You are a busy adult with an open-world backlog: three or four unfinished saves across Skyrim, Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon, and maybe Assassin’s Creed that you started at launch and never completed. GTA 6 is coming. When it drops, your backlog will be irrelevant because GTA 6 will demand 100 hours of your life. This is the prioritization guide for clearing your open-world backlog first.
This is the open-world cohort of our pillar on what to play before GTA 6. Eight open worlds worth completing with specific triage for busy adults.
The short version
- Finish Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 first. They are the biggest open-world commitments most adults own unfinished.
- Elden Ring is the “if I have 60+ hours” pick. Finish it if time allows.
- Ghost of Tsushima and Horizon Forbidden West are mid-commitment finishes (30-50 hours).
- Skyrim and Fallout 4 are “never going to finish” games. Uninstall and accept it.
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows is 60+ hours; skip unless you are specifically an AC fan.
The 8 picks in priority order
1. Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar’s narrative masterpiece. If you own this and have not finished it, prioritize. 50-80 hours. Finishing before GTA 6 means you have direct context for Rockstar’s storytelling evolution.
Priority: highest. This is the single most important pre-GTA-6 open-world backlog clear.
2. Cyberpunk 2077 + Phantom Liberty
40-80 hours depending on how much side content you do. Post-2.0 Cyberpunk is genuinely excellent. The DLC adds 30 hours of some of the best content CD Projekt Red has ever made. Our Cyberpunk 2077 worth playing in 2026 verdict is the deeper case.
Priority: high. Modern urban open-world directly comparable to GTA 6 upcoming.
3. Elden Ring + Shadow of the Erdtree
60-100 hours. The non-crime open-world that demands finishing. If you own it and have invested 20+ hours, finish. If you have not started it, now is borderline-too-late unless you have heavy gaming time.
Priority: high if you are already invested. Medium otherwise.
4. Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut
30-50 hours main plus Iki Island DLC. Tighter pacing than Red Dead 2, more focused than Cyberpunk. Finishable in 1-2 months of weekend gaming.
Priority: high. Approachable commitment, big payoff.
5. Horizon Forbidden West + Burning Shores
40-60 hours. Post-apocalyptic robot dinosaurs. Good story, excellent traversal. Skip if you have not played Horizon Zero Dawn; start with the first game or skip the series.
Priority: medium. Not essential before GTA 6 but satisfying to complete.
6. Grand Theft Auto V (if unfinished)
30-40 hours main story. Direct GTA 6 predecessor. Worth finishing for narrative continuity.
Priority: medium-high specifically for GTA 6 prep.
7. Spider-Man 2
30-40 hours. Modern open-world with fast traversal. Different flavor from GTA but scratches similar “big city freedom” itch. Finish if you own it.
Priority: medium. Satisfying finish.
8. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt + expansions
80-120 hours for full completion. 40-50 for main story only. Massive commitment. Only start if you have not played it and really want to; otherwise, skip until post-GTA-6.
Priority: low for new starts. Finish only if already deep into a playthrough.
What to skip (and why)
Skyrim. You have already played it or will not. The 15th playthrough is not a pre-GTA-6 priority.
Fallout 4. Dated. Most of its content is mediocre. Skip.
Assassin’s Creed (Shadows, Mirage, Valhalla). 60-100 hour commitments each. Not worth starting pre-GTA-6 unless you specifically love the series.
Starfield. Ambitious but uneven. Most players bounce by hour 20-30. Not a high-priority finish.
No Man’s Sky. Infinite by design. “Finishing” is meaningless. Save for post-GTA-6 casual play.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom. Both excellent; both 60-100 hours. Skip unless you are deep into a playthrough. Resume post-GTA-6.
Triage rules
For deciding what to finish versus what to abandon.
Already past 30% completion: finish it. The effort-to-completion ratio is good, and you will have real accomplishment satisfaction.
10-30% completion: finish if you can complete in under 40 hours. Otherwise uninstall and accept.
Under 10% completion: you probably will not finish. Uninstall. The game will still be there post-GTA-6.
No current save: do not start a 60+ hour open world in 2026 unless you can commit 10+ hours per week.
Weekly hour math
Simple calculation to set expectations.
If GTA 6 launches in 6 months and you have 8 hours per week of gaming time, you have 208 hours of pre-GTA-6 gaming. That is one Red Dead 2 plus one Cyberpunk 2077 at most.
If you have 4 hours per week, you have 104 hours. That is one Red Dead 2 OR one Cyberpunk 2077. Not both.
If you have 2 hours per week, you have 52 hours. One medium open world (Ghost of Tsushima) or one serious backlog commitment.
