CD Projekt Red was a company that most people considered to be one of the greatest AAA studios of all time, and it's easy to see why this was the case at one point — the company started from exceedingly humble beginnings in the form of the very first Witcher title, a game that showed a ton of promise but not really a ton of polish. So, to see such a fledgling game studio end up wowing fans all over the globe with the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was an extremely cathartic moment for most gamers in general.
There aren't really that many open-world games that capture the magic of The Witcher 3 all that well — after all, not many games can deliver the same level of excellence when it comes to the story, world design, gameplay, combat, characters, and everything else along the same lines. However, the following ten games do come pretty close in this regard.
10 Red Dead Redemption 2
In terms of open-world games with excellent stories, it goes without saying that Red Dead Redemption 2 deserves a mention for obvious reasons.
Rockstar truly went above and beyond the call of duty in order to develop one of the greatest titles the studio has ever produced, featuring a brilliant tale and an amazing open-world that will definitely keep fans occupied all the way to the very end.
9 Grand Theft Auto V
Of course, it would be impossible to bring up a brilliant open-world title without mentioning what is easily one of the most popular and important titles in the company's history. Grand Theft Auto V was a landmark title for the series that ended up pushing the boundaries of gaming itself to a whole new level.
While most people generally tend to focus on the online aspect of things when it comes to Grand Theft Auto V, the fact of the matter is that the single-player experience is one-of-a-kind and something that no gamer should miss out on.
8 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Hideo Kojima's exit from Konami was an extremely controversial one, but one thing that fans can be happy about is the fact that he went out with a bang. The Phantom Pain is easily one of the greatest games in the series and serves as a fitting — albeit slightly disappointing — conclusion to the story of Metal Gear.
The sheer amount of freedom people have in exploring the open world and tackling missions is amazing, and goes to show just how amazing these games could've been if Kojima was allowed to work without being pushed down by the decisions of the higher-ups at Konami.
7 Fallout: New Vegas
Out of all the games in the modern iterations of the Fallout series, one can easily say that New Vegas has the best story and characters of the lot. Obsidian Entertainment clearly brought their A-game to this title, featuring an amazing narrative and some of the most memorable moments in gaming history.
While the game's release was marred with its fair share of bugs, mods and fan-made patches can definitely fix this experience quite a bit and allow players to enjoy one of the greatest open-world Fallout games of all time.
6 Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
While the story of Dragon's Dogma might not necessarily be its strongest point, the game certainly accomplishes everything else it sets out to do with the utmost finesse.
The combat of the game is stellar — after all, Capcom certainly know how to make the combat in their games infinitely enjoyable — and the world is packed to the brim with interesting places to explore, making for an enjoyable title that will keep fans entertaining throughout their journey for upwards of 40 hours... and that's not even taking into consideration the extra content in this enhanced version!
5 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
The latest entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise is something that most people wrote off due to Ubisoft's less-than-stellar reputation of crafting uninteresting open-world titles, which is quite a shame since Assassin's Creed Valhalla is genuinely an interesting title that no fan of excellent open-world titles should miss out on.
Gamers wanted a Viking-themed Assassin's Creed title for the longest time, and Valhalla definitely doesn't disappoint in that regard. Of course, it helps that the visual design of the title is strikingly similar to The Witcher 3 as well.
4 Dying Light
Dying Light is a game that slowly but surely rose up the ranks as an interesting open-world title that players would definitely enjoy... especially if they loved games like Mirror's Edge and wanted more games to adopt the parkour system in that title.
Zombie games might be something that most gamers are tired of, but it's the deft manner in which Dying Light integrates all its other mechanics in the title that make for an experience that is both unique and enjoyable.
It's no wonder why people are hyped to the moon for the sequel.
3 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Warhorse Studios definitely didn't pull any punches when it came to developing their first-ever game — an ambitious open-world title that truly hammered in the sense of realism and desperation associated with its medieval setting. The end result was a brilliant game by the name of Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
While Kingdom Come: Deliverance didn't really release to unanimous praise — namely due to the slew of bugs that plagued the title upon release — there's no denying the fact that Warhorse Studios put in everything they had into this brilliant open-world title, which is definitely an enjoyable experience one people end up getting into the title.
2 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Breath of the Wild is considered by many to be one of the greatest and most open-world titles of all time, and the fact that modern games are trying their hardest — and failing — to capture the magic that made this game so special is a testament to just how amazing this title really is.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild ends up reinventing a franchise that was stuck between a rock and a hard place for quite some time, modernizing the series for a new generation of gamers who can't wait to see what the franchise has in store for them now.
1 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
In terms of open-world titles that invoke a sense of awe when it comes to the exploration itself, nothing comes close to the brilliance of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Bethesda's reputation was definitely at an all-time high when Skyrim was launched, allowing gamers to experience a masterful display of open-world design coupled with some truly memorable moments that would stick with players long after they've completed this open-world title... that is, if they ever manage to reach the ending.