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For most players, buy Elden Ring: it remains the critic benchmark for PS5 open-world action RPGs, with a 95 OpenCritic Top Critic Average in 2026, but its punishing combat and 60–100 hour commitment are not for everyone. Choose Ghost of Yōtei for a current first-party PS5 exclusive, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for a shorter, densely packed city adventure, or Horizon Forbidden West for a more guided and Teen-rated campaign.
This guide matches the major PS5 open-world action games to difficulty, traversal style, story structure, campaign length, age rating, platform and edition. Grand Theft Auto VI is dated for 19 November 2026, but it is still a calendar hold rather than a scored alternative.
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At a glance
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Free plan / price | Platforms | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elden Ring | Best overall exploration and combat | 95 OpenCritic Top Critic Average; 60-hour main story | $59.99 official listing; Shadow of the Erdtree $39.99 | PS4, PS5 | Oct 2026 |
| Ghost of Yōtei | Best current PlayStation Studios adventure | PS5 exclusive; 87 OpenCritic | Complete Edition upgrade $14.99; JP physical observed ¥6,800 | PS5 | Oct 2026 |
| Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Best short city-action campaign | 88 OpenCritic; about 17 hours main story | Price not stated in the cited listing | PS5 | Oct 2026 |
| Horizon Forbidden West | Best guided, Teen-rated action RPG | 88 OpenCritic; about 30 hours main story | Price not stated in the cited listing | PS4, PS5, PC | Oct 2026 |
| Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut | Best established samurai world | 87 OpenCritic; Iki Island and Legends included | Price not stated in the cited listing | PS4, PS5 | Oct 2026 |
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | Best historical role-playing simulation | 89 OpenCritic; about 55 hours main story | Price not stated in the cited listing | PS5 | Oct 2026 |
| Death Stranding 2: On the Beach | Best unusual delivery-and-connection journey | 90 OpenCritic; 91.61 GB launch install | Digital Deluxe Upgrade $10.00 | PS5, PC | Oct 2026 |
| Final Fantasy VII Rebirth | Best cinematic party-based action RPG | 91 OpenCritic; standard price $69.99 | $69.99 standard price on PlayStation listing | PS5 | Oct 2026 |
| Grand Theft Auto V | Best immediate multiplayer sandbox | Story Mode plus GTA Online; up to 30 players | Price not stated in the cited listing | PS5 | Oct 2026 |
Which PS5 open-world game should I buy?
Start with the kind of freedom you actually want, not with a league table. The games use “open world” to mean very different activities.
| If you want… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Unsignposted discovery and the deepest combat | Elden Ring | The world frequently rewards leaving the marked route, and there is no conventional easy mode. |
| A new samurai story made for PS5 | Ghost of Yōtei | Atsu’s standalone 1600s journey is PS5-only and includes a later 2–4-player Legends update. |
| Fast movement and a compact campaign | Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Web Wings, swinging and instant switching between Peter and Miles keep a roughly 17-hour story moving. |
| Story guidance with machine hunting | Horizon Forbidden West | Quest direction, adjustable combat options and a Teen rating make it the easiest broad recommendation. |
| Landscape-led samurai combat today | Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut | It remains the Jin Sakai alternative to Yōtei and includes Iki Island and Legends. |
| History, role-play and consequences | Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | Two large medieval regions and dress-for-the-occasion simulation take priority over convenience. |
| Cars, crime and social chaos | Grand Theft Auto V | The PS5 edition combines the three-character story with GTA Online for up to 30 players. |
| A deliberately strange traversal loop | Death Stranding 2: On the Beach | Cargo, infrastructure and asynchronous cooperation are the main verbs; combat is secondary. |
Combat difficulty and guidance
Elden Ring expects repeated failure, experimentation and detours. Ghost of Yōtei lists Adjustable Difficulty (Advanced) and a practice mode, while Spider-Man 2 offers 30 accessibility features. Horizon is the most forgiving story-led machine-hunting option. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II deliberately opens with a vulnerable Henry, and Death Stranding 2 added a “To The Wilder” extreme difficulty in March 2026.
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Traversal fantasy
Spider-Man 2 turns New York into a vertical racetrack with swinging, Web Wings and wind tunnels. Ghost of Yōtei and Ghost of Tsushima use horseback travel, wind and landscape cues. Elden Ring combines Torrent with hidden routes and legacy dungeons. Horizon adds a bow, grapple and machine-riding. GTA is about cars, traffic and wanted-level escalation.
Story-led or player-directed?
Horizon, Spider-Man 2, Ghost of Yōtei and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth pull you through authored plots. Elden Ring and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II are more comfortable when you ignore the marker. Death Stranding 2 is open-world action-adventure, but its central fantasy is connecting infrastructure rather than clearing a conventional map.
