With more than fifty thousand games to choose from, for most avid gamers, searching through the Steam store is a little like being a kid in a candy store. Just like in any conventional candy store though, there's generally a limit on how much most players are able to spend, with the amount of time they can afford to dedicate to gaming also being an important factor.
As such, choosing a new game can at times be a little overwhelming, particularly for those who aren't entirely sure what it is they want to play. Thankfully, those looking for the best open-world games on Steam have a decent selection to choose from; ranging from genre-defining classics to more modern titles that help push the genre to all-new heights.
10 Death Stranding
As the size of open-world video games has continued to grow, so too has the need to find creative ways in which to fill those open worlds with something meaningful. A lot of developers resort to using procedural generation or reusing assets in order to pull this off, but Hideo Kojima had other ideas when it came to Death Stranding.
Rather than attempt to fill this emptiness with meaningful content, Kojima instead opted to embrace it, with the desolate landscapes that players are tasked with exploring used to evoke feelings of loneliness and trigger moments of introspection. This, in turn, strengthens the effectiveness of the social strand system and results in a game that is entirely unique.
9 Shenmue I & 2
Many people seem to subscribe to the idea that bigger is better, but this isn't always the case when it comes to open-world games. A lot of the genre's more modern examples can end up feeling bloated due to the sheer size of their maps, many of which are filled with copy-paste components, or, in some cases, nothing at all. In this regard, Yu Suzuki's Shenmue series offers up a refreshing change of pace, not to mention a fascinating look back at the genre's origins.
The first Shenmue game takes place in Yokosuka, Japan, and provides players with an intimate setting that is made to feel a million times larger due to the meticulous levels of detail that went into its creation. The sequel then sees the main protagonist travel over to Hong Kong, where he's free to explore a much bigger and more vibrant sandbox. Despite being significantly larger though, every last pixel remains just as deliberate as it was in the first Shenmue game.
8 Grand Theft Auto 5
The Grand Theft Auto series played a pivotal role in the popularization of open-world video games, with the series' third mainline installment having paved the way for countless similar titles to follow in its wake. Each new game after GTA 3 brought with it more innovation and polish, culminating in the release of Grand Theft Auto 5 in late 2013.
A combination of the game's age and the fact that it has been rereleased across multiple console generations can make it easy to forget just how groundbreaking the game was back when it first hit store shelves. It may not be the best GTA game in terms of its overall impact on the industry, but those aforementioned rereleases have at least ensured that the game still holds up well; securing its place among the very best open-world games on Steam.
7 No Man's Sky
Sometimes, playing an open-world game can feel a little like going through the motions, with players bouncing from objective to objective while trudging begrudgingly across a needlessly large map. Granted, No Man's Sky is one of the larger open-world games out there when it comes to map size, but rather than checking boxes, the game instead places a heavy emphasis on exploration.
To some, the lack of objectives may make the game feel a little pointless, but for many, having the freedom to do as one pleases with no external pressure to return to the main questline can be incredibly liberating. The procedurally generated world on offer is full to the brim with surprises too and can accommodate a wide variety of activities, ranging from elaborate base-building to interstellar space combat.
6 Terraria
When asked to think of an open-world title, most people's minds usually jump to blockbuster series like GTA and The Elder Scrolls. Visually, Terraria couldn't be more different than these popular and groundbreaking franchises, yet the 2D sandbox in which it drops its players is no less impressive than the sprawling locations on offer in other top open-world titles.
Terraria is all about choice, with its easy-to-use crafting system allowing players to shape the world around them as they see fit. Exploration is enjoyable too, with the sheer size of the game's map ensuring that there's always something new to see and experience. It's perhaps not quite on par with Minecraft, but as far as open-world Steam games go, there aren't many better.
5 Cyberpunk 2077
Technical issues aside, Cyberpunk 2077 is an incredible game. There are times when one can only marvel at the depth of its world, which, in spite of its vast scale, feels every bit as alive as any video game setting that came before it or has come since. Simply put, Night City is a masterpiece that will keep on surprising players even after countless hours of exploration.
When everything is working as intended, the game too can be pretty breathtaking. Combat is fluid and customizable, the characters are all deep and well-written, and the overall look and feel of the title serve as a fantastic example of just how far the open-world genre come over the course of the past decade or two.
4 Elden Ring
Rarely does a video game live up to the hype surrounding its launch quite as effectively as Elden Ring. Developed in collaboration with Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin, the FromSoftware title exceeded every expectation, bringing with it a stunning open world full of interesting encounters and hauntingly beautiful locations for Tarnished to stumble upon.
Though combat can at times be challenging, the Lands Between provide players with all of the incentives needed to improve; rewarding them with expansive adventures as they venture into uncharted areas. Fans of the Soulslike subgenre will be in their element here, but those looking for one of the best open-world games on Steam should also come away satisfied.
3 Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar Games is usually one of the first developers that springs to mind when one thinks of open-world video games, with the studio having created many of the genre's very best titles. As of the time of writing, Red Dead Redemption 2 is Rockstar's most recent project when one ignores remasters and rereleases, and, as a result of this, one of its most impressive.
The world of Red Dead Redemption 2 is meticulously crafted, but this alone does not make it a great game. It's the way that the title's engrossing narrative feels perfectly at home there that makes this a game worth experiencing, as evidenced by some of the amazing random encounters that players will find themselves stumbling upon.
2 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls series is revolutionary in a lot of ways, with each installment having helped to further broaden the horizons of the open-world genre. Sadly, not all of the games have aged all that gracefully, with some failing to stack up to modern standards. Oblivion is still worth checking out though, as too is its 2011 successor, Skyrim.
Many consider Skyrim to be one of the best open-world games ever made and it's easy to see why that is. Bethesda's action RPG packs in enough content to keep players busy for hundreds of hours and tries things that other games of its era could only have dreamed of. Its ambition is matched only by its resplendence and the overwhelming sense of adventure and wonder that its sumptuous open world evokes within its players.
1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
So many modern open worlds feel like little more than a large sandbox thrown together with no real purpose other than to contain the gameplay that the developers had in mind. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is different though, with its story and side quests instead serving as a reason to explore its fantastic world.
Most open-world enthusiasts will probably have checked out the popular CD Projekt Red title already, but those who are yet to do so are seriously missing out. The final chapter in Geralt's epic adventure is easily the most enthralling one yet, not to mention one of the best open-world games on Steam.