The Biggest Upcoming Open-World Adventure Games

Open-world games remain incredibly popular, consistently delivering new and exciting places to explore and the chance to be the hero of a grand story. Many of the most hyped upcoming games fall into this genre, even if they’re still a ways off. Luckily for fans, there’s always a new expansive world to get lost in for hours on end.

2026 is shaping up to be an incredible year for open-world games, with highly anticipated releases planned almost every month. These games, from established developers, are expected to significantly impact the genre. We’ll be highlighting the biggest upcoming adventure games that put players in control, allowing them to explore freely while experiencing captivating stories and events.

The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin

Kicking the Year With a Colorful Blast

I’m really excited about The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin! It’s coming out super soon and looks like one of the first big open-world action games of the year, and the best part? It’s totally free! It reminds me a lot of Where Winds Meet, which already blew up and got over 10 million players. You can play Origin by yourself and enjoy the story, or team up with up to three friends for some awesome action and exploration. Either way, it’s set in a beautiful open world called Britannia that really captures the feel of the original manga and Netflix series. I can’t wait to jump in!

The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin immediately draws you in with its stunning graphics and vibrant world. You play as Prince Tristan of Liones, embarking on a large-scale adventure across time and space to save the kingdom. While the game features exciting battles, it offers much more than just combat. You can explore for hidden treasures, enjoy relaxing activities like fishing and cooking, meet and assist other characters, collect and ride different creatures, and even command your own customized ship to discover new lands.

Crimson Desert

A Possible New Benchmark

Crimson Desert is one of the most anticipated game releases of early 2026. After years of development, Pearl Abyss is preparing to launch this massive open-world adventure, promising a scale players haven’t experienced in a long time. The game clearly draws inspiration from popular open-world titles like The Witcher 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, and The Legend of Zelda, and looks incredibly appealing, packed with engaging gameplay and endless possibilities.

In Crimson Desert, you’ll explore the expansive and perilous continent of Pywel as Kliff of the Greymane, embarking on a journey to avenge his lost friends. While the game features a rich, cinematic story with many characters and cutscenes, it’s the immersive world and exciting combat that really shine. You’re free to pursue your own path, completing side quests, hunting, gathering resources, crafting items, and engaging in both large battles and individual duels. Plus, you can find mystical gates throughout Pywel that lead to the mysterious Abyss, where even more secrets await.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

Relive the Legend of Brick-Built Gotham

LEGO games have consistently improved with each release, becoming more expansive and well-made. That’s why LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is generating so much buzz – it has the potential to be the definitive, action-filled Batman game that DC fans have been waiting for. Players can explore a sprawling, open-world Gotham City, complete with famous locations like Arkham Asylum, Ace Chemicals, and Wayne Tower. LEGO Batman strives to deliver everything fans love about the character, all wrapped up in the classic LEGO style.

In LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, you’ll experience the complete story of Bruce Wayne’s transformation into Batman. You’ll build relationships with key allies and battle famous villains from both comics and films. The game starts with Batman’s training with the League of Shadows, and then lets you create your own Batcave, complete with a variety of Batmobiles and Batcycles, plus gadgets for gliding and grappling through the city. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight offers a flexible gameplay experience, combining exciting action combat with stealth, detective work, and smooth combo moves, inspired by the Batman: Arkham series.

Subnautica 2

Dangerous Depths Ahead

Despite some challenges last year involving Krafton and the developers of Unknown Worlds Entertainment, Subnautica 2 is now getting ready to launch into early access this year, and fans are hoping for smooth sailing from here on out. Building on the success of the original Subnautica – a beloved underwater survival and exploration game enjoyed by millions – Subnautica 2 promises an even more immersive experience. Players will be able to explore new underwater environments and ancient ruins, discover unique creatures, craft items, build bases, and survive – all on their own or with friends.

In Subnautica 2, players explore a brand-new, alien ocean planet, acting as true pioneers of the deep. They’ll discover and study fascinating new creatures, and can use their findings to genetically modify their character for better underwater survival. A compelling new story unfolds as players delve deeper into the mysteries of this strange ocean, striving to understand its complexities. The game also features a completely redesigned building system, giving players more creative freedom and tools to build unique bases.

Fable

May Mark a New Era

After being pushed back from its initial 2025 release, Fable is now expected to be one of the biggest open-world RPGs of 2026. Despite its potential to launch a new chapter for Playground Games, fans haven’t seen much of the game yet. The developers have kept the project under wraps, only offering small previews of its world and how it plays. Still, Fable remains highly anticipated by open-world RPG fans, thanks to the popularity of the original games and the impressive footage shown so far.

The Fable series has always been known for its exciting adventures, reimagining classic fairy tale stories with a uniquely British sense of humor and surprising twists. The new Fable appears to continue this tradition, promising quirky characters, everyday scenarios, and comedic performances. It also aims to explore what it truly means to be a hero, all while maintaining a serious tone and presenting impactful choices. Fans are eagerly awaiting more details, and the Xbox Developer Direct in January 2026 seems like a likely place to finally get a confirmed release date.

Light No Fire

Planet-Sized Ambition

A lot of new open-world games are striving for unprecedented size and scope, and Light No Fire is leading the charge. Developed by Hello Games, the creators of No Man’s Sky and known for their skill with procedurally generated worlds, this game aims to build a believable fantasy world that’s planet-sized. What makes it particularly exciting is the team’s plan to blend automatically generated content with carefully designed elements. They want to offer players the freedom to define their own adventures while also providing a rich story, a sense of discovery, and opportunities for collaborative gameplay.

Light No Fire lets you team up with friends or other players to do almost anything you can imagine – complete quests, explore, create items, build structures, and more. While the main story is still a mystery, the developers aim to combine the freedom of sandbox games with a compelling narrative, hoping to keep players engaged through interesting characters, locations, and mysteries, not just beautiful graphics. This ambitious and exciting new take on open-world games has quickly become one of the most highly anticipated titles for many players.

The Witcher 4

A Genre-Defining Return

While we likely won’t see The Witcher 4 in 2026, it’s shaping up to be a major game that could set the standard for open-world action RPGs, much like the previous Witcher game did. CD Projekt RED has built a reputation over the last decade as a leading and innovative open-world developer, and they appear to be preparing to launch their most ambitious project to date.

Everything we’ve seen of the new Witcher game so far is actually from a demonstration of the Unreal Engine 5 technology – it’s meant to give you a sense of the game’s look and feel. Like The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 before it, the game will focus on a strong, story-driven adventure. Expect lots of detailed and unique quests, beautiful and varied environments – including cities as lively as Novigrad – new monsters to hunt, and plenty of new characters, potentially even some not featured in the original books. For anyone who enjoys open-world adventures, The Witcher 4 looks incredibly promising – now it’s just a matter of waiting to see more!

2026-01-13 08:36