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Elden Ring is the safest recommendation when exploration and combat matter more than comfort. OpenCritic lists a 95 OpenCritic Top Critic Average for Elden Ring — OpenCritic, 2026, with 97% of critics recommend Elden Ring — OpenCritic, 2026 across 219 critic reviews aggregated for Elden Ring — OpenCritic, 2026. GameRant’s October 2026 ranking still places it first among native PS5 open-world games.
FromSoftware’s Lands Between lets you walk away from a boss, find another region, change equipment and return later. IGN reviewer Mitchell Saltzman described it as a massive iteration on the Souls formula that gives players freedom to choose their own path. PlayStation’s editorial team calls it perhaps the most accessible Soulslike for newcomers, but “accessible” here means flexible routes and builds, not an easy setting.
How much time does Elden Ring require?
60 hours typical main-story length for Elden Ring — HowLongToBeat, 2026; 101 hours typical main+sides length for Elden Ring — HowLongToBeat, 2026; and 136 hours typical completionist length for Elden Ring — HowLongToBeat, 2026. The same service records a 105-hour blended average from 21.7K users who marked the game beaten and a 93% rating. Shadow of the Erdtree adds 26 hours typical main-story length for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree — HowLongToBeat, 2026 on its own polls.
Which edition should a new player buy?
- Buy the Shadow of the Erdtree Edition if starting from zero.
- If you already own the base game, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is listed at $39.99; the Tarnished Pack is $4.99.
- The game is available on PS4 and PS5. The PS4-to-PS5 upgrade is free; a disc owner needs a disc-drive PS5.
- Online play supports up to six players and requires PlayStation Plus, but the full single-player campaign does not.
HeyCash’s September 2026 buyer listing still showed the base game at $59.99, which is a full-price listing for a 2022 release. Treat that as a dated listing rather than a permanent US street price.
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Is Ghost of Yōtei a sequel to Ghost of Tsushima?
No. Ghost of Yōtei is a standalone story set 300 years after Ghost of Tsushima. You play Atsu, a haunted mercenary hunting six outlaws in 1600s Ezo around Mount Yōtei; Jin Sakai does not appear, although his legend endures.
Sony lists the game as a PS5 exclusive released 2 October 2025, with PS5 Pro support. Its 87 OpenCritic score via GameRant is below Elden Ring’s benchmark, but a Push Square reader poll of 1,223 people named it the best PS5 open-world game of 2025: 32% selected Yōtei, ahead of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II at 29%.
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What makes Yōtei different from Tsushima?
Yōtei is built for the current generation, with PSSR and advanced ray tracing on PS5 Pro, adaptive triggers for the bow and grappling hook, and katana haptics. It is not a direct sequel, so a newcomer can start here. If you specifically want Jin Sakai, the original island and the 2020 story, choose Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut instead.
How long and how complete is it?
Sony does not publish a single main-story number. Nantoka Game estimates about 30 hours for the main path and 45 with detours; GameManual.club cites 25–30 hours. Those are editorial estimates, while Sony says following Atsu’s story and discovering the world will take “a great many hours.”
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Japanese retail evidence is not a US price guide: game-best.jp listed ¥8,980 and observed ¥6,800 on Amazon Japan on 23 October 2026; Inside Games listed the Complete Edition at ¥8,980 on 25 October 2026.
Is Spider-Man 2 the best short PS5 open-world action game?
It is the best fit for a concentrated, high-mobility campaign. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is PS5-only, single-player and released 20 October 2023. Nantoka Game estimates about 17 hours for the main story and 25 hours with detours, while the map expands beyond Manhattan into Brooklyn, Queens and Coney Island.
You play both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, switching between their stories and powers; Sony’s FAQ explicitly says it is not a two-player game. Web Wings, wind tunnels, swinging and near-instant character switching make covering distance feel like part of the action rather than a commute. Venom, Kraven and Lizard anchor the campaign, and DualSense haptics represent symbiote and bio-electric abilities.
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Which story-led PS5 open worlds are easier to live with?
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon is the broadest “friendly default” after Spider-Man 2. Aloy’s frontier combines a directed high-concept narrative with machine weaknesses, ranged combat, traps, grappling and machine-riding. OpenCritic is 88 via GameRant’s 2026 list; Nantoka Game estimates about 30 hours for the main story and 60 with detours.
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It runs on PS4, PS5 and PC, supports a PS5 Pro Enhanced mode, and its official descriptors are Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol and Violence. HeyCash places it in the Teen-rated cluster alongside Hogwarts Legacy and No Man’s Sky, below the Mature-rated games in this guide. The Complete Edition includes the Burning Shores expansion, outfits and digital extras; Burning Shores is a PS5 expansion.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Rebirth is an action RPG with open regions, party abilities and a strongly authored journey rather than a pure sandbox. OpenCritic is 91 via GameRant’s October 2026 roundup, and the PlayStation listing gives a $69.99 standard price. Sony says it can serve as a first entry, although returning players will understand more of the remake project’s context.
