Summary
Open-world games offer the freedom to explore entire cities, worlds or even the universe and offer you a non-linear style of gameplay that has been popularized with games like GTA or Minecraft. You get to start from wherever and do whatever you want in the game and what better than to do it with friends.
Good online open-world games are a rare breed, but the ones that manage to get popular keep expanding occasionally, so you’re able to keep playing a great game with your friends. Some of the games mentioned are classics and others are newly launched, but they’re all fun to play for hours on end.
Updated on June 22, 2025:There’s nothing like the freedom to explore an online space, so why not venture your way to the video we’ve added for you here to find out which open-world games are the best to play with your friends?
One of the all-time greats,7 Days to Diehas you and any friends you play with working together ina zombie-infested world, where zombies comes in waves every week. Those waves are extremely tough to handle, which is why you have so much time to get ready.
It’s one of the few open-world survival zombie games that support multiplayer as well, and it takes the zombie-themed gameplay to the next level. Surviving is exceptionally difficult on the seventh day, so it’s essential to play with your friends as much as you can and work together to survive.
2024 started out with a bang with big launches, whileEnshroudedflew relatively under the radar.But despite it not being as popular, it’s still a successful game with plenty of players and plans to be a consistently expanding game for years.
It’s an early access game, but right now, it’s still a fun little survival game with some RPG elements that you can play in co-op with a friend.
Rustis a game that has been through many changes, starting with the legacy version and evolving into the state it is now. It’s a game that has long been consideredone of the most realistic survival open-world gamesthat dumps you on an island with ruins of civilization and a bunch of other bloodthirsty players.
It takes hours to get weapons or good enough gear to survive. You could build a base and then have it all taken from you by someone who managed to sneak up on you. It’s brutal and unforgiving and has a high skill ceiling too, making it one of the most thrilling open-world multiplayer survival games out there.
Terrariais an indie game developed by Re-Logic and the team has garnered a dedicated fanbase for the masterpiece of a video game they have developed. It’s a 2D survival sandbox game that you can play alongside or against other players.
The goal is to progress by defeating bosses and expanding your town withvarious colorful NPCswhile also trying to stop the world from being consumed by the corruption or the crimson. You can play it however you want and with up to 16 players.
A Bethesda MMORPG set in the world ofThe Elder Scrolls,The Elder Scrolls Onlineis a great multiplayer open-world game with an evolving story and constant changes to the way the game is played.
It has elements of an RPG that are often glossed over and has the freedom of the Elder Scrolls games everyone loves. It’s set a couple of thousand years before the events ofSkyrimand if you want a multiplayer experience for a game as iconic as Skyrim, ESO is the game to play.
No Man’s Skyhad rough beginnings and the game initially didn’t even have multiplayer.Over the course of multiple updates, improvements were added, and new features have been released for a while now.
The multiplayer in No Man’s Sky’s infinitely expanding universe is a fun addition that has elevated this small, ambitious game into something you can enjoy playing with your friends. It’s not hyper-competitive either, which means it’s one of the few games you can play anytime and have fun without having to invest time in building your skills.
One of the biggest launches of 2024 that took the world by storm wasPalworld, a Pokemon-like survival open world game with guns. It spins the familiar Pokemon-like setting and turns it into a survival experience you can be a part of with friends.
Playing Palworld with other players elevates the experience and is appropriate for almost all ages. It will most likely improve with time and keep getting better once it’s out of early access. The fame of this game is well-deserved when you consider how many people have wanted a game like this for so long.
Grand Theft Auto is the most recognized game in the world and one of the most iconic open-world games, essentially defining the genre.GTA Onlinewas a bit bland at launch, but after its successful opening, loads of features have been added, like casinos and your very own places to live.
There are so many things to do and so much customizationthat you can spend hundreds of hours on the game and not be tired of it. You can play alongside strangers or friends and, with consistent updates, you won’t be bored for a while.
Elden Ringis Fromsoftware’s Magnum Opus, and possiblyone of the greatest open-world games ever made. You find yourself in the lands between that’s littered with cosmic creatures and demi-gods and your task is to become the Elden Lord.
Fortunately, you don’t have to do this task alone, and can call on other players or friends to help you in certain battles. You can also be invaded by other players who want to make your life worse and fight against them, making you feel like you’re right there in the fantasy setting.
Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition
Minecraftis probably the most popular game of all time and almost everyone everywhere has played it at some point. It’s an infinite open-world survival crafting game that you’re able to play with as many people as you want. Regular updates and snapshots make sure that you will get new content added as often as possible without making the game feel too repetitive.
With Minecraft, your imagination is the only limiting factor in playing the game, and you may play it in whatever way you want. This freedom and having to share memorable experiences with other players make Minecraft the best open world online game ever.
