iRankGames

Best Open-World Action Games

Ranking of the open-world action games sorted by iRank score — a 0-100 metric blending Steam, IGDB, OpenCritic, Metacritic reviews and the iRankGames community. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Ori and the Will of the Wisps lead the chart. Top-25 average iRank: 87/100. Total catalogued: 99 games.

Top 3

The best open-world action games game is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (92.4/100). Close behind: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

#1Grand Theft Auto: Vice City92#2Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas92#3Ori and the Will of the Wisps92#4Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered93#5Grand Theft Auto IV90

Full ranking

99 games cataloguedUpdated May 2026

Ranked by iRank Score

#5Grand Theft Auto IV
iRank90
Grand Theft Auto IV
ActionOpen World Action
MultiplayerSoloCo-opMeleeRanged
Steam👍 83%· 195KRAWG👍 96%· 103MC95
Year 2010Dev Rockstar Toronto · Rockstar GamesOn PC · PS · Xbox
Details →
Steam
#6Grand Theft Auto III
iRank89
Grand Theft Auto III
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedDarkNarrative
Steam👍 87%· 15KRAWG👍 86%· 1.6KMC93IGDB95· 2
Year 2001Dev DMA Design · CapcomPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox
Details →
SteamPS
#9Far Cry 3
iRank87
Far Cry 3
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineMelee
Steam👍 88%· 129KIGDB90· 15
Year 2012Dev Ubisoft Montreal · Ubisoft EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PC
Details →
SteamEpicXbox
#10Mafia II (Classic)
iRank85
Mafia II (Classic)
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeStealthRanged
Steam👍 94%· 58KRAWG👍 88%· 2.2KMC77IGDB73· 6
Year 2010Dev 2K Czech · 2K GamesPlaytime ~13hOn PC · PS · Xbox
Details →
SteamXboxPS
#14Battlefield 1
iRank85
Battlefield 1
ActionOpen World Action
MultiplayerSoloPvPTacticalMelee
Steam👍 86%· 219KIGDB89· 21OC87· 124
Year 2016Dev EA Digital Illusions CE · Electronic ArtsOn PS4 · PC · Xbox
Details →
SteamXboxPS
#16Metro Exodus
iRank86
Metro Exodus
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerMeleeStealthNarrative
Steam👍 90%· 132KIGDB83· 12OC83· 173
Year 2019Dev 4A Games · Deep SilverOn Xbox · PS4 · Linux
Details →
SteamGOGEpic
#17Control
iRank84
Control
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeNarrativeDarkHardcore
Steam👍 86%· 60KIGDB83· 15OC84· 183
Year 2019Dev Remedy Entertainment · 505 GamesOn Xbox · PS4 · PC
Details →
SteamEpicXbox
#20Far Cry 4
iRank83
Far Cry 4
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineMelee
Steam👍 85%· 69KIGDB86· 19OC84· 97
Year 2014Dev Ubisoft Montreal · Ubisoft EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · PC
Details →
SteamEpicXbox

More to consider

#21
Far Cry

Far Cry

FPS · Shooter

82#22
Bully: Scholarship Edition

Bully: Scholarship Edition

Adventure · Sandbox

81#23
Just Cause 2

Just Cause 2

Third-Person Shooter · Adventure

81#24
Vangers

Vangers

Racing · Adventure

83#25
Saints Row IV

Saints Row IV

Adventure · Shooter

84#26
HELLDIVERS™ 2

HELLDIVERS™ 2

Third-Person Shooter · Shooter

82#27
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Shooter · FPS

84#28
Grand Theft Auto 2

Grand Theft Auto 2

Shooter · FPS

83#29
Bang-On Balls: Chronicles

Bang-On Balls: Chronicles

Adventure · Sandbox

92#30
Disney Infinity 2.0: Gold Edition

Disney Infinity 2.0: Gold Edition

Adventure · Sandbox

91#31
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Shooter · FPS

83#32
Hitman 3

Hitman 3

Adventure · Shooter

86#33
Crysis

Crysis

Shooter · FPS

81#34
Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Adventure · Puzzle

82#35
Watch Dogs 2

Watch Dogs 2

Adventure · Shooter

81#36
The Darkness II

The Darkness II

Shooter · FPS

84#37
Crimson Desert

Crimson Desert

Adventure

82#38
Sunset Overdrive

Sunset Overdrive

Shooter · Third-Person Shooter

85#39
Red Faction Guerrilla Steam Edition

Red Faction Guerrilla Steam Edition

Third-Person Shooter · Shooter

79#40
Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Auto

Adventure · Racing

81#41
Deathloop

Deathloop

Shooter · FPS

82#42
Crash Time 3

Crash Time 3

Racing · Simulation

82#43
Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood

Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood

Shooter · Adventure

82#44
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Adventure · Shooter

80#45
Sniper Elite 4

Sniper Elite 4

Shooter · Adventure

82#46
Crysis Warhead

Crysis Warhead

Shooter · FPS

81#47
Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now

Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now

Racing

85#48
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

Adventure · Platformer

84#49
Crysis 3

Crysis 3

Shooter · FPS

80#50
Far Cry: Primal

Far Cry: Primal

Survival · Shooter

79

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best open-world action game?
According to the iRankGames ranking, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (92.4/100) tops the list. Close behind are Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Ori and the Will of the Wisps.
How is this ranking calculated?
Each game receives an iRank score (0-100) blending several weighted sources: Steam reviews, IGDB community + critic ratings, Metacritic, OpenCritic and the iRankGames community votes. The sort order additionally applies a Bayesian shrinkage adjustment: games with few reviews get pulled toward the genre average so small samples can't game the top of the chart.
How many open-world action games are in this ranking?
50 games appear in this list (filtered by minimum popularity, excluding DLC, expansions and unclassified shovelware).
What makes a good open-world action game?
The highest-rated entries in this genre tend to share design coherent with subgenre conventions, tight controls, balanced challenge-and-reward loops, and an active player base that sustains their reception across multiple platforms. Examples in this ranking: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Ori and the Will of the Wisps.