The Best Open-World RPGs

Best open-world RPGs at a glance

How these open-world RPGs were selected

The ranking considers:

• Character builds, skills and equipment decisions
• Role-playing through factions, dialogue or quest outcomes
• Exploration that reveals meaningful content
• World reactivity and environmental storytelling
• Combat, survival or party systems that support different approaches
• Solo and multiplayer options where listed
• Replay value through builds, allegiances or campaign decisions
• PC memory and storage requirements

Red Dead Redemption 2 is primarily an open-world action adventure, and No Man’s Sky leans toward survival crafting. They are included as adjacent choices because progression, equipment and player-directed exploration address important parts of the search intent. Baldur’s Gate 3 and Avowed use large regions rather than one fully seamless map.

1. ELDEN RING

Best overall open-world RPG

ELDEN RING connects character building to a dangerous fantasy world filled with optional regions, dungeons and bosses.

Attributes, weapons, spells and Ashes of War support many approaches, from heavy melee to fast status builds and spellcasting.

The world rarely relies on a checklist. Visual landmarks and unexpected routes encourage players to investigate without knowing the reward.

Difficult encounters test timing, positioning and stamina control, but the open structure allows a player to explore elsewhere and return stronger.

Much of the lore appears through environments, characters and item descriptions rather than direct exposition.

It offers single-player, online co-op and online PvP with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 12 GB RAM and 60 GB of storage.

Choose ELDEN RING for build depth, demanding action and exploration that repeatedly produces surprises.

2. Cyberpunk 2077

Best urban open-world RPG

Cyberpunk 2077 places the player in Night City as a mercenary pursuing survival and influence.

Attributes, skills, cyberware and equipment support contrasting builds, including stealth, hacking, firearms and close combat.

Dense districts make the world feel vertical and urban rather than spread across wilderness.

Major quests and character stories provide decisions with consequences, while smaller jobs reveal different parts of the city.

First-person presentation keeps conversations, exploration and combat close to the player’s viewpoint.

Cyberpunk 2077 is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 12 GB RAM and 70 GB of storage.

Choose it for science-fiction builds, character-led quests and one of the densest urban settings in this selection.

3. Baldur’s Gate 3

Best open-region RPG for story choices

Baldur’s Gate 3 uses large connected regions rather than one uninterrupted world, but gives players substantial freedom inside each area.

Character classes, abilities and dialogue skills influence how problems can be solved.

Turn-based battles reward positioning, environmental interactions and combinations between party members.

Companions have independent goals and respond to decisions across the campaign.

Quests can change according to alliances, discoveries and unexpected actions, supporting genuinely different playthroughs.

It offers single-player, LAN co-op and online co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 150 GB of storage.

Choose it for reactive storytelling, tactical combat and freedom expressed through decisions rather than seamless travel.

4. Fallout: New Vegas

Best open-world RPG for factions

Fallout: New Vegas places the Courier between several powers competing for the Mojave.

Dialogue skills, reputation and faction relationships create alternatives to direct combat.

Major allegiances influence quests and the political outcome of the story.

Character attributes, perks and equipment support specialized builds, including speech, science, stealth and weapons.

The world is older and less visually modern than the recent games above, but its quest structure remains unusually responsive.

Fallout: New Vegas is single-player. Minimum requirements include 2 GB RAM and 10 GB of storage.

Choose it for branching quests, faction politics and role-playing choices that materially alter the campaign.

5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

Best classic fantasy open-world RPG

Skyrim provides a northern fantasy province filled with cities, guilds, ruins and dragons.

Skills improve through use, allowing a character to evolve according to actual play rather than one fixed class.

Players can focus on the central story, join factions or spend long periods exploring unrelated locations.

Weapons, armor, magic, stealth and crafting support broad character experimentation.

The Special Edition includes the main game and major add-ons associated with that release.

Skyrim is single-player. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 12 GB of storage.

Choose it for traditional fantasy role-playing and the freedom to ignore the intended path.

6. Red Dead Redemption 2

Best immersive open-world story

Red Dead Redemption 2 follows Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang through a changing frontier.

The world reacts through small encounters, camp relationships, wildlife and consequences for criminal behavior.

Character customization and progression are lighter than in a traditional statistics-driven RPG.

Its strength lies in inhabiting a role through daily actions, relationships and a carefully paced narrative.

Hunting, travel and camp routines make the world feel connected to the story rather than simply serving as a mission map.

It offers single-player, online co-op and online PvP. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 150 GB of storage.

Choose it for immersion and character storytelling, but choose ELDEN RING or New Vegas for deeper build systems.

7. Dragon’s Dogma 2

Best party-focused open-world action RPG

Dragon’s Dogma 2 follows a player-created Arisen through a fantasy world shaped by kingdoms, roads and dangerous creatures.

