The 10 Best Open-World RPGs to Play in 2027
The 10 Best Open-World RPGs to Play in 2027
Direct Answer
The best open-world RPG you can play in 2027 is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition (about $49.99 for the base release, regularly $9.99 on sale), a 100-plus-hour story-driven game that still sets the bar for hand-crafted side quests. The best value is Elden Ring at $59.99 (often $39.99 discounted), which packs roughly 60 hours of main content and far more for completionists.
This list is for players who want a large explorable world, character progression, and meaningful choices, with prices running from $15 budget classics to $70 modern releases. Every title below is a real, currently sold game, ranked by world design, quest quality, combat depth, replay value, and current price-to-content ratio.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 🏆 BEST OVERALL
CD Projekt Red's 2015 RPG, with its free Next-Gen update released in December 2022, remains the benchmark for open-world storytelling. The Complete Edition lists at $49.99 and bundles both expansions, *Hearts of Stone* and *Blood and Wine*, the latter adding the standalone Toussaint region.
You play Geralt of Rivia across two huge maps, Velen/Novigrad and Skellige, with a main story near 50 hours and well over 100 hours including side content. It holds a 92 Metacritic on PC and won Game of the Year at the 2015 Game Awards.
It ranks first because its side quests carry the writing quality most games reserve for the main plot. The Bloody Baron questline alone is held up as a high point of branching narrative design, and choices ripple across the whole story into one of several distinct endings. For anyone wanting one open-world RPG that justifies the genre, this is the pick, and at frequent $9.99 sale prices it is also one of the cheapest hours-per-dollar buys in gaming.
It runs on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, so almost any player can access it.
2. Elden Ring 💎 BEST VALUE
FromSoftware's 2022 game, designed with author George R. R. Martin, sells for $59.99 and earned a 96 Metacritic, plus Game of the Year at the 2022 Game Awards. The June 2024 expansion Shadow of the Erdtree ($39.99) added the Land of Shadow, one of the largest paid add-ons FromSoftware has shipped.
The base game offers a smooth map called The Lands Between with six major regions, optional dungeons, and roughly 60 hours of core play that balloons past 100 for thorough explorers. Combat is the studio's demanding Souls system, softened slightly by the ability to run away and level elsewhere.
It earns the value crown because few other $60 games deliver this much hand-built content with this little filler, and the sub-$40 sale price makes the proposition even stronger. The map hides catacombs, hero graves, and field bosses with no quest markers pointing to them, so exploration itself is the reward.
With Shadow of the Erdtree added, the total package rivals games twice its price in raw hours.
3. Baldur's Gate 3
Larian Studios released this Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition RPG in August 2023 at $59.99. It swept the 2023 Game Awards with Game of the Year and holds a 96 Metacritic.
While more of a series of large hub-zones than a single smooth map, its reactivity is unmatched: nearly every quest can be solved through combat, persuasion, stealth, or spellcraft. A full campaign runs 75 to 100 hours, and split-screen co-op supports up to four players.
It ranks here for choice-and-consequence depth that rewards multiple playthroughs, edged out of the top two only by being less of a traditional roam-anywhere world. The first act around the Druid Grove can branch in radically different directions depending on who you side with, and companion approval shifts the entire ending.
It is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with the Mac version added in 2024.
4. Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar's 2018 open-world Western, $59.99 and often $19.99 on sale, holds a 97 Metacritic on PS4. Its map covers five fictional states modeled on the American frontier, with a story spanning roughly 50 hours plus a separate online mode.
The world detail is the draw: dynamic weather, an ecosystem of animals, and NPCs who remember your actions. As Arthur Morgan you balance gunfighting with hunting, fishing, and camp upkeep.
It lands fourth because its deliberate, methodical pace is divisive, but for atmosphere and immersion nothing else beats it. Snow accumulates on your horse, mud cakes your boots, and townsfolk react to whether you bathe, all small touches that build a living world. The game is on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, playable on current consoles through backward compatibility.
5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Bethesda's 2011 RPG, reissued as the Anniversary Edition at $49.99 (base Special Edition $39.99, sales near $15), remains a modding cornerstone with thousands of free Creation Kit mods on PC.
Its province of Skyrim lets you become a warrior, mage, thief, or any blend, with a main quest around 30 hours and effectively endless side content. The Anniversary Edition bundles all official add-ons including the Creation Club content.
Sixteen years on it ranks fifth on the strength of freedom and longevity; mods keep it visually and mechanically current well into 2027. The game shipped on so many platforms it became an industry running joke, and it remains available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC. For players who want to define their own goals rather than follow a quest line, nothing offers more rope.
6. Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt Red's 2020 game launched rough but, after the 2.0 overhaul and the September 2023 Phantom Liberty expansion ($29.99), now holds critical acclaim. The base game is $59.99, frequently $29.99 on sale.
