23 Best Free Open-World PC Games of All Time

Open-world video games are everywhere. In fact, they’re pretty much the norm in the gaming world right now. But finding ones that are open and free-to-play? That’s another matter. Some are straight-up open-world games, others are battle royale titles with big worlds to play in. Either way, here are a few of them on PC right now.

#23 Babbdi

Platform: PC
Release Date: December 22, 2022

Babbdi is a horror game that’s free to play. It’s a short game with not much focus on narrative. As a result, we won’t spoil much here for you. Instead, if you’re after a new horror game experience full of exploration, this might be worth investing some time in. Think of this more as a walking simulator type of gameplay experience. Overall, players will be exploring the town of Babbdi, which is located in the now restricted district of a megalopolis.

#22 Genshin Impact

We’ll start with a title that many of you no doubt enjoy for reasons not pertaining to the open world. You know what we’re talking about, don’t deny it, and fear not, you’re not alone.

Genshin Impact puts you in the role of The Traveler, who winds up in a new world after being separated from their sibling. Now you must find them as you battle enemy kingdoms and try to bring peace to the land.

Thankfully for you, you won’t have to do it alone. You’ll be able to summon special heroes to fight alongside you, and more heroes are added all the time.

The RNG summoning is atypical for an open-world title, but it made them billions, so who are we to judge?

#21 Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis

Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis is an extension/sequel to the original Phantasy Star Online 2 game that is popular in Japan.

This time the game will open things up to players and allows 32 people to play together in a single run. That means you’ll have a lot of help as you face enemies and try to save the universe.

The combat system has been improved as well. There are tweaks to make it easier to learn but also new techniques for you to use as you fight enemies! With a deep story and lots of places to explore it’ll be easy to get lost in what you can do.

#20 Call of Duty Warzone

Call of Duty games aren’t supposed to be an open-world setting. They’re linear because you need to get from one part of the battlefield to the next to complete the missions. Multiplayer is a bit different, but it’s not open-world gameplay.

Call of Duty Warzone puts the battle royale spin on things and offers up larger maps to roam through.

You’ll load up and try to outfit your character with the best weapons and gear to overcome the various modes of the title. The game will even tie into the upcoming mainline game with its next upgrade! That means even more fun and action will be had.

#19 CRSED: F.O.A.D

Our next battle royale title we’ll discuss is CRSED: F.O.A.D, one of many that provide a twist on mechanics that might intrigue you.

In this case, you’ll pick from an array of champions who have a variety of abilities ranging from gunslinging to the supernatural. Once the match starts, players will race to the middle of the map as the dark zone slowly consumes everything else.

Use your natural or supernatural abilities to alter the battlefield to your advantage. Block out the sun, throw hex bags at opponents, summon clones, whatever it takes to survive!

The game gets new content regularly, ensuring there’s always something new.

#18 Realm Royale Reforged

Realm Royale Reforged shows that sometimes developers need to go back to what works instead of changing things on a dime. The game was retooled to provide players with what they enjoyed before, including armor, better class selections, and so on.

You’ll create your character and give them the best weapons and abilities possible. Then, you’ll team up with others in your squad to be the last champions standing. You’ll have to survive the other players and the deadly fog that consumes the battlefield over time.

Forge weapons, find abilities scattered across the map, and when you die, survive as a chicken!

#17 Unturned

Welcome to a world where nearly everyone alive is a zombie. You are one of the few who isn’t, and you need to keep it that way as you roam around.

Unturned gives you the challenge of exploring an open world and surviving the threats that are all around you. The good news is that you have options on how you want to handle it. Will you try the guns-blazing approach and kill everything that comes your way?

Will you be the silent type and sneak around areas so the zombies can’t find you?

Make your choice, then try to survive them while also surviving mother nature and other players!

#16 Creativerse

If you could shape an entire world how you wanted, how would you do it?

Creativerse is the game that’ll give you that freedom of creativity and building, while also giving you a grand adventure to do it on.

