Best Open-World Games On PS Plus

In June 2022, Sony unleashed its new PlayStation Plus. Split into three tiers, the service offers subscribers access to hundreds of games from across PlayStation’s history, including PS1 and PSP projects. Along with showing love for the brand’s history, PS Plus also covers most genres, be it horror, platformers, RPGs, or strategy. Unsurprisingly, PS Plus does not skimp out on open-world games either.

Whether searching for a PlayStation exclusive or a third-party juggernaut, PS Plus Extra and Premium should have most players covered. With so many titles to pick from, knowing where to start can be challenging, and that extends to open-world projects. PS Plus covers this genre quite extensively, including everything from first-person shooters to survival and role-playing games. Therefore, let’s take a look at the best open-world PS Plus games.

While every mentioned open-world game is on PS Plus Premium, some are not part of the Extra tier.

Also, the games are not ranked solely by quality. New additions will be highlighted first.

Updated November 17, 2024:PS Plus Extra and Premium’s November lineup includes a few open-world games that instantly rank among the service’s best efforts.

The top two games listed below will be available from November 19.

1 Dying Light 2: Stay Human

Turn A City Into Your Playground

Who does not love a good old fashioned zombie apocalypse? PS Plus has a few games built on that concept, including some that are set in open-world environments. Dying Light 2 might not be the scariest zombie game ever, but it is arguably among the most entertaining on a gameplay level. As Villedor is overrun with infected corpses and humans who want to add to the undead body count, players need to move quickly and wisely; fortunately, they happen to be pretty good at parkour, allowing them to traverse buildings like an action star in a very good 2004 French movie.

Although not necessarily the most lived-in or realistic map, Dying Light 2‘s world is beautifully crafted to encourage free running, ensuring players are nearly always in the midst of doing something slightly awesome and incredibly physical. The game also makes good use of a day and night cycle to shake things up, with the latter coinciding with the introduction of zombie hordes that can quickly overwhelm unprepared players.

2 Grand Theft Auto 5

The Eternal Open-World Game

Rockstar has established something of a pattern when it comes to PS Plus releases. The developer’s games seem to mostly stick around for a few months, and the selection is typically limited to one or two titles. For example, Red Dead Redemption 2‘s November 2024 PS Plus exit paved the way for GTA 5‘s arrival, a switch that might have been more exciting if the latter was not a re-release that left the service in June 2024.

Even if this cycle might start to grow a bit tiresome, ultimately, that is not a reflection on the quality of the projects, which are comfortably among the best open-world games on PS Plus. GTA 5 has been around for more than a decade, receiving multiple newer versions designed to take advantage of modern tech. At this point, most people have probably experienced the single-player campaign, which is good but maybe not the most replayable story ever. However, simply existing within Los Santos is a delight, be it solo or as part of a crew in GTA Online.

3 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

CD Projekt Red’s Genre-Evolving Open-World RPG

Looking over its history, the open-world genre has had a few landmark releases that marked the start of new eras. In 2015, The Witcher 3 debuted and seemed like an evolution of nearly everything that came before, delivering an expansive dark fantasy world ripe with immersive storytelling that goes beyond just the main quest. Suddenly, optional quests like “kill 10 goblins” became outdated and undesired, being replaced by thoughtful character-driven stories that enhance the project’s overall world-building.

The Witcher 3 is one of those games that anyone remotely interested in open-worlds or RPGs has likely already experienced, so its arrival on PS Plus might not be that exciting for them. However, Sony’s service has the PS5 version, which comes with a few tweaks and QOL adjustments to provide the best console experience. Consequently, if someone’s exposure to Wild Hunt is limited to the PS4 iteration, they might wish to give the updated version a try. For those who have yet to play this game, nothing is stopping them now.

4 Ghost Of Tsushima: Director’s Cut

A Stunning Recreation Of Japanese History

The PS4’s swan song as Sony’s main console, Ghost of Tsushima transports players back in time to the 13th century as the Mongols invade Japan’s Tsushima Island. After failing to stop the invasion and almost meeting his end, Jin Sakai goes on a quest to recruit fighters that could help turn the tide of battle.

