20 Best PS4 Open World RPGs You Should Be Playing In 2023 - Gameranx (2023)

Open-world RPGs are easily one of the lifebloods of the gaming world today, and for good reason. They provide lots of content, unique worlds, and a variety of ways to do things. So if you have a PS4, we’ll show you a few games that you should be playing.

#20 Hogwarts Legacy

Platform: PC PS5 XSX|S – February 10, 2023
Release Date: (PS4 Xbox One – May 05, 2023) (Switch – July 25, 2023)

Steam|Playstation|Xbox

When you read the books or watched the movies featuring Harry Potter and his friends, your greatest desire was likely wanting to be in that world and see all it has to offer.The good news is that Hogwarts Legacy gives you that desire in spades. You’ll transfer to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and be able to explore the grounds therein. You can wander the castle and seek out its many hidden rooms. Then you can head to the grounds, fly on hippogriffs, or delve into the Forbidden Forest! You can even go to Hogsmeade and have unique adventures there! So jump in and wander to your hearts’ content!

#19 Chained Echoes

Platform: PC PS4 Xbox Switch
Release: December 08, 2022

Looking for a bit of nostalgia? How about a new 16-bit style RPG? Chained Echoes is a new game that will give the feel of a classic RPG set in a new fantasy world. Going through this JRPG should make you feel like you’re playing an old SNES game. In the title, players are following a group of characters in the world of Valandis. A multi-generational war has been ongoing, and you’re looking to settle things once and for all. Venture through the world with your party of eight characters, take on new quests, and go through a series of turn-based battles. However, don’t count on having to level your party members up. Instead, this game offers an automatic leveling system that will help increase your character’s skills.

Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One XSX|S PS5
Release: October 25, 2022

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a prequel that puts players hundreds of years before the first game’s events. In this title, a new civil war is brewing, and kingdoms are at odds. You’ll take up your sword and build an army. Command them as you venture throughout the world, seeking fame, glory, and pride for your fellow men. When you’re not interested in making alliances or fighting alone on the battlefield with your army, you can try your hand at some PvP. The campaign can be enjoyed as a single-player experience, but there is online PvP if you want to see just how well you’ll be able to fend yourself from an onslaught attack from another player.

#17 Elex 2

Developer Piranha Bytes managed to capture something special inside Elex 2, but it might not be for everyone. Known for their work on iconic games like the Gothic series way back in the day, Elex 2 has some sort of logistic feeling to old-school RPGs. The world players are dropped into is an interesting one filled with dinosaurs, robots, and other creatures. And for the most part, the story will have the player interested, but when it comes down to gameplay, Elex 2 can’t seem to hook its players. It’s a simple-based, clunky gameplay fighting mechanic that overstays its welcome pretty early one. There are notes from the community that the gameplay gets better as you progress through the story, but many gamers have a tendency to not stick around. However, if you do stay, Elex 2 can provide some old-school nonstatic fun in the present day, and that’s a pretty rare feeling to feel in today’s time.

#16 Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is one of the most immersive games on the list by far. Set in Midevil times, players will embark on a journey to revenge for the death of their parents. The game is very story-dense, giving players a ton of dialogue options and a realistic simulation experience. From the outside looking in the game seems to be like a sword-fighting game, but it is much more than just that. You will have to sleep, eat, wash your armor, learn to read, gain skills in fighting, and much much more. This brings the immersive experience to a 10 as you really need to be involved with the game’s daily activities and story.

#15 The Outer Worlds

The Outer Worlds bring a familiar feel to fans of the Fallout franchise while also adding their own spice. Developed by Obsidian Games, who originally developed Fallout: New Vegas, have managed to take what they learned from Bethesda and apply it in their first independent game. The Outer Worlds is dense with content, from characters to meet, an epic story to complete, and crazy fun gameplay. This title is one of the games on the list that will keep players playing for hours. If you have yet to give this game a try, this is the time to do so, dive in and sink your teeth into the meaty RPG title right now!

#14 Dragon’s Dogma Dark Arisen

Dragon’s Dogma Dark Arisen is a sleeper hit on this list. Originally released way back on the PS3 and Xbox 360, Capcom managed to create a special RPG title. The best part of this game is its gameplay mechanics. Capcom created an action-packed combat system into a world that feels like it’s in the Dark Souls series. This fast action-paced gameplay causes some dynamic situations between you and your enemies and will have you reaping havoc on your foes. With the PS4 Pro upgrade, Dragon’s Dogma Dark Arisen not only looks better but feels better as well. This is a game that might have been missed when it was originally released, but if you’re a fan of the SoulsBourne worlds, this game will be up your lane for sure

#13 Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning

Kingdoms of Amular: Re-Reckoning is a remaster for the PS4 and Xbox One from the original game back in the day. The remaster allows newcomers to join in on the fun, and experience it for the first time themselves on newer better hardware. Kingdoms of Amular is an old title, so regardless if you played it before or trying it for the first time, the game is going to have that 2000s nostalgic feeling when playing. The gameplay is arcadey creating fast action moves while giving you weight to each swing you throw. The best way to describe this game would be like a Dark Souls/ Bloodborne for a younger audience. The action is fun, upgrades are plentiful and there is a ton of stuff to do.

#12 Horizon Zero Dawn

We’re not putting this game on the bottom of this list because of quality, far from it. We’re starting off with Horizon Zero Dawn because of the impact this game has had, the sequel it got (which we’ll discuss later) and the fact that if you haven’t played this game, you’re seriously missing out.

Set on a world where nature and technology have fused in ways that are almost unimaginable, you play as Aloy, a woman who is trying to prove herself in this world…that just so happens to be dying.

Load up with unique technological weapons, explore the world, take down monsters, and learn the truth about all that’s going on!

