Best PS5 open world games in 2026

Best open-world games on PS5

The best open world PS5 games are the ones that make you forget what you were supposed to do next. You open the map with one goal in mind, then notice a ruin, a smoke trail, a strange road, or a dangerous-looking area in the distance – and that becomes the real plan.

That is what we look for in a strong open-world game: not just a big map, but a world that constantly gives you a reason to keep moving. The best ones make exploration feel natural. You are not just collecting icons or clearing tasks. You are finding stories, testing builds, learning combat systems, meeting characters, and creating your own route through the game.

For this list, we picked four games that stayed with us for different reasons: Elden Ring, Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. One is brutal and mysterious, one feels like a playable samurai film, one is a slow and detailed Western, and one is still one of the strongest fantasy RPGs ever made.

Elden Ring

Release year: 2022

Type of game: Action RPG, dark fantasy

Developer: FromSoftware

Elden Ring PS5 is the game where our “quick session” usually turned into hours of exploring, dying, changing weapons, and somehow ending up on the other side of the map. You play as the Tarnished, trying to restore the Elden Ring and become Elden Lord, but the game does not push that story in a direct, cinematic way. It gives you fragments, bosses, ruins, item descriptions, and strange NPCs – then lets you piece the world together yourself.

What makes Elden Ring work so well as an open-world game is that exploration feels dangerous and rewarding at the same time. You can ride Torrent through Limgrave, find a cave by accident, get trapped in a nightmare area you were not ready for, or discover a weapon that changes your entire build. The world is not designed like a checklist. It is designed like a mystery.

Combat is punishing, but flexible. You can build around colossal weapons, bleed damage, sorcery, incantations, shields, Spirit Ashes, or fast melee setups. Spirit Ashes are especially useful for new players because they can make brutal boss fights more manageable without removing the challenge completely. On PS5, Elden Ring is the best pick if you want a dark fantasy world that constantly makes you ask, “Should I really go there?”

Ghost of Tsushima

Release year: 2021 on PS5 / 2020 original release

Type of game: Action-adventure, samurai RPG

Developer: Sucker Punch Productions

Ghost of Tsushima PS5 is the game we would recommend when you want an open world that feels beautiful, focused, and easy to get lost in. It is set during the Mongol invasion of Tsushima Island, with Jin Sakai forced to choose between the honorable samurai path and the more ruthless Ghost tactics needed to protect his home.

The combat is sharp and readable. You switch stances depending on enemy type, time parries, use bows, throw kunai, drop smoke bombs, or clear an enemy camp without being seen. That mix of direct sword fighting and stealth gives the game a strong rhythm: sometimes you want a clean duel, and sometimes you want to move through a camp like a shadow.

The world design is one of its smartest features. Instead of relying only on map markers, Ghost of Tsushima uses wind, foxes, golden birds, smoke, and landmarks to guide you. Foxes can lead you to shrines, while birds often point toward hidden activities or locations. Add the Kurosawa-inspired visual style, dramatic duels, and PS5 haptic feedback, and it becomes one of the most cinematic open-world games on PlayStation.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Release year: 2018

Type of game: Action-adventure, Western

Developer: Rockstar Games

Red Dead Redemption 2 PS5 is slower than most open-world games, but that is exactly why it feels different. It is a prequel to the first Red Dead Redemption and follows Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang in 1899, when the outlaw era is dying and modern civilization is closing in.

This is not the kind of game where you only rush from one mission to another. Some of our best moments came from riding through the mountains, hunting, helping strangers, playing poker, returning to camp, or simply watching how towns react to Arthur. The game is full of small systems: your horse bonds with you, NPCs remember your behavior, random encounters appear on the road, and the world changes depending on time, weather, and location.

The story works because you spend so much time living with the gang before everything starts to fall apart. Arthur’s loyalty, doubts, and personal growth make the game feel less like a simple cowboy fantasy and more like a long character drama. One practical tip: take care of your horse. Better bonding makes it calmer, more reliable, and more useful during travel and combat. Red Dead Redemption 2 is the best pick here if you want an open world that feels human, heavy, and believable.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Release year: 2022 on PS5 / 2015 original release

Type of game: Action RPG, fantasy

Developer: CD Projekt Red

The Witcher 3 PS5 is the game where we kept saying “one more quest” and then lost another hour to a monster contract, a village mystery, or a Gwent match. You play as Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter searching for Ciri while the Wild Hunt is chasing her for her powers.

The strongest part of The Witcher 3 is its quest design. A monster contract is rarely just “kill the creature.” You investigate tracks, talk to locals, use Witcher senses, prepare oils or potions, and often end up making a choice that is not clearly good or bad. That is what makes the side quests feel important instead of optional filler.

The world also has clear regional identity. Velen feels poor and broken by war. Novigrad is crowded, political, and dangerous in a different way. Skellige is colder, rougher, and tied to clan culture. Before tougher fights, it actually pays to prepare: apply the right blade oil, use potions, read the bestiary, and change signs depending on the enemy. On PS5, the improved visuals and smoother performance make it much easier to return to, especially if you missed it when it first launched.

Final verdict

The best open world games PS5 players can choose from all offer a different type of freedom.

Overall, these are some of the best open world games PS5 has to offer because each one gives you a different reason to stay: Elden Ring keeps you curious, Ghost of Tsushima keeps you immersed, Red Dead Redemption 2 keeps you grounded, and The Witcher 3 keeps you invested in the stories.

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