Ghost Recon: Wildlands has made quite a sizable impact on the community since its initial release, as we've grown to appreciate what Ubisoft was trying to do by taking the series in a completely new direction. The huge, sprawling map was a blast to explore, as it gave you the freedom to play at your own pace as the tactical Kingslayer Team.
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There’s plenty to like about Wildlands, whether it’s the solid tactical shooting, the extremely fun four-player cooperative play, or uncovering the large and detailed open world. If you’ve finished exploring Wildlands' huge map and are looking for something to scratch a similar itch, there are many games that offer a comparable experience. Here are some of the best games to try next if you liked Ghost Recon: Wildlands.
10 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Despite being set a couple of thousand years in the past, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has a lot in common with Wildlands. Ever since the series was rebooted with Assassin’s Creed Origins, the games have included huge open worlds with deeper role-playing mechanics. Odyssey doubled down on this and included a 100 square kilometre map of an impressively detailed Greece.
Like Wildlands, there’s plenty to get up to across its massive map, including attacking enemy bases, finding collectables, and having the option to traverse on land and by sea. The Cultist system is also very similar to Wildlands’ underbosses, in that you need to assassinate a web of lesser enemies before getting the chance to take out the main leader.
9 Just Cause 3
Just Cause 3 is a huge action game that ramps up the silliness to a ridiculous degree. Although a bit light on story, the game more than makes up for this with the sheer freedom it offers you in its explosive sandbox. Rico is basically a super-powered action hero with the ability to endlessly glide and float through the air with his wingsuit, grapple-hook and parachute combo.
You are tasked with liberating the fictional island of Medici, which is not so dissimilar from liberating Bolivia from the cartel in Wildlands — though Just Cause 3 pulls it off in a much sillier and more explosive way. Just Cause 4 introduced some neat new ideas to the formula, but Just Cause 3 just felt like a more fluid and consistently fun experience overall.
8 Sniper Ghost Warrior 3
Those itching for more open-world sniper action don’t have to look too far, as the third instalment in the Sniper Ghost Warrior series will satisfy those urges for more long-distance headshots.
The game takes place in a fully explorable open world, where you can get around by car to your next hotspot. In a similar vein to Wildlands, you’ll be hitting various safehouses to upgrade your gear before heading out and engaging in lots of tactical shooting and stealth. It doesn’t have the depth or polish of other titles, but it does offer a fun alternative for those looking for a game that’s focused a bit more on the sniping side of things.
7 Far Cry 5
Far Cry 5 continues the series’ familiar open-world sandbox and gives you the insurmountable task of liberating a rural region of Montana that has been completely overtaken by a radical cult.
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As with most Far Cry games, you have the option to explore as you see fit, whether it be liberating the game’s many outposts, engaging in random skirmishes dotted around the map, or even relaxing with a spot of tranquil fishing. It’s true that Far Cry 6 has expanded upon a lot of these features, but the setting of Far Cry 5 seems tonally similar to Wildlands’ cartel-infested Bolivia.
The final game in the Metal Gear series developed by the legendary Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain places the iconic series into a detailed open world that gives you an incredible amount of freedom and player choice.
As is common with most Metal Gear games, the story is a little convoluted, but that doesn’t stop this from being one of the greatest stealth games ever made. You are given a staggering number of options in how to engage in the game’s exciting stealth and combat encounters, and you can choose to bring an AI companion along for the ride.
5 Insurgency Sandstorm
The map in Insurgency Sandstorm is a lot less open than Ubisoft’s version of Bolivia, though the tactical squad-based shooting should still feel right at home for fans of the Ghost Recon series.
The game is a gritty and atmospheric modern FPS which is split pretty evenly between PvE and PvP gameplay, the former sending hordes of enemies your way that have surprisingly impressive AI to contend with. Because of this, you need to strategically plan ahead to counter your enemies as they flank and suppress your squad, and you can customise your weapons to tactically plan your loadout before heading into the fray. Each fight is slower and more methodical, which is a welcome change of pace for the genre.
4 Arma 3
Though a little dated, that should in no way take away from the depth and quality of Arma 3. The map is astoundingly large, boasting a whopping size of 270 square kilometres, and is the quintessential tactical military sandbox.
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The amount of content in the game is almost overwhelming, with a huge plethora of land, air and sea vehicles to commandeer and weapons to wield as you engage in emergent skirmishes across its vast open world. Just like Wildlands, it’s a great time with friends — Arma 3’s fantastic multiplayer is still thriving and populated, which speaks volumes for the game’s quality and deserved prestige.
3 The Division 2
Ubisoft’s looter-shooter series has captured a uniquely captivating gameplay loop that keeps you coming back for more. The Division 2 takes you to a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C., which is quite a change from the snowy winter setting of New York in the first entry.
You can complete the game’s campaign and engage in its refreshingly unique PvP multiplayer in up to a squad of four. Just as with most other Tom Clancy outings, there’s plenty of third-person tactical shooting, and it also offers deep customisation options for your loadouts and character builds. You are encouraged to play around with different builds and min-max your gear to ensure you are the most effective soldier out in the field.
2 Sniper Elite 5
If you so choose, you can exclusively play Wildlands as a sniping simulator, as its sync-shot mechanic makes pulling off those countless headshots all the more enjoyable. The Sniper Elite series ramps up the sniping satisfaction to a further head-popping degree.
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In Sniper Elite 5 you’ll be headshotting various enemies across a beautifully designed World War 2 open world. The gruesome kill cams for pulling off a precision shot make a welcome return and have been greatly enhanced, now showing you the irreversible damage you’re inflicting on your victims in a more visceral way. There’s a bucket load of customisation options for your weapons, and the drop-in cooperative play is useful when trying to tackle the game’s missions. Two snipers are better than one.
1 Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
If you’re really looking for that Wildlands fix then there’s no better place to start than with its direct sequel, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. Despite having to deal with quite a shaky launch, the game has since gained a bit of a cult following.
Building upon the features of the first game, the gunplay, movement, and animations have all been noticeably improved, resulting in a better overall feel. You’ll also be shooting in a greater variety of locations, as it seems to utilise its tropical map a bit better than the first game. Wildlands was more accomplished in its vision overall, but we reckon Breakpoint is still worth a crack if you're searching for more of the same tactical and bombastic squad-based action.
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