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Choose it when party composition, cinematic set pieces and exploration between story chapters matter more than ignoring every marker. It is PS5-only and carries descriptors for Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, and Violence.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut
The Director’s Cut remains the right purchase for Jin Sakai’s story. It includes the Iki Island expansion, Legends co-op, a mini art book and director’s commentary, and the PS5 version targets dynamic 4K at 60 fps. It runs on PS4 and PS5, with documented upgrade paths; disc upgrades require inserting the disc into a disc-drive PS5, and a Digital Edition console cannot use that disc path.
GameRant’s OpenCritic roundup gives it 87, and HeyCash ranks it second for a world that lets players follow landscapes at their own pace. Buy it before Yōtei if you have never played Tsushima; buy Yōtei for a new protagonist and PS5-only presentation after finishing Jin’s story.
Which games reward ignoring the quest marker?
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is the historical alternative to fantasy and superheroes. It covers the Trosky countryside and Kuttenberg, with hundreds of quests, dress-for-the-occasion simulation and a deliberately difficult opening for Henry. Push Square awarded it the platinum for its best PS5 open-world game of 2025, and its critic Liam Croft called it the closest available experience to role-playing a medieval man.
OpenCritic is 89 via GameRant’s 2026 list. Nantoka Game estimates roughly 55 hours for the main path and 100 with additional content. Expect a Mature 17+ presentation and a steep learning curve rather than frictionless stealth or swordplay.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Shadows is the choice for players who want one feudal-Japan map with two combat identities: shinobi Naoe for stealth and samurai Yasuke for open confrontation. HeyCash ranks it tenth on its “ignore the quest marker” list and reports a Mature 17+ rating. The official listing used for that ranking did not provide a price, so there is no reliable price comparison here.
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Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition
Night City supplies a denser, more modern alternative to Spider-Man’s cleaner hero fantasy. The Ultimate Edition is the complete action-RPG package; a Japanese Amazon listing observed ¥7,200 on 25 October 2026. That is a JP retail observation, not a US MSRP. Its Mature/Z-rated content and shock-heavy tone make it a poor substitute for a family-friendly open world.
Grand Theft Auto V
The PS5 release combines Franklin, Michael and Trevor’s Story Mode with GTA Online. Rockstar lists enhancements including up to 4K, up to 60 fps, HDR, ray tracing, DualSense effects, Tempest 3D Audio and faster SSD loading. GTA Online supports up to 30 players and requires PlayStation Plus; Shark Cards and GTA+ are optional purchases on the same listing.
HeyCash ranks it fifth because the best experience depends on other people being online. It is the right “play with friends tonight” purchase, not a reason to postpone buying an in-stock single-player game for GTA VI.
Is Death Stranding 2 a normal open-world action game?
Not really. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is officially an open-world action-adventure game, and it includes guns, stealth and decoy holograms, but cargo delivery, infrastructure construction and asynchronous social connection remain the core loop.
It launched on PS5 on 26 June 2025, is also on PC, and occupied 91.61 GB at launch. Norman Reedus returns as Sam, who works to connect Australia to the Chiral Network. Sony provides a story summary for newcomers, so playing the first game is recommended rather than required. PS Plus is not required for the asynchronous strand features.
OpenCritic is 90 via GameRant’s 2026 list, and Push Square’s quoted review called it the best-looking game on PS5. Choose it only if deliberate traversal sounds appealing. Death Stranding Director’s Cut, the 2021 game, remains in the PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium Game Catalog and is a lower-cost way to learn the series’ rhythm before buying the sequel.
Which PS5 open-world games also run on PS4?
| Game | PS4 support | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Elden Ring | Yes | Free PS5 upgrade; disc owners need a disc-drive PS5. |
| Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut | Yes | Disc upgrade requires the original disc; Digital Edition PS5 consoles cannot use it. |
| Horizon Forbidden West | Yes | Burning Shores expansion is PS5-only. |
| Ghost of Yōtei | No | Sony says development shifted to the newest generation. |
| Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | No | Launched as a PS5 exclusive; PC version arrived later. |
| Death Stranding 2: On the Beach | No | PS5 and PC; not PS4. |
| Grand Theft Auto VI | No | PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only at its announced launch. |
How long are these PS5 open-world games?
| Game | Main story | Main plus side content | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elden Ring | 60 hours | 101 hours | HowLongToBeat typical figures, 2026 |
| Ghost of Yōtei | 25–30 or about 30 hours | About 45 hours with detours | GameManual.club and Nantoka Game estimates; Sony gives no single number |
| Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | About 17 hours | About 25 hours | Nantoka Game estimate |
| Horizon Forbidden West | About 30 hours | About 60 hours | Nantoka Game estimate |
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | About 55 hours | About 100 hours | Nantoka Game estimate |
| Grand Theft Auto V | About 30 hours | About 50 hours | Nantoka Game estimate; Online has no fixed campaign length |
These are player polls or editorial estimates, not guarantees. Completion time changes with difficulty, exploration, side quests and whether a player follows the critical path.
