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Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
Interested in exploring mystical realms, dystopian future landscapes, or battling the undead in a post-apocalyptic America? How about playing an actual bull shark in the ocean? These are just a few of the things the best open world games for PS5 allow you to do. In this ranking, we review fifteen of the very best open world games for PS5, including such genres as fantasy, science fiction, and more.
Let’s get started — an entire (open) world is waiting!
15 Best Open World Games for PS5 in 2022, Ranked
Ranked in ascending order, here are the fifteen best open world games for PS5 we reviewed.
15/15
The Pathless
- One player
- Vibration function and trigger effect required
- Everyone 10+/Fantasy Violence
First in our ranking of the best open world games is The Pathless, from the creators of ABZÛ. You play as an archer/falconer living in this game’s immense forest. The world is cursed and the answer may lay on a mysterious island. As you travel there, you’ll perfect your skills in archery and create a bond with your falcon companion.
Just beware of the dark spirits and creatures lurking along the way. Once you arrive on the island, you’ll make progress through solving puzzles to reverse the curse and save the world.
The world in The Pathless is beautifully rendered, though the game mechanics took some players awhile to get used to. With no “game over” function at all, gameplay is suspenseful and the boss fights are strong, based on feedback. The puzzles do get a little repetitive, though, some say.
14/15
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- One player
- Teen
- Fantasy violence
In Kena: Bridge of Spirits, you play Kena, a spirit guide. Along with cute little spirit companions called the Rot, you’ll explore a richly-rendered fantasy world. The Rot are discovered but also grown — over time, you’ll assemble a team to help you get to the bottom of a mysterious, abandoned village and the curse that’s befallen it.
In doing so, you’ll return the realm to its once-majestic state. Along the way, you’ll engage in combat with trapped evil spirits. There’s plenty more secrets and discoveries to keep things interesting.
Fans of Kena: Bridge of Spirits call the art design outstanding. One player was engrossed for hours the first time they played the game. The music is an especially popular part of the overall design, we found out. Dualsense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers for the PlayStation 5 system are required but worth it, based on feedback.
13/15
Subnautica: Below Zero
- Remote play supported
- Everyone 10+
- Animated blood, fantasy violence, mild language
Up next is Subnautica: Below Zero, an installment in the Subnautica game series. In a subarctic region of the water world 4546B, covered in oceans, you’ll investigate the circumstances of your sister’s disappearance — purportedly a result of employee negligence, according to Alterra, the company she worked for.
In the game, you’ll explore a number of different landscapes, from Crystal Caverns to the Glacial Basin. Along the way, you’ll construct your own habitats, encounter alien species, and navigate through a number of different climates.
More than anything, though, the objective is to solve the mystery of what happened to Samantha. Could the company she worked for be to blame? Some call this version of the game even better than the original. Reports of a few bugs and unpolished points concerned us. Feedback says the creatures in the game are truly scary, which definitely piqued our interest.
12/15
Metro Exodus
- Mature 17+
- Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity
- Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
We turn from alien landscapes to a futuristic Moscow in Metro Exodus. Inspired by the novels of Dmitry Glukhovsky, this is a first-person shooter and sequel to Metro: Last Light. The third game in the series, your character Artyom is caught between warring factions in the year 2035. Along with your wife Anna’s father, Miller, you must save Anna from poisoning.
You’ll travel from a burned-out Russian capital and cross the wasted Russian landscape over the course of a year, encountering a number of perils along the way. The story only twists and turns from there.
This is, in fact, one of the best narrative-driven shooters some have ever played, based on feedback. It’s a thinking person’s game, with plenty of action to keep things interesting. Some say Metro games just get better. Others prefer the first two games over Exodus, though.
11/15
No Man’s Sky
- PS Plus required for online play
- Teen
- Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
Next in our list is No Man’s Sky. Why settle for an open world when this game offers an entire universe? In No Man’s Sky, there’s a pulse emanating from the center of the cosmos — it’s your job to find the source and, in doing so, unlock the secrets of existence.
There are enemies to encounter along the way, new alien species to discover (both friendly and dangerous), and important relationships to forge through trade. You’ll also gather resources to upgrade your gear, including your spacesuit, ship, and weapons.
