Summary

  • Red Dead Redemption 2 remains perhaps the best video game the genre has brought to the table.
  • Metal Gear Solid V offers top-tier open-world stealth experience with an endless number of options on how to complete missions.
  • Grand Theft Auto 5, as in previous entries, shines with its detailed open-world map, rich interactivity, and fun side activities.

The open-world genre is one of the most popular today for good reason. There's so much to do in these worlds and areas to explore, and they're so content-rich that a 100-hour playtime is guaranteed if you're going for 100 percent. You get your money's worth, and that's important in today's age when everything is getting more expensive.

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The Xbox Series X|S has tons of great open-world titles, with many of them having native current-gen versions, allowing for dozens of enhancements. There's also backward compatibility, allowing you to play phenomenal older titles as well that still have their online servers up.

10 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

A Stealth Sandbox Masterpiece

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Action Open-World Released September 1, 2015 Developer(s) Kojima Productions Publisher(s) Konami Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One Powered by Expand Collapse

While Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is technically an open-world title, it fits the sandbox term much better. The Afghanistan and Central Africa regions aren't as much living, breathing, open worlds as they are sandboxes for you to mess around and complete objectives in. In that regard, MGS5 is a top-tier open-world stealth experience.

The stealth gameplay feels the most open, creative, and diverse it can be in the entire series by a mile. Sure, fans can rip apart the story for days, but in terms of gameplay, there's always something new you can try, making the 100 percent journey engaging the entire way through.

9 Grand Theft Auto 5

Still Holds Up To Current Standards Despite Its Age

Grand Theft Auto 5

Open-World Action Released September 17, 2013 Developer(s) Rockstar North Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Platform(s) Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 Powered by Expand Collapse

The last Grand Theft Auto game for 12 years before the arrival of GTA6 was, naturally, GTA5. The story was a mixed bag for certain folks, but it was an overall fun experience, with it very much aping the movie Heat. GTA5's true greatness comes into play when you do the side activities and explore around.

GTA5's Los Santos and Blaine County game map has to be one of the greatest open-world maps ever created, with rich detail and world interactivity, and it works great in both single-player and multiplayer. Heck, even the underwater sea is heavily detailed! Wreaking havoc here is the most fun in the series, with the most intelligent and toughest cops yet. When you include the stellar live-service GTA Online and a native Series X|S version, GTA5 is a must-own.

8 Red Dead Redemption

The Best Way To Play This Game

Red Dead Redemption

Open-World Adventure Released May 18, 2010 Developer(s) Rockstar San Diego Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 Powered by Expand Collapse

If you want to experience the original Red Dead Redemption, the best way to play is on Xbox Series X. Yes, you don't get 60fps, like on PS5, but you still get a 4K resolution, and the most important part, the multiplayer. Red Dead 1's campaign remains phenomenal, but the multiplayer is surprisingly good all these years later.

You'd think the online would be a barren wasteland, and most have moved on to Red Dead 2, but no. Red Dead 1 is actually one of the most active 360 games today, right up there with Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. With the multiplayer being the true predecessor to what eventually became GTA Online, it's a must-play for any Rockstar fan.

7 Red Dead Redemption 2

Greatness On A Different Level

Red Dead Redemption 2

Action Adventure Released October 26, 2018 Developer(s) Rockstar Games Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Platform(s) PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia Powered by Expand Collapse

Looking back, Red Dead Redemption 2 was robbed of Game of the Year winner at The Game Awards in 2018. It's debatable whether it's the greatest open-world game of all time, but what's certain is that the open-world map is the best ever made for the genre. Exploration is further encouraged with so much more to find and lore to discover with documents scattered about.

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The regular game map is already huge enough, but once you reach the epilogue, the entire map of Red Dead 1, minus the Mexico area, gets added in. That's just wild, and the incredible story with Dutch's gang further nails Red Dead 2 as not only one of the best open-world games but one of the best games ever made.

6 Cyberpunk 2077

Sometimes, Waiting Is Better

Cyberpunk 2077

RPG Action Released December 10, 2020 Developer(s) CD Projekt Red Publisher(s) CD Projekt Red Platform(s) PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC Powered by Expand Collapse

Cyberpunk 2077 had a disastrous launch, and at this point, it's clear the game would have been better off skipping eighth-gen systems. The reason is that the Xbox Series X|S and PS5's versions are like night and day compared to the older hardware. The open world was so bare bones at launch, but now there's actually a lot of stuff to do and a heavily improved cop system.

