Best Open World Games That Offer Total Freedom

10 October 2025

Ever booted up a game and thought, “You know what? I'm not following the story today—I’m just gonna chase squirrels, drive off cliffs, or build a cabin on a mountaintop for no reason”? If that’s your vibe, then you're clearly into open-world games that give you the freedom to create your own story. And hey, you're not alone.

Open-world games have become the ultimate sandbox for players who love doing things their own way. No rails. No forced missions. Just you, a vast digital world, and a million ways to waste five hours that were supposed to be spent "just checking it out for 10 minutes."

So buckle up, grab your virtual backpack, and let’s dive into the best open-world games that offer total, glorious freedom.

What Makes an Open World Game Truly Free?

Before we start listing off titles like a kid in a candy store, let’s get on the same page. What do we mean by “total freedom”?

We’re talking about games that don’t just let you roam a big map, but actively encourage you to explore, make choices, ignore the main quest—or follow it—and craft your own journey.

Think of it like a digital playground. You can:

- Build your own base
- Decide who’s friend or foe
- Ride off into the sunset
- Or just fish for six hours straight

Sounds like your kind of fun? Then you’re about to find your next obsession.

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Still going strong over a decade later, right?

Skyrim is the king (or maybe Jarl?) of open-world fantasy games. It drops you into a massive Nordic landscape, hands you a sword (or spell, or bow, or potato if you’re into hoarding random stuff), and says, “Alright, do your thing.”

Want to fight dragons? Cool. Want to ignore them completely and become a master pickpocket? Also cool.

You can:

- Join (or betray) factions
- Buy a house and get married
- Get lost in caves for hours
- Shout people off mountains (literally)

Skyrim’s charm lies in the sheer unpredictability of it all. It lets you write your own tales across the frozen tundra. And let’s face it—it’s still getting modded to this day for a reason.

2. Grand Theft Auto V

Welcome to Los Santos, where chaos is just a car-jacking away.

GTA V gives you a sprawling city filled with endless possibilities. Whether you’re playing the story mode or messing around in GTA Online, one thing’s clear: you can do whatever the heck you want.

Sick of missions? How about:

- Skydiving off Mount Chiliad
- Launching absurd police chases
- Racing your friends through traffic
- Building your criminal empire

It’s like an R-rated Sims with guns and supercars. And let’s be honest, we've all spent at least an hour seeing how long we can outrun a 5-star wanted level.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo fans, this one’s for you.

Breath of the Wild flipped the entire Zelda formula on its head and delivered one of the most liberating open-world experiences ever made. You start the game, get past a short intro, and boom—there’s Hyrule, go nuts.

Climb anything. Glide anywhere. Cook whatever. The physics system is so clever that players are STILL finding new ways to do things years after release.

You can:

- Set things on fire to lift yourself into the air
- Surf on your shield down a volcano
- Use metal objects as lightning rods
- Fight Ganon with a soup ladle if you really want to

It’s not just freedom—it’s creative freedom.

4. Red Dead Redemption 2

Imagine Skyrim but with cowboys—plus poker, fishing, and some of the best beard physics in gaming.

Rockstar’s wild west masterpiece is an open-world game where even doing nothing is oddly satisfying. Just riding your horse through the valleys at sunset can be an experience.

You’re Arthur Morgan, a rugged outlaw with a moral compass that’s entirely up to you.

Do you:

- Rob trains and go full bandit mode?
- Help strangers and play honorable cowboy?
- Hunt legendary animals and craft fancy gear?
- Or just chill in camp and play cards?

Every action has consequences, and the world reacts to how you behave. It’s freedom with depth, and it’s beautifully immersive.

5. Minecraft

Let’s be real—there’s nothing more open than Minecraft.

You start with nothing. You punch a tree. You build a house. Then what? That’s entirely up to your imagination.

