Best Xbox open world games: Epic worlds to explore

• Release date: October 5, 2018
• Developer: Ubisoft Quebec
• On Game Pass: Yes

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is older than Valhalla and Mirage, but still stands out as one of the examples of where Ubisoft's often over-ambitious approach to open world design for the AC games worked best. Valhalla was just too big, so we're giving this slot to Odyssey. That's not to say Odyssey isn't huge — you're exploring many regions of Ancient Greece (and the seas) and it takes a while to get anywhere.

But Odyssey succeeds in the first point: it's a beautiful game world to explore. It sags a little under its own weight, and doesn't hold up to the others on this list when it comes to constant excellence, but there's so much to do — and so much incentive to explore — that you'll lose countless hours to it.

• Release date: September 1, 2015
• Developer: Kojima Productions
• On Game Pass: No

Konami's decision to shift to an open world setting for Metal Gear Solid V certainly raised a few eyebrows when it was first announced, but the implementation turned out to be one of the game's greatest strengths.

World-class mechanics coupled with scenarios that can be approached from any angle makes for a degree of freedom and creativity seldom seen in traditional stealth games, although some missions do fall back into the more linear scripted sneaking the series was built upon. Ocelot had the right of it — "Afghanistan is a big place," he correctly asserts in that still-incredible trailer, and it's a map rich with opportunity for imaginative stealth. Plus, it's just one of several massive locations to explore. Even the classic cardboard box gets an overhaul to make it even more versatile, with Snake able to burst out of it to ambush unsuspecting foes or dive out of the side to leave it in place as a decoy or diversion.

And then there's Peace Walker's Fulton extraction system which allows you to pilfer supplies, vehicles, and even enemy soldiers to build your own private army in hilarious fashion. The Phantom Pain has its issues, but the moment-to-moment gameplay definitely sits in the genre's upper echelons, largely thanks to the boundless potential afforded by the open world setting.

• Release date: November 10, 2020
• Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
• On Game Pass: Yes

The open world of Yakuza: Like a Dragon is quite a bit smaller than those of the other games on this list, but this is by no means a drawback, as Yakuza: Like a Dragon is in all respects an excellent (and eccentric) game, and its open world reflects this in both the quality of the world and the quantity of weirdness you’re sure to find in it.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is packed full of things to do, and the substories scattered throughout the map reinforce the idea that you’ll never be bored, as does the fact that Yakuza’s protagonist, Kasuga, sees the world as if it were an old-school RPG. The bustling nightlife of Yokohama is broken up by sporadic fantasy instances as Kasuga imagines everything as though it were a story with him as the hero. You’ll most likely find yourself eager to check out every path or alley in Yokohama just to witness the variety in enemies and to see the city as Kasuga does — full of opportunity; whether that’s saving its inhabitants from a series of bizarre circumstances, rummaging for “treasure” under vending machines, or fending off REM Rams in one of the game’s many side activities.

• Release date: August 18, 2020
• Developer: Asobo Studio
• On Game Pass: Yes

Microsoft Flight Simulator is the most open-world game out there, especially when you consider, oh, I don’t know, that the entirety of planet earth is playable. It’s astonishing what Asobo Studio has managed to pull off with the simulator. Microsoft Flight Simulator uses map data from Bing to produce the game’s open world, and it does so with incredible accuracy.

If you take off from one of the 37,000 airports included in the game — over 40 of these are hand-crafted to a high level of detail — and fly towards your house (which is probably one of the first things you’ll do), I can guarantee you’ll be amazed at just how true-to-life the sim looks.

Sure, Asobo hasn’t painstakingly modelled your street exactly, but it will be fairly close. It has modelled most of the major cities, big points of interest, and a boatload of planes, all of which look visually fantastic when running on either Xbox Series X|S or PC. The gameplay/simulation may be a little dry for some people’s tastes, but even so, it’s still worth checking out, even if it is just to crash a 747 into that one annoying neighbour’s house who constantly has parties that go on until 4am.

• Release date: December 10, 2020
• Developer: CD Projekt Red
• On Game Pass: No

Despite the troubles Cyberpunk 2077 had at launch (and for some time after), it's now evolved into a far more polished and fluid experience. One reason its issues were such a shame is that they undermined what was already a fantastic world, but after numerous updates, Cyberpunk 2077's open world can now shine.