Even the gameplay is better, with more interesting mechanics and a harder overall difficulty. One aspect that remains great is the writing, not only in the base game but the phenomenal Phantom Liberty expansion. Cyberpunk really encourages multiple playthroughs due to the multiple branching paths and endings, and due to the rather short length of the main missions, you'll probably do it.

5 Sunset Overdrive

Essentially A PlayStation Game On Xbox

Sunset Overdrive

Third-Person Shooter Open-World Released October 28, 2014 Developer(s) Insomniac Games Publisher(s) Microsoft Game Studios Platform(s) Xbox One, PC Powered by Expand Collapse

One oddball Xbox exclusive has to be Sunset Overdrive, a game developed by Insomniac, known for many PlayStation exclusives. It truly feels like a PS3 or early PS4 era exclusive, with it being a sandbox open-world third-person shooter.

Take the open-world design of Infamous and a heavily cranked-up version of the shooting from the modern Ratchet & Clank games, and you would get Sunset Overdrive. It's a blast to play through and remains one of the best modern Xbox exclusives, and it seems unlikely it'll come to PS5 any time soon.

4 Fallout 4

The Series X|S Version Couldn't Have Come Soon Enough

Fallout 4

RPG Action Released November 10, 2015 Developer(s) Bethesda Publisher(s) Bethesda Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand Collapse

While Fallout 4 isn't the best Fallout game to play on Xbox Series X|S, it is the title that best uses its capabilities. The current-gen version seemed like it was taking forever to come out, but the wait was worth it unless you played on PC. Playing it on the current gen version makes such a huge difference in the visual and performance quality that it significantly enhances the experience.

Sure, Fallout 4 isn't as good as New Vegas or 3, but it's still an excellent game, especially with the DLC packs. Nuka-World has to be one of the best DLCs of the franchise, with a memorable as-all-hell main setting.

3 Elden Ring

The Biggest FromSoftware Game Yet

Elden Ring

RPG Action Released February 25, 2022 Developer(s) From Software Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Powered by Expand Collapse

Elden Ring took the Souls formula FromSoftware created and transformed it into a full open-world experience with a huge map and everything. The studio delivered nearly perfectly. Exploration is such a large, rewarding, and fun aspect of the game this time, making Elden Ring last far longer than other Souls titles.

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It's like the modern Zelda games in which you can still discover new areas years later. Elden Ring's even better with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, adding even more content and brutal difficulty.

2 Ghostwire: Tokyo

Another Great Bethesda Open-World Romp

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Action Adventure Released March 25, 2022 Developer(s) Tango Gameworks Publisher(s) Bethesda Platform(s) PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand Collapse

One of the most satisfying feelings an open-world game can deliver is giving you a massive tower that you keep climbing and climbing, and you wonder if you can reach the very top. You get to the top and are rewarded, which is what Ghostwire: Tokyo delivers.

Even though the game map's not the biggest, there's still a truckload of things to find, and the side quests are fun and memorable. Easter eggs are plentiful here as well, including a joke ending akin to Silent Hill. To be fair, there's way too many collectibles, and you won't get as much playtime as a Fallout or Elder Scrolls title, but it's still a blast from start to finish.

1 The Witcher 3

Narrative Perfection

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

RPG Action Adventure Released May 19, 2015 Developer(s) CD Projekt Red Publisher(s) CD Projekt Red Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand Collapse

Capping off the original Witcher trilogy, Witcher 3 is one of the most acclaimed games of the 21st century, and for good reasons. The graphics and animation quality are top-tier, looking even better on the current-gen systems. The quests are a lot of fun, the DLCs are some of the best in gaming history, but most importantly, the writing is out of this world.

It perfectly wraps up and satisfyingly ends the Geralt trilogy. Like Ghostwire: Tokyo, the game world isn't the biggest but densely packed with quality content. When you include the rich replay value with multiple endings and romance options, you have another must-buy game on Xbox Series X|S.

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