It may very well be mentioned that open-world video games encapsulate gaming’s greatest attributes and push them to their logical extremes — they provide absolutely fleshed-out alternate realities for the participant to discover as they want, usually affording them unprecedented ranges of company and freedom in figuring out their path by means of it. An open-world sport has the potential to, nearly actually, change into a second life for the participant to vanish into.
So it ought to come as no shock that among the gaming business’s most prolific titles manifest as open-world video games. As luck would have it, a beneficiant variety of titles are at gamers’ fingertips in the event that they occur to have an energetic Xbox Game Pass subscription. However which world ought to somebody dive into subsequent? What are the greatest open-world video games on Xbox Recreation Go?
Up to date on September 19, 2025 by Mark Sammut: Recreation Go doesn’t welcome new open-world video games each different week, however you continue to have greater than sufficient choices to maintain you busy for years. In case you are unsure what is on the market, I like to recommend trying out all the Game Pass open-world games; in the event you simply need a rundown of the perfect, learn on under.
A sport’s high quality just isn’t the one deciding consider its rating. As an example, if a significant open-world sport has simply been added to Recreation Go, it will likely be listed on the prime initially. Additionally, we’re going to be strict with the definition of “open-world,” so semi-open titles or 2D Metroidvanias will likely be excluded.
1
Grounded 2 (Recreation Preview)
Constructing On A Rock-Stable Basis
Grounded has been a Recreation Go staple for years, and Obsidian’s impressed tackle the survival style remains to be accessible for everybody to play; nonetheless, its sequel is now additionally a part of the subscription service’s Final tier, making it arguably the higher possibility for newcomers. Earlier than saying anything, it must be famous that Grounded 2 is still in early access, so the present marketing campaign just isn’t full. That mentioned, the sport remains to be very playable and improves upon its predecessor in loads of methods, offering a bigger playground together with fine-tuning a lot of the mechanics.
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Grounded 2: All Creatures & Their Loot
There are numerous creatures in Grounded 2, most of whom are bugs, however there are additionally arachnids and mollusks. Every of those could be killed for loot.
Obsidian didn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel; as a substitute, the developer opted to largely follow what labored within the first sport. Luckily, Grounded is a completely implausible open-world co-op sport, so a sequel that provides the identical however extra is an apparent success story. As a solo possibility, Grounded 2 is an above-average survival expertise, however the sport is certainly designed to be performed with pals.
2
Oblivion Remastered
A Nice Remaster Of One Of The Greatest Open-World Video games Of All Time
Rumors apart, Oblivion Remastered was introduced and launched on the identical day, making it immediately one of many greatest initiatives of 2025. Whereas tagged as being a “remaster,” this model offers such a considerable increase in visuals that it does, on the very least, appear to be a distinct sport. Oblivion Remastered is completely attractive and comfortably among the many most visually hanging open-world video games on Recreation Go.
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Gameplay-wise, Bethesda and Virtuous primarily try and protect the unique’s strengths and quirks, albeit with just a few tweaks to assist modernize some elements of the expertise. Regardless of nonetheless being related at its core, the fight advantages from improved enemy suggestions, which makes an enormous distinction to the standard of the motion. The remaster has other improvements as well.
3
S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. 2: Coronary heart of Chornobyl
Welcome To The Zone
For some time, S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. 2: Coronary heart of Chornobyl appeared destined to by no means come out, and the truth that it’s available these days on Recreation Go serves as a testomony to GSC’s dedication and perseverance. Placing apart any query of high quality for the second, S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. 2‘s existence needs to be celebrated. Fortunately, the open-world sport can also be fairly darn nice, so long as subscribers know what they’re stepping into. The franchise has earned a repute for delivering difficult titles that emphasize survival and vulnerability. The 2024 entry might be probably the most accessible but, and it’s nonetheless very tough and able to overwhelming newcomers.
