The best open world games for Android and iOS let you explore vast landscapes, tackle quests in any order, and shape your own adventure directly from your phone or tablet. Whether you want to raid dungeons, build a medieval castle, or sail the seas as a pirate, this curated list of the top mobile open-world titles gives you the immersive experiences you are looking for.
best open world games like Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact deserves the top spot on the best open-world games list. It is the overall winner of the 2020 Google Play Awards and App Store Best of 2020, offering triple-A caliber graphics and gameplay on par with Nintendo’s popular Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The free-to-play, anime-style action RPG from MiHoYo features a massive fantasy world with flexible character selection and cross-platform play on PC, PS5, PS4, and mobile devices.
2. The Elder Scrolls: Blades
The Elder Scrolls: Blades carries on the legacy of Bethesda’s series with immersive quests, challenging combat mechanics, and detailed character creation. You can raid dungeons in the province of Cyrodiil, battle other players online, and choose your in-game appearance, gear, and skills. This free first-person RPG with optional in-app purchases brings the Elder Scrolls experience to your mobile device.
3. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The iconic gangster-themed Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas lets you live the gangster life and save your homies while roaming freely across three distinct cities: Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas. You can hijack and ride vehicles while evading police mobiles and helicopters in this paid, remastered classic from Rockstar Games.
4. Minecraft
Minecraft is famous for combining world creation and exploration, featuring adorable blocky graphics that have inspired countless mobile games. You can craft everything from a medieval castle to a modern city, create items and weapons to make survival a breeze, and play with friends across PC and consoles thanks to cross-platform support. This paid, iconic sandbox game offers a procedurally generated world limited only by your imagination.
5. Sky: Children of the Light
Sky: Children of the Light is a unique take on open-world games, letting you enjoy a breathtaking world despite a light story and silent characters. Developed by Thatgamecompany Inc., the studio behind the award-winning Journey, this free artistic indie game focuses on peaceful exploration and social connection in a stunning, silent realm.
6. Oceanhorn
Oceanhorn touts smooth 3D cartoon graphics resembling The Legend of Zelda, with gameplay balancing puzzles and battles and a touching story about a child searching for his lost father. The game features a captivating soundtrack from composers of popular Japanese games Final Fantasy and Seiken Densetsu. It is a free-to-start action-adventure game where you can try the first chapter and then opt to purchase the full game.
7. Dawn of Isles
Dawn of Isles supports crafting, farming, and a battle combo system alongside free exploration, making it more than an ordinary open-world MMORPG. The free game from NetEase Games features anime-style characters, cute pets to tame, and challenging bosses to defeat, with art on par with The Legend of Zelda.
8. Totally Reliable Delivery Service
Totally Reliable Delivery Service delivers fun comparable to popular knockout platformer games like Fall Guys. The main goal is delivering packages across a wide map using crazy methods like parachutes, motorboats, helicopters, or speedy vans, often resulting in chaotic crashes. This free, comedic multiplayer physics game offers optional in-app purchases.
9. Dragon Raja
Dragon Raja is an open-world MMORPG with animation quality on par with PC and console games, featuring character designs resembling the Final Fantasy series. You roam iconic places from Japan to Siberia as a dragon-human hybrid fighting dragons. This free game from Archosaur Games includes optional in-app purchases.
10. Black Desert Mobile
Black Desert Mobile is a fantasy MMORPG known for its high-end, realistic graphics and extremely detailed character customization that goes beyond what other releases offer. You can choose your class, edit all facial features, and build and expand your camp while fighting enemy bosses. This free game from Pearl Abyss includes in-app purchases.
11. Portal Knights
Portal Knights adopts free exploration, action RPG, and Minecraft elements, transporting you to randomly generated worlds as an adorable 3D character. You choose your class and mine resources to craft useful items for living and combat, fighting enemy bosses that look cute but are tough. This paid action RPG supports cooperative multiplayer with up to four friends on one Wi-Fi connection.
12. Don't Starve: Pocket Edition
Even with minimalistic hand-drawn 2D graphics, Don't Starve: Pocket Edition immerses you in the mystery of its world using dark hues and uncanny creature designs. You play as a scientist who must think of ways to survive and return home in this enigmatic survival title from Klei Entertainment. The paid game includes the "Reign of Giants" content and requires Android 5.0 or greater with Embedded OpenGL 3.0 or greater.