#11 Dying Light 2

The original Dying Light had its moments but it was inconsistent in various ways that divided fans. Dying Light 2 does its best to try and fix that while giving you an even more in-depth open-world and RPG experience.

In this case, you are a mysterious traveler who ends up in a city that is overrun by zombies, and factions of people who are trying to take the city for themselves. Now, you must delve deep into what the city is, parkour your way around, fight the zombies in various ways, and stay alive.

But what’s more, you must Stay Human, as you have been infected and at night if you’re not careful, you’ll turn. Can you withstand this world?

#10 Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

The Assassin’s Creed franchise may have had its ups and downs, but with many titles, they’ve done their best to truly expand things and make them even more open-world than they were when they first arrived on consoles.

With Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, you’ll get to see that in full force, because this time, you’re going to the Age of Vikings. The period of time when they landed in the still untamed England, and must now try and make their new home while warring with other factions and trying to get resources.

Storm villages, raid castles, and make your Viking name so that you will be worthy of Valhalla!

#9 Genshin Impact

There are a lot of ways you can do the open-world RPG genre as we’ve hopefully shown you, and one of them is turning it basically into a gatcha game. And that’s exactly what Genshin Impact did…and made a lot of money because of it. We’re not saying we’re judging…but we totally are.

Anyway, in the game, you play as The Traveler, who has ended up in the world of Genshin Impact with their twin, but have gotten separated from them. Now, with a new set of characters to ally themselves with via the gatcha system, they must travel the lands to find out what happened to their twin and settle the various dispute that are going on.

#8 Dragon Age: Inquisition

The Dragon Age line is one that Bioware has made famous for all sorts of reasons, and Dragon Age: Inquisition is arguably the best of their run.

In this game, the world is truly in a state of chaos. The sky has opened up and terror has reigned down from it. You play as an Inquisitor, who must truly save the world from itself, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy task. In fact, your choices will heavily affect the game as a whole.

There are many ways to play this game, encouraging you to explore and find the playstyle that best works for you! So get this game and see why so many are so high on it.

#7 Nier: Automata

Nier: Automata is easily one of the more fan-favorite RPGs of the last several years, not the least of which was because Platinum Games went as full tilt with this world, combat system, and characters to truly deliver a meaningful experience.

In the game, the world has been overrun by robots, leaving humanity on the brink of extinction. To fight back, they’ve created a series of androids that will serve them and fight their war. One of them is the android 2B, whom you will control alongside two others to try and change the tide of the war.

But as the battles go on…the real truth about everything might just change your perception of all that’s going on…

#6 Red Dead Redemption 2

It’s saying something when you have a list and there are five games ahead of Red Dead Redemption 2. Because this is easily one of the best games of the modern generation, and definitely the recent generation of consoles.

To be clear, we’re not insulting this game, we’re just noting that it’s not as “RPG” as some would think, but it’s still a very expansive title with a deep story and combat and that’s enough for people to like it and enjoy it.

Set in the Wild West when things are starting to change, a group of outlaws is constantly on the run. As one of them, you must decide between the life and “family” you know, or whether to try for something new altogether.

#5 Horizon Forbidden West

There are multiple games on this list that ironically came out just this year, and Horizon Forbidden West is one of them. This game is the sequel to Zero Dawn, and greatly expands the world and lore of Aloy and the Earth she’s on.

After the events of the first game don’t go as planned, Aloy heads to the literal Forbidden West in an attempt to try and save the planet from its fate. Along the way, she’ll have to fight all new mechanical monsters, and learn curious truths about all that is truly going on.

Add to that, there are plenty of sidequests and areas to explore, and given how beautiful this game is, you won’t want to miss a single thing.

#4 Fallout 4

Yes, we totally did the numbering thing on purpose, you’re welcome.

The Fallout franchise has ben one to bring a LOT of joy to gamers, and Fallout 4 is just the latest (good) entry to help give you all the post-apocalyptic join you want. In the game, you are the sole survivor of Vault 111, and you emerge from your “safe haven” into a radical wasteland. One that you must survive given all the dangers that are in it.

But just as important, you’re on a quest to find your son! So make some of the most insane weapons you’ve ever seen, and traverse this fallen world to get your kid back and try to make life anew.

Come on, you knew that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was going to be on this list! How could it not be given the importance on RPGs as a whole that this game gave? Exactly!

In it, you are one of the mysterious “Dragonborn”, and now you must travel the land to slay dragons, get their powers, and save the world from dangerous threats. Or, you can just explore the world at your leisure, and do all the things you want without issue.

Content is something you’ll never lack here, and that’s why even now, over a decade since it’s release, people are STILL playing this game or diving back in fresh to remember all the greatness this game offers.

#2 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Arguably the greatest open-world RPG out there today, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the “climax” (until they announced that 4^th title…) of the Witcher saga. Geralt of Rivia is back, and with his adopted daughter of Ciri in serious danger, he must seek her out, all the while fighting all sorts of monsters that are breaching the world.

The game seriously has content for days and days and days! To the extent that if you just played the main game, you’d be there for a very long time, and THEN, you could get the DLC expansions which give you even MORE content than before. This is arguably CD Projekt Red at its best, so don’t miss out on it.

#1 Elden Ring

It’s only appropriate that we put Elden Ring at the top of this list for the simple reason that the game is one of the biggest that has come out this year, and many are already proclaiming it the “Game of the Year” (so far, at least).

The game puts you in a world where gods and monsters have made everything worse, and now you are the one who can try to put it all back to the way it should be by reassembling the Elden Ring.

From Software has made this line of games open-world for the first time and the results show rather quickly in the best of ways. Go where you want, when you want, and be ready to fight some of the hardest bosses around!