Video games seemingly work best when they find a creative blend of emulating real life and forging dynamic game systems. As such, most recent titles don’t force players down endless rows of industrial corridors. Instead, vast open worlds have taken precedence as one of the gaming landscape’s most prolific genres.
As such, the open-world genre has animmense amount of variety; as the world itself can be shaped and molded to the whim of the developer — from gritty depictions of real-life locales and mystical fantasy realms to multi-platform (and console exclusive) genre-defining experiences. This list will delve into the vast gaming catalogs of the most popular consoles to determine which consoles are home to the best open-world game libararies.
7Xbox
Microsoft’s Original Console Library With Exclusive And First-Party Titles
Microsoft’s fledgling Xbox system may have been the ‘new kid on the block,’ but with its increased horsepower and exclusive titles, it was able to carve a legacy for the brand.
Gaining ports of the open-world genre-definingGrand Theft Auto 3, alongside its many sixth-generation sequels, Microsoft also had access to some chart-topping open-world exclusives. Bethesda’sElder Scrollsseries first came to console with the console-exclusive release ofMorrowindon the Xbox in 2002. Beyond that, with its dynamic karma system, Xbox’s first-party franchiseFablealsorevolutionized the open-world landscape.
6Xbox 360
The Most Stable Console Experience For Many Seventh-Generation Classics
While open-world support for Microsoft’s first Xbox console was impressive, their seventh-generation hardware — the Xbox 360 — proved itself as an open-world powerhouse.
Bethesda seemingly hit its open-world RPG stride as they enjoyed the groundbreaking successes of bothThe Elder Scrolls 5: SkyrimandFallout 3while producing the most stable console experience available on Xbox. Beyond this, therecord-shattering salesofGrand Theft Auto 5began on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2015, with a whole host of other Western andJapanese RPGsand other open-world titles elaborating on a blockbuster Xbox 360 library lineup.
5PlayStation 5
Sony’s Newest Console Bolstered By Next-Gen Updates And Experiments
As a result ofSony’s domination of the eighth console generation, the PlayStation 5 has managed to incorporate many of its previous successes in open-world titles into the PS4 successor.
PS4 titles such asMarvel’s Spider-ManandHorizon Zero Dawnnot only received next-generation updates to boost performance fidelity but also received full-blown sequels. BeyondMarvel’s Spider-Man 2andHorizon Forbidden West, FromSoftware — developers of theDark Soulsseries — brought theirhard-as-nails game designto the open-world genre with their widely successfulElden Ring.
4PlayStation 4
The Dominating Console Of The Generation With Astronomical First-Party Content
Dominating the console video game landscape in the eighth console generation, the PlayStation 4 played some of the mosthighly acclaimed open-world titlesof all time. Beyond that, Sony bestowed several open-world first-party exclusives to gamers.
Critical and culturally acclaimed titles such asThe Witcher 3: Wild HuntandRed Dead Redemption 2brought many gamers to their worlds on PS4. However, the PlayStation 4 was also home to first-party open-world exclusives such asMarvel’s Spider-ManandGhost of Tsushima. Bolstering this lineup were more experimental exclusive titles such asHideo Kojima’s open-world courier-esque title,Death Stranding.
3PlayStation 2
The Best-Selling Console Of All Time And Home To Many Open-World Classics
As a result of being thebest-selling video game console of all time— as of the time of writing — the PlayStation 2 not only revolutionized console gaming, but every genre available on it.
The open-world genre foundits magnum opusin October 2001, when Rockstar North’sGrand Theft Auto 3launched on Sony’s console. BeyondGTA 3’s success, the PlayStation 2 was also home to its multiple sixth-generation sequels and multiple first-party open-world exclusives. From artistic statements likeShadow of the Colossusto best-rated movie tie-ins likeSpider-man 2, the PS2 was home to many genre-defining experiences.
2Nintendo Switch
Home To Acclaimed Zelda Titles And Open-World Nintendo Experiments
While the Nintendo Switch hybrid console is home to multiple genre-defining open-world experiences, theacclaim bestowed on the console’s launch title,The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,could be, seemingly, proof of the system’s open-world legacy.
Redefining not only theLegend of Zeldaseries but the open-world genre,Breath of the Wildwas bolstered by itsmuch-loved sequel,Tears of the Kingdom, six years later. Beyond these releases, Nintendo’s first-party open-world support extended to include thePokemonseries' first mainline console titles and theXenoblade Chronicles series' continued expansion withXenoblade Chronicles 3.In addition to these first-party titles, many open-world classics — such asThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, andMinecraft— all came to the platform.
1Xbox Series X & S
A Library Stuffed With Legacy Titles, Modern Classics, And Open-World Sequels
As Microsoft sought to create an overall Xbox gaming ecosystem, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S systems not only provide players with recent open-world chart-toppers, but easy access to open-world masterpieces from throughout the generations.
As one of Xbox’s flagship franchises, Halo saw the launch-window release ofHalo: Infiniteas its first steps into the open-world genre. Beyond this, Bethesda’s new space-based IP,Starfield,bestowed the Xbox Series systems with two high-profile exclusives. With its incorporation ofXbox’s Game Passsubscription service, gamers can play open-world greats such asMorrowind,The Outer Wilds, andSea of Thieves, along with other landmark open-world games likeMinecraftand theForza Horizonseries.
