8 Most Iconic RPG Open Worlds Ever Made

It’s no secret that the open-world genre has become the dominant genre in AAA gaming, with some of the biggest and most expensive games in the industry constantly trying to up the ante in making some of the best open worlds of all time. In that effort, they’ve also created some truly iconic open worlds that aren’t just great, but have come to embody everything that’s special about open-world gaming and serve as inspirations for other designers moving forward.

Whether it’s the indomitable work of Rockstar or the intimate streets of a Tokyo Red Light district, there are plenty of iconic worlds to experience in gaming. This list of the most iconic RPG open worlds is ranked not just by the quality of the game, but by how inseparable the open world has become in gaming culture at large.

8

Red Dead Redemption 1 & 2 – The Wild West

Saddle Up Cowboy

Before Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar was primarily known for making sprawling cityscapes. That’s why it came as something of a surprise when their next project took the open-world genre to the Wild West; a seemingly perfect fit, but the blasted deserts of New Austin were very different from the bustling metropolis of Liberty City.

Not only did Rockstar smash it, but they managed to create one of the best video game wildernesses ever made, both isolated and abandoned yet teeming with animal life, truly strange characters, and memorable cities and towns. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the world was expanded even further, encompassing swamps, mountains, and the Midwestern plains, resulting in one of the most evocative representations of the American West ever put to pixels.

7

Yakuza – Kamurocho

Tokyo Nightlife

Though the Yakuza games roam all around Japan, inevitably, they always find their way back to Kamurocho, a series of small streets nestled in central Tokyo bustling with nightlife, neon signs, and more gangsters than players know what to do with. It’s an iconic set of streets that has shaped the sensibilities of the entire franchise.

Kamurocho has become iconic not just as the main setting of the Yakuza games, but also as a shining example of how a little can go a long way. Kamurocho isn’t big, but it is dense and full of character, making it one of the most iconic open worlds ever made.

6

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild & Tears Of The Kingdom – Hyrule

The World After

For most of The Legend of Zelda’s lifetime, the Kingdom of Hyrule mostly existed in the abstract rather than as a truly explorable Kingdom (though there are some notable exceptions, like some more open areas in Ocarina of Time). However, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild blew the doors off the open-world genre by introducing the entirety of Hyrule for players to roam at their leisure.

With beautiful rolling landscapes, more secrets than most players could ever discover, and a true apocalyptic beauty, this version of Hyrule has quickly become the most iconic vision of the franchise’s central kingdom, and Tears of the Kingdom only made it deeper and better by exploring Hyrule’s skies, offering a massive roster of side quests, and it’s deep dark underbelly.

5

Cyberpunk 2077 – Night City

‘Sup Choom?

It’s no secret that Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough launch. Yet, the sole factor that united its fans and detractors was Night City itself, the dystopian city where the majority of the game’s action takes place. It is, single-handedly, the best cyberpunk open-world ever seen in a video game and is a stunning achievement in creating a digital environment that will be remembered for decades to come.

Each area of the city truly feels like it is inhabited by distinct cultures, vibes, people, and apartments for V to chill in, which is further expanded upon with the Phantom Liberty expansion and Dogtown, a little fascist state plopped right in the middle of it. For fans of the genre, Night City is a dream come true, and it’ll define how designers make city-based open worlds from now on.

Volcano Calls The Elves Home

These days, The Elder Scrolls franchise is probably the biggest fantasy franchise in all of gaming, but it wasn’t always like that. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind made the bold decision to focus the open world away from the entirety of Tamriel, like the previous two games, and just center on the volcanic island of Vvardenfell, home of the dark elves.

The result is one of the strangest, most alien, and singularly compelling fantasy open worlds ever made. Gamers from all over remember its striders, strange cities, and blasted wastelands because it was so strikingly different than traditional fantasy open-worlds. It has become iconic for that strangeness, and has become the high watermark that every Elder Scrolls game is held to going forward.

3

World Of Warcraft – Azeroth

Hordes Of Alliances

From the very beginning of its life, the goal of World of Warcraft was simple. Render the world of Azeroth as seen in the Warcraft games, and let players explore all of it. This titanic effort resulted in the most popular MMO of all time, and one of its greatest open worlds, filled with distinct biomes and nostalgia so powerful for old Warcraft players that it feels like a second home.

A significant reason why Azeroth stands out is its distinct, cartoony style, which isn’t afraid to exaggerate to make areas distinct. Every biome and questing area has a unique visual language, making it feel like home for players who spend hours grinding mob drops. It’s easily the most iconic fantasy MMO open world ever made, and it’s hard to imagine how it could ever be surpassed.

2

Fallout: New Vegas – The Mojave Wasteland

A Lotta Fellas With A Lotta Big Irons

The Fallout games have an interesting problem when it comes to making an iconic world. After all, their open worlds are defined by the apocalypse that makes the setting possible, meaning the majority of the world is a blasted hellscape with little more than Radroaches and dead trees to make it interesting.

Yet, games like Fallout: New Vegas prove how areas like the Mojave Wasteland are perfect for crafting an iconic world. The world of the Mojave is strange, fraught with faction conflict, and full of secrets and stories in even the most boring of places. Everything is motivated, every building considered, every outpost meaningful. It’s intentional world design at its absolute height, and most fans of the New Vegas Mojave could navigate it blindfolded, even today.

1

Grand Theft Auto 5 – San Andreas

California Dreaming

It’s hard to imagine a more popular open world than San Andreas, specifically as seen in Grand Theft Auto 5. Consisting of Los Santos, the Rockstar equivalent of Los Angeles, and its surrounding wilderness (mountainous, forested, and desert), this world has become almost synonymous with the word “gaming” for an entire generation of players, like the original San Andreas was for an older generation.

Part of its enduring popularity is due to Grand Theft Auto Online, which has encouraged players to spend hundreds of hours in the world. At this point, almost every player in the game can navigate the city without consulting the map, and each road, building, and stunt jump has a story to tell. It may not be the best open-world game ever made, but for many gamers, it is certainly the most iconic.