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If you want another enormous world after GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, start by deciding what you actually miss. For a long, authored journey, choose The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. For a dense modern city and a futuristic role-playing story, choose Cyberpunk 2077. If your priority is finding secrets without being led from one objective to the next, Elden Ring is the stronger change of pace. If you want a cinematic historical adventure, Ghost of Tsushima is the most natural fit.
None of these games is a universal replacement for Rockstar’s two crime and frontier epics. They emphasize different kinds of freedom: character-driven quests, atmospheric world-building, self-directed discovery, or a carefully staged historical drama. The guide below matches each game to the experience you want next, then shows what to check before buying.
Quick picks for different kinds of open-world players
| Game | Best match | World and tone | How the story is delivered | Challenge profile | Practical note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | A long, story-led journey | Dark fantasy regions, towns and wilderness | An authored search for Ciri, with substantial optional quests | Role-playing combat whose difficulty depends on settings and build | The publisher currently identifies a remastered version for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2; verify the edition for your platform. |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | A dense futuristic city | Night City and its surrounding districts | Character-focused role-playing in a tightly populated urban setting | Build-driven action with several possible approaches | Phantom Liberty is an expansion; it is not required to play the base game. |
| Elden Ring | Self-directed discovery | A vast, mysterious fantasy landscape | Environmental clues and optional routes rather than constant quest direction | A deliberately demanding action challenge | The official PlayStation guide describes travelling on foot or horseback while uncovering secrets. |
| Ghost of Tsushima | A cinematic historical adventure | Feudal Japan, from open countryside to settlements | A focused protagonist’s campaign presented with film-like pacing | Readable sword-focused encounters with adjustable accessibility options | PlayStation includes it among its open-world recommendations; confirm the current edition and platform listing. |
| The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Flexible fantasy role-play | A mountainous province built for roaming | Self-directed factions, side stories and exploration | Build and equipment choices shape the experience | It appeared repeatedly in secondary recommendations, but the source material here did not establish a current official edition or platform list. |
The “best” labels are editorial matches, not objective scores. Setting, narrative emphasis, exploration and combat all reflect different preferences; platform and edition are purchase constraints rather than quality rankings.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — best for a long, story-led fantasy journey
The Witcher 3 is the clearest recommendation when finishing RDR2 left you attached to a protagonist and eager for another substantial narrative. CD PROJEKT RED describes it as a single-player, open-world role-playing game centered on Geralt’s search for his adopted daughter, Ciri. That premise gives the map a dramatic purpose: travel is not merely sightseeing, because every region is connected to the larger search and to the people Geralt encounters along the way.
#1 Best Overall
![NAMCO - CD Projekt Red - The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt - Complete Edition, Playstation 5 [English Edition]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51dWUfwFl5L._SL160_.jpg)
- 1205504
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Why it works after Rockstar’s character dramas
Geralt’s journey is more overtly fantastical than Arthur Morgan’s, but the structure will feel familiar to players who value conversations, moral decisions and side characters as much as action. The world is divided into contrasting regions rather than one continuous frontier. You move between settlements, roads, forests and more dangerous wilderness, with local stories that can become as memorable as the central pursuit.
The game is especially strong when you want optional content that feels authored rather than procedurally scattered. A side quest can introduce a new character, alter your understanding of a local conflict or return to the main story later. That density makes the game a good successor for someone who wants another lengthy campaign, not simply a large map filled with collectibles.
What will feel different
Combat is role-playing combat rather than the firearm handling of GTA 5 or the grounded gunplay of RDR2. Geralt combines sword attacks with signs, equipment and preparation. Your level, gear and chosen abilities affect how safely you can approach a fight, so the game rewards planning more than reflex alone. The fantasy setting also permits monsters, curses and supernatural investigations that have no direct equivalent in either Rockstar title.
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The current official game description identifies a remastered version for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. That listing is version-sensitive, so check the publisher or platform-holder page for the exact edition available to you before purchasing. Do not assume that a product labelled “complete,” “remastered” or “next generation” contains the same extras on every platform.
2. Cyberpunk 2077 — best for a dense futuristic city
Cyberpunk 2077 is the best follow-up when the part of GTA 5 you loved was moving through a busy city, meeting volatile characters and choosing how your protagonist develops. CD PROJEKT RED describes it as an open-world role-playing game set in Night City. Instead of a frontier-sized landscape, you get an intensely urban environment whose districts, vertical spaces and social groups are designed to feel close together.
Why Night City is a different kind of open world
Night City rewards attention to streets, interiors and conversations. The fantasy is not “ride until the next horizon,” but “find another layer in the block you are already exploring.” That makes it suitable for players who want a world with visual and social density rather than uninterrupted wilderness. Its futuristic setting also lets the game build quests around technology, corporate power and identity in ways a contemporary crime sandbox cannot.