Ghost of Tsushima‘s open-world is gorgeous, be it on the PS4 or the PS5. Tsushima Island is lavish, varied, and breathtaking. The same can also be said about Iki Island, the location of the expansion that is included in the Director’s Cut. Within this map, players can look forward to engaging in intense samurai-themed battles and decent side quests with memorable NPCs.

Bethesda’s Timeless RPG That Is Endlessly Replayable

Debuting in 2011, Skyrim was a massive hit right out of the gate, and its popularity has not waned over the last decade. The Special Edition is the definitive way to experience Bethesda’s masterpiece on consoles, as it improves the visuals and provides support for mods (which have played a huge part in extending the RPG’s lifespan).

Skyrim‘s open-world approaches perfection as it encourages exploration and discovery. The main storyline is fine, but the game’s success lies in its immersive locations, customization options, and character writing. Even as the years continue to pass, Skyrim still comes across as a big deal, and its addition to PS Plus Extra makes the service seem far more complete.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
is also on PS Plus Premium (but not Extra).
The Elder Scrolls Online
is on PS Plus Extra.

6 Fallout 4

More Action Than RPG, But Still An Impressive Open-World Game

Bethesda’s latest single-player Fallout is on offering with PS Plus for players who are looking to patrol through the wastelands. With a map that’s even larger than Skyrim‘s, Fallout 4 gives players tons of areas to explore, with a multitude of sidequests to complete and secrets to uncover. Those looking for an FPS-style RPG with a myriad of areas to conquer should definitely fall in love with the iconic release.

The franchise has been going strong, offering players a multitude of great open-world adventures and Fallout 4 is no exception. Players can expect to put some serious time into this game if they want to “see and do everything possible,” and that’s not even counting the DLC add-ons.

Fallout 76
is also on PS Plus Extra, while
Fallout 3
and
New Vegas
are on PS Plus Premium.

7 Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

Live The Pirate Life

PS Plus Extra has a plethora of Assassin’s Creed games, including fairly recent releases such as Odyssey and Valhalla. Subscribers can readily spend half a year playing through the franchise’s PS Plus projects, allowing them to explore a wide range of historical worlds. Picking a favorite will likely come down to a person’s preferred setting; someone might gravitate toward Syndicate‘s UK aesthetic or feel more at home in Origins‘ Ancient Egypt. The latter is a good entry point since the game acts as something of a soft reboot, along with having one of the franchise’s best open-worlds.

However, Black Flag should not be ignored either, especially since the game stands on its own quite well. Set during the height of piracy, Black Flag takes place in the West Indies, a map filled with diverse locations, three central cities, and lots to discover. The campaign quickly puts the player behind the wheel of a ship and gets them out on the water, encouraging them to explore to their heart’s content. Black Flag is, first and foremost, a pirate game rather than an Assassin’s Creed sequel, and this helps differentiate it from everything that came before and after.

The following open-world
Assassin’s Creed
games are on PS Plus Extra:

• Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection
• Assassin’s Creed 3: Remastered
• Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered
• Assassin’s Creed Unity
• Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered
• Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry
• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
• Assassin’s Creed Origins
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

8 Batman: Arkham Knight

Gotham At Its Best

PS Plus has Batman fans well-fed. Rocksteady’s full Arkham trilogy, Arkham Origins, and the maligned Gotham Knights are available on the Premium tier; meanwhile, Extra-level subscribers can play Arkham Knight and Gotham Knights. While the latter has some positives that make it not a complete write-off, the former is undoubtedly the superior package, and it is not particularly close. In 2015, Arkham Knight garnered some controversy due to its terrible PC launch and the heavy inclusion of the Batmobile, resulting in a positive reception that did not quite live up to Arkham Asylum and Arkham City‘s best-of-all-time standards.

