Given their expansive nature,open-worldprojectstend to be some of thelongest gamesin existence. It’s possible to pour hundreds and thousands of hours into a single open-world game without exploring every nook and cranny. They are meant to keep someone engaged for weeks or months, and when done right, they can be absolutely spectacular. Now, longer does not always mean better, but when a project hits the mark, that can certainly be the case.
While there areshort open-world gamesout there,Shadow of the ColossusandMafiaimmediately come to mind, most entries in the genre require a significant time investment. That’s part of the reason these titles are so popular – they reward commitment with content and immersion. These titles are designed to be played for weeks or months on end, taking players on an epic journey across (usually) expansive worlds. Let’s take a look at thelongest open-world games.
The listed times are taken fromHowLongToBeat. The included range covers from the time required to finish a game’s main story to a completionist playthrough. The former will be used as the primary metric, while the latter will be used in the case of a tie.
Also,only one entry per franchise, although other games will be mentioned as notes. Finally, a game must have at least 4 input times to be considered.
Updated Jul 30, 2025 by Mark Sammut: 2025 has gotten off to a pretty exciting start for open-world games, and there are quite a few major releases scheduled for the next few months. Although a lot of fun, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’s main story is relatively short by the franchise’s standards. While that title has not made the cut, another 2025 release is among the longest open-world games ever. Click below to jump to this new game.
No Man’s Skyhad an incredibly rough launch. When it was first released back in 2016, it was met with ire by much of the community. Players cited the lack of content and a failure to deliver on promises made by the developer as the biggest issues, with a general feeling that the game was unfinished. Thankfully, developers listened to the community and stuck with the project, pouring extra work into creating the game that they envisioned from the start.
Nowadays,No Man’s Skyis much improved and has seen a couple of DLC releasesto help pad out its content even further. In fact, there is not so much to do in the sci-fi exploration and action release that deviating from the main story and doing all the side content will take over 100 hours. There is replayability here too.
Thanks toDivinity: Original Sin 2andBaldur’s Gate 3, Larian is well-established as one of the best modern RPG developers. While both of those games provide room for exploration and free roam, they are not open-world in the traditional sense but rather feature open areas. However, 2002’sDivine Divinityis a more standard representative of the concept, even if it is fairly dated in a lot of ways.
BlendingDiablo-style combat with classic PC RPG elements,Divine Divinitydoes a pretty good job balancing out the two subgenres, delivering a fairly accessible hack and slash system alongside stat-fueled progression and builds. Players are free to explore the world as they see fit, tackling side quests at their leisure. While a bit rough around the edges, this title still has plenty of charm.
An indie open-world survival game,Dysmantleestablishes a gameplay loop that is irresistibly addictive. Set in a post-apocalyptic world featuring zombies, this title’s bare-bones sound rather unspectacular, but everything comes together quite seamlessly for one main reason: progression is constant and highly enjoyable.
Players spend the majority of their time inDysmantledestroying everything around them, and each action grants XP points that can then be used to forge better tools to cause even more devastation. It is a cycle that works brilliantly and ensures that grinding never feels pointless. The world is reasonably large too, even if the isometric camera angle makes the map seem smaller than it is.
Rockstar’s latest adventure was so well-received by the community that it continues to see updates and re-releases on consoles.Grand Theft Auto 5is one of the largest and most ambitious releases inRockstar’s franchise, with a main campaign that spans three separate playable characters.
Although the main story is engrossing enough, there are tons of sidequests and stranger-style missions to complete. It’ll take players quite a bit of time and effort to see all there is to see in Los Santos and all the surrounding areas. From there, players can also hop intoGrand Theft Auto Online, for even more stories and side-content to tackle.
Although it certainly shows its age nowadays,Space Rangers 2: Dominatorswas an impressive sci-fi title when it debuted in 2004. The Russian game blends a surprising number of genres, from trade simulators to shoot ‘em ups and RTS. The base game launched with hardly a shortage of content, but 2013’sSpace Rangers HD: A War Apartadds even more material to it, expanding this title to enormous lengths.
