Popularity open world genre it's undeniable, as many of the best-selling video games of all time fall into this category. Some studios have made a name for themselves with open-world titles alone, constantly pushing the boundaries and discovering new ways to improve the core formula year after year, while encouraging competitors to follow in their footsteps and adopt their strongest innovations.
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Today, the focus is not just on the best-selling open-world games of all time, but rather on responsible developer studies for them. This angle helps highlight the developers with the most expertise in the genre, whose multiple titles have become staples among open-world games, setting trends, engaging players years after release, and proving their success is well-deserved.
Mojang Studios
Minecraft – over 350 million copies sold
Mojang Studios and Minecraft are all but an anomaly in the gaming industry, currently occupying the top spot among the best-selling games of all time, regardless of genre. To put it into perspective, Minecraft alone sold as many copies as Rockstar's four best-selling open-world titles combined. It's hard to even imagine anything more luxurious Minecraft not even at the moment GTA 6.
Of course, after this great success, Mojang Studios doesn't have to do anything else but constantly improve or modify the already winning and beloved formula. In recent years, the studio has created spin-off projects such as Minecraft Dungeons or Minecraft legendseach still tied to their peerless open-world sandbox colossus.
Rockstar Games
GTA 5 – 220 million, RDR 2 – 79 million, GTA: SA – 30 million, GTA 4 – 25 million
There are anomalies and then there are the truly legendary developers. Most gamers would easily name Rockstar Games as the first thing that comes to mind, and there's no arguing. A studio that pretty much pioneered the open world genre as we know it Grand Theft Auto 3 is known for the most influential and immersive open-world games and consistently delivers titles that are light years ahead of the competition.
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From an earlier time GTA: San Andreas and GTA 4 to modern titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and of course GTA 5Still breaking records after more than a decade, Rockstar Games is one of those rare modern studios that never miss a beat. It is evident from the colossal hype surrounding the upcoming one GTA 6and there is no doubt that the end result will blow the player away like nothing else.
CD Projekt Red
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – 60 million, Cyberpunk 2077 – 35 million
CD Projekt Red's story is truly fascinating, as the studio rose to the top with just two open-world titles. Not only that, but CDPR has become synonymous with open world story RPGs like no other, surpassing even Bethesda. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was a huge success but Cyberpunk 2077 he was probably even more important, embodying the textbook journey through hardship to the stars.
With all these experiences and lessons learned (hopefully), CD Projekt Red is now in a very unique position, working on several major projects at once, including The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk sequels – each one of the most anticipated upcoming open world games. Time will tell if the studio's rise will continue, but so far its ambitious plans are nothing short of admirable.
Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 35 million, Tears of the Kingdom – 20 million
Nintendo's EPD (Entertainment Planning & Development Division) almost excelled in 2017 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wilddenoting the bravest and most successful Zelda still an era. Breath of the Wild garnered massive sales, which is even more impressive given that the game is the only one on this list available only on Nintendo's gaming ecosystem (Wii U, Switch, and Switch 2). Not to mention how rarely Nintendo offers its games with generous discounts.
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However, the studio did not end there. continuation, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhe just reinforced the winning streak and proved it wasn't just a one-off. While TOTK sales are still significantly lower than BOTWthe six year gap between the games more than explains it and it will be interesting to see if he ever reaches the same numbers.
Avalanche Software
Hogwarts Legacy – Over 34 million copies sold
Avalanche Software is probably the least-deserved studio, given the big success Hogwarts heritage it owes much to the source material. Of course, that doesn't mean Hogwarts heritage is bad – it's just a pretty standard, innocuous open world game that lacks the real charm to really stand out from the crowd and really engage anyone who isn't already a die-hard Harry Potter fan.
Hogwarts heritage is the safest open world game. While not necessarily innovating, but rather following every other big trend of the last few years, its admirable execution coupled with a passionate aim to bring the most recognizable elements Harry Potter franchise to life in a faithful way, is seemingly more than enough for many players.
Bethesda Game Studios
Skyrim – 30+ million, Fallout 4 – 25 million, Fallout 76 – 20 million
Bethesda Game Studios needs no introduction, they have been at the helm of some of the most influential and popular open world RPGs for decades. Even more impressive is how true Bethesda stays to its own open-world formula, valuing freedom of exploration above all else and allowing players to approach these worlds as they see fit.
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Skyrim alone cemented Bethesda's legacy forever, officially selling over 30 million copies to date (presumably the actual number is even higher than this). But it's not just like that Skyrim: almost every Bethesda game has become a hit Oblivion and Fallout 3 to a newer one Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. Although the studio's latest original RPG, Star fieldproved to be quite divisive among fans, the game also attracted over 15 million players in its first year alone. Now all eyes are on The Elder Scrolls 6 recapture lightning in a bottle.
FromSoftware
Elden Ring – Over 30 million copies sold
FromSoftware is still relatively new to true open world games Elden Ring marking a long-awaited debut and what a success it was. Combining Soul's signature combat formula and RPG elements with a seamless world where players can go almost anywhere was expected to make a remarkable splash, but few expected just how colossal. Elden Ring success would be
WITH Elden RingFromSoftware instantly became one of the most famous, almost sacred developers, whose every new game is considered a must-play, as already proven Duskbloods hype. Now it's up to the studio to show that there's a lot more to it Elden Ring and its spin-off, so hopefully his other big projects will also yield results.
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