The Best Open-World Games That Let You Conquer Areas

Updated on June 22, 2026, by Mark Sammut: I've refreshed this article with updated games, images, and links.

In the face of oppression, conquest and liberation become interchangeable. At least, many open-world games seem to believe that, as they let players gradually take over the map by conquering one region at a time. Typically, the process involves killing hundreds of enemies, clearing outposts, assassinating a leader, and then reaping the benefits of your spoils.

During the last decade, the "conquer each area" structure became overused, and its poor implementation often results in grind-heavy games that just repeat the same formula over and over again. Still, we shouldn't focus solely on the bad examples, as plenty of great open-world games effectively use this process to create addictive gameplay loops that we can return to time and again.

Games will be ranked based on how satisfying and rewarding it feels to conquer areas.

8 Mafia 3

Lincoln Takes Over Territories And Hands Them Over To One Of Three Underbosses

Unlike the first two games, Mafia 3 involves its fair share of open-world busywork where players liberate areas and take over the districts of New Bordeaux. This can get repetitive after a point, and you don't really do anything with the districts, but it ties in nicely with the game's masterful story. Mafia 3 lets players assign these districts to one of three underlings, including the returning Vito Scaletta from Mafia 2.

While these criminals threaten Lincoln that they'll leave if not given the power they deserve, all players need to do is distribute their acquired territory equally to keep all the mafia bosses satisfied. If you favor one boss too much, the others will straight up mutiny, turning your former allies into boss fights, making for a fun political system.

7 Assassin's Creed Syndicate

The Frye Twins Challenge The Various Gangs Of London To Take Over Their Territory

Given that Assassin's Creed Syndicate is set in Victorian London, it's easy to see why Ubisoft found it easy to integrate elements of gang warfare. As the Frye Twins, players lead the Rooks and take over gang territory in London to establish dominance. These missions build towards a climax as they involve completing a slew of activities like Bounty Hunts and Child Liberation, culminating in an all-out Gang War against the local leader.

Besides being fairly cinematic, Assassin's Creed Syndicate ensures your resources reflect your expanding territory through the growth of your faction. After liberating a borough, the twins can begin to recruit new Rooks, and they can then unlock upgrades to improve their performance. While the Ubisoft formula causes some monotony to set in, the process generally works well.

6 Saints Row 2

Conquering The Districts Of Stilwater Is A Huge Part Of The Gameplay Loop

While players love the overtly goofy and chaotic approach of later Saints Row games, the second entry generally stands as the peak for most people (although I love Saints Row 4's absurdity more than anything). Besides being an all-around awesome open-world crime game, Saints Row 2 locks story progression behind "Respect," earned by seizing neighborhoods from rival syndicates. Consequently, "conquering" Stilwater directly ties into the story's progression, making every step feel meaningful.

Saints Row 2 goes out of its way to show the impact of conquering regions by changing the NPCs that roam around the area, turning them from hostile gang members to loyal crew. This might not seem that spectacular in 2026, but it was a nice touch in 2008.

5 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

CJ Leads A One-Man Assault Throughout Los Santos To Capture Territory For The GSF

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' brilliance is timeless, and one of its absolute highlights is the Gang Warfare mechanic. As CJ, players work towards conquering Los Santos, one territory at a time. However, the Ballas and Vagos will make damn sure your success doesn't come easy, forcing you to survive waves of escalating mayhem in an effort to change that section's color on the mini-map.

While certain events reverse this progress, players eventually come back to Los Santos and must take over as many territories as possible to progress the story. It may sound like a grind, but San Andreas introduces the constant threat of counter-attacks, meaning you have to defend your territory in what feels like an ongoing war.

4 Far Cry 4

Ajay Ghale Conquers Territories To Aid The Resistance Against Pagan Min

While every Far Cry game features the gameplay loop of taking over outposts and diminishing the enemy's influence, Far Cry 4 genuinely feels like players are waging a one-man war against Pagan Min to bolster the resistance. With each victory, players conquer territories using their immense firepower to help the resistance gain a foothold in the region. Compared to Far Cry 3's focus on just outposts, the fourth entry introduces Fortresses ruled by Pagan's lieutenants, which are far harder to take on while their boss lives.

Unlike other games in the series, where a captured camp is permanently safe, Pagan Min’s Royal Army actively launches counter-attacks to reclaim liberated outposts, creating a genuine sense that you are operating in an unstable country in the middle of a tense power struggle. Until players conquer a fortress, a region is not truly theirs.

3 The Saboteur

Conquer Paris? No, Liberate Paris

Pandemic Studios' incredible final project features maybe the most visually impressive conquering system in gaming history, even if the process isn't extremely unique. Set in bleak Nazi-occupied Paris, you portray an average resistance fighter who decides to change the course of history, which involves sabotage, assassination, and inspiration. While under occupation, the world appears in black-and-white monochrome; however, liberation brings color and life to the region.

As you don't portray a Rambo-style protagonist who runs and guns his way through Paris, The Saboteur emphasizes systemic dismantling. You take out sniper towers, searchlights, and AA guns, weakening the area to make conquest possible. The gameplay and quest design are archaic by modern standards, but The Saboteur makes conquering Paris very satisfying.

2 Middle-earth: Shadow Of War

Players Amass A Force And Use It To Wage War And Conquer Areas

While Shadow of Mordor toyed around with the Nemesis system, it's Shadow of War that expanded the concept to new heights. Players were encouraged to beat high-ranking members of the orc forces, eventually waging wars to conquer forts and bringing the fight to Sauron. This made for amazing assaults as Talion led his forces to take out waves of orcs in massive wars that were as engaging as they came.

A lot of positives (and negatives) can be said about Shadow of War, but its Nemesis System truly elevates the area conquest loop to nearly legendary heights. Even beyond the personal element presented through defeat, conquering a region involves dismantling the orc hierarchy through fear and mind-control, all culminating in an incredible final assault.

1 Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord

The Best Open-World Game For Players Who Want To Lead Armies And Conquer Territories

The Mount & Blade series is perfect for fans who want to play open-world games with a focus on conquering areas. Bannerlord is no exception here, with players starting as a humble adventurer who eventually amasses a massive army to wage wars for their liege or even themselves.

The emergent gameplay of Bannerlord coupled with its large-scale wars, makes it a great video game for fans to sink their teeth into once they grasp the basics of this complex title. Serving under a lord is perfect for beginners to grasp the ropes before they decide to fuel greater ambitions and make the most of the title's engaging systems.