Top 10 Best Open World Games That Compare To GTA V

Rockstar Games has been dominating the open-world genre for a long time since the release of its Grand Theft Auto titles.

We can say what we want about GTA V but we can't deny how incredibly successful the game has been. You could do almost anything in the game. Race around the streets, fly a jet, play tennis, go on a rampage etc. There's almost nothing you can't do in GTA V.

Plus the whole multiple protagonist feature is a fundamental change to the story that refined the shooting and driving mechanics while tightening the game's narrative and scope is still revolutionary to this day as not many games have done something quite like it.

And while some might rank GTA V as the best open-world game there is, you might want to hold up a bit. Here are the 10 best open world games that we believe could give GTA V a run for its money.

10. Mafia Definitive Edition

This game takes Tommy Angelo, the protagonist, into the fictional city of Lost Heaven Eleanor which was based on Chicago and they did a great job at recreating it. The districts in this game are the most interesting because you have the downtown area with the elevator trains, tall buildings and the way that the city looks during the 1930's where cultures are rapidly evolving and organised crime runs rampant is amazing.

The districts in this game are one of the most interesting things about it. You have the downtown area with the elevator trains, tall buildings, neon lights, then you go on to more factory styled areas where you have the suburbs. There's just a lot to explore here.

It's a straightforward single player narrative that is still fun to explore because of the general outlook of the buildings and It's really cool because we don't get open world games like this often. The world Hangar 13 built in this game looks amazing compared to other open world games and we think it's worth experiencing.

9. Watch Dogs: Legion

This game takes you into a near future London and for many players (myself included) that's the best part of the game. It's fascinating to just explore London because of the way Ubisoft built it. It's incredibly captivating, especially the futuristic way they represented surveillance.

It almost feels like a cyberpunk world that would be cool to check out. The game runs pretty smooth on PlayStation 4, 5 and Xbox Series but it requires a really good PC to run because the elements used in this game might bring your regular PC to its knees but other than that, it's worth it.

And while you may not entirely love some of the gameplay elements Watchdogs Legion offers or its characters, executing open world shenanigans can be pretty satisfying if you give it a chance because you can do a lot of really cool and unusual activities in this game.

8. Ghost of Tsushima

This game is awesome because it takes open world gameplay elements that we've seen in hundreds of games and makes them feel simpler and more meaningful.

Everything you do or discover or whatever side quests you stumble on in the vast Japanese island doesn't really feel like a side quest or anything like that in this game. It all feels directly meaningful to either the story or Jin (the protagonist) such as improving his skills by getting a cool new katana.

The game organically guides you from place to place with visual cues on screen so you're not constantly accessing the mini-map and it's not overblown with a bunch of clutters. The combat and story just makes it a fantastic game all around but the actual open world is beautiful and worthwhile to explore.

7. Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to be the biggest open world game of the year but unfortunately it had various issues after launch which included bugs, glitches and design flaws that made it a little tricky for most people to enjoy.

But we think beneath all its problems and shortcomings, Cyberpunk 2077 is still a pretty solid game. You get to experience Night City itself - this massive Californian cyberpunk city that is set in the future is visually unlike anything you've ever seen in a game.

However, if you're looking for immersion and you explore this world at night with a decent PC or NextGen console you'll discover there's something special here. There's lots of hidden things to discover, weird characters to see and the RPG style is incredible.

6. Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Majority of people will probably just see this one as a glorified DLC (Downloadable Content) but for some players (including us at Naija Nerds) got our money's worth. Part of that is because exploring the world is just as fun as it was with the original Spiderman game on PS4.

You just can't compare anything to swinging around, really. It's so much fun. It's more fun to move around town web-swinging than driving cars around Los Santos in GTA V or any other open world game that has you driving cars or bikes.

So even if you're on a meaningless side quest in Spiderman: Miles Morales, it would still seem fun due to the fact that you're swinging and climbing walls to get there. This game also takes steps to make its side quest interesting and meaningful to developing the world around Miles.

5. Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Valhalla is an open world game but the ancient setting of London makes it cool and fun to explore as a Viking. Cruising around the environment on your boat, through rivers and hopping off your boat to raid or pillage stuff can be quite satisfying.

There's a lot of things to accomplish in this game with various quests just riddling the map to keep you busy. It's also worth pointing out that some of the side quests and characters you stumble upon can be fascinating and Ubisoft just laid it all out there. They gave open world liberty to this Assassin's Creed game more than any other in the past.

Sometimes the game does feel like another one of these high-graphic games that just makes you do random stuff in a massive open world but most times Assassin's Creed Valhalla makes every mission and side quests very cool and entertaining.

4. Microsoft Flight Simulator

If we're writing about the best open world games, it's impossible not to mention the unconventional Microsoft Flight Simulator because this game has basically the whole world. It has real world data streaming in weather patterns and map data that'll give you the experience of flying to anywhere in the world.

It is an absolutely incredible site to behold. What Microsoft created here is very impressive and even if you decide to go for a casual setting and just fly around easily without engaging with the hardcore simulation, it's still going to blow your mind just soaring the skies in what feels like being inside of an actual airplane.

The game design is fantastic as it offers real world effects, physics, wind, ground level detail, and all these things really sell it and make it very engaging like you're actually experiencing a world. When most of the world was locked down due to COVID-19, this was a fun way to go sightseeing.

3. Sleeping Dogs

Square Enix worked so hard to make players feel the bustle of one of the biggest metropolitan areas in Asia. The Hong Kong depicted in the game isn't meticulously accurate but it's incredible and has a lot to offer with its market stalls, traders selling their wares,

The city areas all feel distinctively different with lots of captivating details that beautifully reflect on the rain soaked streets of Hong Kong.

Sleeping Dogs is a starlight city and if Hong Kong has always fascinated you then here's your chance to experience it within a video game character. Despite the game's age, you'll definitely get your money's worth with the remastered version.

2. The Witcher 3

This is another open world game that's held in very high regard. Just like many open world games out there, The Witcher 3 doesn't have the smoothest combat system although it is certainly better than most.

The game's RPG elements and story are some of the best we've ever seen in any video game. The list of characters is very unique and interesting. Everyone has a role to play in the story and in time you eventually connect emotionally about all of them.

The side quests are interesting and most feel like their own short stories. Sometimes they even go as far as overshadowing the main quests. The customisation and upgrade system really gives you a sense of progression as well. If you love RPG games and massive open worlds, it really doesn't get much better than The Witcher 3.

1. Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar Games had a plan and that plan was to make Red Dead Redemption 2 one of the most well-rounded open world games in the wild west. There's almost nothing negative you could say about this game. It is undoubtedly Rockstar's masterpiece.

While its online mode does pale in comparison to GTA V, it's single player story is so much better than that of any Rockstar game. Everytime you think you know what's going to happen next, you get a curveball that makes sense and keeps the story driving forward.

The combat system is solid and very much like GTA V but what really sets RDR2 apart from other open world games is its attention to detail. Just when you think you've seen it all you'll notice the extreme realism of the animals or how detailed Arthur's tracks in the snow can be.

Actually... I'm going to take a break and go play Red Dead Redemption 2 right now. I'll be right back.