Vocations determine weapons, abilities and combat roles.

AI-controlled Pawns form the adventuring party and can contribute knowledge, support and specialized skills.

Large monsters create physical encounters where climbing, position and party composition matter.

Limited convenience in travel gives preparation and time of day greater importance.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is single-player. Minimum requirements include 16 GB RAM.

Choose it for action combat, flexible vocations and emergent journeys with an AI party.

8. Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Best historical open-world RPG

Kingdom Come: Deliverance places Henry inside a grounded medieval conflict in Bohemia.

The world avoids fantasy magic and emphasizes social status, equipment, training and practical skills.

First-person combat requires control of direction, distance, stamina and timing.

Dialogue skills and reputation influence how people respond to Henry.

Quests can support persuasion, stealth, investigation or direct confrontation.

The game is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 70 GB of storage.

Choose it for historical immersion and progression that reflects an inexperienced character learning to survive.

9. Monster Hunter Wilds

Best cooperative open-world action RPG

Monster Hunter Wilds centers progression on tracking and defeating large monsters across connected environments.

Weapons create distinct combat styles, with differences in range, movement, defense and team utility.

Materials from hunts become equipment used to face stronger targets.

Changing environmental conditions affect creatures and the spaces where encounters happen.

Cooperative play allows a hunting group to combine weapons and responsibilities.

It offers single-player and online co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 16 GB RAM and 75 GB of storage.

Choose it for equipment-driven progression and repeatable cooperative battles rather than dialogue-heavy role-playing.

10. No Man’s Sky

Best open-world RPG for exploration

No Man’s Sky builds its identity around exploration across a procedurally generated universe.

Players improve an exosuit, ships and a multi-tool while gathering resources and building bases.

Different worlds provide environmental hazards, creatures and materials.

Trading, survival, combat and construction allow several long-term priorities.

Its RPG systems are lighter than those in New Vegas or Baldur’s Gate 3, but progression gives exploration a continuing purpose.

It offers single-player, online co-op and online PvP with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 15 GB of storage.

Choose it when endless discovery matters more than a tightly authored quest structure.

11. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Best remastered classic open-world RPG

Oblivion Remastered returns to Cyrodiil with revised visuals and updated presentation while preserving the original campaign structure.

Character creation, skills, equipment and magic support different role-playing paths.

Guild questlines provide major stories outside the central conflict.

The world allows players to leave the main quest and pursue towns, ruins and independent objectives.

Some systems reflect the design priorities of an older RPG, which is part of both its character and its learning curve.

The game is single-player. Minimum requirements include 16 GB RAM and 125 GB of storage.

Choose it for traditional Elder Scrolls questing with a newer visual presentation.

12. The Outer Worlds 2

Best satirical science-fiction RPG

The Outer Worlds 2 uses science-fiction colonies and corporate power as foundations for dialogue-driven role-playing.

Skills and character choices shape combat, conversation and exploration.

Companions provide different perspectives and abilities.

The campaign uses distinct explorable areas rather than one continuous planet-sized map.

Its narrower regional structure supports denser quests and more focused faction stories than a huge procedural galaxy.

The Outer Worlds 2 is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 16 GB RAM and 110 GB of storage.

Choose it for satire, companions and role-playing decisions inside compact science-fiction regions.

13. Avowed

Best first-person fantasy RPG with open regions

Avowed takes place in the Living Lands, using several dense regions rather than one seamless open world.

First-person combat combines weapons, shields, magic and ability choices.

Dialogue and alliances influence quests and relationships.

Exploration rewards attention to side routes, environmental details and optional encounters.

The regional structure keeps travel more focused than Skyrim’s broad sandbox.

Avowed is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 16 GB RAM and 75 GB of storage.

Choose it for first-person fantasy combat and a more directed alternative to traditional open-world sprawl.

14. Starfield

Best spacefaring open-world RPG

Starfield turns space exploration into a role-playing framework of planets, cities, factions and ships.

Skills support combat, technology, social interaction and exploration.

Ship construction allows players to change layout, systems and purpose.

Faction questlines provide much of the authored narrative alongside the central story.

Planetary exploration is distributed across many destinations rather than one continuous world.

Starfield is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 16 GB RAM and 125 GB of storage.

Choose it for ship building, faction quests and a broad science-fiction setting.

15. Dune: Awakening

Best multiplayer survival RPG

Dune: Awakening combines open-world survival, crafting and RPG progression on Arrakis.

Players gather resources, build and develop abilities while managing environmental danger.

The shared world introduces cooperation and competition around valuable locations and materials.

Its role-playing is tied closely to survival and progression rather than a traditional party-based campaign.

