I generally much prefer linear games to open world ones, as in most cases the latter adds little but tedious commuting between points of interest.

As far as the thread topic goes though, I have to pick Breath of the Wild. It's the first game in years to really ignite my imagination with the possibilities it offers via its intricate tapestry of interconnected systems. It's exactly what I wanted "next gen" to be back in the PS3/360/Wii days; interactivity and emergent gameplay taken to the next level.

Having so many dynamic elements is an accomplishment in itself, but the way they're woven together into such a cohesive, organic and intuitive whole is nothing less than a watershed moment in the development of gaming as a medium.

Witcher 3, RDR and BOTW, all of them, my very own Tri-Force.

GTA 5 is just epic to me, such a huge, dense world! Shoutout to Watch Dogs 2 as well, like a GTA 5 lite lol

This is like asking which is the best color.

It depends on what you like to do in an open world and which games offer the best fit for your own preferences.

With that in mind, my favorite is Fallout 4. It has so much to do, so many things to find. I'd bet that most people only uncover less than 10% of the total content. So many strange things, so many creepy things, and so many enemies to fight. That's what I like in an open world game. Oodles of content.

Look it seems obvious that you won't change your mind no matter what I say about god of war not being open world, so I 'll leave you with a link to Cory Barlog talking about why he didn't make god of war open world,  https://wccftech.com/god-of-war-open-world-homework-serious/

Grand Theft Auto 3 is the best open world game ever made. Most of the open world games on this poll have no regard for open world games that helped define the genre into what it is today. Witcher 3? Breath of the Wild? Those games have only been out a few years, it's irrational to put those on the list as they have yet to prove their place.

Sorry to sound condescending, but putting games that are only a few years old on a "Best Of" list is juvenile, and incredibly short sighted.

Poll says "best", you're describing "most influential". Not the same thing.

1.Skyrim

2.GTA 4

3.Breath of The Wild

4.Horizon Zero Dawn

5.The Witcher 3

6.Read Dead redemption

Cult of new can be found in all entertainment, but games are especially susceptible to it, since, unlike music, books or movies, it's not that easy to find and play very old games.

With so many different genres that may be open-world, it's probably bit silly to call any game best, but GTA III is certanly one of those that defined industry and set certain blueprints. Yet GTA itself was made as "Elite in the city", and GTA III was influenced by Zelda...which in turn was influenced by Ultima and Hydlide (though chances of them admiting that are probably slim to none). TES: Daggerfall was massive influence for all open-world RPGs (and TES itself was influenced by Ultima Underworld), Gothic's legacy can be found in more story driven open-world RPGs.

As for the best - some people like open-world games that are sandboxes as well, other prefer more structured and story driven, and not everyone likes the same setting (there are folks who just don't like medieval fantasy or scifi or anime), so it really comes down to personal preferences.

Well isn't it the same in The Witcher 3 or Assassin's Creed 2?