Open-World Games With the Best Graphics

The latest generation of gaming consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X) had a bit of a slow start, but now players are experiencing games with incredible graphics and technology that weren’t achievable before. This is particularly noticeable in open-world games, where more powerful hardware and faster storage allow developers to create huge, detailed, and realistic environments filled with believable characters.

2025 has seen incredible advancements in game graphics, with many titles looking better than ever. Several long-awaited open-world games have finally launched, raising the standard for the genre. We’ve rounded up the best open-world games available now – they’re not just visually stunning with ultra-realistic graphics, but also incredibly fun and represent the best of modern open-world game design.

We only looked at games specifically made for the newest PlayStation consoles. That means impressive games like Horizon Forbidden West and Cyberpunk 2077 – which you can also play on older PS4 consoles – aren’t included here. The games listed below aren’t ranked in any particular order.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Photorealistic Landscapes and Lifelike Characters

Built using the same powerful engine as Horizon Forbidden West, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a visually stunning game. Its massive world features changing weather, a full day-night cycle, and diverse landscapes – from rivers and mountains to forests and cities. The game also features incredibly realistic character models created using advanced scanning technology, making it one of the most photorealistic games available today.

Though Death Stranding 2’s core gameplay doesn’t reinvent the wheel compared to the first game, it refines and improves everything. Players will unlock new features over time that make exploring, fighting, and delivering items even more engaging. And, being a Hideo Kojima game, it features a cinematic style, stunning futuristic designs for all its vehicles and tools, and long, well-acted cutscenes – all hallmarks of his work.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Dynamic World That Feels Truly Next-Gen

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is currently the most visually stunning and immersive open-world game available, delivering a true next-generation experience. Its massive and diverse depiction of Japan, built with the AnvilNext engine, features incredible detail and far-off views. The game also includes dynamic seasons that change the world and impact gameplay – weather affects things like how quietly you move, how enemies detect you, and more, making each visit to different regions feel fresh and surprising.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows stands out with its detailed, expansive castles packed with treasure and enemies, realistic physics, and impressively destructible environments – things like doors and cloth can be broken apart. The game features two playable characters, each offering a unique and enjoyable approach to both combat and stealth, making it a game well worth waiting for.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Some of the Best-Looking Nature and Architecture in the Genre

One of the most exciting things about today’s visually impressive open-world games is that each major title uses a different game engine. This gives every virtual world its own unique look and atmosphere. It will be interesting to see if this variety continues, as many future big-budget games are starting to use Unreal Engine 5.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 looks stunning, thanks to a significantly upgraded version of the CryEngine. The game focuses on creating incredibly realistic environments – from natural landscapes to medieval towns – and highly detailed characters and horses. Building on the original game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offers a deeper, more refined RPG experience with a story that changes based on your decisions. It’s a much smoother and more enjoyable sequel that improves upon the first game’s ambitious but sometimes flawed design.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Enormous Modern City Explorable at High Speeds

As a huge fan, I can honestly say Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a technical marvel! It’s one of the few open-world games that really nails a modern New York City – you’ve got these incredible skyscrapers, iconic bridges, and even the quieter neighborhoods to explore. And the best part? You can swing and glide everywhere at insane speeds! It’s a massive step up from the first game, with so much more detail. The lighting is gorgeous, the characters look incredibly realistic, and there are tons of unique places to discover, many of which you can actually destroy as you play. It’s just breathtaking.

It’s clear why Spider-Man 2 had such a large budget – the game is a top-tier experience from start to finish. Beyond the stunning graphics, the gameplay is incredibly refined. Each character you can play as feels unique, with well-developed fighting styles and abilities, as you’d expect from a game made by Insomniac and PlayStation.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

James Cameron Fans’ Ticket to Pandora in All Its Glory

Despite a rocky start, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is now a much-improved game. Thanks to consistent updates, downloadable content, and features players asked for – like a third-person camera – plus content connecting to the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash, it’s currently delivering exactly what fans expect from open-world games made by Ubisoft.

Visually, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora remains stunning, and is still one of the most beautiful open-world games available since it launched in 2023. The game vividly recreates the world of Pandora with incredible detail. Fans of James Cameron’s Avatar will appreciate how accurately the planet’s plants, creatures, and Na’vi tribes are represented. The Snowdrop engine also helps the game run smoothly on both computers and consoles.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Among the Best Open-World Unreal Engine 5 Titles of the Generation Yet

When STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl first came out on PC and Xbox in 2024, it had a lot of problems and felt unfinished. However, the developers, GSC Game World, have spent the last year making significant improvements. With the recent release on PS5, STALKER 2 has finally become one of the best open-world games of this console generation, and a great example of what Unreal Engine 5 can do.

Heart of Chornobyl features a beautiful and distinctive world, capturing the iconic post-apocalyptic atmosphere of the original games. It’s engaging both for its exploration and combat, and offers a surprisingly lengthy and complex story that will encourage you to play through it multiple times.

Ghost of Yotei

Spectacular Visuals Coupled With Flawless Performance

Ghost of Yotei is a major PlayStation exclusive that truly impresses with how well it’s made, its stunning graphics, and incredibly smooth performance. It improves on Ghost of Tsushima in every way. The gameplay is so engaging and flows so naturally that players feel completely immersed in the open world, unlike many similar games where it feels like you’re just checking off areas on a map.

Ghost of Yotei is visually stunning, boasting impressive draw distances, detailed particle effects, and realistic characters with expressive facial animations. The game features a diverse range of environments and believable weather effects. Staying true to the series, it also includes unique visual filters – like a black-and-white mode inspired by Kurosawa and another inspired by Miike – that players can activate anytime to customize their experience.

2025-12-18 04:05