The open-world genre appeared before the HD generation of consoles. The Grand Theft Auto series might be the biggest example on both the PS1 and PS2. However, the technology built within the Xbox 360 and PS3 made it easier than ever to create large open worlds bigger than anything that players had ever seen before.
Some of these games helped to create franchises that are still alive today while other examples helped the genre to evolve into something more. The simple question is what were the best open-world games that came out during the PS3 era? There are a lot of choices to name in just one breakdown, but the following examples are essential experiences that still hold up well today and should definitely not be missed.
8 Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is the best game in the Assassin's Creed series during this generation because it gave fans more than just the land to explore. Ship battles appeared before this entry, but they were a focus in Black Flag.
The mechanics worked just as well as the stealth gameplay and counter combat. There was a lot to see and explore across the ocean waves. Sequels have tried to recapture the awe of sailing around the world but none have come close to succeeding.
7 Batman: Arkham City
The first game in the Batman: Arkham series was a surprise hit as it was a good Batman game on top of being a good 3D Metroidvania. Games based on superheroes were rarely good up to this point, but this series changed everything for the better and paved the way for a new era of superhero games.
Batman: Arkham City expanded the gameplay scope of the original and placed Batman in an open-world. It was what every sequel should strive to be. The world was bigger, there were more iconic villains, and the combat was much tighter. Years later, it’s still a blast to play on the original hardware or through remastered ports.
6 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is a game that needs no introduction or hype train to get people on board. It debuted in 2011 and has graced nearly every console since then. There is even a way to play the full game in VR and it’s a good version too.
Every version of the game is an experience all on its own but one thing is for sure: Skyrim changed the way developers made open-world games as it was like the blueprint minus all of the glitches. There are bigger open worlds now, but, again, this game changed everything and arguably made those bigger experiences possible.
5 Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is another game from Bethesda that changed the gaming industry. It bought the classic top-down RPG series into a more modern era. The 3D worked well enough and, while janky, it was fun to shoot the ever-loving sin out of raiders, mutants, and other wild creatures.
It’s amazing that this game, and its sequel New Vegas, never received remastered editions, unlike Skyrim, which has already gotten several. Maybe this RPG shooter is more niche than Skyrim but there is certainly a dedicated group of players that swear by this one more.
4 Ni no Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch was a return to the more classic RPGs of the PS1 era. It was still modernized as well such as allowing players the ability to run around the battle arena even though it was a turn-based RPG and was therefore confined by a lot of the associated limitations.
The world was absolutely huge and was littered with side quests and funny little creatures called Familiars that players could recruit akin to the Pokemon series. Not many RPGs from this era tried to be as old school as this and succeeded. It’s also just a fantastic-looking game visually thanks to the Studio Ghibli-inspired designs.
3 Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption was the first big open-world western in quite some time. It was a genre that was all over the 8-bit era but sort of died along with movies featuring cowboys in the 90s. It could be described as Grand Theft Auto with horses but it was so much more than that.
The story took more chances and the end had a surprising twist that seemingly no one saw coming. It’s another game from this era that doesn’t have a remastered version which is truly baffling. Red Dead did at least get a sequel in 2018 though, which was also a fantastic open-world game.
2 Saints Row: The Third
Saints Row: The Third is the best open-world city game that came out during this generation. The PS2 Grand Theft Auto games had serious tones to them but were overall wacky adventures in the end. The balance was good but that balance died during the HD generation and the Saints Row series saw an opportunity and ran with it.
There is too much wild stuff to go over that makes this the most memorable entry in the Saints Row series, like turning into a toilet and firing uzis wildly at enemies. It has been hard for the series to outdo this masterpiece since then, with the 2022 reboot falling flat by comparison.
1 Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogs is a gritty detective story, also set in an open-world city. The thing that makes this stand out from other games of this ilk is the martial arts combat and general Asian influences. It is like a John Woo film without the director getting involved.
It is amazing that this game was built on the bones of the very average True Crime series, which, like Saints Row, started life as a GTA clone. Thankfully, Square Enix saw potential and helped get the game back on track with the help of United Front Games. Sadly, it never received a sequel but the remaster was a decent consolation prize.
