Since Rockstar popularized the open-world genre with Grand Theft Auto, developers have created fantastic worlds and some of the best forms of escapism imaginable. Open-world games can take the form of vast sprawling RPGs like The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, a superhero game where you can save the day or play a criminal and conquer the city with force.

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There are many open-world games to choose from, but few have beautiful visuals that will drop jaws. Moreover, many lack a sense of immersion that can make the world feel alive and lived in, but that is not the case for these open-world games. This list looks at the best-looking open-world games that offer stunning graphics and immersion in spades.

Updated January 5, 2023 by Michael Llewellyn: There are so many open-world games that cover a variety of genres, from RPGs to shooters. However, it takes something special to stand out as one of the most visually impressive and immersive experiences on its respective platform. This list has been updated to include more games that impress with beautiful graphics and draw you into their vast worlds.

24 Grand Theft Auto 5

  • Launched: 2013
  • Developer: Rockstar
  • Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S

Even ten years after its initial release, Grand Theft Auto 5 is still a benchmark title in the open-world genre. The title has enjoyed several upgrades across the generations, but the ray tracing update on modern consoles helps bring GTA 5 to life.

The ray tracing features have been implemented in GTA 5's single-player campaign and GTA Online. It adds stunning lighting effects, realistic shadows, and reflections that add a sense of realism and beauty. Even without the upgrades, GTA 5 has a world that feels alive. Its NPCs feel like they are going about their daily lives, making you feel a part of their world and not the other way around.

23 Final Fantasy 15

  • Launched: 2016
  • Developer: Square Enix
  • Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S

After its initial development as a spin-off for Final Fantasy 13, Final Fantasy 15 became a mainline entry in the famed JRPG series. Adopting an open-world design, it has a vast overworld filled with monsters and lore that alludes to the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy's mythology.

Honestly, FF15 would have benefited from being smaller with a more cohesive and interconnected design, but there's no denying that the game is beautiful. The characters are stunningly designed, and the combat system looks like it was taken from Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children.

22 Infamous Second Son

  • Launched: 2014
  • Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
  • Platform: PS4

The fact that Infamous: Second Son makes its way to a list like this after so many years is a testament to how good their eye for detail is. It's also impressive how well their propriety engine holds up to modern titles.

Character models, facial capture, and animation still look fantastic. However, the recreation of the developer's hometown of Seatle takes center stage in Second Son. The attention to detail is excellent as the sun sets on the rainy city streets, giving a sense of atmosphere lacking in many other open-world titles. Delsin's and Abigail's superpowers are impressive, with smoke and neon-light-based powers that play into combat and traversal.

21 Elden Ring

  • Launched: 2022
  • Developer: FromSoftware
  • Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S

As one of the best games in 2022, Elden Ring is FromSoftware's most ambitious and stunning achievement to date. While not as accomplished on a technical level as other games on this list, Elden Ring is beautiful in its sense of wonder and incredible art design.

There are few games as densely packed with side quests, lore, and mystery as Elden Ring. There is no hand-holding, and Elden Ring's world is begging to be explored. There are hidden dungeons, caves, and an underground map almost as vast as the overworld. Elden Ring is an RPG designed to be played over and over again.

20 Far Cry 6

  • Launched: 2021
  • Developer: Ubisoft
  • Platform: Amazon Luna, PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S

Released in 2021, Far Cry 6 is still running on the same Dunia engine that its predecessors used, but on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the game looks and runs better than ever.

The fictional setting of Yara can offer some spectacular sights despite its slightly cartoonish aesthetic by today's standards. The Far Cry series has always had gorgeous environments, and Far Cry 6 is the best the series has ever looked.

19 Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition

  • Launched: 2020
  • Developer: Monolith Soft
  • Platform: Switch

First launched on the Nintendo Wii in 2011, Xenoblade Chronicles was already a remarkable achievement. On the Switch, however, the game reaches its true potential in what was already one of the best narratively-driven JRPGs of a generation.

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Exploring the world of Xenoblade is a joy to behold with its varied environments, terrain, and creatures to discover. The game is vast, and you can lose yourself for hours just exploring and finding everything the JRPG has.

18 Death Stranding

  • Launched: 2019
  • Developer: Kojima Productions
  • Platform: PC, PS4, and PS5

Launched in 2019, Death Stranding is undoubtedly a beautiful game with some of the most incredible motion capture work ever seen. The sense of scale and scope is immense, and the terrain is stunning and treacherous.

However, what prevents the game from placing higher on this list is that despite its beautiful visuals, the world itself feels empty. Nevertheless, Death Stranding is a stunning but divisive experience with some of the most realistic-looking landscapes of this generation.

17 Xenoblade Chronicles 3

  • Launched: 2022
  • Developer: Monolith Soft
  • Platform: Nintendo Switch

Like its predecessors, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a stunning open-world JRPG that pushes Nintendo's little system to its absolute limits. Better still, it includes one of the biggest and most beautiful worlds with very few hiccups at launch.

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Monolith Soft seems to get the best out of the hybrid console, and Xenoblade 3 is a pleasure to explore in handheld or docked mode. In place of realistic visuals, Xenoblade 3's art design takes center stage with attractive characters and a stunning mix of science fiction and fantasy.

16 Forza Horizon 4

  • Launched: 2018
  • Developer: Playground Games
  • Platform: PC and Xbox One

Launched in 2018 for the Xbox One and PC, Forza Horizon 4 is an open-world racing game set in the United Kingdom. This entry doesn't just surpass the visual benchmark set by its predecessors but blows them out of the water.

One of the reasons why Forza Horizon 4 sets itself apart is the incredible dynamic weather system and the way the changing of the seasons affects visuals and the locales. Lakes freeze over in the winter, and the leaves fall in Autumn, changing the look and mapping of the roads. Despite being an open-world racer, Forza Horizon 4 has an RPG-like leveling system that makes you want to play again and again.

15 Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

  • Launched: 2018
  • Developer: Ubisoft
  • Platform: PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One

Launched in 2018, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is an open-world action RPG set in Ancient Greece. The gaming world is filled with beautiful landscapes of color, sunny vistas, and stunning architecture.

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In addition to the size and scale, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey feels populated and alive. The weather and environmental effects look beautiful, and clear that the developers have gone to a great deal of effort into making this historical epic look and feel as immersive as possible.