Only 4 open world games are better than Elden Ring

From Software Elden Ring is over 4 years old now, and the open world genre continues to cry out for a new game to match its brilliance, replayability, longevity, and surprising accessibility. Elden Ring it still regularly hits 50,000 concurrent players on Steam, which is an absolutely absurd figure. Well supported Crimson Desert it was probably the closest we've come to recapturing that lightning, but it's too divisive for us to be on the same level. Elden Ring deserves every bit of praise, and “Shadow of the Erdtree” probably set a new standard for expansions (although I'm inclined to Bloody“Old hunters,” i).

One could argue with that Elden Ring represents the pinnacle of the open world genre… but it can also be argued that a handful of games surpass it, at least in a few important areas. Whether it's combat, world building, exploration and immersion, Elden Ring comes very close to being the standard bearer but falls short of the top spot. This does not diminish FromSoftware's achievements, but rather serves as an illustration of another team's achievements.

Only games that cover something similar to Elden Ring (so focused on combat, dark fantasy, world building, etc.). There is no point in comparing Elden Ring on Red Dead Redemption 2 or GTA 5.
Specifically, I'm highlighting one area for each game rather than comparing the entire deck.
i love Elden Ringit's my third favorite FromSoftware game (after Bloody and Dark souls).

Nioh 3 – Better combat than Elden Ring

Only a team ninja does team ninja things

I don't think it would be controversial to say that Team Ninja beats FromSoftware when it comes to pure combat. Even procrastination Ninja Gaidenwhich is a completely different kind of beast, Soulslike developers deliver fast-paced and satisfying action that features layer upon layer of mechanics.

Elden Ring: 17 Best Female Characters, Ranked

The Elden Ring puts a lot of incredible female characters in the spotlight when it comes to the journey of the Tainted in the Land Between.

While I prefer Nioh 2, Nioh 3 showed that the Team Ninja formula lends itself well to a more open level design, and the inclusion of two simultaneous complementary builds (Samurai and Ninja) encourages players to step out of their comfort zone and not focus on just one style. You transform from a hard-hitting, odachi-wielding samurai to a nimble, dual-sword-wielding ninja at the press of a button, and the game encourages you to switch back and forth frequently. Each build and weapon type comes with a number of skills that greatly enhance your abilities in battle, and Nioh 3 allows you to reset skill points whenever you want. Experiment as you like.

I replayed the whole thing Nioh 2 with odachi and the use of ninja build in the sequel I was not really excited. However, I ended up enjoying it enough to make it my primary build.

From recycled bosses to uneven difficulty and an incredible final area, Nioh 3 certainly suffers from shortcomings which Elden Ring avoids, but its gameplay is so fantastic that it overshadows everything else. FromSoftware's games prioritize action over almost everything else, but it's probably the fights themselves that are amazing, rather than the combat mechanics (which are still great, but not the best in the genre). Nioh 3 hits that mark.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Better Traversal & Verticality

A different approach to exploration

Elden Ring nails his exploration, even if it requires a different approach than something similar The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In a FromSoftware game, exploring the world isn't inherently fun; however, it is rewarding. You explore to find a new boss, dungeon, or loot. There's nothing wrong with that, but replayability loses a bit of its charm because there's no incentive to explore beyond the basics.

IN Tears of the Kingdomcrawling and exploring are the fun parts and it doesn't really matter if you find something worthwhile at the end of the journey. BOTW he succeeds in this too, but TOTK it gives players so many tools to inject their own personality into how they approach the world. Personally, I don't have the patience to build and design my own vehicles, so I've never gone much further than creating a makeshift bike. However, regardless, it was incredibly fun. TOTK forces you to come up with wild, creative ways to traverse Hyrule, especially with its three-layered map and its Sky Zone.

Kenshi – Pure Emergent Sandbox

The world is what you make it

Kenshi

Released: December 6, 2018

An indie game from a single developer cannot be compared to a massive project like this Elden Ringbecause it would be unfair to both parties. Yet, as rough as it might be, Kenshi is an incredible achievement that puts most triple-A open-world games to shame in one area: Emergent gameplay. How I love Elden Ringhis world is the definition of static. If you're going to the same building and mostly stick to the same route, the two passages will be almost identical. That's perfectly fine, and variety comes from trying out different character types.

7 legendary games that defined the emerging game

Rather than sticking to a strict path, these iconic games encouraged players to do their own thing, creating emergent gameplay in the process.

Even more than Elden Ring, Kenshi it has no story, instead allowing players to write their own legends by existing in its world. Survival is the name of the game, and you'll find yourself in a post-apocalyptic hell as a complete and utter nobody. You can and will be killed by a weak bandit in minutes if you don't know what you are doing. The game simulates a living ecosystem that doesn't consider you the center of its universe. You can be a city-building leader, a Mad Max-inspired nomad, or a wimp who can't seem to catch a break. You decide because the world won't make it for you.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – A combination of better world building and storytelling

A perfect marriage

I believe just to avoid any confusion Elden Ringworld building is among the best in all games, not just in the open world genre. However, FromSoftware's passive storytelling style is an acquired taste that doesn't consistently take advantage of great world-building and can feel disconnected from the history of Lands Between. There's just nothing that fun about reading item text; at most it's a craft solution that just about gets the job done.

Although hardly flawless, The Witcher 3 it breathes life into its world-building through its narrative, allowing them to complement and enhance one another. When you walk into the war-torn village of Velen, you don't just see historical scenery; you experience the immediate, chaotic human cost of that history. A simple monster contract becomes a powerful insight into regional politics, ghosts, or even domestic abuse. It gives you a reason to care more about the people in the world than just its history.