Nevertheless, Arkham Knight is an impressive achievement, and it features arguably gaming’s best rendition of Gotham to date. Even nearly a decade later, the game’s open-world remains a sight to behold – it is visually striking, dense with architecture, and dripping in style and personality. Putting aside the polarizing Batmobile sections, Arkham Knight is generally fantastic and features the deepest combat system in the franchise.

Arkham Asylum
and
Arkham City
are available on PS Plus Premium, but they are the
Return to Arkham
PS4 versions. While still worth playing, these versions are not perfect.

9 Saints Row 2

More Than Just A GTA Clone

PS Plus has three Saints Row games: Saints Row 2, Saints Row 4, and Gat Out of Hell. Despite falling within the same franchise, all three games are fairly different from each other. Saints Row 4 and its spin-off, Gat Out of Hell, are unapologetically over-the-top to the point that they bear almost no resemblance to reality. They play somewhat similar to Crackdown, and they cast players as superhero-style characters who have abilities that make most of the conventional components of an open-world game like vehicles and weapons obsolete. Saints Row 4 is fun, provided players know what they are getting into.

On the other hand, Saints Row 2 is more down to earth, while nevertheless leaning into parody and comedic territory. Set in Stillwater, the story tasks the protagonist with reforming the Saints, which naturally means they will need to take on other gangs that have gotten a foothold in the city. Even if it is not as absurd as later entries in the franchise, the sandbox game still gives players all the tools they need to spread mayhem on the street. It just happens to be accompanied by a pretty good story and some great characters.

10 Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Great Setting, Along With Even Better Movement And Combat

Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man is arguably the Wall-Crawler’s greatest game, although it does have stiff competition from a few older titles. Unfortunately, the 2018 release is not available on PS Plus Extra, having been removed in May 2023; that said, superhero fans yearning to swing through New York City can jump into Miles Morales, a spin-off that maintains the main entry’s high standard of quality.

Even though it ties into Spider-Man in a few ways, Miles Morales can be treated as a standalone experience since it has a fairly self-contained story. As its subtitle suggests, the game swaps Peter Parker for Miles, who is still in his infancy as a hero. Both games do splendid jobs of recreating New York City, and while it is not overly packed with memorable side content, the open-world is nevertheless fun to explore due to Miles Morales‘ satisfying movement. Compared to other games of this ilk, Insomniac’s spin-off is on the short side as it can be readily completed in under 10 hours, which is a decent enough length for a PS Plus game.

11 Jak 3

Fun Blend Of Shooting, Platforming, & Driving

By the time 2004 rolled around, Naughty Dog’s Jak & Daxter franchise has morphed into a very different beast. While still utilizing platforming as a core mechanic, Jak 2 and 3 greatly ramped up the action and replaced The Precursor Legacy‘s (fairly) linear levels with larger and more open-ended areas. Jak 3 really emphasizes its free-roaming element, encouraging players to explore its two cities and wasteland as much as possible.

Compared to its predecessors, Jak 3 can come across as unfocused and disjointed; however, it is still one of the better action-adventure games on the PS2. As far as its open-world is considered, Jak 3‘s map is not nearly as expansive or diverse as some of its high-profile contemporaries like Grand Theft Auto 3. That said, the core gameplay is strong enough to keep things interesting for the relatively short campaign.

12 Death Stranding

A Lonely Open-World Game About Creating Connections

A Hideo Kojima project is always going to be something special, and Death Stranding‘s bizarre reveal and early trailers instantly made that apparent. Set in a post-apocalyptic version of the United States, players portray Sam, a person charged with traveling across the country delivering packages and establishing communication points.

Death Stranding is very much about the journey; in fact, Sam has to carefully plan his trips and every step he takes along the way. Barren landscapes dominate the scene, and the gameplay can be quite meditative once players get used to its rhythm.

13 Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

So Much Content

The Division 2 has been out for more than four years, and while things have not always been smooth sailing, Ubisoft’s game has cemented itself as one of the better live-services games on the market.

