Summary
First, let’s get this caveat out of the way: zero loading screens is pretty much impossible. Players will always encounter them when respawning, fast traveling, or just booting up the game. So naturally, some of the games on this list have brief loading screens. But outside of those instances, they offer a largely uninterrupted experience.
Yes, hidden loading screens are a thing, but we won’t dwell on the most egregious examples. This is a list of open-world games players can seamlessly jump into and explore.
But before we begin, let’s have a moment of silence for the open-world games that couldn’t make the list:Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Hogwarts Legacy, The Witcher 3,andKingdom Come: Deliverance 2. While these games boast minimal loading screens, they still slip up whenever players enter shrines or travel back and forth between areas. Rules are rules!
Billed as the first-ever open-worldStar Warsgame (much to the dismay ofGalaxiesfans),Star Wars Outlawsis the very definition of a7/10 game. It’s a fun ride that leaves neither lasting impressions nor regrets.
One of its standout features, however, is its near-absence of load screens. Sure, there are hidden ones, but they’re so seamlessly integrated that it’s hard to complain. These sneaky transitions only serve to enable smooth planetary flying between the game’s open-world areas, a concession most spacefaring adventurers are happy to make.
When it comes to open worlds,Elite Dangeroustakes the cake—and then some. It’s a 1:1 representation of the entire Milky Way galaxy. It’s truly a sight to behold. What makes it even more jaw-dropping is the absence of traditional load screens.
Sure, there are hidden load screens duringhyperspace travel, but they’re pulled off so seamlessly that players barely notice. Pilots watch the star they’re approaching, take in the cockpit details, or even sit back and twiddle their thumbs. Regardless of what players do, hyperspace travel remains a mesmerizing experience that never gets old.
A surprising entry on this list isSaints Row 2. This off-color sequel shrugged off pace-killing load screens so seamlessly that most players didn’t even notice their absence. But, asFuturamaso wisely puts it: “When you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.”
Arguably the peak of the franchise,Saints Row 2fully embraced the ridiculousness that set it apart fromGTA. It was about as crass as things could possibly get for a2008 game— a year that cursed cinemas with the likes ofMeet the SpartansandHarold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.
After clawing back its tattered reputation following a rocky launch, CD Projekt Red managed to transformCyberpunk 2077into apretty damn respectable game. Once players were finally given a fully functioning experience, praise flowed in.
One of the game’s biggest accolades is its stunning open world. With a mix of dusty deserts and sprawling sci-fi cityscapes, Night City offers seamless exploration without a load screen in sight. That’s a remarkable feat, especially considering the jaw-dropping visuals, meticulously detailed interiors, and streets teeming with NPCs.
The granddaddy of no loading screens (aside from its iconic starting screens),Grand Theft Auto: San Andreasisas iconic as it gets. Previous entries in the franchise featured splash screens when moving between regions, butSan Andreaswaved goodbye to that era.
From CJ’s iconic BMX ride at the beginning to the game’s climactic finale, players rarely encounter loading screens. The game pulls some clever tricks to achieve this, dynamically loading environments as players traverse the sprawling map. The closest thing to a break is the brief fade to black when entering buildings — a small price to pay for seamless exploration.
Grand Theft Auto Vis still impressive well over a decade past its launch. For a game that originally graced the PS3 and Xbox 360, it’s dumbfounding how Rockstar managed to pull it off. But they did — and the result is a technical marvel worthy of praise.
Zooming acrossSan Andreasin a fighter jet or speeding through Los Santos in a supercar wouldn’t hit the same if players were constantly greeted by static load screens filled with tips and character models. But for those masochistic enough to crave loading screens, there’s alwaysGTA Online.
The scope ofRed Dead Redemption 2is truly awe-inspiring. Spanning five fictitious U.S. states, traveling across its vast terrain reportedly takesaround 3 hours and 14 minutes. And with that much ground to cover, players never encounter a single load screen.
This is an astounding achievement for a game with such painstaking attention to detail. No wonder Rockstar poured over eight years into crafting this masterpiece. Sure, a few savvy players might point out one of the game’s rare loading screens, but we’ll ignore it to avoid spoilers—and because this title more than earns its place on the list.
Swinging into first place with a flawless open-world experience isMarvel’s Spider-Man 2. Evenfast travel in this gamedoesn’t have loading screens—players simply select their destination and boom, they’re there. All thanks to the PS5’s impressive loading capabilities.
Some players were skeptical, suggesting hidden loading screens were behind the seamless transitions. But Insomniac’s director of core technologies, Mike Fitzgerald, shut down the speculation with a mic-drop response: “That’s a hold-to-confirm prompt, not hiding a load. If anyone wants to check, they can look at how late it’s possible to cancel it out when they’re playing.”