Space Rangers HDtakes place in a universe where evil robots called Dominators are trying to take over everything. The player steps into one of the game’s various civilizations and must set out to complete faction missions, take a few trips to hyperspace, and make enemies and friends along the way. Not everything aboutSpace Rangers HD: A War Aparthas aged gracefully, but the game’s open-ended nature is admirable and greatly enhances its replayability, making it one of thelongest open-world gamesever.
Ubisoft created one of the definitive pirate games inAssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, a project that was so successful that a spiritual successor removed from that franchise seemed inevitable.Skull and Bonestook a very long time to materialize, and it went through a rather notoriously development cycle; by the time of its 2024 debut, the game had lost most of its momentum following an array of underwhelming reports and previews. While not without positives,Skull and Boneswas undeniably a disappointment, particularly its limited gameplay, which felt more restrictive and one-note than the much olderBlack Flag.
Despite technically containing a main story, this title follows a live-service structure that is meant to encourage indefinite sessions, sort of similar to something likeSea of Thieves. Even if it is not the focus, the campaign is fairly lengthy, and it mostly revolves around targeting specific pirates (who have very little personality). It tookSkull and Bonesroughly three months to poll just four main story times on HowLongToBeat, which is ridiculous for such a major release.
Usually, fantasy RPGs cast players as prominent figures, heroes summoned by the stars to change the course of history.Outwardopts for a different take as its protagoniststarts as a common adventurer who is merely trying to pay off a debut, and it takes a while for them to become involved in a more important narrative.
WhileOutwardhas plenty of issues such as unsatisfying combat, the game nails its open-world. Players are allowed to explore the map to their hearts’ content, and the game opens up very quickly. Sure, some routes lead to death, but that is to be expected in this sort of fantasy world.
Following inPokemon Legends: Arceus' footsteps,Scarlet and Violetwere the first main entry projects in Game Freak’s franchise to go down the open-world route, a decision that attracted excitement and trepidation in equal measure. The ninth-generation games got a decisively mixed response, particularly due to pretty bad performance and bugs. Visually,Scarlet and Violetalso leave quite a bit to be desired and are fairly rough around the edges.
Still, they arePokemongames that, for the most part, manage to preserve the traditional loop that has proven popular for the best part of three decades. Sure, the story might be reluctant to provide any significant challenge or try anything all that new, but neither of those things are game killers forPokemon. The simple excitement of catching and training monsters will seemingly never grow out of fashion.
When it comes to main stories,Fallout: New Vegasis the longest entry in Bethesda’s franchise, although most of the 3D games are similar in length. Obsidian’s spin-off is generally hailed as the best post-Fallout 2entry, particularly due to its implementation of actions and consequences that make the player’s decisions seem important.
As with most Bethesda games,New Vegas' content and longevity go well beyond the base content, at least on PC. These titles are kept alive for years throughactive modding communitiesthat add a plethora of fresh material, including stuff like quests.
Fallout 4 – Game Of The Year Editionhas a very similar length toNew Vegas, with its story being roughly 34 hours. However, completionist runs are longer at 224 hours.Fallout 76is similar at 35 hours, with 340 hours for everything.
Surviving a difficult production cycle,S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyllaunched to a generally positive reception, with most of the criticisms focusing on its technical state. Yes, the game had and still has its share of bugs and glitches, but the actual content is pretty darn great and arguably marks a new high point for the franchise (which is not a statement made lightly). Once again, players find themselves in The Zone, an area filled with radiation, mutants, and people trying to get ahead (and they are willing to kill for it).
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2is massive, offering a way bigger world than any of its predecessors. Although not devoid of empty areas, which makes sense considering the setting, the map is fairly stacked with content. Beyond that,S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2strikes a pretty great balance between survival, horror, and gunplay.