Set in Washington D.C., Ubisoft’s title envisions a post-apocalyptic alternate reality filled with warring factions and nature-covered landmarks. The series has quite a realistic presentation, although the sequel is slightly more colorful than its predecessor. The Division 2 has plenty of multiplayer-focused content, including PvP and an extensive endgame, but the story can be played solo and experienced as a single-player game.

Tom Clancy’s The Division
is also on PS Plus Extra.

14 Infamous: Second Son

Awesome Gameplay, Decent World, And An OK Story

All the Infamous games on PS Plus Premium are worth playing. While Cole’s entries are highly rated, Second Son tends to get overlooked due to its (relatively) early release in the PS4’s lifecycle. Despite coming out within a year of the console’s launch, Infamous: Second Son is still one of the best-looking games on the PS4, and its iteration of Seattle is incredible.

As Delsin Rowe unlocks new powers and ways to interact with the world, Second Son grows into something truly special. This is also a pretty short open-world PS Plus game, presenting a nice alternative to something like Horizon Zero Dawn or Ghost of Tsushima.

Infamous: First Light
is also on PS Plus Extra, while
Infamous
,
Infamous 2
, and
Infamous: Festival of Blood
are on PS Plus Premium.

15 Days Gone

Zombie Hordes At Their Most Terrifying

Although hardly hated, Days Gone launched to a fairly meek response compared to other PS4 exclusives, which caused the game to slip by the wayside after a while. Nowadays, Bend Studio’s release is relatively forgotten, and while garnering some online support, it hardly seems destined to become a modern cult classic. By 2019, open-world games had grown so commonplace that they were threatening to become tried; meanwhile, zombie stories had already faced some backlash due to overexposure. Basically, Days Gone was fighting an uphill battle from the start, and debuting with a myriad of technical issues certainly did not help. The story can also be difficult to get into since the protagonist, Deacon St. John, starts out as rather unlikable, and he does not really improve until a good few hours into the campaign.

If someone looks past Days Gone‘s uneven reputation and pushes through the narrative’s slow early moments, they will eventually find themselves playing a refreshingly intense open-world experience. The game’s main selling point is its zombie hordes, and a run-in with these armies of Freakers never fails to be exciting and terrifying. Although it might not seem that original, Days Gone‘s world is fairly impressive, and it is filled with minor details that provide context for society’s current situation. The project does a good job of populating its map with small events that add an element of spontaneity, and this goes beyond just zombies as there are plenty of humans running about as well.

16 Space Engineers

Creative Survival Sandbox In Space

An expansive game cut from the same cloth as Minecraft, Space Engineers is all about freedom. Players are dropped into a vast sci-fi sandbox and mostly allowed to do what they want and create whatever they desire, as long as they have the right resources and the will to stitch them all together. Yes, they can bring to life starships, space stations, and satellites, all the while exploring procedurally generated planets. While ambitious and unique, Space Engineers is peculiar and might not be exactly what most people crave from an open-world release. The game is a traditional sandbox, in the sense that players will need to use the available tools to create their own fun.

Honestly, Space Engineers can be frustrating, particularly in the opening few hours. The game has a lot of mechanics and does not always do a fantastic job of teaching them, and the initial experience can be overwhelming. That said, players can play through a few tutorials (called scenarios) that teach some of the basics, and newcomers will want to work their way through these options before jumping into a custom game. Also, Space Engineers can be played both offline or online, and multiplayer certainly enhances the overall package; that said, a solo run can be more carefree, at least initially.

17 Untitled Goose Game

Silly Fun

Untitled Goose Game is a borderline open-world project since players won’t have access to the full map at once, although they are free to rampage through a specific area while they are in it. Consequently, the campaign is a bit more restrictive than most releases in the genre, all the while still offering thrills associated with it. More importantly, Untitled Goose Game is simply a fun time. Cast as a normal goose, players are unleashed on an ill-prepared English village, with their goal being to annoy people and ruin a few days. That’s largely it. The goose has a few objectives they need to accomplish in each area, which provides players with some direction on how to proceed. Otherwise, they can do whatever they want, and they are encouraged to explore the sandbox and cause as much havoc as a goose can cause.

