New Unreal Engine 5 Open-World Games coming in 2023

As hardware becomes more powerful, more developers are taking advantage of its capabilities, creating massive landscapes that players can traverse with few barriers throughout their adventure. We've compiled a list of some of the most exciting open-world games powered by Epic's impressive Unreal Engine 5.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Following several delays and leaks over the years, the cult classic Stalker franchise is returning 14 years after its last entry. Stalker 2 sees the player assume the role of a “Stalker,” people who wander the exclusion zone surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear reactor after a second disaster in search of "artifacts" with various powerful and unique abilities. Players must navigate the zone while attempting to form alliances and survive various dangers.

Despite development delays caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Stalker 2 is expected to be released in late 2023 as a timed exclusive for Xbox Series X/S and PC. A PlayStation 5 version may be released in the future, as its exclusivity period is reportedly only three months.

Chrono Odyssey

Chrono Odyssey is an upcoming MMORPG from Korean developer and publisher Npixel, and despite limited official information, it has piqued the interest of many MMO fans thanks to its stunning visuals, engaging combat systems, and intriguing time-warping story. The game's combat has been a highlight of its previews thus far, with the ability to swap between two completely different weapons to create entirely new playstyles.

The MMORPG will be released on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, but no specific date has been set. The game was originally scheduled for 2022 but was delayed after its developer decided to upgrade from Unreal Engine 4 to 5, so we could see a full release, or at least a beta, in late 2023 to early 2024.

Repo Man

Archara Studios’ Repo Man is a unique first-person RPG that casts the player as debt collector Arthur Newstead. Starting with a massive $15 million debt, the player will need to travel around the town of San Alma, collecting payments from its residents, while also being given the option of how they want to retrieve the money. We can see from the trailer that player actions can have serious consequences and that there is a strong emphasis on its neon-filled visual style.

Repo Man is targeted to release later this year across PC, Xbox Series X/S and One, and PlayStation 4 and 5, though no specific date has been given.

Lords of the Fallen (2023)

Lords of the Fallen is a complete reboot of the action RPG series, bearing the same name as the original 2014 entry but taking a completely different path. The game, inspired by the Souls series and Elden Ring, places the player in the living world of Axiom as one of nine playable classes, with the ability to enter the undead realm of Umbral, where various enemies can be defeated in both physical and magical combat. Another similarity to Souls is the inclusion of PvE and PvP multiplayer functions, which allow for exploration as well as head-to-head battles with other players.

It was announced in May that the game is set to be released on October 13, 2023, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S under publisher CI Games.

The Day Before

The Day Before is an upcoming MMO zombie survival game developed by Russian studio Fntastic that takes place in post-apocalyptic America. It is said to include the typical looting, shooting, and sneaking around found in other zombie games, most notably DayZ, with a crafting system, gun modifications, and interactive environments shown in the gameplay trailer. The game's developers have a lot to prove, with some calling the project a "scam" after it was delayed in January due to trademark issues with its title, as well as allegedly copying much of its trailer from a Call of Duty trailer.

Fntastic and publisher Mytona have set a new release date of November 10 for PC, though it is unclear whether it will be sold on Steam after Valve removed its store page.