Biggest Open-World Games With Major Expansions Announced

This year’s summer gaming showcases brought not only exciting new open-world game announcements, like Final Fantasy 7 Revelation and Xenoblade Genesis, as well as glimpses of upcoming anticipated titles such as Fable and The Blood of Dawnwalker, but also various surprises for already released open-world titles. Several new expansions for some of the biggest open-world games of the past years emerged unexpectedly, promising fans a chance to return to beloved worlds and universes for ambitious new chapters.

One key element to highlight here is how long it can take nowadays for an open-world expansion to release, with many of the projects below arriving more than two years after the original game’s launch. As devs aim to increase scope and expand feature lists to make such add-ons worth the wait, it seems players have to stay more patient than ever before while awaiting what’s next for their favorite open-world games. Who knows what announcements are still ahead? What’s next for this year’s open-world hits like Crimson Desert or Forza Horizon 6? That’s a story for another day. In the meantime, here’s a look at some of the biggest open-world games officially getting major expansions in 2026 and 2027.

Where Winds Meet: Hidden Mountain

Coming July 2026

As expected, the free-to-play Wuxia open-world game, Where Winds Meet, continues to get better over time, receiving new free content updates on a pretty tight schedule. The devs have already added two major expansions, Hexi and Imperial Palace, each released in several parts and packed with new features and locations, and are about to introduce the third major expansion, Hidden Mountain, sometime this July.

The biggest draw here is yet another massive new region to explore. The new area features a rich mountainous landscape full of multi-layered verticality, resulting in rewarding exploration and hidden surprises that are easy to overlook. Of course, fans should also expect new activities, questlines revolving around the mysterious Mohist sect, enhanced martial arts mechanics, new loot and items, and more. Not only that, Where Winds Meet is finally available on Xbox platforms, welcoming even more players into its vast and beautiful world of ancient China.

Mafia: The Old Country – Man Of Honor

Coming August 14, 2026

Despite representing a fairly compact and cinematic approach to the open-world formula, Mafia: The Old Country is also getting a story expansion, like most of its predecessors. The new DLC is called Man of Honor and is coming one year after the base game’s launch. Potentially the smallest among the listed expansions, Man of Honor promises two new chapters (probably equivalent to around 3 to 4 hours of gameplay) to experience in Sicily, set before the original game’s ending.

For fans of the series, the main draw is definitely meeting and working alongside young Ennio Salieri (played by Andrew Russell), the Lost Heaven Don from Mafia: Definitive Edition. Recently released from prison, Salieri intends to reclaim what’s rightfully his, drawing Enzo Favara deeper into the criminal underworld of Valle Dorata. Another difference is that the DLC is set in Winter 1905, promising fresh environments alongside extra weapons, vehicles, and charms. Mafia: The Old Country – Man of Honor also brings new content for Free Ride mode, featuring exclusive jobs and extreme challenges in the game’s gorgeous open world.

STALKER 2: Cost Of Hope

Coming Summer 2026

Credit: GSC Game World

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl almost missed all the recent gaming showcases, arriving at the last minute with a new DLC story trailer that revealed the characters Zulu (Duty) and Mavka (Freedom). Still, the upcoming Cost of Hope expansion doesn’t have a set release date for this summer. One of several promised expansions to the base game, Cost of Hope is teased as a massive addition that will offer dozens of hours of play. After all, it took GSC Game World almost two years to release, so it likely has plenty for fans to sink their teeth into.

As far as we know, STALKER 2: Cost of Hope features vast new explorable territories, including Iron Forest and the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and a new non-linear questline revolving around the series’ long-standing rivalry between Freedom and Duty, set after the base game’s endings. Minor additions like new weapons, gear, upgrades, anomalies, artifacts, and mutants are also on the menu, enriching the dark and twisted world of the Zone. It’s worth noting that the devs have pledged at least two major story expansions for STALKER 2, so Cost of Hope is just the beginning.

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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.