Despite a rocky start and limited native games, the PS5 has become a hit, with open-world games being a standout genre. Thanks to its powerful hardware, these games offer incredible stories, immersive worlds, and stunning visuals. From exploring alien planets to swinging through city streets as a superhero, here are the best open-world games on PS5.
Disclaimer: These games are not necessarily PS5-specific, but they are available and – in my opinion – superior on the PS5.
1. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
The 12th Assassin’s Creed installment takes you to 872-878 AD in a Viking-themed adventure across early Europe. Featuring settlement building, Assassin’s Creed mythology, and a gripping storyline, it’s filled with political intrigue and power struggles shaping every mission.
With a classic Assassin’s Creed story, the combat feels more fluid and dynamic than it has in years, blending flair with tradition.
Finally, the cinematic camera takes full advantage of the PS5’s high resolution and frame rates, delivering stunning, share-worthy screenshots. The Cinematic camera really does deliver the proverbial cherry-on-the-cake
One of the best Assassins Creed games in recent years and definitely one of the best open world games on PS5.
2. Rise of the Ronin
Rise of the Ronin is another game on this list that takes its inspiration from our friends in the far-east. With a culture as rich as Japan’s culture is, it is only natural that we would want to mine and enjoy it as much as humanly possible.
The Rise Of The Ronin game is a game set in the final years of the Edo period about a wandering samurai. Naturally being set when it is, Rise Of The Ronin is a often-frantic affair which balances stealth mechanics, intense combat and story-driven quests delivered in a way only Koei Tecmo can. It revolves heavily around moral choices to influence the story flow and outcome and has been lauded by experts for its representation of the Edo period. While not as polished as some other games on this list, Rise Of The Ronin is an immersive story-driven experience that honours the samurai story in a way we have not seen before, and it does this all while being fun, interesting and innovative in its combat mechanics.
If you’re a fan of Japanese culture, love a good swordfight, or just want an open-world with a difference, then Rise Of The Ronin is the game for you.
3. Dragon’s Dogma 2
Following on from the polarising Dragons Dogma, which was largely positively received save for a few complaints about the game lacking polish visually, Dragons Dogma 2 addresses all the critical comments from the previous game by delivering an experience that is not just as fun and immersive as the original, but Capcom also ensure that this entry is much more polished and clean than the previous game.
Dragons Dogma 2 wants you to enjoy it wholesale. It has a main story that can be interacted with but the world itself wants you to explore its many treasures and mysteries hidden and in-plain view across the kingdoms of Vermund and Battahl.
The game features no loading screens, which means the experience is seamless from one kingdom to the next. A feat only possible due to the extensive hardware under the PS5’s hood. The game is a fantastical frightmare, filled with beasties, companions and secrets all of which will keep you entertained for days – if not weeks on end – it really is a game that wants you to see every last thing it has to offer.
4. Hogwarts Legacy
One may think that setting the Potterverse over a hundred years before the Harry Potter series takes place would somehow dampen the experience, but that is not the case here.
Hogwarts Legacy’s story is as captivating as the Harry Potter series, set in iconic locations like the Forbidden Forest and castle grounds. With magical classes and beautifully rendered creatures, the PS5 handles it all seamlessly.
Hogwarts Legacy balances fan-service and originality, delivering a stunning, mysterious story that keeps you hooked until the end.
5. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
6. Cyberpunk 2077
Released in 2020 to criticism for being “unplayable,” Cyberpunk 2077 has, by 2025, become an experience worth having
7. Horizon: Forbidden West
Picking up after the shocking reveal in Horizon: Zero Dawn, Aloy continues her journey west to explore the old world.
Familiar faces like Sylens (voiced by the late Lance Reddick) appear as you explore waterlogged and fiery environments in stunning detail, with options for Fidelity or Performance mode, each with minor trade-offs.
With a vast world full of main quests and rewarding side-quests, Horizon: Forbidden West is one of the best sequels and open-world games on PS5.
8. Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut
Ghost of Tsushima is a passion-driven game from Sucker Punch Productions, known for Sly Cooper and Infamous. It takes a bold, original approach rather than playing it safe with a sequel.