Which edition and DLC should you buy?
| Starting point | Best purchase | What it includes or changes |
|---|---|---|
| New to Elden Ring | Shadow of the Erdtree Edition | Base game plus the $39.99 expansion. |
| New to Horizon Forbidden West | Complete Edition | Base game, Burning Shores and listed digital extras; Burning Shores is PS5-only. |
| New to Ghost of Tsushima | Director’s Cut | Iki Island, Legends, mini art book and director’s commentary. |
| New to Ghost of Yōtei | Complete Edition | Echoes of Sekigahara, Most Wanted and cosmetics; the upgrade add-on is $14.99. |
| New to Cyberpunk 2077 | Ultimate Edition | The complete edition for the Night City action RPG. |
| New to Spider-Man 2 | Digital Standard or Digital Deluxe | Deluxe adds suits, photo-mode items and five skill points; both remain single-player. |
Physical and digital availability differ by region. Sony documents Blu-ray versions for Ghost of Yōtei and Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, while Japanese retailers list physical or code-in-box stock for several games. Japanese yen observations should not be read as US cart prices.
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Should you wait for Grand Theft Auto VI?
Wait if crime-sandbox action is your only priority and you can accept an unreviewed release. Rockstar dates Grand Theft Auto VI for 19 November 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, set in Vice City and the wider state of Leonida with Jason and Lucia. Rockstar’s launch trailer and promotional material are not review scores, so no critic ranking should be attached to it yet.
Japanese listings give a standard list price of ¥9,800 and an Ultimate price of ¥12,280; an Amazon Japan code-in-box listing was observed at ¥8,413 on 15 October 2026, with delivery 12 November and play beginning 19 November. Those are Japanese retail figures. If the budget allows only one game this weekend, buy Elden Ring, Ghost of Yōtei or Spider-Man 2 instead of reserving your entire purchase around a future launch.
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Horizon Forbidden West is the clearest lower-intensity option in this group, with Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol and Violence descriptors. HeyCash also places Hogwarts Legacy and No Man’s Sky in its Teen-rated cluster. Elden Ring, both Ghost games, GTA V, Cyberpunk 2077 and Yōtei sit in Mature or equivalent territory; GTA V has the strongest descriptors, including nudity, strong sexual content and drug and alcohol use. Japanese CERO ratings mark Yōtei and GTA VI as Z (18+) and Monster Hunter Wilds as C (15+).
- Single-player only: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
- Optional online: Elden Ring supports up to six online players; PS Plus is required for summons.
- Co-op add-on: Ghost of Yōtei’s Legends supports two to four players and requires PS Plus.
- Online sandbox: GTA V includes GTA Online for up to 30 players and requires PS Plus.
- Asynchronous play: Death Stranding 2’s strand features do not require PS Plus.
How we picked these recommendations
The shortlist uses the criteria that matter for a purchase: real-time combat in a traversable overworld, the difference between guided and self-directed exploration, traversal identity, expected time commitment, age rating, PS4 availability, edition completeness and whether multiplayer is optional or central. OpenCritic figures are attributed to GameRant’s October 2026 roundup where noted; hour counts are identified as HowLongToBeat polls or editorial estimates. GTA VI is separated because its 19 November 2026 release had not produced a review score at the time of this guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to play Ghost of Tsushima before Ghost of Yōtei?
No. Yōtei is a standalone story with a new protagonist, Atsu, set three centuries later. Playing Tsushima adds context for the enduring Ghost legend but is not a prerequisite for understanding the plot.
Do I need to play Death Stranding before Death Stranding 2?
No, although prior play is recommended for its mythology and characters. The sequel includes a story summary, and its cargo-and-connection systems can be learned independently.
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Do I need to play Final Fantasy VII Remake before Rebirth?
Sony describes Rebirth as capable of being a first entry. Earlier games provide useful character and timeline context, but the PS5 release is designed to introduce its own party and regions.
Which of these games can I play without PlayStation Plus?
Every listed single-player campaign can be played without a subscription. PlayStation Plus is needed for Elden Ring summons, Ghost of Yōtei Legends and GTA Online; Death Stranding 2’s asynchronous strand features do not require it.
How much storage does Death Stranding 2 need on PS5?
The launch installation was 91.61 GB. Leave additional free space for patches, which can change the final requirement after launch.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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