The best open-world games on Xbox 2024

The best open-world games on Xbox are just a quick trip to the Microsoft Store away. You will find plenty of expansive open-world games to play on Xbox, and we’ve poured over the Xbox catalogue to find some of the best Xbox open-world games to play right now.

Elsewhere on Xbox consoles, you have a massive library of hundreds of games so make sure you read our lists of the best Xbox Game Pass games on Xbox and the best RPGs on Xbox. And now, on to the best open-world games on Xbox.

Halo Infinite

As the latest entry in the storied Halo series, this is the very first time Halo has been an open-world game. While the initial release of Halo Infinite and its multiplayer mode was mired with delays and other gripes, the finished product is a decent open-world adventure in the Halo universe. You play as Master Chief as you traverse a huge open-world map filled with quests, enemies, and fun secrets to discover.

Elden Ring

Elden Ring is much more than an open-world game. It is the latest ‘Souls’ game from developers FromSoftware, expanding hugely on systems that were first introduced with the likes of Demon’s Souls. Elden Ring has a massive open world and punishing combat, all of which you’ll experience as you make your character – known as the Tarnish – and explore the mysterious Lands Between. From exploring every nook and cranny to finding hidden dungeons and more, there is a ton of stuff to do in Elden Ring’s open world, if you can stomach the punishing – and more often than not, cheap – combat. Our Elden Ring review was full of praise for the exploration.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Arguably one of the best open-world games on Xbox at the moment is Red Dead Redemption 2. From a technical standpoint, it is an incredibly detailed game and Rockstar has done a brilliant job of expanding on systems from the first game and other aspects that were played around with in GTA 5. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a fantastic journey through 1899 America as Arthur Morgan where you can hunt, become an outlaw, and take part in as many shoot-outs as you please. Read our review of Red Dead Redemption 2 for more on what we loved.

No Man’s Sky

While No Man’s Sky is technically more of an open-universe game – thanks to its sheer size – it has plenty of mechanics you’d expect in an open-world game. You can travel freely around massive environments, traverse caves, gather materials, shoot aliens, and document all your new planet discoveries in the procedurally-generate universe. Each world is unique and has tons to explore by foot or by ship. Using your ship, you can warp to different galaxies and find new planets and settlements, all of which cultivate a brilliant sense of discovery.

Sea of Thieves

One of the better open-world games on Xbox is Sea of Thieves, a fantastic adventure where you play as pirates and sail across the seas in search of treasure and fame. Sea of Thieves is best enjoyed in multiplayer, where you and your friends can man your own ship and siege other players as they try to deliver goods or if they look at you the wrong way. Sea of Thieves is the ultimate pirate sim and you’ll have endless hours of fun exploring the huge map, digging up treasure, making fools walk the plank, and fighting an alarming number of skeletons. Our review of Sea of Thieves praises the graphics and gameplay loop.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human

Dying Light 2 Stay Human is another open-world game best enjoyed in co-op with some friends. You play as Aiden and you have to fight your way through a city filled with ravenous undead and other infected creatures. The parkour and exploration are super engaging and the combat is ridiculously fun, giving you several ways to dispatch your undead enemies in brutally creative ways. In our Dying Light 2 review, we were especially impressed with the parkour and the skill tree system.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best open-world RPGs out there and for a very good reason. The Witcher 3 is incredibly dense, with tons of content and amazing storylines to get lost in. The game never suffers from bloat, since the world is genuinely interesting to explore and navigate around. You play as Geralt, a monster hunter known as a Witcher, on a quest to find a girl called Ciri. During this quest, Geralt is pulled into an incredibly thoughtful story and extremely satisfying combat at every turn. Read our Witcher 3 review for more information.

Starfield

Bethesda certainly knows how to make open-world games, and its latest venture Starfield is no exception. In Starfield, you explore several planets and can fly around in space navigating across the vast cosmos. There are plenty of RPG elements and the space exploration distils a sense of wonder and the third-person action feels weighty, to the point where shooting enemies with laser beams has never been so fun. Create a character, romance your party members, build your own ships, and set out on an adventure across the stars. Our review of Starfield praised several aspects, notably the combat and sense of discovery.

Grand Theft Auto 5

Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the most extensive open-world games on Xbox. Whether you’re playing the single-player mode or in multiplayer, you have a huge sandbox open world to discover, filled with minigames, quests, characters, and a nearly endless amount of things to do. Want to start your own crime syndicate? Go for it. Want to rob a weapon shop? Absolutely. Want to speed and drive on the sidewalk? We don’t recommend it, but, sure, this is GTA after all. Our review of GTA 5 concludes that this is the best version of the game out of all its re-releases.

Finding a great game to play on Xbox is an easy task thanks to the huge catalogue of games included with Xbox Game Pass. With that in mind, make sure you read our list of the best FPS games on Xbox if you’re looking for your next favourite shooter.