Most Beautiful Open-World RPG Masterpieces

When discussing some of the most visually stunning open-world RPGs, there are a few titles that are often mentioned: Ghost of Tsushima, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, and Horizon Forbidden West, to name a few. Every frame in these games is absolutely breathtaking, and that’s even outside of cutscenes, if they feature any. While graphics don’t define the success of a game, they can definitely enhance it and make it more appealing for those of us who are a little more visually particular.

The following games are some of the greatest examples of studios pushing the limits of visuals. Not all of them are highly realistic, but they do manage to deliver a very specific aesthetic that makes them an absolute delight to experience. Let’s have a look at some of these gorgeous open-world RPGs. Plenty of beautiful shots to follow.

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A Non-RPG Honorable Mention: Ghost of Tsushima

Breathtaking Environments Akin To Oil Paintings

Ghost of Tsushima isn’t really an RPG, as its gameplay elements lean much heavier towards an action-adventure with very light RPG elements in the form of gear upgrades and skill trees. That being said, it would be a travesty not to talk about it in the context of visually gorgeous games, considering how incredibly iconic its sceneries are. Chances are, you’ve probably seen a photo of Jin Sakai riding through a white or red flower field with a distant light illuminating the sky, without even having played the game itself.

From the lush green bamboo forests to the iconic Field of the Equinox Flower with the torii gate in the distance, this is a game that will have you gasping in awe while you’re traveling from one location to another, and stopping in your tracks just to take a few photos and appreciate the work of art that nature is. Sucker Punch Productions really didn’t need to go this hard with the scenery, but they completely nailed the atmosphere by putting so much love into it.

Horizon Forbidden West

Visual Eye Candy At The Service Of A Unique Post-Apocalyptic Setting

Horizon Forbidden West has one of the most unique worlds in a video game. It combines the tribal aesthetic of a humanity brought backwards in technological advancement with intricate machine creatures that roam the world and have a mind of their own. The world is extremely lush, brimming with detail, and the character designs reflect this great attention to small things as well. You could easily spend days picking apart the small intricacies in Aloy’s outfit or exploring the wilderness with changing weather and a multitude of biomes, each reflective of its own “vibe.”

One thing to call attention are Forbidden West’s cutscenes. The mo-cap work is fantastic, and the textures on characters are so incredibly fine and detailed that you can even see the pores, blemishes, and small hairs on their faces. It truly brings you skin to skin with the characters you meet.

Starfield

Regardless What You Think Of The Game, The Environments Are Amazing

Starfield didn’t quite hit the way Bethesda had desired when it came out. By giving up on hand-crafted worlds brimming with environmental storytelling and favoring procedurally generated, largely empty maps instead, the game strayed too far from what Bethesda was best known for. That said, Starfield is a gorgeous game. It may be behind in terms of character art and design, but the worlds it delivered are absolutely worth celebrating.

Space is beautiful, and the vast, empty wilderness has a charm to it, too. It’s why photo mode might just be one of the game’s greatest victories, because the lighting, the colors, and the nasapunk aesthetic hit the nail on the head. The cities are not bad either, even if they could use more depth. Neon encapsulates that seedy, cyberpunk vibe, while New Atlantis features airy, futuristic architecture you could picture in our near-future cities.

Cyberpunk 2077

A Brutally Busy Neonlit Den Of Violence And Capitalism

Consistent aesthetic is always key in a game, and Cyberpunk 2077 proves this. Night City’s neon-lit streets are some of the best locations for a photoshoot. The gorgeous lights, the multitude of colors and sounds, the music, the hulking skyscrapers, and the bottom of the world where trash accumulates all create this cohesive, nightmarishly beautiful world where only the strong get to breathe. It’s simultaneously a city we dream of visiting, as well as a city that would probably smell horrible and leave us hopeless about humanity’s future.

Each district also has its own vibe, with Northside leaning more into industrial vibes and Pacifica featuring that colorful, abandoned Santa Monica Pier aesthetic. The same goes for the gangs and their territories, as well as the big differences between the center of the city and its outskirts. In the heart of Night City, everything is busy, shifting from the clean, efficient Corpo Plaza vibe of Arasaka and others into colorful, seedy backstreets. But outside, it’s the Badlands. Just sand and desert for as far as the eye can see. These clashing styles are the essence of Cyberpunk 2077, and what makes it so visually memorable.

From The Autumnal Rift To The Snowy Pale

Skyrim has been out for over fifteen years now, but thanks to a visual remaster it released, it still holds up incredibly well. Environments have always been a strong point when it comes to Bethesda’s work, and the fifth Elder Scrolls installment was no different, delivering a very specific and charming northern Tamriel aesthetic with a focus on the Nords and their home. One would have probably expected just snow, and more snow, but no; Skyrim has a bunch of varied biomes.

The Rift is one of the most memorable ones with its autumnal forests, but there’s something to be said for the far north of the Pale and Winterhold, with the ice fields. Hulking mountains with abandoned ruins, cute cottages and farms, and dense forests brimming with wildlife… Skyrim is an entire experience, a seven-course meal to the visual sense. While character models are starting to show their age, weapons, items, enemy designs, and armor are all very much still appealing in a classic fantasy RPG way.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

A Gorgeous, Mature, And Vibrant Fantasy World

The Witcher 3, like Skyrim, still holds up incredibly well. At the time of its release, many felt it was well ahead of its time visually, and I tend to agree. The character models in the game are very much praiseworthy, playing perfectly into a more mature fantasy aesthetic. But beyond the beautiful ladies and handsome Geralt, the world of The Witcher 3 is one to take your breath away.

You have dynamic weather, lush forests, and gorgeous fields, as well as sprawling cities begging to be explored. Toussaint City, Novigrad’s wilderness, and the maritime views of Skellige Island and more naturally invite you to stop and appreciate, even when you’re busy riding to your next quest or chasing after Ciri. Having these different areas is nice to showcase the variety of biomes, weathers, and temperatures as well, so you’ll never be bored of finding yourself in the same location for too long.

Elden Ring

A Visual Feast Truly Unlike Anything Else

FromSoftware’s aesthetics have always been praised for being unique, intricate, delicate, but also brutal. Bloodborne is one game that comes to mind when discussing examples of extremely consistent and gorgeous aesthetics. Sadly, it’s not an open-world RPG. Elden Ring, however, fits the bill just as well. While it feels more varied and diverse compared to something like Bloodborne, there’s still that familiar undercurrent of a typical FromSoftware aesthetic that’s both monstrously grotesque yet elegant. Everything in Elden Ring is made with great thought: the rotten corner that is Caelid, the dreamy lake region of Liurnia, and the strange, mystical underworld of Siofra.

The views are often grand and absurd, as you run into massive dragons on the verge of death or great skeletal carcasses perched on forgotten thrones. It’s a tumble down a rabbit hole into a very weird but visually appealing world, where beauty extends to your character, too. There’s a reason why Elden Bling is a thing, right? That’s all without getting into the bosses, too, like Malenia, a character both disgustingly awful yet so gorgeous and elegant, mirroring in her cutscene the birth of Venus. There’s a lot of classic art that likely inspired Elden Ring, which is why playing it so often feels like you’re walking through an art exhibition.