Summary
- Skyrim offers endless exploration without urgency, prioritizing immersive world-building over main quests.
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild emphasizes free-form exploration and rewards players for paying attention to details.
- Red Dead Redemption 2 delivers a masterclass in slow-paced, immersive storytelling through methodical gameplay.
The open-world genre comes in all shapes and sizes, offering players plenty of different games to enjoy that cover a variety of themes, settings, and paces. Some titles go full-on right from the start and encourage players to get straight into the action, while others prefer a much slower approach that draws the player in and delivers a drawn-out narrative spectacle.
8 Best Open-World Games Where Exploring Freely Is More Rewarding Than The Main Story
These open-world games do offer a main story campaign to complete, but their settings are so immersive that exploration almost always takes priority.
Part of what makes certain open-world games so enjoyable is their ability to carry out long story arcs through patience and gradual reveals, rather than overwhelming the player with action. Many of the best games in the genre offer a much slower burn that builds over time, giving the player ample time to experience the world and become immersed in the narrative in a way that other titles fail to accomplish.
8 Skyrims
Questlines Sprawling Across A Rich Landscape
Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
Skyrim remains one of the most well-loved and widely appreciated open-world games of all time, with so much to offer and virtually endless replayability to keep players gripped for hundreds of hours. Right from the get-go, the game offers a sprawling world full of enemies and areas to explore, without ever forcing any sense of urgency on the player.
10 Best Open-World Games For Beginners, Ranked
These beginner-friendly open-world games offer smooth tutorials, intuitive systems, and fun exploration across massive maps.
The game also never enforces a strict direction for the player to follow, giving them plenty of time to explore the side content and tackle the main questlines at a pace that suits them. Every corner of the map is full of storylines and characters, giving ample incentive to journey right to the edge, with many of the side quests being just as fulfilling as the main ones.
7 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
The Journey Of A Lifetime
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
Breath of the Wild reimagines the Zelda formula by stripping away rigid structure in favor of freeform exploration. The game opens with minimal exposition and allows players to chart their own course through Hyrule, whether on foot or using the various transportation methods that make the world a whole lot more accessible.
This title exemplifies the slow-burn philosophy by encouraging players to really pay attention to their surroundings, as many secrets and mechanics will slowly reveal themselves to players with their eyes open. The game is less about rushing to defeat Ganon and more about understanding the land, its history, and the mechanics that govern it in a way that feels deeply rewarding from start to finish.
6 Ghost Of Tsushima
Gradual Narrative And Character Transformation
Ghost of Tsushima
- Released
- July 17, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Ghost of Tsushima emphasizes subtle narrative growth and emotional evolution over immediate action. While the early hours are filled with traditional swordplay and exploration, the full depth of the story and the world takes a long time to fully unfold.
Its strength lies in its layered storytelling and evolving world design that transforms both literally and symbolically. Side quests gradually expand with added emotional and the main narrative is enriched by time spent in quiet moments that continue to bring the world to life. As the journey progresses, so does the thematic weight of the choices presented, culminating in a thoughtful and resonant conclusion that feels satisfying and deserved at the same time
5 Elden Ring
Each Area A World Of Its Own
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
Elden Ring is a remarkable open-world game that has so much content to explore that many players will need several playthroughs to see it all. Part of what makes the game so insane is the level of depth in every aspect of the environment and world, with every new area discovered taking plenty of time to fully clear and appreciate.
The challenge also adds an extra level to the slow-burning nature of the game, as each legacy dungeon and major location can feel like a mountainous task that fills the player with gratification once they finally clear it. And, because there are no quest markers or a real sense of direction, it makes every step feel impactful and meaningful in a world of mystery and wonder.
4 Kingdom Come Deliverance
Full-Blown Medieval Immersion
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- Released
- February 13, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Kingdom Come: Deliverance opts for realism over fantasy and immediate thrills, choosing to instead deliver a realistic medieval world full of flavor and life around every corner. The opening hours are deliberately slow, reflecting the protagonist’s lowly status and lack of power, which makes every step of progress feel like a character developing in real time.
The swordplay is methodical, the dialogue is nuanced, and reputation carries weight, as players rise through the social ranks. The narrative unfolds into a politically charged tale of rebellion and faith, and the pacing ensures that every accomplishment feels hard-earned, and the authenticity of the setting makes each story beat feel all the more impactful.
3 Death Stranding
So Much More Than A Walking Simulator
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
Death Stranding is a bold reinvention of the open-world format, centered around traversal and connection rather than combat. Much of the game involves solitary journeys through rugged terrain, punctuated by quiet reflection and the gradual reconstruction of a fractured America.
The game thrives on delayed payoff. Story elements are slowly parceled out through cryptic cutscenes and character interactions, while gameplay systems interweave over time, creating a captivating loop of payoffs over the course of the playthrough. What begins as a lonely courier simulation transforms into a meditation on the world and human resilience, realized only after hours of cumulative effort.
2 The Witcher 3
Complex Questlines Spanning Entire Playthroughs
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
The Witcher 3 is often celebrated for its complex storytelling, and much of that comes from the exceptional pacing throughout the story. While the main questline follows Geralt’s pursuit of Ciri, it’s the side quests and regional conflicts that create a world worth inhabiting, prioritizing a slow build over instant gratification.
There are several times where players will pick up a quest that evolves over multiple acts, and will often be returned to hours later with consequences the player never anticipated. Character development is similarly layered, with long-term relationships that deepen through choice and consequence, creating a world that unfolds with every action in ways both expected and unexpected.
1 Red Dead Redemption 2
Transcending The World Of Gaming
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a masterclass in pacing, immersion, and emotional build-up. The game deliberately resists the immediate payoffs typical of open-world titles, instead encouraging players to slow down and absorb its atmospheric details and complex characters through its methodical gameplay.
The slow-burn approach is evident in every facet, from Arthur Morgan’s gradual character development to the game's naturalistic approach to world design. Conversations unfold with care, gunfights are grounded in realism, and even travel is treated as part of the narrative, turning movements across the world into crucial aspects of the story, culminating with a climax that delivers a deeply emotional conclusion that hits far harder thanks to the time invested in the world.
8 Best Open-World Games With Dynamic Worlds
These open-world games impress with their dynamic worlds, providing players with immersive places that live and breathe without them.