There's always been something special about being given a land to explore at your leisure, but just what are the best open world games of 2024? They're the ones that strike a perfect balance between carefully curated encounters, and moments that can even surprise the developers; that hide plenty of secrets to discover, while gently pushing you towards what it's important for you to find; that nurture the sense of being somewhere that's alive and, most importantly, worth exploring.
It's been a strong year for open worlds. So strong in fact, that some of the top entries here even made it into our fuller, ultimate best games of 2024 list as well. The following five games all have worthwhile questing to support their worlds of wonder. What's your poison? Shooting mutants, wielding magic, hopping between alien worlds, exploring a land of mythical beasts, or enjoying a new twist on an all-time classic? Maybe all of the above? We've got you covered here. So join us as we countdown the best open worlds games of 2024 that we just couldn't quit this year.
