, and a world that’s a dash darker than you might be used to.

Enshrouded: A great middleground for players who like some survival and crafting on the side, Enshrouded delivers that with plenty of magic and combat in a world tainted by a mysterious Shroud.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance: The first and second installments put you in Henry’s shoes in a medieval world that’s staggeringly deep and beautiful. You won’t find deeper and more realistic swordplay than this.

Elden Ring: If you seek true challenge and might, FromSoftware’s open-world RPG is the perfect nose-dive into a gorgeous but brutally difficult fantasy world where you are a Tarnished seeking glory.