Do the math for your specific weekly hours. Plan accordingly. Do not try to “finish everything.” Pick 1-2 and commit.
The 30-day commitment test
Before you commit to finishing a 60+ hour open world, give it a 30-day test.
Play it 30 consecutive days for 30+ minutes each. If you can maintain daily sessions for 30 days, the game has your genuine interest; commit to finishing. If you miss 3+ days in the first month, the game is fighting for your attention and will lose. Abandon.
Use the first weekend as the intensity test. Play 3-4 hours on a Saturday. If you are reluctant or the session feels like a chore, that is a real signal.
Ask yourself: does finishing matter to me? Honestly. Not “does it matter to be the kind of person who finishes games.” Does THIS finish matter. If no, abandon.
The 30-day test saves you from 40-hour “finished out of obligation” completions. Those are not satisfying. Finishing a game because you genuinely wanted to is different.
The uninstall decision
Uninstalling a game you might not finish is psychologically hard. Three rules.
Cloud save first. Your progress is preserved. If you want to resume in 2028, you can.
Uninstall does not mean deleting the license. You still own the game. Reinstall anytime.
Accept the freedom. Removing a half-finished save from your library reduces “I should play that” guilt. Guilt-free gaming is better gaming.
The “never finished” admission
Some games are never going to be finished. Adults have to be honest with themselves.
Skyrim at 15 hours from 2014: not finishing. Accept it.
Fallout 4 at 8 hours from 2015: not finishing.
Assassin’s Creed Origins at 20 hours from 2018: not finishing.
Starfield at 10 hours from 2023: not finishing.
Cloud-save the files, uninstall, move on. Your library contains thousands of unfinished games across a lifetime. That is normal. You will not retroactively finish them all. Focus on what you actually want to play now.
Platform-specific prioritization
Your platform affects which backlog games matter most.
PlayStation 5: Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Forbidden West, Spider-Man 2 are your PS5 exclusives (or originally PS-exclusive). Finish these before GTA 6 because the PS5 may eventually move on to next-gen hardware, potentially complicating replay.
Xbox Series X: Starfield, Assassin’s Creed (backward compatibility), any Microsoft first-party titles. Finish Starfield if you want; abandon if you have bounced.
PC (Steam/Epic): everything. PC backlog is typically the worst because Steam sales create oversized libraries. Prioritize ruthlessly.
Switch 2: no GTA 6 on Switch 2 at launch. Your open-world backlog focus shifts to Zelda, Xenoblade Chronicles, and other Nintendo or third-party Switch titles. GTA 6 may not affect your Switch 2 strategy directly.
Save hygiene for preserved progress
If you abandon a game temporarily, preserve the option to resume cleanly.
Cloud save it. Steam Cloud, PSN, Xbox cloud, Nintendo cloud saves for eligible games. Your progress lives in the cloud even after uninstall.
Take a screenshot of your status. Inventory, quest log, current objective. When you return in a year or two, the screenshot tells you what you were doing.
Write a note. One sentence. “Elden Ring: Radahn fight attempts, have most of Altus Plateau explored. Mage build.” Saves 30 minutes of re-orientation when you return.
Do not delete the save. Ever. Future-you may want it.
Frequently asked questions
Should I prioritize Rockstar games specifically before GTA 6?
Yes, for narrative continuity. Red Dead Redemption 2, L.A. Noire, Max Payne 3, GTA V. These give you the Rockstar storytelling context. Cyberpunk 2077 is in a different studio’s world but thematically adjacent.
What if I have not started any of these?
Pick the one that most appeals to you. Do not try to start 3 in parallel. Pick one, commit for 6-8 weeks, finish.
Can I play GTA 6 if I have never played a GTA game?
Yes. GTA games reset narrative between entries. GTA 6 will be self-contained.
How do I know if a game is worth finishing or abandoning?
Check your enjoyment per session. If you dread opening the game, abandon. If sessions are fun but progress feels slow, that is normal open-world pacing; keep going.
Will GTA 6 make older open-worlds feel obsolete?
Some, yes. GTA V will feel dated. Others (Red Dead 2, Elden Ring) are different genres or artistic visions and will remain their own thing. Do not worry about obsolescence; good games stay good.
Related reading
- What to Play Before GTA 6: 12 Games to Clear Your Backlog: the cluster pillar.
- Is Cyberpunk 2077 Worth Playing in 2026?: the specific Cyberpunk verdict.
- 5 Open World Games That Don’t Nag You to Invite Friends: the solo-focused cousin article.
- How to Restart a Game You Haven’t Played in Months: for dusting off old saves.
