The best open world games, according to hackers
5 open world games were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended open world game with the badge. Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Nostalgic memories of exploring its world
People recommend it for its nostalgic open world, its San Francisco-inspired city, and its replay value. Critics say the remaster has poor textures and the older Renderware engine needs community patches.
All 5 open world games, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Theft Auto V | 21 | 23 | 48% | 11 | 2 yrs4 owners | — |
| 2 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | 10 | 5 | 67% | 6 | — | Approved |
| 3 | Hedra | 7 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| 4 | Grand Theft Auto III | 6 | 5 | 55% | 3 | — | — |
| 5 | Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | 5 | 1 | 83% | 5 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same open world game in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to open world games that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.