13. Crashlands
Crashlands is a sci-fi action RPG set in space where you play as a trucker whose transporter is sabotaged by an alien. You freely explore unknown continents to find weapons and base crafting materials, and discover different lifeforms to pet and aid in battles. This paid game lets you progress straight toward your main mission or complete side quests first.
14. Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition
The 90s hit RPG Baldur's Gate returns as a must-play game for mobile with a new interface design on top of mysterious and exciting dungeon quests. Improvements make it easier to level up your characters and control your party to scour the vast world and defeat monsters. This paid, remastered classic requires a device with a 7-inch or bigger screen for the interface to work properly.
15. MadOut2 BigCityOnline
MadOut2 BigCityOnline is the closest thing to Grand Theft Auto on mobile, letting you roam the big city freely, steal and race cars, and beat other gangsters while evading cops. Vehicle customization is supported, and the game is designed to be multiplayer and online, allowing you to encounter hundreds of players on one map. This free game includes optional in-app purchases.
16. ARK: Survival Evolved
ARK: Survival Evolved takes you back to the prehistoric world where you can explore tropical, snowy, and volcanic places while fighting or riding dinosaurs. You can travel by land on a T-Rex or fly via a Pterodactyl, with more than 80 dinosaurs to capture and tame. This free survival game from Studio Wildcard includes optional in-app purchases.
17. Frostborn: Coop Survival
Frostborn: Coop Survival brings Midgard and other Nordic realms to your mobile device, letting you explore the wilds to defeat gods and creatures and meet other players. You choose your Viking class, such as Berserk for melee combat, Mage for magic, or Assassin for stealth. This free, Norse-themed open-world RPG includes optional in-app purchases.
18. Tempest: Pirate Action RPG
Tempest: Pirate Action RPG lets you sail freely to any island to select missions or battle other pirate ships and deep-sea creatures like the mighty Leviathan or Kraken. Your ship can be customized from the cannons to the flags in this paid pirate-themed adventure.
19. Six-Guns: Gang Showdown
Six-Guns: Gang Showdown proves the Wild West works as an open-world setting, with ranch and desert setups serving as playgrounds for shooting enemies and horse races. This free third-person shooter from Gameloft lets you complete up to 40 quests while exploring Arizona and Oregon, unlocking multiple horses, weapons, and cowboy outfits.
20. Cat Quest
Cat Quest is a treat for any cat lover, featuring an adorable cat protagonist and 2D art with a wide map containing more than 60 side quests, dungeons, caves, and cat-themed loot and armor to discover. Skills are upgradable and combat is real-time in this paid, adorable 2D action RPG from TheGentleBros.
Find your next adventure
The best open-world games can take you to places you’ve never imagined and provide an escape from the real world in a fun way. If you haven't tried any open-world game on mobile yet, choose your game from this list now. For more curated recommendations, check out our roundup of the best mobile games by genre.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes an open-world game different from a sandbox game?
Open-world games focus on making the player enjoy exploring a large map with flexible objectives, while sandbox games are more confined to creating a world. However, open-world games can adopt sandbox elements and vice versa, so a sandbox game with balanced creation and exploration can also qualify as an open-world game.
Can I play these open-world games offline?
Some titles like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Minecraft, Portal Knights, Don't Starve: Pocket Edition, Crashlands, Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, and Cat Quest can be played offline after downloading. Others such as Genshin Impact, Dragon Raja, and Black Desert Mobile require an internet connection for their online features.
Are open-world games on mobile free to play?
Many of the best open-world games on mobile are free to download with optional in-app purchases, including Genshin Impact, The Elder Scrolls: Blades, Sky: Children of the Light, Dawn of Isles, Totally Reliable Delivery Service, Dragon Raja, Black Desert Mobile, ARK: Survival Evolved, Frostborn, Six-Guns: Gang Showdown, and MadOut2 BigCityOnline. Paid titles like Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Portal Knights, Don't Starve: Pocket Edition, Crashlands, Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, Tempest, and Cat Quest require a one-time purchase. Dead Cells is a paid title with in-app purchases for DLC and offers custom controls, an auto-hit mode, and external controller support.
Do these games support controller support on mobile?
Some games like Don't Starve: Pocket Edition offer external controller support. Many other titles, such as Genshin Impact and Black Desert Mobile, also support Bluetooth controllers for enhanced gameplay, though support varies by game and device.
