It could be said thatopen-world gamesencapsulate gaming’s best attributes and push them to their logical extremes — they offer fully fleshed-out alternate realities for the player to explore as they wish, generally affording them unprecedented levels of agency and freedom in determining their path through it. An open-world game has the potential to, almost literally, become a second life for the player to disappear into.
So it should come as no surprise that some of the gaming industry’s most prolific titles manifest as open-world games. As luck would have it, a generous number of titles are at players' fingertips if they happen to have an activeXbox Game Passsubscription. But which world should someone dive into next? What are thebest open-world games on Xbox Game Pass?
Updated on July 28, 2025 by Mark Sammut:Game Pass' best open-world games will keep you entertained for a very, very long time.
A game’s quality is not the only deciding factor in its ranking. For instance, if a major open-world game has just been added to Game Pass, it will be listed at the top initially.
Rumors aside,Oblivion Remasteredwas announced and released on the same day, making it instantly one of the biggest projects of 2025. While tagged as being a “remaster,” this version provides such a substantial boost in visuals that it does, at the very least, look like a different game.Oblivion Remasteredis absolutely gorgeous and comfortably among the most visually strikingopen-world games on Game Pass.
Gameplay-wise, Bethesda and Virtuous primarily attempt to preserve the original’s strengths and quirks, albeit with a few tweaks to help modernize some aspects of the experience. Despite still being similar at its core, the combat benefits from improved enemy feedback, which makes a huge difference to the quality of the action. Theremaster has other improvements as well.
Set within The Zone,S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2drops players into a cutthroat hellscape defined by desperation, greed, and relentless survival. There are mutants, magic artifacts, and plenty of weapons, even if ammo can be scarce. The world is massive, far surpassing anything else in the series, and frequently stunning, a consequence of utilizing Unreal Engine 5. Survival games are not that rare, butS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2is a unique breedthat is rich in atmosphere and world-building. The gameplay complements the tone well through things like a radiation system and item management. Even if someone has never played aS.T.A.L.K.E.R.game before, they should give the latest release a try. That said, they should prepare themselves for the occasional bug.
No game encourages freedom and exploration the way thatMinecraftdoes. As soon as players spawn into the world, there are no boundaries restricting what they do next. Building a mansion in the forest, mining to the depths of the world, or crafting the most intricate roller coaster are all options on the table.
Though there are no quests sprinkled throughout the world ofMinecraft, the ability to do anything so chosen is the game’s main appeal.Minecraftis the ultimate sandbox project, and players are only limited by their imagination. Mojang’s masterpiece has been an inescapable part of the gaming industry for so long that a recommendation is unnecessary by this point. Anyone remotely familiar with gaming is aware ofMinecraft, and they almost certainly know if the project is for them or not. In terms ofopen-world Game Pass games, almost no other project comes close to matchingMinecraft’s importance.
I know that Ubisoft’s open-world games are not extremely popular nowadays, but the publisher has produced plenty of great projects within the genre.Tom Clancy’s The Division 2has been around for quite a while by this point, and it offers a very impressive experience that can be enjoyed as both a straightforward PvE romp or a co-op option.
Personally, I prefer to treat the game as a single-player RPG set within a well-realized version of Washington, and it even manages to scratch my looter-shooter itch. However, most people seem to opt to play with a friend, which can help make the fairly lengthy campaign go by more quickly.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimhas long been a definitive staple of the open-world catalog, and it’s likely to remain that way untilthe next chapter of the mainlineElder Scrollssaga manifests. Even today, players still wander the snowy tundra, lush forests, and decrepit dungeons ofSkyrimin droves, which is no mean feat considering the base game was released in 2011.
If for some reason someone is yet to embark on the epic tale of the Dragonborn, now’s as good a time as any. And if they already have, then they can pick from an extensive selection of mods that are available for Xbox consoles and fabricate a new twist on a familiar adventure.
Coming out of nowhere and instantly establishing itself as one ofGame Pass’s best open-world games,Palworldis almost unbelievably good, especially considering it is still in Game Preview. Pocket Pair aimed for the stars by delivering a project that, on paper, appears to spread itself too thin to offer any real depth in one field; however, somehow, the 2024 game comes together to create a surprisingly cohesive experience. Now, this is still an early access release that is a work in progress, so anyone who jumps in should expect to encounter a few bugs and issues along the way.Palworldruns pretty well for this type of release, but it is still a ways off from completion, so expectations should be kept realistic. That said, the current version has more than content to justify a recommendation on its own, all with the knowledge that the future should come with a stream of new updates.
