Since launching in 2020, the Xbox Series X|S has been slowly building up a strong catalog of games. By this point, it boasts several wonderful titles in each genre. For example, the console has plenty to offer for open-world game fans.
These titles give you free rein to explore and traverse interesting worlds. Yet, beyond that, there isn’t much else that these types of games are forced to have. As a result, developers can create all sorts of different experiences in an open world. The following ones have two things in common, though. Firstly, they are available on the Xbox Series X|S. Secondly, they’re better than most other titles in the genre.
6 Judgment
Judgment is a spin-off to the iconic Yakuza series. It puts you in the shoes of private detective Takayuki Yagami. He lives up to his job title, as he spends the game solving cases, both in the main story and side content. The main narrative revolves around a series of violent murders. Yagami’s quest to figure out the culprit takes plenty of twists and turns. Throughout it all, the mystery remains compelling.
As Yagami, you are free to roam around the fictional Japanese city of Kamurocho, making friends and doing activities. That sounds very wholesome, but there are also a bunch of people around ready to beat you up. This leads to plenty of exciting fights, where you can use everything from your hands to nearby traffic cones to pound your adversaries into the ground.
5 Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
There have been many Assassin’s Creed games by this point. Yet, the series hasn’t lost its luster, as each game provides a different experience. In Valhalla, that experience is one of a Viking that sets sail from Norway to England, intending to settle in this new world. That is the main premise of the game, but there is a deeper overarching story also relating to the protagonist, their close friend Sigurd, and the gods.
Throughout it all, you travel around England, where you can find plenty of things to find and do. The game is an RPG, so you can locate plenty of different armor and weapons to use in the litany of battles you get into. Yet, there is also stealth in the game, so you can sneak around most dangers if you desire.
4 Halo Infinite
Unlike many FPS games, Halo has rarely gone the corridor shooter route. Instead, the games usually provide you with open areas in which to fight. Halo Infinite goes one step further by providing you with a whole open world. This world is the surface of a Halo ring that Master Chief finds himself on.
Throughout the game, he roams to different parts of it as he attempts to deal a significant blow to the Banished’s plans. However, you don’t have to just stick to the main objective. There are also bases to capture, targets to assassinate, collectibles to find, and more. This makes it a bit different from other Halo titles, but the slick FPS combat the series is known for still remains.
3 Elden Ring
FromSoftware has a reputation for delivering exceptional games. So, it’s no surprise that the company’s first big release on the Xbox Series X|S is a brilliant one. Elden Ring tells the tale of an exile whose goal is to repair the famed Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord. This is no easy feat as, like many FromSoftware games, it’s quite challenging.
The difficulty comes in the form of battles against opponents who are typically incredibly strong. You have to beat them by parrying, dodging, and being very smart in combat. Where gameplay differs slightly from the Dark Souls series is the extra focus put on exploration. This is a true open-world game, after all, while most of FromSoftware’s titles aren’t. Exploring the world of Elden Ring is fascinating and can give you an occasional rest bite from punishing battles.
2 Grand Theft Auto 5
The action-adventure juggernaut that is Grand Theft Auto 5 is a bit of a meme by this point because of how many platforms it has been released on – this was originally an Xbox 360 title, after all. However, there is no denying that it remains one of the best open-world games ever.
In it, you play as three protagonists whose lives intertwine. Together they go on all sorts of criminal escapades and anger many people in the process. They operate in sunny San Andreas, which contains a large countryside and the fictional city of Los Santos. It’s a beautiful and dense place to roam around and cause chaos. Along the way, you can meet a bunch of great characters that are equally as wild as the protagonists.
1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition
The Witcher 3 originally came out on the eighth generation of consoles, and now, the complete edition is available on the Xbox Series X|S. This package contains the base game alongside its amazing DLCs. The compelling main story of the RPG revolves around the protagonist Geralt’s search for his adoptive daughter Ciri. It’s a lengthy search that takes him all around the continent.
Each place has its own style and quests. While exploring away from the main cities, things can get problematic since you may run into bandits or deadly monsters. However, Geralt has everything he needs to take out all types of enemies. When you’re not fighting, you can talk to people, play the amazing card game known as Gwent, or simply look for better equipment.