Open-world games are perhaps the most popular genre for players, and those with a PS5 can find a great selection of open-world games. Yet, sometimes just having an open-world title isn’t enough to engage, and sometimes a challenge is required to maximize fun. With these hardest PS5 open-world games, players can experience the fun of the world and all that’s within, including the greater challenge that awaits.

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The best open-world games don’t always have to include an absurd difficulty. Some allow for a different selection of difficulty, allowing players to choose their challenge for their own comfort when it comes to the engaging combat that they are bound to experience when exploring the vastness of these best open-world games for the PS5.

8 Hogwarts Legacy

After years of waiting, Harry Potter fans received their wish to enroll in Hogwarts. With Hogwarts Legacy, players could immerse themselves in the Wizarding World, and make their own adventure as a student at Hogwarts. Filled with magic and adventure in settings both familiar and unfamiliar, players had much freedom in their style of exploration and fighting abilities.

Although the combat had to be a wand, players can choose between the different styles of magic in Hogwarts Legacy to conquer or pacify their many foes. Players could also choose their difficulty, so the scaling is their choice, but some areas are bound to be harder than others.

7 Death Stranding: Director’s Cut

With Death Stranding, players are supposed to focus on uniting America through parcels, rather than through killing their way across the continent. Death Stranding: Director’s Cut certainly has more ways to play, and there are far more combat areas for players to enjoy. Whether it’s stealth, or going straight into the battle, armed with nothing but urine grenades and shotguns, Death Stranding has it all to those who seek it.

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Death Stranding’s difficulty comes from the fact that its style may be unfamiliar. As a ‘Strand-Type game’, players might struggle to climb the terrains, balance their parcels, and sneak through the armies of MULEs, terrorists, and BTs that can easily kill Sam Bridger if he is not careful.

6 Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut

Armed with a sword and a samurai’s honor, Jin Sakai must wage a one-man war against the invading Mongol forces that have breached the island of Tsushima in Ghost of Tsushima. Jin Sakai is the last line of defense for Tsushima and the one man who can stop the Mongolian forces from invading mainland Japan. Due to these hardships, players might find it difficult, as does Jin Sakai with the option for dishonorable stealth, or honorable assaults.

Choosing the difficulties of Ghost of Tsushima, players can change the enemy attack speeds and the reflexes of Jin Sakai. The Director’s Cut also adds new enemies and mysteries to Iki Island. With a variety of challenging enemies and ways to wield the blade, Ghost of Tsushima can be a challenging experience.

5 Horizon: Forbidden West

Aloy’s journey continues as she braves the Forbidden West, a new frontier for her to explore which features threats familiar and unfamiliar. In Horizon Forbidden West, players will face an expansive open-world, with a beautiful set of graphics to showcase the PS5’s power. Yet, the game boasts difficulty thanks to the different dangers of gigantic mechanical beasts.

This chapter in Aloy’s story is a grand one, and with the arsenal of weapons available for Aloy to wield, players will find fun in trying new ways to fight their enemies, both human and mechanical. The choice of difficulty also allows players to change the way they play.

4 Cyberpunk 2077

Night City is filled with crime, corporate power, and the desire to become a Legend in the Afterlife. Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the best open-world games on the PS5, and the fact that players can choose between difficulty differences makes it a great experience worth multiple playthroughs, especially since different dialogues and actions can determine the fates of certain characters.

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3 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

On the topic of CD Projekt RED, it’s impossible not to mention The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, perhaps one of the most beloved open-world games of recent memory. The game continues the story of Geralt of Rivia, but it’s also a welcome jumping-in point for new players of the series. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt also has difficulty scaling, and some areas, and enemies, might be far too deadly, creating a hard experience for those that seek it.

As players journey through the different islands and areas, they will find the expansive map filled with enjoyment and adventure, as well as a vast array of combat against different types of enemies, both human and monster, which Geralt will use his magic signs, silver sword, crossbow, and steel sword to fight against.

2 Diablo 4

As chaos threatens to eat the hearts at Sanctuary, players must embark into Diablo 4 with the knowledge that combat is at the forefront for survival between the High Heavens and the burning Hells. There are many different abilities to master, and different weapons to fight with. Diablo 4 offers players a lot, and the ever-changing game features new seasonal content to keep players engaged and on edge.

Not only does Diablo 4 feature grand adventure, but the dungeons also offer further difficulties to those who seek it. Players can traverse the lands or the depths below, all in search of loot to become far more powerful than the greatest fears that the game has to offer.

1 Elden Ring

It’s hard for any game to feature a challenge as greater than FromSoftware. Elden Ring is the first time they have embarked on an open-world game, and Elden Ring presents a grand difficulty. Players cannot choose between the difficulty settings, as it is universal, which just proves how everyone can have a hard time here. Elden Ring adapts the “get good” mentality, and players must accept that they will probably die a few times or even more.

The Lands Between are vast, filled with terrors and threats to snuff out the last hopes of civilization. Players can explore different weapons, secret side quests, and an array of armor, magic, and areas to vastly conquer Elden Ring and all it has to offer if they are up for the challenge.

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