Summary
- Open-world games offer satisfying narratives and challenges.
- Death Stranding, Subnautica, and Elden Ring provide unique and rewarding experiences.
- Conquering game challenges contributes to emotional satisfaction.
Few game genres are more satisfying to conquer than an open-world game. They're naturally massive, with a lot of material to explore, usually featuring a deep and lengthy narrative that spans hours. Finally beating it means mastering not just the mechanics but the world itself, making for an incredibly satisfying experience.
The Biggest Open World Games, Based On The Size Of Their Maps
Open-world games are beloved for their massive maps. Here are some of the biggest open worlds that gamers can explore in the genre.
Whether it's finally connecting a post-apocalyptic America or coming to terms with the death of the West, there are plenty of great open-world games to choose from. This list is ranked purely by how satisfying each game is to beat, whether that be mechanically, narratively, or any other metric.
Death Stranding
Rope and Sticks
Death Stranding
- Released
- November 8, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Genre(s)
- Action
- Platform(s)
- iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
After Hideo Kojima left Konami to start up his video game studio, expectations were sky-high for what gaming's most beloved auteur would do next. Death Stranding was the result, and it left everyone off guard. Instead of being a stealth-action game, Death Stranding was a traversal game, all about delivering packages in a post-apocalyptic, fractured America.
Death Stranding 2: 7 Things That Are Unapologetically Kojima
So much of Death Stranding 2's DNA is entwined with Hideo Kojima's signature talent, and here are just a few things that make it so great.
Yet, even though Death Stranding wasn't what many players expected, it delivered a genuinely emotional tale way ahead of its time that spoke to the power of connections and truly revelled in the work that the player put in. There's nothing quite like driving all those constructed roads all the way home at the end of the game.
Subnautica
Beat The Waves
Subnautica
- Released
- January 23, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
For a thalassaphobe, Subnautica is a total nightmare. Players crash land on the ocean planet at the start of the game and must adapt or be consumed by the various horrors lurking in the waters. It's a daunting experience at the start that requires every bit of courage the player has.
Yet, by the time the player has finished, they've become the master of the oceans. They can't tangle with the behemoths of the deep with mechanical dreadnoughts, and by mastering every part of the ocean, the player can finally build their spaceship to escape once and for all in one of the most satisfying end-game challenges in all of open-world gaming.
Elden Ring
Become The Elden Lord
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
FromSoftware games are well known for their punishing difficulty, but until Elden Ring, most of them were actually pretty short experiences. Not so with Elden Ring. Instead, this massive open-world RPG stretches the FromSoftware formula to its logical extremity, providing one of the most epic open-world quests in all gaming.
By the time the player has conquered not just the base game, but also the Shadows of the Erdtree DLC, they will have conquered hundreds of fearsome bosses and become an apex predator in a world built of apex predators. Beating Elden Ring is a mighty accomplishment that few other games can muster.
Outer Wilds
Master The Loop
Outer Wilds
- Released
- May 28, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
The strange thing about Outer Wilds is that, with the right knowledge, players can beat the game almost instantly. However, the time-loop mini-galaxy open-world experience of Outer Wilds is about the many steps players need to take to find that necessary knowledge and hidden secrets to break free and escape from the loop.
That adventure for knowledge will take the player all over a mini solar system in some of the best environmental storytelling and gameplay all of gaming has to offer. Beating Outer Wilds is not just a mechanical satisfaction, but delivers one of the punchiest narrative endings in all of gaming. It needs to be seen to be believed.
Fallout: New Vegas
Viva Las Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Bethesda RPGs have a bit of a problem with endings. Generally, the main quest is usually the least interesting part of a Bethesda RPG, so the endings are pretty lacklustre too. Obsidian Entertainment, tasked with creating a spinoff Fallout game, decided that wouldn't do, and instead made a masterpiece in Fallout: New Vegas.
By the time the player reaches the end credits of New Vegas, they have truly mastered the Mojave Wasteland, its various competing political factions, and met some truly incredible companions. More than that, the game's final famous slideshow demonstrates exactly how the player's decisions influenced the world for decades to come, creating a uniquely satisfying feeling that the player's choices truly mattered.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Hyrule Reborn
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone: Fantasy Violence, Use of Alcohol, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U, Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Famously, in the open-world reinvention of the Legend of Zelda franchise in Breath of the Wild, players can immediately walk to Hyrule Castle and challenge Ganondorf from the very beginning. The only problem is they're likely gonna get their butt kicked for the privilege of it.
Instead, players need to master every nook and cranny of Hyrule and defeat a rogue's gallery of villains to become the most powerful version of Link they can be, gathering powers, equipment, and allies across the post-apocalyptic land to bring down Ganondorf. Seeing every narrative action play out mechanically in the final fight is a uniquely satisfying feeling that's truly hard to beat, and it really makes players feel like they've become the hero Link was prophesied to be.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
End Of The Road
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
CD Projekt Red has accumulated a fearsome reputation for delivering some of the best writing and narratives in video games, for good reason. Few games can muster the sheer maturity and depth of their characters and worlds, which means that no decision is black and white, and every result is a complicated mix of emotions.
Red Dead Redemption 2: 30 Powerful Quotes By Arthur Morgan
As the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur has made some powerful statements that resonate with players.
Yet, by the end of Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, players have brought Geralt to the very edge of his narrative, culminating a truly legendary trilogy of games full of brilliant side quests in a satisfying narrative payoff that could have gone so badly in different hands. It's rare that a trilogy feels as complete as this, which is probably why the game is still considered to be one of the best RPGs ever made.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Death Of The West
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Few game studios around the world have the sheer level of skill and resources as Rockstar. In fact, Red Dead Redemption 2, their Western magnum opus, might not just be the best video game Western ever made. Still, the power of its narrative and world puts it in the upper echelons of the best Westerns ever made in any medium, period.
There are a lot of reasons for that, but none more so than the truly incredible narrative Rockstar built. With no spoilers, it's fair to say that Red Dead Redemption 2 has some of the best-written characters in Westerns, with one of the most tear-jerking and vicariously thrilling endings in all gaming.
The Best Open-World Switch Games, Ranked
There are many excellent open-world games on the Nintendo Switch, with the following releases being the best of the best.