Night City is a dense vertical open world with a 25-to-40-hour main story and branching endings tied to your choices and lifepath. The 2.0 update rebuilt skills, cyberware, and police AI.
It ranks sixth for the comeback completeness; the current version is the city RPG it was meant to be.
7. Horizon Forbidden West
Guerrilla Games' 2022 sequel, $59.99 (Complete Edition with the *Burning Shores* DLC about $49.99), holds an 88 Metacritic. It is on PS5 and PC.
You hunt robotic creatures across a post-apocalyptic American West as Aloy, with a 40-plus-hour story and strong traversal via gliding and climbing. The machine designs and combat are standouts.
Seventh place reflects gorgeous, polished open-world action that is slightly more linear in quest design than the top entries.
8. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Ubisoft's 2020 Viking entry, $59.99 and routinely $15 on sale, is one of the largest games here, with a main story near 60 hours and a complete saga exceeding 100.
You raid and settle across England as Eivor, building a base, forging alliances, and exploring a sprawling map. It is the most content-dense Assassin's Creed to date.
It ranks eighth because the sheer volume can feel padded, but the per-dollar value at sale prices is excellent.
9. Fallout 4
Bethesda's 2015 post-nuclear RPG, $19.99 for the Game of the Year Edition with all DLC, received a free next-gen update in April 2024 adding 4K and performance modes on current consoles.
Its Commonwealth wasteland around Boston offers a 25-hour main quest, deep settlement-building, and heavy mod support. Gunplay is the best in the series.
Ninth place rewards a huge, moddable world that, at $20 for everything, is among the strongest budget buys on this list.
10. Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut
Sucker Punch's 2020 samurai game, $69.99 for the Director's Cut on PS5 and PC (sales near $39.99), holds an 83 Metacritic with a celebrated art direction.
Set on Tsushima Island during the 1274 Mongol invasion, it runs about 40 hours and adds the Iki Island expansion in the Director's Cut. Its sword combat and wind-guided navigation are elegant.
It rounds out the list as the most stylish open world here, narrowly tenth on a slightly thinner RPG progression system. The optional removal of the on-screen minimap, replaced by a guiding wind, is one of the genre's smartest navigation ideas. It is available on PS5, PS4, and PC, with a strong photo mode that highlights its painterly vistas.
How to Choose
- For the best single-purchase experience, buy The Witcher 3 Complete Edition; its expansions are essential and the bundle is cheap on sale.
- For demanding combat and exploration, choose Elden Ring; skip it if you dislike steep difficulty with no easy mode.
- For maximum choice and replayability, pick Baldur's Gate 3, especially if you want co-op.
- On a budget under $25, Fallout 4 GOTY or a Skyrim sale gives you 100-plus hours per game.
- For modding and endless customization, Skyrim and Fallout 4 on PC lead the field.
- For cinematic immersion over RPG systems, Red Dead Redemption 2 or Ghost of Tsushima fit best.
FAQ
Which open-world RPG is best for a complete beginner?
Skyrim Special Edition is the friendliest entry point. It has accessible combat, an adjustable difficulty slider, clear quest markers, and no fail-states that punish casual play. At roughly $15 on sale with hundreds of hours available, it is the lowest-risk way to learn the genre.
Is Elden Ring too hard for new players?
Elden Ring is demanding, but its open structure lets you leave any tough area, level up elsewhere, and return stronger. Summoning Spirit Ashes and co-op players also lowers the difficulty significantly, so persistent newcomers can finish it even without prior FromSoftware experience.
How long does it take to finish a typical entry on this list?
Main stories range from about 25 hours (Cyberpunk 2077, Fallout 4) to 75-plus hours (Baldur's Gate 3). Completionists routinely double or triple those figures, with Witcher 3 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla each exceeding 100 hours of total content.
Do I need the latest console to play these well?
No. Most titles run on PS4, Xbox One, and modest PCs, though Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, and the Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut shine on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and current hardware with faster loading and higher frame rates.
Bottom Line
For one definitive open-world RPG in 2027, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition at $49.99 is the best overall, combining a massive world with side-quest writing nobody has matched. If you want the most content for your money, Elden Ring at $59.99 (and often $39.99 on sale) is the best value, delivering scores of hours of hand-built exploration and combat.
Sources
- Metacritic — game scores for The Witcher 3, Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, and Red Dead Redemption 2
- The Game Awards — Game of the Year winners 2015, 2022, and 2023
- Steam — current list prices and storefront content for PC editions
- PlayStation Store and Xbox Store — console pricing and edition contents
- CD Projekt Red — official patch notes for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen update and Cyberpunk 2077 2.0
- FromSoftware / Bandai Namco — Shadow of the Erdtree release details
- IGN and GameSpot — reviews and expansion coverage