Wondering what are the best open-world games on mobile? Quite rightly, it’s a genre that grows better with age. We often take digital technology for granted, especially when it’s come such a long way from the simple days of Pong and other early 2D games. It’s also easily measured by which mobile platforms are most viable. For example, it’s likely that one of the reasons Sony hasn’t brought many original PS4 games to PC is because mobile phones are a fully-fledged gaming platform now.
Gaming giants like The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and other RPG alternatives like Dark Souls provide excellent open-world game experiences on a PC, but their traipsing across giant landscapes is no mean feat when such greatness can fit in the palm of your hand. If you want something similar to console classics like this, we’ve grouped the best open-world games on mobile in ways that make it easier to read, as opposed to when we, as humans, sink in all the information in one giant group, and don’t know where to go. We’re way better than that. Promise.
Here are the best open-world games on mobile:
Botworld
Featherweight’s colorful romp is a game where you explore the world, take on new quests, and assemble automatons. What’s really interesting about Botworld, however, is that your main squeeze isn’t someone or something else; it’s the bots. You can gather and exploit bots to get useful items and beef up your squad. You can also combat other players and defeat baddies as a thrilling shooting game and RPG.
Ravensword: Shadowlands
The RPG alternative to Skyrim; Ravensword: Shadows is, unsurprisingly, an open-world RPG game that features highly sleek visuals and allows for spellcasting, melee, and ranged shooting. There’s an unimaginable amount of content in this game – from surfing on bears, to delving into caves looking for fossils – and it’s one of the most rewarding games on the platform.
From the moment you leave the first town and start your long march, the game is unequivocal in its depth. Every village has unique quests and dialogue brimming with personality, combat is fluid and challenging, and there are countless ways to formulate a character and level up. There’s also a surprisingly robust crafting and customisation system, and a deep system of progression and customization.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
A mobile version of the PS2 hit, the game is renowned among open-world fans, even those who can run GTA 4 and 5 on PC, as it keeps quite a lot of the spirit of the original game on PS2. San Andreas is, in many respects, more refined than its successors, with run-and-gun, driving, and action-platformer missions. There’s also a bold interface and a clear-cut map system. It’s no perfect simulation, but it’s pretty darn good.
However, as enjoyable as the shooting and driving sandbox missions can be, nothing beats cruising around and doing absolutely nothing. You can walk to the shops and spend hours just looking at clothing racks, or visit a dilapidated diner and spend the evening drinking on comfy couches before you run over some cop cars with a tank. It’s a mobile experience that recalls the thrill of cruising around Liberty City back when GTA III first launched – albeit this time on a phone. Look at our Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas write-up for more info.
Terraria
Perhaps more like a 2D Minecraft, Terraria is an action-platformer with digging, mining, crafting, and combat-heavy gameplay. The mammoth maps are littered with goodies and horrors, making exploration a very enticing pursuit. Think of it as a mobile counterpart to games like Minecraft, with its randomly generated chests, metals, and enemies.
Unlike Minecraft, however, Terraria allows you to fight enemies both on the ground and in the air.