The role-playing structure gives you more control over how V approaches problems. Character development, equipment and abilities can support different styles, so the same mission can be experienced through contrasting builds and tactics. Treat those possibilities as a reason to experiment, not as a promise that every route will produce a completely different campaign.
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The publisher identifies Phantom Liberty as an expansion associated with Cyberpunk 2077. It is not required to play the base game. When comparing editions, first decide whether you want only the original campaign or a package that includes the expansion. A bundle may be convenient, but the base game remains the correct starting purchase for readers who want to evaluate Night City before adding more content.
Who should choose it
Pick this game if your ideal next world is compact, crowded and modern-looking, with role-playing decisions embedded in a city rather than a medieval or historical landscape. Choose The Witcher 3 instead if you primarily want a long rural journey, monster hunts and a traditional fantasy quest.
3. Elden Ring — best for self-directed discovery and a tougher action challenge
Elden Ring is the strongest choice when you want to stop following a clearly signposted itinerary. The official PlayStation guide includes it among its open-world recommendations and describes traversing the world on foot or horseback while discovering secrets. That emphasis makes it a deliberate contrast to mission-led sandboxes: the game expects curiosity, experimentation and a willingness to leave a problem unsolved until you are stronger or better prepared.
How exploration changes the rhythm
Instead of treating every point of interest as a checklist item, approach the landscape as a set of questions. A distant structure may conceal a new route, a useful item, an optional fight or a clue about the wider world. You choose which direction to test, and the game often gives you enough freedom to retreat and return later. This is exploration as problem-solving, not simply travelling between story markers.
That design suits players who felt that the best moments in RDR2 were unscripted discoveries away from camp or mission objectives. It does not reproduce Rockstar’s conversational storytelling; much of Elden Ring‘s context is communicated through places, encounters and fragments that you interpret yourself.
Understanding the difficulty fit
The label “tougher” is an editorial recommendation, not a claim about a universal difficulty rating. The game is built around demanding action encounters, pattern recognition and learning from failed attempts. Progress can come from improving your own timing, changing equipment or finding a different route. If you want an easygoing sightseeing game, this is a poor first pick; if you enjoy turning a confusing obstacle into a personal breakthrough, it is an excellent next step.
When to choose another game
Choose Ghost of Tsushima for a more guided cinematic campaign, or The Witcher 3 for dialogue-heavy quests and a clearly authored protagonist. Choose Elden Ring when discovery itself—not a particular character arc—is the main reason you want an open world.
Rank #2
- PLAY AS A HIGHLY TRAINED MONSTER SLAYER FOR HIRE: Trained from early childhood and mutated to gain superhuman skills, strength, and reflexes, witchers are a counterbalance to the monster-infested world in which they live.
- Gruesomely destroy foes as a professional monster hunter armed with a range of upgradeable weapons, mutating potions, and combat magic.
- Hunt down a wide variety of exotic monsters, from savage beasts prowling mountain passes to cunning supernatural predators lurking in the shadowy back alleys of densely populated cities. Invest your rewards to upgrade your weaponry and buy custom armor, or spend them on horse races, card games, fist fighting, and other pleasures life brings.
- EXPLORE A MORALLY AMBIGUOUS FANTASY OPEN WORLD: Built for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth, and complexity. Traverse a fantastical open world: explore forgotten ruins, caves, and shipwrecks, trade with merchants and dwarven smiths in cities, and hunt across the open plains, mountains, and seas. Deal with treasonous generals, devious witches, and corrupt royalty to provide dark and dangerous services. Make choices that go beyond good & evil, and face their far-reaching consequences.
- TRACK DOWN THE CHILD OF PROPHECY: Take on the most important contract of your life: to track down the child of prophecy, the key to saving or destroying this world. In times of war, chase down the child of prophecy, a living weapon foretold by ancient elven legends. Struggle against ferocious rulers, spirits of the wilds, and even a threat from beyond the veil – all hell-bent on controlling this world. Define your destiny in a world that may not be worth saving.
4. Ghost of Tsushima — best for a cinematic historical setting
Ghost of Tsushima fits readers who want the visual sweep and personal stakes of a historical adventure. PlayStation includes it in its open-world recommendations. Its setting, presentation and protagonist-led campaign make it the closest editorial match here for someone who wants a landscape-and-character experience after Red Dead Redemption 2; that comparison is an interpretation of the games’ tone, not a publisher claim that they are equivalent.
Why it feels approachable after RDR2
The game places a focused human story inside a large, scenic island setting. You can move between settlements, countryside and combat encounters while following a campaign with clear dramatic momentum. The result is less sprawling than a role-playing epic but more deliberate than a pure exploration game. Players who want to admire a landscape and then return to a story mission will find a natural rhythm here.