Set inside The Zone, S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. 2 drops gamers right into a cutthroat hellscape outlined by desperation, greed, and relentless survival. There are mutants, magic artifacts, and loads of weapons, even when ammo could be scarce. The world is huge, far surpassing anything within the collection, and regularly gorgeous, a consequence of using Unreal Engine 5. Survival video games usually are not that uncommon, however S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a unique breed that’s wealthy in ambiance and world-building. The gameplay enhances the tone effectively by means of issues like a radiation system and merchandise administration. Even when somebody has by no means performed a S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. sport earlier than, they need to give the newest launch a attempt. That mentioned, they need to put together themselves for the occasional bug.
4
Minecraft
The Final Sandbox
No sport encourages freedom and exploration the best way that Minecraft does. As quickly as gamers spawn into the world, there aren’t any boundaries limiting what they do subsequent. Constructing a mansion within the forest, mining to the depths of the world, or crafting probably the most intricate curler coaster are all choices on the desk.
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Although there aren’t any quests sprinkled all through the world of Minecraft, the flexibility to do something so chosen is the sport’s predominant enchantment. Minecraft is the ultimate sandbox project, and gamers are solely restricted by their creativeness. Mojang’s masterpiece has been an inescapable a part of the gaming business for thus lengthy {that a} advice is pointless by this level. Anybody remotely acquainted with gaming is conscious of Minecraft, they usually nearly actually know if the venture is for them or not. By way of open-world Recreation Go video games, nearly no different venture comes near matching Minecraft‘s significance.
5
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
A Nice Third-Individual Shooter With A Lot Of Content material
I do know that Ubisoft’s open-world video games usually are not extraordinarily common these days, however the writer has produced loads of nice initiatives inside the style. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 has been round for fairly some time by this level, and it provides a really spectacular expertise that may be loved as each an easy PvE romp or a co-op possibility.
Personally, I want to deal with the sport as a single-player RPG set inside a well-realized model of Washington, and it even manages to scratch my looter-shooter itch. Nonetheless, most individuals appear to decide to play with a good friend, which might help make the pretty prolonged marketing campaign go by extra shortly.
6
Skyrim
Timeless Open-World RPG
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has lengthy been a definitive staple of the open-world catalog, and it’s more likely to stay that method till the next chapter of the mainline Elder Scrolls saga manifests. Even at present, gamers nonetheless wander the snowy tundra, lush forests, and decrepit dungeons of Skyrim in droves, which isn’t any imply feat contemplating the bottom sport was launched in 2011.
If for some purpose somebody is but to embark on the epic story of the Dragonborn, now’s nearly as good a time as any. And in the event that they have already got, then they will choose from an in depth number of mods which can be accessible for Xbox consoles and fabricate a brand new twist on a well-recognized journey.
7
Palworld
A Mix Of Ideas That Works Surprisingly Effectively
Popping out of nowhere and immediately establishing itself as considered one of Recreation Go’s greatest open-world video games, Palworld is sort of unbelievably good, particularly contemplating it’s nonetheless in Recreation Preview. Pocket Pair aimed for the celebrities by delivering a venture that, on paper, seems to unfold itself too skinny to supply any actual depth in a single subject; nonetheless, in some way, the 2024 sport comes collectively to create a surprisingly cohesive expertise. Now, that is nonetheless an early entry launch that could be a work in progress, so anybody who jumps in ought to count on to come across just a few bugs and points alongside the best way. Palworld runs fairly effectively for such a launch, however it’s nonetheless a methods off from completion, so expectations needs to be saved real looking. That mentioned, the present model has greater than content material to justify a advice by itself, all with the data that the long run ought to include a stream of recent updates.
What is Palworld? Effectively, that query is considerably tough to reply. Earlier than its debut, it was described as “Pokemon with weapons,” a reductive assertion that holds some reality however hardly paints a full image. Set in a reasonably spectacular open-world, Palworld is – firstly – a survival exploration sport. Gamers might want to arrange a base, handle their meals, and craft objects to extend productiveness and shield themselves from the weather. That’s all effectively and good, however the novelty comes from the introduction of Buddies. Gamers can catch a large assortment of monsters who match differing types. Together with serving to out in battles, Buddies are additionally essential for exploration and base-building. They even have to be taken care of since additionally they get hungry.