With PS Plus, take the game online and play with up to four friends. In addition to the open world setting, this game blends aspects of survival, base building, crafting, and first and third-person shooter. There’s also elements of flight combat and minor puzzle elements involved in gameplay, according to reports. There is a bit of a learning curve for new players, though, we learned.
10/15
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One
- Mature 17+
- Blood, Sexual Content, Violence
- One player
Dive into the world of Sherlock Holmes in the next game we reviewed. Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is a prequel of sorts to the stories of Sherlock Holmes. Set on a Mediterranean island instead of Victorian-era England, a crime involving political corruption and more reveals itself.
What else would a young Sherlock Holmes do but investigate? In doing so, Holmes will don a disguise, gather evidence, and utilize the brilliant observational skills for which he’s known. Also notable, this is a younger Sherlock, with unexpected character traits.
The voiceover, writing, and acting are all as great, as you’d expect from a game based on classic crime literature. Some of the texturing could be improved, and there were reports of dropped fps on a 60 fps monitor, though. Nonetheless, the fun of playing Sherlock Holmes still makes it worth it, we learned.
9/15
Dying Light 2
- Mature 17+
- Supports up to 4 online players with PS Plus
- Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
In Dying Light 2, the sequel to 2015 Dying Light, The City is the only remaining human settlement. The virus that took over the land some two decades prior has returned, turning large parts of the human population that remain into monsters.
You’ll play Aiden Caldwell, a wanderer in the post-apocalyptic landscape with a mysterious past. Avoid the virus, unlock the meaning of Calwell’s memory, and navigate the rival factions as fighting breaks out in the settlement.
Other things making Dying Light 2 worth playing, including up to four-player online co-op gameplay and truly realistic renderings of both day and night. Fans of the game comment on the fun and tactical combat and the rewarding and extensive progression tree. There’s also strong dialogue and voiceover, based on feedback. Some call the interface atrocious, though.
8/15
Far Cry 6
- Mature 17+
- Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mild Sexual Themes
- Supports up to 2 online players with PS Plus
Turning now to the sixth installment of the Far Cry game franchise, Far Cry 6 takes place in Yara, a fictional tropical island ruled by the oppressive dictator Antón Castillo and his son Diego. You’ll play Dani Rojas, a local guerilla militia member fighting to liberate Yara from the grip of Castillo’s rule.
In doing so, you’ll pitch combat across the diverse landscapes of Yara as you work your way toward the capital city of Esperanza. There’s a good selection of weapons to choose from, among other types of supplies.
If you’re familiar with the Far Cry series, FC6 will be like coming home, reports tell us. The story, in fact, might be the best since Far Cry 3. The map alone is worth it, with a strong soundtrack to accompany gameplay. Some aspects of climbing and character movement have declined from previous versions, according to some. The addition of horseback riding gets high marks from Far Cry fans, though.
7/15
Watch Dogs: Legion
- Mature 17+
- In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Blood and Gore, Drug Reference
It’s near-future London in Watch Dogs: Legion. The secret hacking collective called DedSec has planted bombs under Parliament. From there, a plot develops in which you’ll fight for the city of London itself, never sure who’s on your side and who might plot against you. As a player, you have the entire London citizenry to choose from, each with an interesting backstory.
You’ll develop their skills, get involved in the action, and join the resistance using gadgets like spider-bots or an augmented reality cloak.
Up to eight online players are accommodated with PS Plus. And the freedom to play more than one character is a nice feature of the game, some say. London itself is rendered in detail with many iconic landmarks to explore. The overall story is great, we found out, and changes to combat from earlier Watch Dog games get good reviews. Some do call the animation stiff and the missions do get a little repetitive, though.
6/15
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut
- Mature 17+
- Blood, Intense Violence
- Partial Nudity, Strong Language
Up next in our list of the best open world games for PS5 is Death Stranding: Director’s Cut. In the future, a portal has been opened between the living and dead. As a result, creatures from the afterlife have escaped. You’ll play Sam Bridges, humanity’s last hope, played by Norman Reedus from TV’s Walking Dead.
Your task is to gather the remaining few who survive. In doing so, you’ll solve mysteries and meet a cast of interesting NPCs. This game takes a while to get used to, we learned, but once you do, players get hooked. We wished the climax to the story didn’t get such mixed reviews, though.