Night City is endlessly fascinating to explore. It's visually striking, with neon lights, ads, and movement everywhere, but its world is also backed up by a wealth of things to do in it. There's always jobs to do for someone or some other way to endanger your life, and that's before taking the Badlands into account too. Thanks to all those updates, Cyberpunk 2077's world is more believable and alive too. It's overwhelming, irresistible, and easy to get lost in.

• Release date: October 28, 2016
• Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
• On Game Pass:Yes

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim remains one of the best open world games there is. Over a decade after it first launched, players are still sinking hundreds of hours into Skyrim — just take the Skyrim Grandma as an example. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a true example of a fantasy world you can get utterly lost in, and that sense of adventure never dulls no matter how many times you play through it. One of the factors which aid Skyrim’s open world in providing such an immersive experience is the haunting soundtrack, which beautifully complements the wintry world of Skyrim.

Where other games might fall short through lacking impactful exploration rewards, Skyrim excels, with secrets scattered tantalizingly throughout the map along with cities and settlements that really feel alive and full of opportunity.

• Release date: March 15, 2022
• Developer: Rockstar North
• On Game Pass: Yes

GTA V might be an obvious pick, but that is for a good reason. It is, ultimately, a perfection of the GTA formula — a big open world stuffed with satirical comedy and satisfying action. The single-player has aged really well as a piece of narrative that, in some ways, satirically skewers its own growth into the endless, live-service, money-churning experience of modern GTA Online. You follow three tales through the tapestry of modern America in a fictional version of LA, called Los Santos, where you will set up heists in order to finally make all three characters rich. It’s a really well written, but often a searing indictment of the corporate, social, and political structure of America that allows money to rule all.

It never really lets you see that in the moment, though. You'll be too busy dangling off of boats driving over a motorway, or plotting how you are going to get your money out of the bank in the coolest way possible or driving an old Dewbachee Aston Martin DB5 look-alike away from a film set while being chased. It’s wild, but also funny, but also quite sentimental, but also feels fun to play still… it’s just really good! You know what, maybe we are going soft, but there is even fun to be had in that money-grubbing, expletive-laden, hellscape of an online mode, as well.

• Release date: October 26, 2018
• Developer: Rockstar San Diego
• On Game Pass: No

Red Dead Redemption 2 saw the bar that GTA set for open world games, jumped it, and never looked back. Its open world is ridiculous in its level of realistic detail, from the variety of plants you’ll find to the gradually decomposing bodies of hunted animals. The towns and cities of Red Dead Redemption 2 feel alive and highly detailed, while the wilderness is teeming with wildlife (except for when you’re actually trying to hunt). If you take Arthur out exploring, you can do everything from setting up his tent and brewing him a nice coffee to skinning your kills and cooking them over an open fire.

Red Dead Redemption 2 takes everything into account, even Arthur’s smell, and hunting requires no small amount of patience and planning. The random encounters make every part of Red Dead Redemption 2’s world feel alive, whether you’re anxiously defusing a situation with a camper who’s a little too protective of his campfire, or else pretending you can’t hear someone asking for a lift into town while you ride away with a high-quality pelt on the back of your horse instead.

• Release date: February 25, 2022
• Developer: FromSoftware
• On Game Pass: No

It didn’t take long for action-RPG Elden Ring to prove just how excellent it is, and the game shot its way onto many "best of" lists in no time at all after its launch in 2022. For good reason, too: Elden Ring’s open world not only adds further depth to the game's lore but is also full of mysteries to explore while also managing to be visually breath-taking. It’s a beautiful and atmospheric world at times, but always ominously terrifying.

Elden Ring has you travelling for countless in-game miles in your quest to become an Elden Lord, and yet its massive open world feels as fresh and full of promise no matter how long you’ve been playing for.

• Release date: August 30, 2016
• Developer: CD Projekt Red
• On Game Pass: No

Come on, you know it, I know it: this list wouldn’t be complete without a grim-faced Geralt to represent The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition. Now, The Witcher 3 is my favourite game, and I could happily talk about it for hours, so to keep me from wittering about it all day, I’ll just say this: The Witcher 3 raised the bar for the quality of open-world RPGs across the board.

Many great games have come out since, but The Witcher 3 still stands apart with a world that feels rich and real whether you’re hunting for every last question mark in Skellige or admiring the sunsets in White Orchard. Its world is satisfyingly convincing whether you’re in the middle of nowhere with only monsters on the horizon, or exploring the bustling streets of one of its bigger cities. Add to this that the Complete Edition includes Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine (the latter being arguably the best bit of The Witcher 3’s open world) and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition definitely deserves a spot on this list.