The strange disconnect between urgent main quests and the freedom to explore and do all the different side quests first before addressing a world-ending threat has been discussed in video games to death. It's understandable why some might find this frustrating. Being able to dilly-dally and take your time does defeat the purpose of racing against the clock when you're either dying from a hostile biochip in your brain or the province is threatened by dragons. It breaks the immersion in the main quest, and is probably one of the main reasons why so few games, especially open-world ones, manage to deliver a truly engaging main story.
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These video games are far from mindless entertainment, making players ponder everything from strategy to philosophical concepts.
There are other games where narratively speaking it doesn't matter as much, or it almost makes sense for you to take your time and explore. These titles also do a very good job of building a world that feels interesting and exciting to walk into without a quest marker as your guide. So, if you're tired of making Hanako wait at Embers for days on end, here's which games I'd like to suggest instead to clear your consciousness.
Find all 10 pairs
Find all 10 pairs
Subnautica
Getting Off The Planet Can Wait A Bit Longer
Okay, technically, Subnautica does drop you into a pretty big predicament right off the bat. Here you are, stranded on an aquatic world, all alone, your ship in pieces. Of course, the number one priority is to make it back home, but narrative-wise, these things usually take time. Have you ever seen the movie Cast Away? If so, then you know why it's okay for Subnautica's focus to be about the journey, not the end.
With so many biomes and deep, mysterious caverns to explore and at times spooky wildlife to discover, it's pretty hard to tear yourself away from Subnautica. This is enhanced by the fact that you can even build your own base in the game. Why would you want to leave when you could just stay here forever? And you can. Besides, it's not like leaving is a cheap ordeal anyway. It will take some time and effort before you have all the necessary materials to launch yourself into space, so just take your time and enjoy the ride. You won't be disappointed by the things you find in the depths.
Starfield
Perhaps You'll Stumble Across A Temple, Perhaps Not
Starfield may not have had the reception Bethesda envisioned, and I understand people have their justified gripes about the game's design, but I still think it does something special by not presenting an urgent call for action. The whole world isn't ending, everyone isn't in danger of dying, and I do think this was by design, so that you could venture out guilt-free and explore on your own. The "flesh" of the main story is all about finding these temples scattered around the galaxy, but these things easily become a sort of secondary thing you just do while completing side quests or just traveling from one planet to another.
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The procedural generation makes things somewhat exciting, even if there are quite a few repeats in terms of POIs. Still, being able to just walk your own path, even going through some of the companion quests or finding good locations for any outposts and space bases, is oddly relaxing. It's a nice break from the urgency of games like Skyrim and Fallout 4, which had you fight the dragon threat or find your kidnapped child. Those take you out of your immersion very fast, even if they make for good, linear stories. Starfield's more open-ended approach that lets you take your time and visit every planet in the game makes a lot more sense for the sheer scale of the game.
Fallout: New Vegas
Revenge Isn't Rushed In The Mojave Wasteland
Fallout: New Vegas truly knew what it was doing when it came out. Its main quest perfectly treads that fine balance between just urgent enough and not very urgent. After the Courier is left to bleed out in the Mojave Wasteland, a package stolen from them, they have the option to either beeline it straight for revenge or take their time to prepare properly. Since the Courier's own revenge tale unavoidably gets mixed up with the local faction politics between the NCR, Mr. House, and the Legion, it's actually more worth it to just go around and explore the world to get a better feel for what's actually happening.
In fact, this is heavily scripted in the game as soon as you wake up in Goodsprings, with you being pointed to all of the wasteland's minor locations first before you kick in the doors of Vegas. And with all the roleplaying options that are available in New Vegas, not every Courier is going to have the same idea right out of the gates. Just like The Ghoul says in the Amazon TV show: "Thou shalt get side tracked by bull**** every time," and New Vegas knows just how to do that without making you feel like you're breaking the immersion of the game.
Red Dead Redemption 2
The World Changes, Make Sure To Appreciate It
Red Dead Redemption 2 has been hailed as a masterpiece among video games, and no masterpiece should ever be rushed through. If there's one aspect of the game that's done well, it's the world. The details in it are staggering, and many fans recommend that you savor the whole experience without rushing through the main story. I won't provide any spoilers, but I will say this: the state of the world will change, one way or another, as you progress through the chapters. The generally accepted advice is actually to divert your attention to just exploring and side activities in the second and third chapters of the game, and to go about it the slow way.
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With no time-gated content in these games, you can freely explore their massive open worlds at your own pace.
With hidden side quests and magnificent environmental storytelling, even if the main story has moments and themes and entire beats that will have you worrying you're on a bit of a timer, you won't feel quite as guilty about lingering in RDR2 as you would in other games. That's because the world is also moving at a slower pace, and communicating that to you. And as mentioned above, story-wise, you have a great spot around Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 to savor everything the world has to offer for you before the story gets a lot more high-stakes and hectic in the last two chapters.
The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind
You Need To Prove Yourself First Anyway
The Elder Scrolls franchise fans tend to praise Morrowind for one key aspect: it doesn't think you're important from the start. While Skyrim fairly quickly has you identified as the fabled Last Dragonborn, and Oblivion turns you, a lowly prisoner, into the Emperor's most important final servant, Morrowind doesn't care. NPCs won't immediately believe you to be important (no spoilers here!), and you'll have to jump through some hoops and explore the world before you can rightfully claim your position as the chosen one.
Similar to New Vegas' roleplaying potential, Morrowind is also hailed as one of the games of the franchise where you get to carve your own path. For that reason alone, the journey is far more important than rushing to the end of the story. Exploring every nook and cranny of Morrowind is a magical experience that will make you lament the fact that it hasn't been remastered yet, and no one, especially at the beginning of the game, is going to care one bit that you spend your time wandering its cities and biomes.
Elden Ring
A Tarnished Rises With Time And Patience
An epic hero's journey is rarely about urgency, and that's the case with Elden Ring. No one is waiting for you, no one needs you. Part of this non-urgency might be FromSoftware's fairly obscure storytelling, but even with the plot laid out, it's clear that you're not in any specific hurry. The disaster has already happened: the Elden Ring is already shattered, the Lands Between already ravaged by Marika's demigod children. You're just the hero walking in, trying to put it all back together.
The world is so abundant with major and minor bosses, challenging enemies, dungeons, and secrets, that it never guilts you for wandering into a new place. If anything, there's always some cool loot at the end of it to reward your exploration efforts. You could even argue that with how difficult the bosses are, the game kind of signals you to level up and come back when you're ready to face off against your next foe, instead of beating your head against the wall over and over again.
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