Great Open-World Games You Cannot Buy Anymore

It used to be simple to find and buy many open-world games online. However, some have recently become unavailable for purchase. This is often due to expired licenses, music rights issues, or decisions by the game publishers themselves. Ultimately, these games have been removed from official digital stores and are no longer sold.

It’s not too late to enjoy these games. While they’re no longer easily available for purchase digitally, players who already bought them can still access them. New players can find physical copies for sale. They might take a little more effort to find, but these games still offer incredible worlds to explore for those who are dedicated.

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Forza Horizon 4

Delisted Due To Expiring Licenses

A wide-open racing game set in a depiction of Great Britain with seasons that constantly change how the world feels.
Players can drive hundreds of real cars, explore landscapes, and join races or events at their own pace.

What made Forza Horizon 4 special was how much freedom it offered players. You could drive anywhere on the map – along the coast, through castles, or across the countryside – either racing with friends or simply exploring at your own pace. The game also featured a huge variety of cars and race types, from off-road dirt races to traditional road races and long-distance cross-country challenges.

The game will be removed from digital stores like Steam and the Xbox Store on December 15, 2024, meaning new players won’t be able to purchase it after that date. This is because the developers couldn’t renew the licenses for certain music and branded content used in the game. However, anyone who already owns the game, either digitally or as a physical copy, will still be able to play it.

Driver: San Francisco

Open-City Car Chase

Story-driven driving adventure where the player controls an undercover cop in an open-world version of San Francisco.
The game’s signature feature is Shift, which lets players jump instantly from one car to any other on the road.

I loved Driver: San Francisco because it was all about these crazy, over-the-top car chases! What made it so different was that instead of getting out of your car, you could instantly ‘Shift’ into any vehicle you saw. It really felt like you were in a high-speed action movie, and the best part was you were always driving – even when you were Shifting between cars, you were still behind the wheel! It kept the focus entirely on the cars and the chase.

The game Driver: San Francisco disappeared from online stores in 2016 because its licenses for cars and music ran out, and Ubisoft decided not to renew them. Despite this, Driver: San Francisco remains important in the racing world. Its innovative open-world driving and unique ‘Shift’ feature were standouts when many other racing games focused on traditional tracks or straightforward missions.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Web-Swinging In Manhattan

Players swing as Spider-Man across New York, complete missions, and battle classic villains.
Inspired by the movie of the same name, it aimed to give players freedom to explore the skyscrapers and streets of NYC.

When The Amazing Spider-Man was released, it was a groundbreaking game that truly captured the feeling of swinging through the city, mirroring the comic books. Players could freely explore a detailed and lively Manhattan, completing side missions, stopping crimes, and advancing the main story, all while uncovering hidden secrets and facing off against villains. Unfortunately, as a game based on a licensed character, its availability for digital purchase was limited by expiring contracts.

Back in January 2017, digital copies of The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel were removed from online stores like Steam, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Store. This meant new customers could no longer purchase the games digitally. However, players who had already bought the digital versions could still access and play them, and those with physical copies could continue to play those as well.

The Crew

Cross-Country Open-World Racing Experience

A huge open-world racing game where players explore the United States.
Drive on highways, off-road, and join challenges with friends online.

Originally released in 2014, The Crew was Ubisoft’s attempt to create a huge, open-world street racing game. Unlike traditional racing games, it let players drive across a digital version of the entire United States, participating in races, hanging out with friends, or simply exploring at their leisure. However, The Crew always required an internet connection to function, meaning even single-player activities depended on Ubisoft’s servers. There was no offline mode, so if the servers went down or a player lost connection, the game wouldn’t run. In December 2023, Ubisoft announced that The Crew and all its versions would be removed from digital stores, and online services would end in March 2024, citing problems with server infrastructure and licensing. Once the servers shut down, the game became unplayable, even for those who owned it.

When the game servers were shut down, many players were unable to play The Crew, leading to widespread frustration. This sparked the “Stop Killing Games” movement, with fans arguing that games should remain playable even after servers are turned off. Currently, as of early 2026, there’s no official way to play the game because Ubisoft’s servers are still offline and the game lacks an offline mode. However, fans have developed The Crew Unlimited, a project that uses a custom server to potentially allow players to run the game on their own computers.

Fuel

Features One Of The Largest Open-World Racing Maps

Massive open-world racing in a post-apocalyptic United States with changing weather and giant landscapes.
The game’s map was one of the largest ever seen on consoles at the time, encouraging free exploration and races across deserts, forests, and mountains.

One of the most impressive features of Fuel was its massive map. Players could drive freely across 14,400 square kilometers of terrain without any loading screens interrupting their journey. The open world featured dynamic weather like tornadoes and sandstorms, and beautiful scenery ranging from wide-open plains to steep mountains. Instead of being restricted to fixed tracks, players could forge their own paths, discovering new races and challenges along the way. The game offered a diverse selection of over thirty vehicles – including motorcycles, trucks, and buggies – each handling differently on the rough and broken roads of the wasteland.

Currently, the game Fuel isn’t available for purchase digitally on platforms like Steam or PlayStation/Xbox stores, and it hasn’t received a re-release or updated version. This means the only way to play it is with the original physical disc on compatible consoles – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, or PC.

Fable 3

Choice-Driven Fantasy World Lost From Digital Storefronts

Players fight for freedom and eventually rule a kingdom full of moral choices and consequences.
The game’s world blends open exploration with character growth, quests, and a story where choices shape how NPCs treat the hero.

Fable 3 let players return to the world of Albion, where they started a rebellion against a cruel brother and eventually became king or queen. A unique feature was how player choices truly shaped the game world – being kind or cruel influenced the villagers, the availability of resources, and ultimately, the story’s conclusion.

The PC version of Fable 3 relied on Microsoft’s Games for Windows Live service. When Microsoft stopped supporting that service, it became impossible to sell the game on platforms like Steam. As a result, Fable 3 was removed from online stores, so it’s no longer available for purchase digitally. However, players who already own a digital copy or the physical disc can still play the game.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles

Street Racing Sandbox Delisted From The PS3

A fast-paced street racing game set across a large open map based on Los Angeles, with day-night cycles and traffic to weave through.
Custom cars, multiplayer races, and the buzz of illegal street culture defined its lively open-city design.

Rockstar’s Midnight Club: Los Angeles delivered thrilling open-world racing where traffic added to the excitement, rather than being something to avoid. It’s a remarkably large game with a huge city to explore, offering diverse racing environments and plenty of hidden shortcuts for players to find.

First appearing in 2008 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Midnight Club: Los Angeles was removed from digital stores on both consoles. It became available again on Xbox 360 in April 2021, but the PS3 version hasn’t been officially re-released. Luckily, players who want to experience the game can still find used physical copies for the PS3.

2026-02-22 20:11