Released in 2020, Ghost of Tsushima received positive reviews, with Yakuza director Toshihiro Nagoshi praising its middle-aged protagonist, a choice he believed might have typically prevented the game from being greenlit.
We agree with Nagoshi—Ghost of Tsushima is a beautifully crafted cultural experience, praised by Tsushima’s government, even appointing the directors as tourism ambassadors. The PS5’s 4K capability shines, and the Director’s Cut enhances it further, adding a new island and more story after the emotional campaign finale.
9. Elden Ring
Elden Ring, FromSoftware’s latest game, brings the punishing difficulty of Dark Souls into a vast open world, taking everything fans love and cranking it up to 11.
Elden Ring features the largest Souls world yet, filled with strange creatures and a story co-written by Game of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin.
Elden Ring breaks the Souls series’ visual mold, offering a stunning 4K portrayal of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s dark imagination, with a story worthy of Hollywood.
Elden Ring has earned countless positive reviews, and encountering its first massive beast proves why—it’s one of the best open-world games on PS5, though expect plenty of rage-quits.
10. Fallout 4
Fallout 4, has proven to be one of the most divisive games however has seen a huge influx of new players this last year, largely owing to the success of the Amazon Prime Fallout series.
11. Grand Theft Auto V
Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2023, Grand Theft Auto V lets players control three distinct characters, each with a unique story that shapes the main plot. With a Tarantino-style narrative full of heists, assassinations, and gang wars, Rockstar’s signature humor keeps it engaging and -relatively – light-hearted until the very end.
12. Red Dead Redemption 2
Originally releasing in 2018, Red Dead Redemption 2 sees you become the ultimate outlaw, Arthur Morgan, has he grapples with being a good man, and a good gang member. The game delivers the ultimate in cowboy fantasy fulfilment, while telling a punishing story of the first days of the old west through the eyes of a nihilistic man who wants nothing more than to settle down, and die happy.
The games attention-to-detail and painstaking effort to make everything can – for some – be a huge negative, however for those of you looking for a great game with brilliant world-building, intuitive combat and memorable characters, Red Dead Redemption 2 hits the mark everytime.
13. The Elder Scrolls Online
The Elder Scrolls Online has been out now since 2014, with its PS5 release landing in June 2021. In that time it has garnered the attention of millions of players with its natural Bethesda charm.
The game is a beautiful experience that sees you enjoying endless content with every region containing quests, sky shards, dungeons and more. There is enough content in ESO to keep one busy for a very long-time and due to the charm of the game, there is a very real possibility that you will play it for years after that first start-up.
14. No Man’s Sky
Another game on our list that didn’t do too well (that’s an understatement) when it first released, with Sean Murray of Hello Games being called the Peter Molyneux of modern gaming. This is largely due to the perceived broken promises and lack of content which was shown in demo, but never made it to the full game upon release.
Fast-forward 9 years since its first release and No Mans Sky is an adventure worthy of your time, Starting initially as a narrative-focused game with crafting elements, No Mans Sky is now a universe-traversing interstellar treat for the ages. Containing the main quest, along with co-op mode, creative sandbox mode and timed expeditions which see you teaming up with other NMS players towards a common goal, No Mans Sky is the star-bound adventure which we were promised, all those years ago.
The very definition of a come-back success story. Hello Games should be proud.
15. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
With the resounding success of Marvel’s Spider-Man, it was perhaps inevitable that we would see a sequel hit the PS5. Making use of the advanced hardware when compared to the last generation, Spiderman 2 is more-of-the-same from the previous game (if it isn’t broke, why fix it?).
It adds more villains to fight and more areas to explore, but deep down, it’s still the best representation of everyone’s favourite webhead since the Sam Raimi movie tie-ins back in the early 2000s.
A must have for any fan of fidelity or Spidey goodness.
As you can see, this list features some big releases from the past few years. They all offer their own brand of open-world goodness. I think if modern gaming tells us, it is that for us, the world truly is open to explore.