Each player will have a private world they can build and explore in. You’ll start small, getting the resources and skills you need to create. Then, once you’re set, you’ll start building! You can even learn from other players in their realms and receive blueprints to make certain kinds of structures.

Once you have something grand in view, invite your friends to your realm to have fun! Or go to their realms and explore alongside them.

#15 Trove

Do you want a game with the visuals of Minecraft but the freedom to travel to infinite places? Then Trove is the game for you.

You’ll pick a class and then go to work fighting the forces of darkness. The twist is that these forces are within dungeons scattered across a multitude of realms.

Travel across the lands you roam on the backs of mighty steeds such as dragons, or build cycles to get across them even quicker! Find loot to get rich so you can get more items, then build yourself a home for you to stay in when you’re not questing.

Explore, fight, mine, win! All within Trove.

#14 Totally Accurate Battlegrounds

When battle royale titles mix with wacky physics and the floor is lava, you get Totally Accurate Battlegrounds. Hint, it’s not an accurate battleground in any way.

You’ll be one of 60 players wobbling around a battlefield and trying to take out the other players. But the twist, if you will, is that the characters are all wobbly, as are their animations and movements. You even have a kind of wobbly parkour for you to do. It’s very weird.

You have over 90 weapons to use, but some of them are pots, so use them how you will.

The title is not meant to be taken seriously, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun in it.

#13 Ring of Elysium

Want a twist on the battle royale formula? Allow us to present, Ring of Elysium. In this title, you and 59 other players will be put into an area and asked to survive.

The twist is that you’re not exactly trying to survive each other. Instead, you’re on the clock and have to get out of the area to avoid a nuclear holocaust! Pick your class and use a variety of weapons and abilities to try and outlast your opponents while you race to get to the chopper!

The game boasts multiple maps, realistic graphics, and gameplay that’ll have you coming back for more.

#12 Dauntless

If you wanted Monster Hunter to be in MMO form, you’d think of Dauntless. In the game, you’ll be a Slayer tasked with traveling across the world and killing the monsters known as Behemoths. But as you might expect, it’s not an easy task. You’ll need to team up with other players for co-op battles that’ll test your skills to the limit.

When that’s not enough, you’ll have to craft special weapons and armor to up your stats and give you a better chance in the fight.

The game regularly updates and provides new challenges, new gear, and new ways to play.

#11 Albion Online

Multiple MMORPGs rely on their community to keep things going and keep things fresh. Albion Online is one example, but not in the way you’re expecting.

Because in the MMORPG, the economy is run by the players from start to bottom. Only base items are made by the dev team, the rest are crafted by the players. You’ll need to look around for the best items, weapons, armor, and so on and equip them so that you can be ready for battle.

Plus, there are no classes in the game. What you put on you defines who and what you are. Will you be a warrior who fights to rule alongside his faction? Or a farmer who wants a simple life? The choice is yours.

#10 Neverwinter

Neverwinter is a faithful recreation of the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop games. You’ll get to choose what character and class you want to be, then venture through the Forgotten Realms on grand quests.

You’ll not only see some of the famous cities from the game but defend them from monsters that seek to destroy them!

Be wary, the combat of the game is not simple, you’ll have to be precise with your attacks, how you move, how you defend, and how you work with others. Only those truly skilled will be able to overcome the dangers ahead.

So rally your team together, the realm needs you!

#9 Lord of the Rings Online

The Lord of the Rings Online MMORPG has been around for 15 years, and that means that players have enjoyed exploring the vastness of Middle-Earth.

The title is a faithful recreation of all that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote about, and as such, you’ll get to be one of the species of the realms like Elves, Dwarves, Men, and even Hobbits. Then, after you make your character what you want, you can go throughout the realm and explore some of its most iconic locations.

When you want a break from the main storyline you can go into PVP battles and become a minion of Sauron to crush other players! Play alone or with friends, whatever it takes to enjoy the experience.