Untitled Goose Game does not take itself very seriously and has a strong sense of humor. Silly as the concept sounds, the game works because it is fairly grounded, at least in the sense that this scenario could realistically play out in quaint villages. The setting is quite idyllic, making it prime for an influx of mayhem caused by a mischievous animal. Unlike many traditional open-world projects, Untitled Goose Game can be completed in a few hours and has very little “fluff” content. This makes it an ideal candidate to slot in between lengthier games that take weeks or months to complete.

18 Lego City Undercover

Great GTA-Style Game For Both Kids And Adults

Lego is primarily associated with licensed games, but the franchise occasionally releases standalone projects with no ties to other brands. Lego 2K Drive, Bricktales, Brawls, and Worlds are somewhat recent names that saw the IP branching into fresh territories and genres, and they are all enjoyable. Out of the many games released during the 2010s, Lego City Undercover garnered arguably the most love, and it represents a high point in the franchise’s legacy. Unlike some of the series’ other original titles, this project largely sticks to the formula present in the licensed Lego games, providing players with a comedic action-adventure romp through a sandbox filled with collectibles and secondary content.

City Undercover tends to be cited as Lego‘s take on GTA, and while its world is nowhere near as stuffed with content as most of Rockstar’s later releases, this comparison is not unfounded either. Lego City’s design emphasizes variety, offering a wide selection of districts that each have their own flavor. The side quests and optional activities are relatively rudimentary and traditional for a Lego game, but the city itself is fun and relaxing to explore. The main story is also a blast, playing out like an action blockbuster ripped right out of the ’80s. Lego City Undercover might be the best PS Plus Extra open-world game for kids, and older players could get a kick out of it too.

Here are all the open-world
Lego
games on PS Plus Extra and Premium:

• Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
  (Premium Only)
• Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
• Lego DC Villains
• Lego Harry Potter Collection
  (Premium Only)
• Lego The Hobbit
• Lego The Incredibles
• Lego Jurassic World
• Lego Marvel’s Avengers
• Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2
• Lego Ninjago Movie Videogame
• Lego Worlds
• The Lego Movie 2 Videogame

19 Far Cry Primal

The Far Cry Formula Tweaked For A Prehistoric Setting

PS Plus Extra has a couple of Far Cry games, including the most recent entry. Although not especially well-received, Far Cry 6 has the best gunplay in the franchise so far, and its open-world is impressively big. If someone has never played a Far Cry project, they will likely have a blast with the sixth entry since one of its main criticisms is its map’s visual similarities to its numbered predecessor. Far Cry 3 Classic Edition is also a decent option, but the beloved game shows its age by this point.

Far Cry Primal takes place during an era when (gaming) conflicts were solved with bows and clubs rather than machine guns. The prehistoric setting was a refreshing change of pace in 2016, and that is still the case all these years later. While not a full-blown survival experience, Primal incorporates more elements from the genre than the license’s modern main entries, and it strikes a nice balance between a traditional Far Cry experience and a more experimental adventure.

Here are all the
Far Cry
games on PS Plus Extra:

• Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon: Classic Edition
• Far Cry 3: Classic Edition
• Far Cry 4
• Far Cry 5
• Fary Cry New Dawn
• Far Cry 6

20 Just Cause 3

Blow Up Everything

PS Plus Extra has Just Cause 3 and 4, two games that launched to fairly mixed receptions. The latter is largely regarded as the most disappointing entry in the series due to offering more limited destruction, while the former’s negativity stems from its underbaked launch state. However, technical issues aside, Just Cause 3 serves as a prime example of just how fun a sandbox experience can be.

Dropped into the fictional Medici, players are just cut loose and told to cause as much mayhem as possible, and the game gives them all the tools they need to bring wanton destruction to this island. Just Cause 3 is satisfying in an almost fundamental way, and it is an absolute blast.