Palworld casts a large internet that permits it to cater to varied audiences. Individuals craving to catch all of them will discover an attractive monster-collection sport with well-designed creatures with a real function. Survival followers will discover a pretty accessible expertise that provides depth and problem by means of its fight and crew administration. In the meantime, gamers who want to discover a fresh-feeling realm will discover loads to like in Palworld‘s open-world. Whereas not the largest or probably the most lovely setting within the style, Palpagos Islands is a enjoyable sandbox to discover.
8
Forza Horizon 5
Drive By Mexico
Playground Video games’ Forza Horizon collection has served as a dependable supply for bold open-world racing video games, and the fifth entry maintains the excessive customary synonymous with the license. Set in Mexico, Forza Horizon 5‘s map is significantly extra various than its quick predecessor, with every area having its personal aesthetic that permits it to face out.
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Like with all of those video games, Forza Horizon 5 blends real looking visuals and an genuine world with over-the-top arcade-style gameplay, and it’s a match made in heaven. Playground persistently crafts sandboxes which can be only a blast to drive round in, and FH5‘s map is overflowing with content material that caters to each single-player and multiplayer preferences
9
Diablo 4
Flawed Fashionable Take On A Basic RPG Components
Blizzard’s newest video games appear to reliably entice controversy. Whereas garnering a optimistic reception at launch, Diablo 4‘s reputation turned sour incredibly quickly, with the goodwill not even surviving till the launch of the primary season. These days, the motion RPG looks like a little bit of an afterthought that’s struggling to draw consideration past its core playerbase, which could be fairly unstable. Consequently, Diablo 4‘s Xbox Recreation Go debut was not as thrilling of an occasion because it arguably ought to have been, regardless of the sport being comfortably one of many greatest names added to the service in 2024.
With all of the negativity, one can be forgiven for forgetting that Diablo 4 remains to be an honest isometric hack and slash sport. Positive, the endgame may very well be considerably higher, and among the post-launch updates did extra hurt than good. Nonetheless, the marketing campaign is usually strong, providing almost 30 hours of leisure. Clearly, Diablo has by no means been about the primary story, however that doesn’t imply gamers can’t deal with the 2023 entry as a single-player expertise with a definitive ending.
Earlier than its launch, Diablo 4 marketed its open-world closely because it was a primary for the collection. Sanctuary is massive, various sufficient, and crammed with replayable content material due to the procedurally generated dungeons. It isn’t superb, however there usually are not all that many open-world hack and slash initiatives.
10
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Journey Throughout Earth’s Skies
Not each one that owns an Xbox Sequence X/S will gravitate towards Microsoft Flight Simulator, however there are undoubtedly individuals who particularly bought the console to play this flight sim. After spending a yr as a PC unique, Asobo Studio’s venture lastly made its strategy to Microsoft’s newest {hardware}, and even a few years after its launch, the 2021 launch remains to be among the many console’s most spectacular technical showcases. As its title suggests, the sport seeks to precisely recreate the expertise of piloting a airplane, a minimum of to the purpose that gaming permits. Whereas considerably real looking, Flight Simulator is comparatively accessible by the subgenre’s requirements, so newcomers who’ve by no means sat down in a digital cockpit can depend on an in depth tutorial to show them the fundamentals.
Typically, Flight Simulator‘s gameplay is structured round flight plans, that are linear by design. Nonetheless, gamers are given free rein in how they strategy routes since they will plan their very own flights by means of the World Map mode. Basically, Earth is Microsoft Flight Simulator‘s open-world, and whereas gamers won’t have the ability to land and go for a stroll, they will witness the planet’s majesty from the skies.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 can also be accessible on Recreation Go.