The Dune setting gives resource control and faction conflict a strong thematic foundation.

It offers single-player and online co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 16 GB RAM and 60 GB of storage.

Choose it for multiplayer survival and a shared science-fiction world. Choose New Vegas or The Outer Worlds 2 for dialogue-driven solo role-playing.

Which open-world RPG should you play first?

Match the recommendation to the experience you want:

• Difficult combat and discovery: ELDEN RING
• A dense futuristic city: Cyberpunk 2077
• Reactive party storytelling: Baldur’s Gate 3
• Faction politics and branching quests: Fallout: New Vegas
• Traditional fantasy freedom: Skyrim Special Edition
• Immersive character storytelling: Red Dead Redemption 2
• Action combat with AI companions: Dragon’s Dogma 2
• Historical medieval simulation: Kingdom Come: Deliverance
• Co-op monster hunting: Monster Hunter Wilds
• Procedural space exploration: No Man’s Sky
• Classic fantasy questing: Oblivion Remastered
• Satirical science-fiction role-playing: The Outer Worlds 2
• Focused first-person fantasy regions: Avowed
• Ships, planets and factions: Starfield
• Shared-world survival RPG systems: Dune: Awakening

ELDEN RING is the strongest overall option for players comfortable with difficult action. Skyrim is more approachable, while Fallout: New Vegas and Baldur’s Gate 3 are better for players who value dialogue and consequences.

What makes an open-world RPG?

An RPG gives players meaningful control over character development, abilities, equipment or decisions.

An open world provides substantial freedom in where to travel and which content to complete.

A game does not need one uninterrupted map to serve the same intent. Baldur’s Gate 3 and Avowed use large regions but still offer non-linear exploration and role-playing choices.

The balance matters. A giant map without meaningful character development is an open-world adventure, while a deep RPG with only linear levels is not an open-world RPG.

Best open-world RPGs for story and choices

Fallout: New Vegas provides the strongest faction structure, where allegiances influence quests and the Mojave’s future.

Baldur’s Gate 3 offers the most reactive party-based story, with companions and environments responding to decisions.

Cyberpunk 2077 combines a central character story with substantial side quests across Night City.

The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed provide more focused regional role-playing from Obsidian Entertainment.

Red Dead Redemption 2 delivers the strongest linear character arc inside a reactive open world, although its traditional RPG systems are lighter.

Best open-world action RPGs

ELDEN RING leads for difficult combat, build variety and discovery.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 emphasizes vocations, party composition and large monsters.

Monster Hunter Wilds focuses on repeatable hunts and equipment crafted from defeated creatures.

Cyberpunk 2077 supports first-person shooting, hacking, stealth and cyberware builds.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance provides slower historical sword combat and progression through training.

Best multiplayer open-world RPGs

Dune: Awakening offers the strongest persistent shared-world survival structure in this selection.

Monster Hunter Wilds supports online cooperative hunts but is organized around targets rather than one uninterrupted shared campaign.

No Man’s Sky allows cooperative exploration and building across its procedural universe.

ELDEN RING includes online co-op and PvP within its action-RPG structure.

Baldur’s Gate 3 supports a cooperative campaign across its large regions.

Best open-world RPGs for lower-spec PCs

Fallout: New Vegas lists 2 GB RAM and 10 GB of storage, the lightest listed requirements here.

Skyrim Special Edition lists 8 GB RAM and 12 GB of storage. No Man’s Sky lists 8 GB RAM and 15 GB.

ELDEN RING requires 12 GB RAM and 60 GB of storage. Cyberpunk 2077 lists 12 GB RAM and 70 GB.

Baldur’s Gate 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2 each list 150 GB of storage.

Minimum requirements do not guarantee ideal performance. Compare the complete current processor, graphics, operating-system and storage requirements with the intended PC before purchasing.

More open-world game guides

Readers seeking a broader selection beyond role-playing can continue with the best open-world games.

Final recommendations

ELDEN RING is the best overall open-world RPG for discovery, challenging combat and character builds. Cyberpunk 2077 leads for urban science fiction, Fallout: New Vegas for faction choices and Baldur’s Gate 3 for reactive party storytelling.

Choose Skyrim Special Edition or Oblivion Remastered for classic fantasy freedom, Kingdom Come: Deliverance for historical realism, Dragon’s Dogma 2 for party action or Monster Hunter Wilds for cooperative hunts.

For science fiction, choose No Man’s Sky for exploration, Starfield for ships and factions, The Outer Worlds 2 for dialogue, or Dune: Awakening for multiplayer survival.

The best open-world RPG is the one where exploration changes more than the map. It should change the character, the available choices and the way the player understands the world.