Best Open-World Games On Steam

Published by Emma o n September 3, 2025, 4:47 am

Video games offer an outlet, a place devoid of the stresses of daily life, where you can delve into the stories they have to tell. But none does this better than the open-world genre, where the possibilities are endless, and the scope is unimaginable. Whether you're a fantasy geek keen to become a dragonslayer in Dragon Age or a sci-fi lover wanting to explore the galaxy, you certainly won't get bored so easily.

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From Valheim to the post-apocalyptic Dying Light 2, there are a vast array of open-world games available on Steam that bring no end to exciting adventures and captivating storylines. And with special promotions and weekend deals circulating frequently, there's always a golden opportunity to snatch one of these games at half the price.

Updated on March 11, 2025, by Sanyam Jain: Open-world is arguably one of the most popular genres in the gaming industry now, with almost every game having some sort of exploration to increase the time you spend playing. Avowed is a great addition to this genre as well, and we've updated the list with an entry for it!

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

Skyrim

Developer(s) Bethesda Publisher(s) Bethesda Franchise The Elder Scrolls Powered by Expand Collapse

Skyrim has long-established itself as a fantasy juggernaut, with a lifelong legacy that is unmatched. Playing as The Dragonborn traversing the rough, yet beautiful, world of Skyrim, you are faced with fulfilling a god-like destiny. From preventing a bloodthirsty Vampire Lord from blotting out the sun to tackling the hardest quests in the land, The Dragonborn never rests.

Having received numerous awards including the 'PC Game of the Year' award, Skyrim continues to be a fan favorite over a decade after its launch. With its in-depth lore and unparalleled storytelling, Skyrim is an open-world game that you'll never get tired of.

Cyberpunk 2077

Developer(s) CD Projekt Red Publisher(s) CD Projekt Red Powered by Expand Collapse

Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world game set in the futuristic dystopian world of Night City, where violence is part and parcel of everyday life. You play as a gun-toting mercenary named V, who tries to make a name for himself/herself, only to fight for survival after a mission gone wrong. Aside from the main quest, there are various other activities V can look into. Night City is a Blade Runner-esque metropolis that offers tons of side quests to boost your street cred and earn some eddies.

Despite initial complaints of bugs and unfinished storylines, the game has gone through numerous fixes, with modders even pitching in. All in all, Cyberpunk 2077 is definitely an open-world game you should look into if you're into futuristic, high-tech worlds.

Core Keeper

Developer(s) Pugstorm Publisher(s) Fireshine Games Powered by Expand Collapse

When you start playing an open-world game, you're usually left in a vast area where you can't even see the end of the map. However, Core Keeper does things differently as it instead starts you off in a small square room covered with walls, and you have to craft your own pickaxe to start digging your way out.

As you dig your life away, you'll find many different biomes with each having their main boss. You'll also find rare ores, which will help you get through the various stages and get upgraded tools. Even though you're doing all this, the game still has some cozy vibes to it.

Infinity Nikki

8.0/10 Developer(s) Papergames, Infold Games Publisher(s) Papergames, Infold Games, Fearless Powered by Expand Collapse

If you're a fan of dress-up games while also longing to playing in a vibrant open-world, Infinity Nikki is just the game for you. As the name suggests, you play as Nikki who gets dragged into a mysterious world with her companion in the beginning, and you're then tasked with finding various outfits to save this world.

Infinity Nikki's world has everything you'll need, from immersive puzzles to beautiful character design supported by a great story. Above all this, you get various options to customize your own Nikki and truly feel like you're a part of the game.

Starfield

Developer(s) Bethesda Publisher(s) Bethesda Powered by Expand Collapse

Developed and published by Bethesda, Starfield is by far one of the biggest interstellar open-world games you can play. Not only does it let you travel in Space for however long you want, but it also lets you explore almost all the 1,000-plus planets. The game's got something for every type of gamer.

Even if you're a story-lover, Starfield is a great game to get into. It might seem like too many fetch quests at the start of the main story, but it slowly gets deeper and you start realizing why all the fetching was important. Other than that, it's also a fantastic game to just explore the world and take cool screenshots.

Dave The Diver

Dave the Diver

Developer(s) Mintrocket Publisher(s) Mintrocket Powered by Expand Collapse

Dave The Diver is technically not open-world since most of the game takes you underwater. However, it still fits every other aspect of the open world genre as it allows you to freely explore everywhere, as long as you have sufficient oxygen, of course. You start off as a normal person trying to have a chill life until you get a call.

This call takes you to a special body of water that keeps regenerating itself, and your main job is to help out with a Sushi Restaurant using the fish from this water body. However, as you explore new areas, you'll get various unique tasks as you try to figure out the reason behind the fluctuations in the water.

Palworld

Palworld was first released on Steam on January 19, 2024, and it broke all records on the platform quite fast. Even after various uncanny similarities with other franchises, it's almost impossible to resist this game because of how fun it is. You can roam around the entire world from the very beginning, which is one of the best feelings in an open-world game.

Of course, you'll get one-shotted by most enemies in higher-level areas. The game is based around collecting Pals from different elements and battling them against your foes. You can also ride various flying and ground Pals, making it much easier to go around the huge map.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Developer(s) Ubisoft Quebec Publisher(s) Ubisoft Franchise Assassin's Creed Powered by Expand Collapse

Assassin's Creed is one of the most famous franchises for open-world RPG games, and Odyssey is one of the best games in it with Overwhelmingly Positive reviews on Steam. The game is set in a medieval environment where you play as one of the Spartans fighting against Athens.

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While the game has progression based on the story, you also have a giant world to explore with many side quests. These quests are completely optional, but they reveal many secrets about the world and the people in it. The game revolves around combat, and you'll find enemies all around the world, waiting for a single chance to defeat you.

Once Human

Developer(s) Starry Studio Publisher(s) Starry Studio, NetEase, Inc. Powered by Expand Collapse

Whenever a new open-world game gets released, it usually focuses on a few of the many aspects of the gameplay, with some games excelling in the base-building designs and others doing great with the depth of the world. However, there are very few games that can excel in both, and Once Human is an example.

Not only does it have a huge world with various towns and cities for you to explore, but it also has great depth in base-building. You also have a variety of builds to choose from, and the game consistently gets new scenarios with story progression and mechanics, making it the perfect post-apocalyptic escape.

Dragon's Dogma 2

Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Powered by Expand Collapse

Dragon's Dogma 2 was one of the most anticipated releases in 2024, and while it might've gotten a bit of a pushback with Capcom's extra purchases, it still stayed as one of the games with the most concurrent players on Steam for quite a while. This is mainly because of the unique gameplay that this game brings to the table.

From the very start, you get to have one main pawn and two support pawns that fight alongside you on the battlefield. While the AI for these pawns might not be perfect, it still does its job of dividing the damage from enemies. You also get to choose between four varying classes, and the gameplay changes significantly with each class.

Best Open-World Games On Steam

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