5/15
Resident Evil Village
- Mature 17+
- Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- In-game purchases
Casual fans of gaming know the Resident Evil series is as good as it gets. For this reason, we had no issue putting Resident Evil Village in the top five on our list. In the eighth installment of the Evil series, you’ll play Ethan Winters. It’s a few years after we last checked in on the RE universe, and Winters, along with his wife Mia, has settled down in a new location.
For the time being, all seems peaceful. But Resident Evil is as Resident Evil does — that tranquility won’t last long. New dilemmas pit Ethan against Lycans, among other foes, as Winters explores new locations such as Castle Dimitrescu.
Fans of Resident Evil will recognize the name Chris Redfield. This time, though, Redfield has new and unexpected secrets and motivations. Feedback says this might be the best RE game yet. Others say the Resident Evil spark is somehow missing, though.
4/15
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Teen
- Offline play enabled
- Blood, Drug Reference, Language, Violence
The next game we reviewed is Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. In the spin-off of the 2018 game Marvel’s Spider-Man, Morales has come to terms with his abilities but has yet to master them. He takes on missions like escorting police convoys, but he’s soon embroiled in mystery against a brand-new adversary called the Underground. From there, you’ll meet new characters, face new challenges, and fight with new abilities like “Venom Blast.”
Some say this is a vast improvement over the first Spider-Man game with an interesting new villain named Phin. What otherwise makes the game worth it is an interesting storyline and game mechanics. The fight scenes also get good reviews. In addition to the main storyline, it’s an open-world game filled with side quests and activities to keep things interesting. A few plot points end up being letdowns, though, in some player’s opinion.
3/15
Maneater
- Mature 17+
- Blood and Gore, Drug Reference,
- Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Mild Language
Nearing the top of our ranking, Maneater flips the script on typical shark stories like Jaws. In this case, you’re the shark, not the hunter. Your open world is the ocean itself. In this single-player action RPG, you’re a bull shark disfigured by a fisherman as a young pup.
You’ll explore the ocean and all its ecosystems, searching for that fisherman to exact your revenge. Along the way, you’ll find prey and avoid your most formidable predator — humans. There are seven locations to explore and so-called shark loot to gather.
Some say Maneater is the most fun game they’ve played in quite awhile. The scenery is great and the maps are also all eye-catching. Keeping the game from the top of our list were some reports it gets a little repetitive due to an overall simple storyline — that’s especially true of the missions. That being said, shark fans and regular gamers alike seem to agree: Maneater is something special.
2/15
God of War
- Mature 17+
- Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Strong Language
Second place on our list of open world games for PS5 goes to the digital deluxe edition of God of War (2018), also just called God of War IV. Inspired by Norse mythology, this game follows Kratos and his young son Atreus as they travel to the highest peak in the nine realms to scatter the ashes of Kratos’s late wife, Faye.
The storyline only develops from there. In the digital deluxe version of the game, the “Exile’s Guardian” shield skin and “Death’s Vow” armor for Kratos and Atreus are included among other add-ons.
This is practically a perfect video game, based on feedback. The combat is described as having weight and consequences, with both the storyline and the writing called phenomenal. So why not put it first in our list? Hard to say, but it just goes to show how good our first pick truly is.
1/15
Elden Ring
- Mature 17+
- Supports up to 4 online players with PS Plus
- Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Unless you’re living under a rock, chances are you’ve heard what a great game the top pick in our list truly is. After looking into Elden Ring for ourselves, we agree. The objective is to rule the Lands Between as Elden Lord, wielding the power of the Elden Ring for yourself. In this blend of open world and RPG, you’ll build your own character, including armor, weapons, and magic.
Each trait is customizable to your preferences, from combat strength to other types of skill mastery. The game supports up to four players online with PS Plus, and the overall storyline gradually and thrillingly reveals itself.
Fans of Elden Ring call it an absolute masterpiece. The world is enormous and intricately detailed, with a seemingly endless number of new areas to explore. You’ll defeat bosses challengers that at first seem insurmountable, craft items, gain skills, and master skills. When a game gets the endless positive feedback that Elden Ring gets, we knew it belonged in the first spot on our ranking.
Join the High Ground
That’s it for our list of the best open world games for PS5 — thanks for reading! Let us know your favorite game in the comments below, and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest in the gaming world.
Happy gaming!
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