84 games
The best open-world games on Nintendo Switch
Large worlds you can explore freely, where you decide where to go next and something new waits behind every hill.
How to find games that really suit you: Tap “I like it” on up to 5 games. Playalike compares 20 traits such as combat, story and atmosphere and suggests games that hit exactly the same spot, even across genres.
-
1 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A vast, freely explorable Hyrule where you can climb nearly any mountain and solve obstacles through physics, elemental systems and creativity. Puzzle shrines, breakable weapons and constant discovery make every journey feel personal.
-
2 No Man's Sky
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A near-infinite procedurally generated universe where you hop freely between vivid alien planets, gather resources, build bases and upgrade your ships. Years of free updates have turned it into a relaxed sci-fi sandbox with optional co-op.
-
3 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A huge open world in which building and physics abilities let you find your own solutions.
-
4 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Open world
- Lots to discover
An open fantasy world with outstanding side quests and choices that have lasting consequences.
-
5 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A vast, freely explorable northern fantasy land where you play the Dragonborn and chart your own course through quest lines, dungeons, magic and swordplay. The Special Edition adds improved visuals and a foundation for countless mods.
-
6 Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag
- Open world
- Lots to discover
As pirate Edward Kenway you sail a freely explorable 18th-century Caribbean, boarding ships, diving for treasure and hopping between countless islands. Its naval battles and sea shanties make it one of the definitive pirate adventures.
-
7 Terraria
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A 2D sandbox adventure where you dig, build and craft while ever-tougher bosses unlock new gear tiers and biomes. Its huge item pool and hidden secrets make it a near-endless experience, especially with friends.
-
8 Outer Wilds
- Open world
- Lots to discover
Explore a solar system caught in a 22-minute time loop and unravel a cosmic mystery.
-
9 Subnautica
- Open world
- Lots to discover
Stranded on an ocean planet, you dive ever deeper into a gorgeous yet terrifying alien sea. You build bases and submarines while piecing together the planet's mystery, and the dark depths themselves become the real source of dread.
-
10 Valheim
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A Viking survival game set in a procedurally generated Norse afterlife where you explore biomes, build longhouses and ships, and take down massive bosses. It shines in co-op, balancing relaxed base building with tense, dangerous expeditions.
-
11 Don't Starve
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A merciless survival game with a gothic, Tim Burton-esque hand-drawn style, where you scavenge, craft and fend off hunger, insanity and monsters in a procedurally generated wilderness. Death is permanent, but every run teaches you something new.
-
12 Ark: Survival Evolved
- Open world
- Lots to discover
Stranded on an island full of dinosaurs, you gather resources, build bases and tame prehistoric beasts to ride and fight alongside you. On multiplayer servers it becomes a harsh, time-hungry struggle of tribes, raids and alliances.
-
13 Immortals Fenyx Rising
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A bright, Zelda-inspired open-world adventure through Greek myth, mixing snappy dodge-and-parry combat with plenty of puzzle vaults. Zeus and Prometheus narrate the journey with constant comedic banter.
-
14 The Long Dark
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A lonely, unforgiving survival experience in the frozen Canadian wilderness after a geomagnetic disaster, where cold, hunger and wolves are your real enemies. Its painterly visuals and quiet atmosphere turn every trek into a tense, often melancholic journey.
-
15 DayZ
- Open world
- Lots to discover
Unforgiving multiplayer survival across a vast zombie-infested countryside where hunger, sickness and above all other players are the real threat. Every encounter can turn into an alliance or a betrayal, and death means starting over from nothing.
-
16 Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A gorgeous open-world adventure in feudal Japan where you swap between the stealthy shinobi Naoe and the hard-hitting samurai Yasuke. Dynamic seasons, castle infiltrations and weighty sword combat define the experience.
-
17 Caves of Qud
- Open world
- Lots to discover
An extremely deep science-fantasy roguelike where you explore a vast, part handcrafted, part procedural world turn by turn. Dozens of mutations and interlocking simulation systems enable unusual builds and emergent stories where you can do almost anything.
-
18 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A grounded medieval RPG set in 15th-century Bohemia where you play a lowly blacksmith's son who must learn everything from reading to demanding, timing-based swordplay. Historical authenticity and deep immersion take center stage over heroic fantasy.
-
19 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
- Open world
- Lots to discover
This remaster of the RPG classic drops you into the vast province of Cyrodiil, where you roam freely, join guilds, shut Oblivion gates and shape your character however you like. Modernized visuals and refined mechanics give the cult favorite a fresh coat of paint.
-
20 Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
- Open world
- Lots to discover
You play an early hominid in the African jungle, figuring out tools, fleeing predators and evolving your clan across generations with almost no hand-holding. An unusual, demanding survival game about human evolution.
-
21 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition
- Open world
- Lots to discover
CJ returns home in the early '90s and fights his way through gang wars and corruption across a huge open world of three cities and wide countryside. The Definitive Edition brings the classic to modern platforms with a reworked look.
-
22 A Short Hike
- Open world
- Lots to discover
Play as Claire, a young bird climbing and gliding through a charming park toward its summit, chatting with quirky hikers and stumbling on little secrets everywhere. A short, heartfelt, pressure-free adventure with a lovely pixelated low-poly look.
-
23 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
- Open world
- Lots to discover
An atmospheric survival shooter set in the Zone around Pripyat, where you dodge anomalies, hunt artifacts and fight mutants and rival stalker factions. Its open hubs, consequential side quests and oppressive mood make it a cult classic.
-
24 Dysmantle
- Open world
- Lots to discover
A colorful post-apocalyptic adventure where you can smash almost anything for crafting materials to upgrade yourself. You explore a sprawling island full of secrets, puzzle tombs and undead, with a light-hearted tone instead of punishing survival pressure.
What matters with Open-world games
Open-world games work best when the map itself feels like a promise: you spot a peak, a strange ruin or a distant island and simply go there. The Switch list here covers a wide range, from hand-crafted fantasy realms to procedurally generated planets, so it helps to know what kind of freedom you want before picking one.
Start with tone and structure. If you like solving problems your own way, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild lets you climb nearly any mountain and use physics and elemental systems creatively, while Tears of the Kingdom adds building abilities for even more inventive solutions. If story and choices matter most, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt stands out for its side quests and decisions with lasting consequences. Players who prefer to shape a character freely will find that in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition, where you grow into a warrior, mage or thief just by using your skills.
Also think about solo versus co-op and how much tension you enjoy. Minecraft and Valheim both shine with friends, with Valheim mixing relaxed base building and dangerous expeditions. No Man's Sky is a calmer sci-fi sandbox with optional co-op, whereas Subnautica turns its alien ocean into a real source of dread, which suits players who like a little horror with their exploration.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best open-world game on Nintendo Switch?
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild tops this list for its freely explorable Hyrule and creative, physics-based problem solving. Tears of the Kingdom is a strong alternative if you want building tools on top of that.
Which open-world Switch games can I play in co-op?
Minecraft, Valheim and Terraria are all great with friends, and No Man's Sky offers optional co-op. Valheim in particular is built around tackling bosses and expeditions together.
Are there story-driven open-world RPGs on Switch?
Yes, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is known for its outstanding side quests and choices with lasting consequences. Skyrim - Special Edition and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered offer memorable questlines in large fantasy worlds.
Not quite your taste?
Tell us your favourite games and we'll find recommendations that fit you exactly.
