There are some upcoming open-world games that fans are absolutely going to devour the same way they destroyed classics like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. For example, Crimson Desert and The Blood of Dawnwalker look expansive and loaded with the potential for player expression and creaativity.
The Witcher 4 is still in the early stages of development, but that too looks amazing. Then there are upcoming games that may be open-world, or just sandboxes, and they are based in sprawling cities. Some of these games may exclusively take place in these cities, and that’s even better. Let’s go over what sets these games apart and how their cities are unique.
Grand Theft Auto 6
2026’s Biggest Game
Planned Release Date: 5/26/26
Planned Systems: PS5 and Xbox Series X/S
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to have the biggest city landscape to navigate in 2026. Players will be returning to Vice City for the first time since the spin-off PSP game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, was released in 2006. The city looks full of things to do, from stores to hop into, pool halls to visit with friends, nightclubs to dance in, and more.
Outside of Vice City, players can enjoy the swamplands with a little motor boating. There’s also a national park that has hiking and kayaking available. Despite the tone probably being dark, like most Rockstar’s games, the activities look quite inviting. Vice City almost looks like a nice place to visit, minus all the crime that is presumably going on behind the scenes.
LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight
I Was Born In Darkness
Planned Release Date: 2026
Planned Systems: PC, PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X/S
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is the first proper LEGO Batman game in over a decade, and Traveler’s Tales is seemingly going all out with it. It’s not just a celebration of the LEGO Batman games, it’s going to be filled with references to all the movies, cartoons, games, and more that have featured the caped crusader over the years. In other words, it looks like the ultimate fan letter to Batman fanatics.
The combat looks more intense than most LEGO games, and Batman will not be the only playable character. Players can explore the sprawling streets of Gotham on foot, by gliding above, driving the signature Batmobile, and so on. It’s unclear if there will be any chill side quests in Gotham, but either way, LEGO and Batman fans should be pumped to play this in 2026.
Decapolice
A Detective RPG
Planned Release Date: 2026
Planned Systems: PC, PS4, PS5, and Switch
Decapolice is another crime-based game, but this time with an anime influence, and is being developed by Level-5. Players will be able to investigate locations using VR to overlay the crime scenes, sort of like the Detective Vision in the Batman: Arkham games. The detective aspect of the game looks intense, sort of like a cross between Phoenix Wright and L.A. Noire.
The city doesn’t look like it’s brimming with activities to do, but the futuristic landscape is enticing, like any good cyberpunk setting should be. Besides solving cases, players can engage in turn-based combat with their small party. Hopefully, this RPG will come out in 2026 and will offer more to do than what has been previously shown.
Ananta
Grand Theft Anime
Planned Release Date: TBA
Planned Systems: Mobile, PC, and PS5
Ananta looks like it’s going to have a diverse set of mechanics, and it may also launch in 2026, although there is no set timeline at the moment. It’s going to be a free-to-play game in the style of Grand Theft Auto with a heavy anime influence in its design. Players can roam around town as part of an elite task force, so there won’t be a criminal angle to the story.
Players can drive various cars and bikes, but the more interesting aspect is the Spider-Man-like tether that the Captain of the team wields to swing around. It’s not known how many characters players can have active at one time, but being able to switch between them will be a feature too. Besides the crime-fighting main story, there will also be side activities around the city, from races to slapping opponents in arenas to playing basketball.
Stranger Than Heaven
A Century In The Making
Planned Release Date: TBA
Planned Systems: TBA
Stranger Than Heaven is the next big project from the Yakuza team, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, at Sega. The big gimmick with the game is that players will play a drifter who goes through different time periods in the same city, which changes over time. This city, Sotenbori, so far has been shown in 1915, 1929, and 1943. It looks like another crime-infested game with plenty of brawling action, which is what RGG is known for most of all.
Yakuza fans can always count on plenty of weird side stories and mini-games to occupy their time, so hopefully those features return in Stranger Than Heaven as well. Even if there aren’t that many, few games can brag about taking place in multiple time periods, and if anyone can make it work, it’s the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio team. No platforms or release date have been announced as of yet, which could mean Stranger Than Heaven is a ways off, or Sega could just be waiting to have a big showcase reveal sometime soon.
DokeV
Kingdom Hearts Meets Pokemon
Planned Release Date: TBA
Planned Systems: TBA
DokeV could be a long ways off, but it’s still worth discussing here. It’s one of the few monster-catching games that takes place in one big city, with the only other big example being Pokemon Legends: Z-A. DokeV may have environments to explore outside its metropolis, but so far, it looks like most of the action will be urban.
The footage shown so far hints at players being able to ride bicycles and monsters alike, rollerblade, skateboard, and even carry a magical umbrella that lets them glide. Humans and their monsters can fight alongside one another in action combat, which looks sort of like Kingdom Hearts in terms of its design. From bouncing sacks that turn into big boxing gloves and giant hammers, the combat looks more intense than most monster-catching games.