#8 PUBG Battlegrounds

The original battle royale title, PUBG Battlegrounds was the game that set the world on fire and showed off a new way of playing a shooter. All you have to do is drop a bunch of people onto a single map and let nature take its course.

Many of the things you expect from a battle royale title are here. A large map, customization items to help your player avatar stand out, and more. Granted, it didn’t evolve as much as a certain other game did, but the title is still going strong after a few big updates.

So if you wish to go back to the OG, PUBG is still available to play.

#7 EVE Online

Something that many multiplayer games can’t do is have the effects of player actions affect the overall setting. EVE Online does that and has done it for 20 years!

It’s the largest space MMO out there, and the team is proud of that. There are 7000 different solar systems to explore, fight in, mine for resources, and so on.

You get to choose your path through this massive universe, and what you do alongside other players will affect everything around you. Topple empires, build new factions, sway the economy in one direction or another it’s all there for you to do.

#6 Planetside 2

It’s easy to say that a game has you battling across an entire planet, but few ever truly do that. Planetside 2 is one of the exceptions to that rule. Because in this MMOFPS, you’ll take the side of one of three conflicting factions and battle it out for supremacy.

Make no mistake the battles you fight in won’t be small. There will be hundreds of other players alongside you and against you trying to make things happen. The maps you fight in are many square kilometers long, giving you plenty of places to fight, stake a claim, and then defend it from enemy forces.

The fighting never stops in Planetside 2 because of the scale of war you’re in.

#5 Destiny 2

Destiny 2 is from the team at Bungie, who knows how to make grand-scale titles at the drop of a hat. The game puts you back in the role of a Guardian as new threats emerge across multiple settings. The title boasts a deeper storyline than the original game and improves combat in a great number of ways.

But what most players love is being able to play with one another, doing missions, raids, and more with others at their side.

The game is slowly winding down its DLC content, so if you haven’t had the chance to play the game yet, now is a perfect time.

#4 RuneScape

RuneScape is one of the OG MMORPG titles. It’s been around for decades, it’ll likely be around for a lot longer, and the community will still thrive.

You often hear that an MMORPG can live or die because of its community and how they interact with one another. RuneScape proves that as long as you treat the community right, they’ll keep playing your title.

RuneScape is not the most-advanced MMORPG out there, and it doesn’t need to be. You can fight, craft, build, trade, and more, and people have been doing that for a long time. Why not give it a try yourself?

#3 Warframe

Warframe has been free-to-play since it came out, and that’s part of the reason the game has lasted so long and why so many people have played it.

The game takes place in a galaxy at war. You are an individual that can inhabit an exosuit known as a Warframe, one of over 50 that are available currently. Each one plays differently, and there are over 500 weapons that you can put upon your exosuits to make them deadlier in battle.

With the guiding hand of Lotus helping you, you’ll go to multiple worlds and fight many battles. Find the right Warframe for you, and you’ll have a blast.

#2 Fortnite

Surprised? You honestly shouldn’t be. While Fortnite is another battle royale title, it boasts a large island as its setting. You can roam the island and do things outside of battles. You can even have a dance party!

But even at its core gameplay, the title is open-world in the ways that matter, including having to fight across a giant map to try and find the other 99 players to come out on top. The game is constantly updating and has a story mode that constantly changes the map to keep things fresh.

So when you add that all up, while Fortnite is an atypical open-world game, it’s still one of the best available for free.

#1 Star Wars: The Old Republic

One last MMORPG as we start to round out our list. Star Wars: The Old Republic is a spinoff of the legendary RPG from Bioware and was indeed created by the Bioware squad.

In this new take on a galaxy far, far away you’ll create a character and set off on an adventure that’s not to be missed. If you’ve dreamed of being a Jedi or a Sith, you can achieve that here. Or, if you want to be a scruffy Nerf Herder like Han Solo, you can do that too!

There are legions of planets to explore and do quests on, ships to pilot, droids to get, weapons to use, and more.