The historical frame also changes the emotional vocabulary. Rather than modern crime or frontier outlaw life, the game is concerned with loyalty, invasion and the pressure placed on a warrior’s identity. That gives the open world a coherent atmosphere without requiring you to learn a fantasy cosmology or futuristic technology system.
Combat and pacing
Sword-focused encounters are readable and cinematic, rewarding attention to timing and positioning. The campaign’s structure makes it easier to maintain momentum than in a highly self-directed game. You can still roam, but the presentation continually points back toward the protagonist’s central conflict.
Platform and edition caution
Because platform-holder catalogues and editions change, confirm the current listing for your system before buying. Check whether the product is the edition intended for your hardware and whether any included extras matter to you. The open-world recommendation is about the game itself, while the correct purchase depends on the platform and release currently offered in your region.
5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — best for flexible fantasy role-play
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a worthwhile alternative if you want a fantasy world that lets you decide what kind of character to become. Secondary editorial and community recommendations repeatedly surfaced it as an open-world suggestion, but the material available for this guide did not establish a current official game page, edition list or complete platform status. Treat that uncertainty as a reason to verify the exact release before purchase, not as a judgment against the game.
What makes it a different recommendation
The appeal is breadth of role-play. You can prioritize exploration, faction stories, combat abilities or incidental encounters instead of pursuing one prescribed identity. That flexibility makes it suitable for players who enjoy creating their own reasons to cross a map. It is less targeted than The Witcher 3: Geralt’s personal search gives every major region a narrative anchor, while Skyrim is designed to let your chosen activities define the playthrough.
Who should consider it
Choose it when your ideal open world is a fantasy sandbox that can become a different game for different characters. Do not choose it solely because a storefront uses the word “remastered.” Confirm the release name, included content, supported hardware and save compatibility for your system, since those details vary by edition and time.
How to choose your next game without guessing
Start with the part of GTA 5 or RDR2 you miss most
- Miss the characters and long-form plot? Start with The Witcher 3. Its central search and optional stories provide the most direct story-first transition.
- Miss city life, vehicles and a contemporary social setting? Choose Cyberpunk 2077. Night City offers density rather than a frontier horizon.
- Miss wandering away from objectives? Choose Elden Ring. Its structure gives discovery priority and expects you to set your own route.
- Miss scenic travel tied to a focused hero? Choose Ghost of Tsushima. It combines an open setting with a more cinematic campaign.
- Want to invent your own fantasy role? Consider Skyrim, after verifying the current edition and platform listing.
Decide how much guidance you want
A story-led game gives you context and momentum; a self-directed game gives you uncertainty and ownership of the route. Neither is inherently more open. Before buying, ask whether you want the game to tell you why a destination matters or whether you would rather discover that for yourself.
Decide what kind of challenge is enjoyable
Role-playing systems can make preparation and character development as important as reflexes. Action-focused designs may ask you to learn enemy patterns and accept failed attempts. Cinematic adventures generally provide a clearer progression through their campaign. Match the challenge to your preferred way of improving, not to a generic claim that one title is “hard” or “easy.”
Platform, edition and purchase checklist
Open-world games are large purchases in both time and storage, so confirm the practical details before checkout.
- Identify your hardware first. Check the current publisher or platform-holder listing for PC, PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo hardware. The Witcher 3’s remastered listing specifically names PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2; do not generalize that list to every edition.
- Separate a base game from an expansion. Phantom Liberty expands Cyberpunk 2077 but is not required for the base campaign. Read the package contents instead of assuming an expansion is mandatory.
- Read the edition name carefully. “Complete,” “remastered,” “current-generation” and similarly worded labels can refer to different content or hardware targets. Confirm what is included in the exact regional listing.
- Check regional availability. Storefront catalogues, physical stock and prices vary by country and can change. The publisher descriptions establish the games and platform families, not a live price or inventory guarantee.
- Plan for a long commitment. These recommendations are not interchangeable short experiences. Pick the design that matches your available time and preferred pace rather than buying the largest map.
What these recommendations do—and do not—promise
All five titles fit the broad idea of an open world, but “open world” describes structure, not a single genre experience. The Witcher 3 uses an open map to support a character journey. Cyberpunk 2077 uses one to create an intensely populated city. Elden Ring turns the map into a source of mystery and challenge. Ghost of Tsushima uses scenery to frame a cinematic historical campaign. Skyrim emphasizes player-defined role-play.
That distinction explains why a game can be an excellent recommendation after GTA 5 or RDR2 without resembling either one in weapons, vehicles, period, camera style or quest design. Choose the experience you want to repeat—story, atmosphere, roaming or challenge—not the marketing label shared by all of them.
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