Summary
- Wildmender offers immersion through combat settings, turning exploration into relaxing experiences.
- Subnautica transforms into non-combat playgrounds, enhancing creativity and wonder.
- Minecraft's Peaceful Mode eliminates combat, allowing for stress-free creativity and unfettered building.
Some of the best open-world games have amazing exploration and deep combat mechanics. The rich content in these types of titles is a major draw for gamers. From hidden treasures and secrets to intricate puzzles and riddles, there is much to discover and absorb. However, sometimes, enemy encounters don’t enhance the fun, but actually break the immersion.
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These open-world games do offer a main story campaign to complete, but their settings are so immersive that exploration almost always takes priority.
In these situations, combat becomes a problem, and players often wish to either power through it or skip it entirely. After all, not every gamer has the muscle memory for Soulsborne or Soulslike games—some fans just prefer games with a relaxing pace, where combat becomes a non-factor. These open-world games fit the bill, allowing players to turn combat off entirely for a more chill gaming experience.
6 Wildmender (Combat Settings)
Heal The World And Breathe New Life Into The Desolate Lands Through Gardening
Wildmender
- Released
- November 8, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen
- Genre(s)
- Indie Games, Action, Adventure, Survival, Farming
Wildmender is an easy recommendation for open-world enthusiasts who prefer a colorfully charming ambiance and a deep sense of progression. The game's combat can be easily shut down by accessing the combat settings at any time. After that, the whole experience becomes a farming simulator with supernatural seasoning. The plot of the entire game revolves around reviving a barren wasteland into a sprawling oasis.
Wildmender tasks players with gathering seeds and nurturing the plantations until they grow and transform the desert landscape. There is a great variety of methods to tackle this primary objective, and player agency is always encouraged. When combat is turned off in this open-world game, the enemies that spawn don’t ruin enjoyment in the least. It even features a three-player co-op mode, making it even more fun and engaging.
5 Subnautica (Creative Mode)
The Scary Depths Of The Alien Oceanic Open World Turn Into A Magnificent Playground
Subnautica
- Released
- January 23, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Subnautica remains one of the most outstanding examples of creativity in seamless open-world game design. It's also a masterclass in delivering scares and bone-chilling encounters, which is impressive, considering Subnautica isn’t even technically a horror or combat-focused game. That said, switching to Creative Mode significantly changes the experience. It alters the gameplay, eliminating the tension and stress for players. The game transforms into a much more enjoyable experience, devoid of combat or danger.
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Technically, the terrifying monsters lurking in the depths of the alien ocean are still there, but they can’t really harm the player. Let’s be honest, once players have survived a few Leviathan rams, their scare factor takes a serious hit. At that point, players can freely explore, craft, and build bases without much worry. They’re even free to follow the story and uncover Subnautica’s mysteries at their own pace.
4 No Man’s Sky (Custom Mode)
Explore The Farthest Reaches Of The Galaxies Without Combat Hostility
No Man's Sky
- Released
- August 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
No Man’s Sky’s rocky launch is well-documented, as is its impressive comeback, and now it’s one of the most beloved open-world games ever made. The game continues to get support from the devs, and every update brings more value and substantial content to the table. One major addition is Custom Mode, which allows players to turn off combat damage entirely.
With this mode, the threats in the game are effectively removed. The hostile fauna won’t even appear unless it’s from a scripted event, and even that has no consequence for players. With no danger whatsoever, custom mode No Man’s Sky can become the ultimate playground for gamers who wish to satiate their wanderlust. Since there isn't any danger, there's plenty of 'whimsical stuff' to do, from taming alien pets and discovering planets, to exploring new flora, and managing orbital stations. It's all massively fun and stress-free.
3 Tchia (Gameplay Options)
The Cartoonish Aesthetic Hides One Of The Most Wholesome Open-World Experiences
Tchia
- Released
- March 21, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Adventure
Indie developers continue to craft experiences so inventive, they could make even the biggest AAA studios jealous. Tchia is one such open-world game. It allows players to tweak and fine-tune their gameplay experience to their specific tastes, including skipping combat encounters. Yes, that's technically not turning off the combat entirely, but it might as well be.
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Tchia draws inspiration for its aesthetic and traversal from Breath of the Wild, as evident in the smooth gliding and sailing features within the game. Players can even play melodic tunes on their ukulele at any point during the gameplay, too. The beautiful open world is set in a stunning archipelago, and the soul-jumping mechanic opens up plenty of creative ways to navigate and complete story objectives.
2 Assassin’s Creed Origins (Discovery Tour Mode)
One Of The Most Innovative Ways To Remove Combat From Open-World Games
Assassin's Creed Origins
- Released
- October 27, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
While Assassin’s Creed games are known for their stealth and combat, Assassin's Creed Origins introduced something completely unexpected—Discovery Tour Mode. It's an interactive mode in the game that removes combat entirely and transforms the open world into an educational historical experience. Players can explore Ancient Egypt freely and directly engage with its surprisingly accurate and beautifully presented insights into the culture, politics, and daily life of the era. It’s not the typical Assassin’s Creed experience, but it’s surprisingly immersive and enjoyable in its own right.
Following its success, Ubisoft added similar modes to Odyssey and Valhalla, which essentially allow players to explore the Classical Greek era and the Viking era in the same danger-free way. The appeal of the Discovery Tour is the avatars that players can unlock as a reward for playing. All three games' Discovery Tours offer surprisingly accurate facts about the rich history of three distinct eras of human history, and can actually be a great tool for learning about them.
1 Minecraft (Peaceful Difficulty)
The King Of Feel-Good Open-World Games, Where The Combat Can Be Turned Off
Minecraft
- Released
- November 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
So, this is really a no-brainer choice, but it's rightfully deserved since Minecraft is the ultimate open-world game. Players have a lot of ways to experience it, but Minecraft’s Peaceful Mode completely eliminates combat. Hostile mobs don’t spawn, and even neutral mobs (like Piglins and Endermen) won’t attack when provoked. With no risk of ambushes or danger, the game becomes the ultimate calming, wholesome space, focused entirely on creativity, exploration, and building.
Everything that makes Minecraft iconic is still on the table. Resource gathering, crafting, building, exploring new zones, and uncovering hidden treasures are all still there—everything is just considerably easier. The hunger mechanic is disabled, which all but removes the pressure to hunt for food, allowing creativity to take the lead. While Creative Mode is always an option, it can feel a bit too easy for those who still want the sense of adventure without the constant stress.
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