Nothing makes an open world game better than its ability to immerse players. In open world fantasy titles, giving players the opportunity to immerse themselves in a magical system with its own rules, limits and benefits is an excellent way to show how much detail the world has accrued.

Collage featuring Bannerlord, Battle Brothers, Shadow of War
6 Open World Games With The Best Siege Warfare Mechanics

Players can command or immerse themselves in large-scale battles in these open-world games that feature excellent siege warfare gameplay.

Whether the game is a bit sized experience or a sprawling one, magic can turn the gameplay in any title from decent to wondrous. In these games particularly, magic can take on one particularly entertaining form. Even if some of these games don't have an explicit summoner class, they all let players evoke the raw power of a summoner, kicking back their feet and relaxing as otherworldly minions do all the heavy lifting.

5 Elden Ring

Ashes Are An Integral Part To The Game

Elden Ring
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Released
February 25, 2022
Developer(s)
From Software
Genre(s)
RPG, Action

Elden Ring is a fantastic game that relies on the diversity of its builds to showcase just how many spells and weapons there are. Want to make a build where you lug around the biggest weapon possible? They've got it covered. Want to make something a little more niche, like a sleep build? They've also got that covered. This kind of build diversity is part of what makes exploring the Lands Between so fun and engaging, even on multiple NG+ runs or on entirely new characters.

But one staple among most builds are ash summons, and beyond this, certain spells that briefly summon creatures, like Tibia's Summons. These summoning aspects can be specialized into by using the right equipment, upgrading ashes, and being smart with when these summons are activated.

4 Tales Of Maj'Eyal

The Summoner Is A Powerful Wilder Build

Tales Of Maj'Eyal
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RPG
Roguelike
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Released
December 31, 2012
Developer(s)
TE4
Publisher(s)
Netcore Games
Platform(s)
PC
Genre(s)
RPG, Roguelike

The Summoner class is one of many Wilder classes available to the player in Tales of Maj'Eyal, with a special emphasis on calling forth creatures of the wilds to do the player's bidding. In particular, there are three distinct branches of skills in this class that focus on specific creatures the player can summon. Melee summons bring forth creatures like wolves and golems to draw foes in and pummel them with physical strength, while ranged builds summon insects and hydras to take foes out from afar, and utility builds have all manner of buff and tank creatures to support their summoner.

Its in-depth classes like this that make Tales of Maj'Eyal so interesting and engaging, and why the game continues to draw players in for multiple replays. Getting the most out of the summoner build is a fun and exciting exercise in class optimization without being too difficult or complicated to understand.

Days Gone cover art
Great Open World Games That Let You Play As A Nomad

One of the best features of any open-world game is exploration, and there's a certain charm to living out a nomadic life within these vast worlds.

3 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Conjuration Is A Powerful School

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
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Released
March 20, 2006
Developer(s)
Bethesda
Publisher(s)
Bethesda
Platform(s)
PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Genre(s)
RPG

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is an incredible game that still holds up today as a fantastic exploration of Tamriel's heartland. While there are many questionable design choices (who took this beautiful Roman Empire-inspired capital and turned it into a generic Tolkien-esque fantasy realm?!), the game retains much of the charm of older Elder Scrolls games through its retention of classic staples like the class system and the fleshed out schools of magic.

It's very easy to build an entire character around conjuration in this game, letting fearsome Daedroths or mischievous imps do all the fighting while players hang back, maybe taking on a buff spell or two. Creating custom spells that can summon while also buffing the caster is an incredibly cathartic experience in this game.

2 Terraria

Summoning Is A Core Class In This Game

Terraria
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Released
May 16, 2011
Developer(s)
Re-Logic
Publisher(s)
505 Games
Genre(s)
Action, Adventure, Sandbox

Terraria is a highly engaging, highly moddable title that brings to life a sense of wonder and exploration that few games manage to emulate. Even once players are familiar with the progression and structure of Terraria, the game continues to keep people guessing and on their toes through updates and unique changes within every world. It's just a perfect mix of RPG and survival elements, epitomized in the four major classes of melee, ranged, magic and summoning that players can focus on.

Yes, for players looking to double down on summoning, Terraria has an entire host of accessories, armors, weapons, and special objects that enhance summonings or allow summoning to occur, giving players a multitude of adorable, pixelly friends to pummel bosses and enemies with.

1 The Elder Scrolls Online

Many Classes Rely On Summoning For DPS And Healing

Elder Scrolls Online
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Released
April 4, 2014
Developer(s)
ZeniMax Online Studios
Publisher(s)
Bethesda
Platform(s)
PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia, PC, macOS
Genre(s)
MMORPG

As The Elder Scrolls Online continues to steadily expand on its range of classes, summoning continues to be an integral part to many classes and their builds, especially when specializing down the paths of healers or DPS. The necromancer class has a collection of short lived summons that exist to quickly deal damage, while the warden has sustained melee attacks through their summons, and the powerful sorcerer class can, depending on what branch of summons they've taken, use their daedric creatures to heal or harm - or both in equal measure!

Summoning is the bedrock of many classes in ESO, and with different themes each suiting the classes they're present in - perfect for any Elder Scrolls fans looking to conjure some creatures across Tamriel.

Disco Elysium and Astroneer cover art
Open World Games That Have No Combat

Favor the pacifist routes in your open-world games? There's no other way with these particular titles, as they have no combat mechanics.

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