Open-World Games With The Best Action Set-Pieces, Ranked

Most open-world games feature scintillating action that will leave fans on the edge of their seats as they take out the many enemies and bosses aiming to take them out. In such a saturated genre, the combat of these games needs to be near-perfect to capture a player’s interest.

Players who want to engage in high-quality action set-pieces in massive sandbox environments will find the following titles to be right up their alley. They’ll love the idea of going berserk in these worlds and obliterating everything in sight.

Far Cry 5

The Action Of This Game Is Off The Charts

Far Cry 5 is an excellent entry in the series, where taking down the Seed family feels great. Players can explore the world in whatever order they wish and take out the foes standing in their way.

Fighting the cultists feels great, whether players take them out from the shadows or get into loud, violent firefights. The ridiculous spawn rate of the enemies ensures that players will always be able to showcase their firepower against tough opposition.

Ghost Of Tsushima

The Combat In This Title Is Incredible

Ghost of Tsushima is one of the most beautiful open-world games players can enjoy. It helps that both combat and stealth are executed well, giving players endless opportunities to deal with the foes that stand in their way.

Taking out bases, fighting challenging bosses, and dealing with the Mongols feels great courtesy of the game’s stellar action. Standoffs, multiple stances, the Ghost Stance, and various other elements ensure that the combat of this open-world game is as cinematic as it comes.

Grand Theft Auto 5

The Missions Are Full Of Amazing Action Set Pieces

Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the best video games ever made, with the action in this title being off the charts. Loading the protagonists with state-of-the-art weaponry to wreak havoc in the city of Los Santos and its surroundings never fails to be engaging.

It helps that the missions let players enjoy some scintillating, action-packed set pieces that are in a class of their own. This is especially true in the case of heists, which show the very best of what GTA 5 has to offer.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

The Best Game Featuring This Lovable Webhead With A Ton Of Cinematic Action

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a huge step up from the first game, featuring two Spider-Men and more options to play around with in combat. Mastering the two Spider-Men’s movesets and figuring out the best way to take out their enemies in style ensures that players will be able to push the combat system to its very limits.

Combat takes the foundation from the first game and adds just enough to make battles more captivating than ever. The fact that players decry the parry mechanic only to love how great the combat feels once players master it is proof enough of how engaging the action set-pieces in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 are.

NieR: Automata

The Action-Packed Gameplay Is In A Class Of Its Own

NieR: Automata’s small yet intimate open world ensures that players will develop a personal connection with this ruined world. The multiple endings ensure that players will have a great time exploring everything this game has to offer.

As one would expect from PlatinumGames, NieR: Automata‘s action combat is off the charts. Players love the hack-and-slash combat, with various moments in the title switching up the gameplay loop to ensure that players will be thoroughly entertained by these set pieces from start to end.

Cyberpunk 2077

The Missions Make The Most Of This Gameplay Loop

Cyberpunk 2077 has become better over time, something that fans couldn’t imagine after a bungled launch. A string of updates ensures that players will love what this title brings to the table.

With Update 2.0, the action in this game looks and feels better than ever. The stylish combat shines in the game’s major missions that feature elaborate set pieces players can get hopelessly lost in, with players landing headshots from afar, lunging into battle with katanas, and using their cyberware to tip the odds in their favor.

Red Dead Redemption 2

The Cinematic Gunfights Are Incredible To Witness

Despite the weighty movement in Red Dead Redemption 2, fans will forget all about this when they get into a firefight. Landing headshots as Arthur and finding the perfect weapons to take out a group of enemies never fails to entertain players.

The killcams ensure that every bullet has a crunchy impact that’s palpable for fans to see. The missions themselves boast some amazing soundtracks that enhance the cinematic value of combat, with the Pinkerton ambush after Guarma and the assault on Braithwaite Manor being two of the most notable examples.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Action Is Off The Charts

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt nails its presentation, with players making the most of the combat system at higher difficulties. With a suite of abilities, players can turn Geralt into a death-defying machine who uses his supreme Witcher skills to obliterate everything in sight.

The main story and the DLCs feature their fair share of action-packed set pieces that are as emotional as they come. Controlling both Geralt and Ciri in epic battles against powerful bosses shows The Witcher 3 at its very best, with the Battle of Kaer Morhen showing how captivating this game’s action-packed set pieces are.