Minecraft is like digital LEGO with infinite pieces. You can:

- Recreate Hogwarts
- Build a city in the sky
- Fight off zombies in survival mode
- Or just farm sheep for fun

Throw in mods and servers, and it becomes a whole new universe. Whether you play solo or with friends, Minecraft’s freedom is unmatched.

6. Cyberpunk 2077 (Post-Patch!)

Yes, it had a rough start. But after a barrage of fixes, updates, and some serious elbow grease from CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077 has blossomed into a pretty fantastic open-world RPG.

Night City is dripping with neon, attitude, and endless side quests. Do you jump straight into the main storyline? Or spend hours exploring back alleys and customizing your cyberware?

You choose.

- Hack into security systems
- Mod your character to superhuman levels
- Cruise the streets on futuristic bikes
- Chat with colorful characters in hidden clubs

It’s your futuristic sandbox, baby—minus the bugs (mostly).

7. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Assassin’s Creed used to be all about stealth and history. Then Odyssey came along and said, “How about a massive Greek playground instead?”

You play as Alexios or Kassandra, a mercenary with Spartan blood and boatloads of choice.

- Do you side with Athens or Sparta?
- Do you romance everyone you meet?
- Do you explore every temple, mountain, and sea cave?

There’s a naval element too. You can upgrade your ship, recruit crew members, and become a badass pirate—Greek-style.

Odyssey is freedom wrapped in ancient mythology, with just the right amount of chaos.

8. No Man’s Sky

Talk about a comeback story, huh?

No Man’s Sky launched to some pretty rough reviews. But fast forward a few years, and it’s now one of the most expansive and truly free open-world (or should we say open-universe) games out there.

You’ve got 18 quintillion planets to explore. That’s right—quintillion. You could play forever and not land on the same one twice.

You can:

- Build bases on alien worlds
- Befriend strange creatures
- Battle space pirates
- Mine rare resources and trade with alien factions

And it's all online, so you can do it with your friends. If that’s not peak freedom, what is?

9. Fallout: New Vegas

Let’s rewind a bit for some good ol’ post-apocalyptic charm.

Fallout: New Vegas might not be the newest kid on the block, but it's a cult classic—and for good reason. It handed players a desolate Mojave wasteland and said, “Good luck!”

Choices actually matter here. You can:

- Join (or destroy) entire factions
- Become a messiah or a menace
- Customize your weapons and skills
- And yes, wear a cowboy hat while making nuclear-level decisions

The writing is sharp, the characters memorable, and the level of player agency? Exceptional.

10. Dying Light 2: Stay Human

You didn’t think we’d leave the zombie lovers hanging, did you?

Dying Light 2 is a parkour-fueled, post-apocalyptic adventure that lets you roam a massive open city filled with undead, danger, and moral choices galore.

You can do things like:

- Scale skyscrapers and rooftops Assassin’s Creed-style
- Bash zombies with DIY weapons
- Decide the fate of different factions
- Explore during the day or risk it all at night

The night-time gameplay adds an extra layer of strategy and fear, making your choices all the more impactful. Total freedom, with a side of zombie terror? Yes, please.

Honorable Mentions (Because We Couldn’t Resist)

We could keep going forever, but here are a few more open-world gems worth checking out:

- Far Cry 6 – Chaos in a tropical dictatorship.
- Horizon Forbidden West – Robots. Dinosaurs. Freedom.
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord – Medieval madness with full army control.
- Valheim – Viking survival with building, fighting, and sailing.
- Sable – Slow-paced exploration with stunning visuals.

Final Thoughts

Open-world games that offer total freedom are more than just time-wasters—they’re digital dreams come true. They let you write your own story, even if that story is just “I punched a chicken and now the whole town hates me.”

Whether you're into fantasy realms, cyber-future cities, or post-apocalyptic wastelands, there’s an open-world game out there begging for you to break the rules.

So next time you load up a game and the main quest marker is blinking at you… maybe ignore it. Just for a bit.

Life’s too short to follow the path—sometimes you've gotta make your own.