4 Influential Open-World Games That Paved the Way for GTA 6
One of the most exciting aspects of Grand Theft Auto 6 is the ambition surrounding its open world sandbox, which promises to be developer Rockstar Games’ biggest map yet. Coming off the heels of the incredibly detailed and gorgeous natural landscapes of Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s easy to believe that Rockstar is just building off the open world formulas they’ve made in the past. However, even Rockstar’s previous sandboxes wouldn’t exist without some influential titles that pushed the boundaries on what open world games could be like.
There are some foundational open world games that helped establish a subgenre around the action-adventure space, where players could basically go anywhere and do whatever they want. The best games with open worlds allow players to dive into whatever area looks the most interesting without restriction, where they can meet multiple characters and embark on different missions or quests within that space. By not giving players an exact direction, it allows them to feel truly immersed in interesting worlds more than a linear game might.
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Released in 2017, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a huge departure for the legendary Nintendo series, which isn’t unfamiliar to open worlds. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time already had a large overworld that players could travel through to various locations, but it was less of a sandbox and more of an experimental hub between environments. By comparison, Breath of the Wild is an evolution, with a map that you can travel through in any way you please.
In theory, players could simply go straight to the final zone of the game within the first minutes of their adventure, although they likely won’t have the resources to survive it. The “goal” in Breath of the Wild is known, but it’s up to you to figure out how you’ll grow stronger to achieve it, likely starting with fighting basic enemies and gathering resources. Some players might travel to shrines for various challenges, while others will be inclined to discover civilizations across the open world, taking on quests and gathering tools to tackle nearby dungeons.
The beauty of Breath of the Wild‘s map is how much of an open-ended sandbox it is, with natural parameters rather than an invisible wall. In games like GTA 5 or Breath of the Wild, you can go into the world, but some areas will punish you unless you have the right equipment at hand. In GTA, this would be like infiltrating a highly hostile military base. For Breath of the Wild, this manifests in dangerous areas that require certain gear to get through, a mechanic that might influence parts of GTA 6‘s sandbox is organized when it releases.
3. Cyberpunk 2077
Night City from Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most impressive open worlds of recent memory, especially after the expansions and improvements made to it for its Phantom Liberty DLC. Cyberpunk 2077‘s world reflects the best of GTA‘s in many regards, featuring run-ins with the law within a mostly lawless and chaotic environment. The excitement of the open world comes from the many conflicts you can get into as you explore, complete missions, or pursue the main story. Both series tie exploration to “Gigs” or “Jobs,” with GTA heists almost indistinguishable from similar missions in Cyberpunk 2077.
Aesthetic is almost the only difference between GTA and Cyberpunk 2077‘s worlds. The open world of Night City is rich with sci-fi imagery, from the weapons being used to the cybernetic enhancements attached to yourself or other characters. The neon lights and vibrant, densely packed streets are dystopic in the best ways for fans of that type of fiction. The Cyberpunk element of the open world is something that GTA 6 already seems to be adopting in some sense, with the game being set in an equally vibrant region from Rockstar’s series.
Set in the fictional state of Leonida, GTA 6 takes place in Vice City, an environment that may as well look like Cyberpunk 2077‘s Night City when the sun goes down. The combination of rural, industrial, and urban environments in GTA 6 seem far more diverse than they were in GTA 5 or even GTA 4, reflecting the diverse nature of Cyberpunk 2077‘s open world. Cyberpunk 2077 was not a perfect game at launch, but areas like Dogtown and other subsections of the world with their own identity likely inspired the divisions in GTA 6‘s ambitious setting.
2. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
While The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is arguably the most well-known Bethesda open world game, players often forget just how influential the prior Morrowind and Oblivion games were in the series. Oblivion was a refined version of what Morrowind began, establishing The Elder Scrolls‘ open world structure that players would come to know. Although the areas and environments of Oblivion are fascinating, and no doubt an inspiration for games like GTA 6, it was how that game’s open world was populated that give it such a good reputation.
Players revisiting Oblivion through its remaster in 2025 were reminded that one of the best parts of the fourth Elder Scrolls game was its abundance of memorable characters. Quests and interactions with characters are what enriched areas of the game, a fact shared with Cyberpunk 2077 and pretty much all the other games on this list. However, Oblivion created a lot of the patterns for how characters and unique factions are implemented into an open world, including the methods in which players interact with them.
Everyone remembers quests for the Thieves Guild or Dark Brotherhood in The Elder Scrolls games, as they are often memorable stories with plenty of rewards. The same can be said for groups and characters players might interact with in GTA 6, especially considering how focused that game is on its two main protagonists. With players having to maintain a relationship with the other primary character, influences from Oblivion and other Elder Scrolls games might be felt, as well as some inspiration from the Fallout series too.
1. Elden Ring
Elden Ring‘s open world is one of the best ever made in modern gaming, solely for how interactable everything within it is from the moment you begin your adventure. Barring some exceptions, Elden Ring has an open world that you can engage in immediately, traveling to whatever place on the map you desire without any guidance. Although you’ll face a variety of dangers quickly, you have full control to pick and choose what battles to fight and where to go from the moment the in-game “tutorial” segment ends.
Much like Breath of the Wild, players can go anywhere they can see on the map, reflecting the game’s open world almost being like an invitation. The world of Elden Ring is incredibly smart, as it naturally locks away certain locations until players complete certain tasks or visit specific areas, without ever forcing them to do so. This means a player could progress to the next “zone” of the open world within 1-3 hours, or spend upwards to 10-12 hours exploring before pursuing the “main” point of progression if they felt like it.
The amount of secrets and interesting opportunities for unique items also makes Elden Ring‘s open world feel alive at every corner, with no dull spots. The sheer level of detail here is something that hopefully inspired GTA 6 to also fill up its world with Easter Eggs and small, interesting things for players to investigate. For Grand Theft Auto 6‘s open world to be the most engaging one of the series, taking lessons from Elden Ring‘s design would be a great step to take.