15 Best Open-World Video Games Of All Time

10. Grand Theft Auto V

After GTA III came out, it completely changed gaming forever with its open-world environment and free-form game play. But a funny thing happened after GTA III inspired a slew of imitators; some of them began to actually surpass that game and start revolutions of their own.

They expanded on those ideas so much, that soon the GTA series was starting to feel a bit left behind.

GTA IV took it into a new direction, but it still felt a little stale in comparison to the other open-world offerings out there. So Rockstar decided to completely alter the course of gaming again and release Grand Theft Auto V, which was the stark re-invention that the series had been needing for a while. The fictional world of Los Santos is one of the most intricately designed, believable worlds ever seen in a game, as the ecosystem seems to ebb and flow with every action you take.

It's an incredibly believable world, mixed with all kinds of different types of people and a humming sense of movement that never draws attention to the player. It never breaks the illusion so much that you're reminded that you are playing a game, opting to go for a stunning sense of immersion that is unmatched by many of today's games.