What’s the Best Open-World Game Story Ever? Gamers Are Split

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Open-world games often struggle to tell compelling stories. The freedom these games offer can clash with a traditional, focused narrative. Gamers are currently discussing which open-world titles do manage to pull it off. Strong stories need tension, a sense of immediacy, and well-paced events, but these can get lost in vast worlds, side quests, and the player’s ability to explore at will. It’s common to play an open-world game where the plot feels disjointed, even in the best examples. For instance, the urgent, world-ending stakes of Skyrim‘s main story feel less important if you spend most of your time doing other things. However, some open-world games successfully blend their gameplay and storytelling.

I was scrolling through r/videogames the other day and saw this post from NoahDoyleeee512 asking for open-world game recommendations. They’re looking for something to really sink their teeth into this summer, because last year they spent a whopping 110 hours playing through Elden Ring in one go! They mentioned Red Dead 2 is their all-time favorite, but haven’t really explored a ton of other open-world titles. They did try the Spider-Man games, but weren’t super impressed. The comment section is a bit of a debate, but there are so many great suggestions for story-driven open-world games. It’s a really helpful thread if you’re looking for something new to play!

The Best Open-World Games with Strong Stories

  • Cyberpunk 2077 & The Phantom Liberty DLC
  • The Witcher 3 & DLC
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance/Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
  • Red Dead Redemption/Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Grand Theft Auto 4/Grand Theft Auto 5
  • Bully
  • Death Stranding/Death Stranding 2
  • Metal Gear Solid 5
  • Horizon Zero Dawn/Horizon Forbidden West
  • Fallout 3/New Vegas/Fallout 4/Fallout 76
  • Morrowind/Oblivion/Skyrim
  • Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom
  • NieR: Automata
  • Sleeping Dogs
  • Ghost of Tsushima/Ghost of Yotei
  • Two Worlds 2
  • Dragon Age: Inquisition
  • Elden Ring
  • Days Gone
  • Monster Hunter: World
  • Monster Hunter Rise
  • Monster Hunter Wilds

Some games that were not open world were recommended and, for the sake of brevity, omitted here.

Looking at the top open-world game recommendations reveals a few key things. First, almost all of them are big-budget, ‘AAA’ titles – there aren’t many suggestions for smaller, independent open-world games. Second, these games handle storytelling in very different ways, ranging from clear, direct plots to immersive world-building and extensive lore. Finally, several prominent game developers and studios keep appearing, including CD Projekt Red, Rockstar Games, Kojima, Bethesda, Nintendo, and Capcom, among others.

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Interestingly, a recent TopMob poll of the greatest games ever made included five titles also praised by Redditors in this discussion. TopMob readers ranked the top 10 as follows: Red Dead 2, Skyrim, Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, Batman: Arkham City, Resident Evil 4, God of War (2018), Metal Gear Solid, Cyberpunk 2077, and God of War Ragnarok. The top four – Red Dead 2, Skyrim, Elden Ring, and The Witcher 3 – all received recommendations, and Cyberpunk 2077 also appears on both lists.

Things get trickier when you really start to dig in. I initially criticized the story in Skyrim, but it was also voted as one of the best and recommended for its storytelling. This, along with criticism of other recommended games’ stories, raises a big question: what even makes a story in a video game?

One Reddit user, Routine-Secret-413, pointed out that the game Elden Ring doesn’t have a traditional story, but rather rich lore—detailed history, world-building, and mythology, partially created by George R.R. Martin. They argued that while the game’s background is impressive, the main plot—what actually happens to your character—is very simple: wake up, defeat powerful bosses, and become the Elden Lord. They felt calling it one of the best stories ever told was a significant exaggeration. While technically correct if you strictly define ‘story,’ applying such a narrow definition to open-world games like Elden Ring doesn’t really fit.

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I understand many people feel this way, but it doesn’t really make sense to expect video game stories to be told in a strictly linear fashion, like a movie, novel, or play. Each type of media is unique. However, video games are often judged by standards that only apply to experiences you consume from beginning to end, like books and films. While those mediums might have some hidden details, most people experience them in a very similar way.

When we talk about movies, we distinguish how we watch them – streaming, in theaters, at home, and so on. But video game experiences, especially in open-world games, are fundamentally different. So why should we expect them to tell stories in the same way? Isn’t the environment itself a form of storytelling? What about the detailed world-building? Even a small quest can be a story in its own right. Maybe instead of looking for a traditional, complete narrative arc, we should appreciate the unique ways video games tell stories to each player. Because no two players experience the same story in an open-world game, and that’s reflected in the games we’ve recommended.

It’s possible to both criticize Skyrim‘s story and still see why people love it. While the main quest can feel slow because the game lets you explore freely, that freedom is the story, isn’t it? It’s about wandering a vast land and becoming a powerful hero – whether that’s an Elden Lord, a Dragonborn, a Witcher, a Courier, Link, a Ghost, or a Hunter.

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2026-05-04 12:05