What isPalworld? Well, that question is somewhat difficult to answer. Before its debut, it was described as “Pokemonwith guns,” a reductive statement that holds some truth but hardly paints a full picture. Set in a fairly impressive open-world,Palworldis – first and foremost – a survival exploration game. Players will need to set up a base, manage their food, and craft items to increase productivity and protect themselves from the elements. That is all well and good, but the novelty comes from the introduction of Pals. Players can catch a wide assortment of monsters who fit different types. Along with helping out in battles, Pals are also crucial for exploration and base-building. They even need to be taken care of since they also get hungry.
Palworldcasts a wide net that allows it to cater to various audiences. People yearning to catch them all will find an engaging monster-collection game with well-designed creatures with a genuine purpose. Survival fans will find a fairly accessible experience that offers depth and challenge through its combat and team management. Meanwhile, players who wish to explore a fresh-feeling realm will find a lot to love inPalworld’s open-world. While not the biggest or the most beautiful setting in the genre, Palpagos Islands is a fun sandbox to explore.
7Forza Horizon 5
Drive Through Mexico
Playground Games’Forza Horizonseries has served as a reliable source for ambitious open-world racing games, and the fifth entry maintains the high standard synonymous with the license. Set in Mexico,Forza Horizon 5’s map is considerably more diverse than its immediate predecessor, with each region having its own aesthetic that allows it to stand out.
Like with all of these games,Forza Horizon 5blends realistic visuals and an authentic world with over-the-top arcade-style gameplay, and it is a match made in heaven. Playground consistently crafts sandboxes that are just a blast to drive around in, andFH5’s map is overflowing with content that caters to both single-player and multiplayer preferences
Blizzard’s latest games seem to reliably attract controversy. While garnering a positive reception at launch,Diablo 4’s reputation turned sour incredibly quickly, with the goodwill not even surviving until the launch of the first season. Nowadays, the action RPG feels like a bit of an afterthought that is struggling to attract attention beyond its core playerbase, which can be quite volatile. Consequently,Diablo 4’s Xbox Game Pass debut was not as exciting of an event as it arguably should have been, despite the game being comfortably one of the biggest names added to the service in 2024.
With all the negativity, one would be forgiven for forgetting thatDiablo 4is still a decent isometric hack and slash game. Sure, the endgame could be significantly better, and some of the post-launch updates did more harm than good. However, the campaign is generally solid, offering nearly 30 hours of entertainment. Obviously,Diablohas never been about the main story, but that does not mean players cannot treat the 2023 entry as a single-player experience with a definitive ending.
Before its release,Diablo 4marketed its open-world heavily since it was a first for the series. Sanctuary is large, diverse enough, and filled with replayable content thanks to the procedurally generated dungeons. It is not amazing, but there are not all that many open-world hack and slash projects.
Not every person who owns an Xbox Series X/S will gravitate towardMicrosoft Flight Simulator, but there are undoubtedly people who specifically purchased the console to play this flight sim. After spending a year as a PC exclusive, Asobo Studio’s project finally made its way to Microsoft’s latest hardware, and even a couple of years after its launch, the 2021 release is still among the console’s most impressive technical showcases. As its title suggests, the game seeks to accurately recreate the experience of piloting a plane, at least to the point that gaming allows. While somewhat realistic,Flight Simulatoris relatively accessible by the subgenre’s standards, so newcomers who have never sat down in a virtual cockpit can rely on a detailed tutorial to teach them the basics.
Generally,Flight Simulator’s gameplay is structured around flight plans, which are linear by design. However, players are given free rein in how they approach routes since they can plan their own flights through the World Map mode. Essentially, Earth isMicrosoft Flight Simulator’s open-world, and while players might not be able to land and go for a stroll, they can witness the planet’s majesty from the skies.
Debuting in 2011,Terraria’s staying power is beyond proven by this point. Re-Logic’s action-adventure title pushes exploration to the forefront, presenting players with all the freedom in the world to traverse its impressive procedurally generated sandbox map.
Blending combat, survival, and crafting elements,Terrariais rich and diverse, and the game comes with an incredibly passionate fanbase. Besides the standard version of the campaign,Terrariacomes with plenty of other modes that alter its difficulty, leading to wildly different adventures.
