Once a player has finished exploring the forests and plateaus in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, they might suddenly be struck with some sort of Hyrule hangover. After all, Nintendo's expansive open world is full of unique moments of discovery, compelling puzzles, and challenging enemies ever created in the last decade.
While there may not be many games as celebrated as Breath of the Wild, there are plenty of other titles with large worlds, awesome monsters, and nooks and crannies just waiting to be explored. So, let's take a tour through a few projects with massive maps, swords, explorative adventures, or all of the above. The following titles may not be Breath of the Wild, but they will certainly scratch the same itch. Let's take a look at some of the best games like Zelda: BOTW.
Updated February 1, 2025 by Mark Sammut: Over the last month, Nintendo confirmed that Switch 2 is on the horizon. More information should drop in April 2025, but it is an exciting time to be a Nintendo fan. As the Switch's time in the sun gradually comes to an end, BOTW will soon belong to an outdated console generation, which is hard to believe as the game still seems fresh and new.
Another open-world game has been added as a recommendation. Click below to jump to this newcomer. Alternatively, check out some upcoming games like Breath of the Wild.
The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom
A Modern Classic Zelda With Some BOTW And TOTK Sprinkled In For Good Measure
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- Released
- September 26, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo, Grezzo
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Echoes System
- Classic Dungeons
- Whimsical Tone
- Mix Of Puzzles, Exploration, And Combat
Echoes of Wisdom is obviously designed to be a throwback to classic Zelda, which means an isometric angle, traditional dungeons, and (relatively) linear progression. While a better option for people who want Link's Awakening rather than Breath of the Wild, this 2024 release is still likely to strike a chord with fans of the latter, especially if they also love Tears of the Kingdom.
For the first time in a long time, Princess Zelda takes center stage, going on an adventure to close rifts and protect Hyrule. She is accompanied by a fairy named Tri and is armed with the Tri Rod, which (among other things) presents her with the ability to store echoes. Essentially, Zelda retains a copy of defeated enemies that she can summon during battles; more importantly, she can store echoes of items, which are necessary for traversal and puzzles.
Echoes are similar to Tears of the Kingdom's Fuse feature, with both emphasizing creativity and freedom. Echoes of Wisdom's system is comparatively streamlined to reflect the campaign's traditional structure, but it still delivers a similar joy as the older mechanic. Even the menu for swapping echoes is reminiscent of Breath of the Wild and its sequel. Though not open-world, the game has sandbox elements, which have been a part of the franchise since the very start. Players are encouraged to explore and experiment, all the while being presented with a path forward rather than BOTW's open-ended nature.
The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Building On BOTW
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Released
- May 12, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
- BOTW Expanded
- Fusion/Crafting System
- Pushes The Switch To The Limit
- Story Is Repetitive
- Retains A Few Of BOTW's Frustrations
After more than six years, Nintendo finally released Breath of the Wild's sequel, and the developer somehow did the impossible: Tears of the Kingdom did not disappoint. Obviously, Zelda games are nearly all of extremely high quality, but BOTW garnered such universal acclaim that a successor needed to be near-perfect to live up to the hype, especially since its sandbox gameplay might not seem as fresh. Make no mistake, TOTK is very much a proper BOTW sequel, including taking place in the same Hyrule and featuring many of the core mechanics that defined the 2017 release. That includes weapon degradation, an overabundance of shrines, and a structure that prioritizes player freedom above everything else.
Wisely, Tears of the Kingdom sees no need to mess with a winning formula, opting instead to enhance rather than redefine the base experience. However, the sequel still incorporates novel ideas that give it a different feel to BOTW. For one, TOTK introduces and makes brilliant use of a fusion ability that allows Link to combine weapons, shields, and materials. The latter is especially important since many of the puzzles encourage players to craft unique devices to complete them. Once again, the story takes something of a backseat, although TOTK's opening hours have a bit more direction than BOTW, which makes sense since the sequel finds Hyrule in an era of recovery rather than desolation.
If someone dislikes BOTW, they are likely to have the same reaction to TOTK, particularly if they are not into sandbox-driven content. Conversely, anyone who adores the 2017 release might very well fall in love with the sequel.
Elden Ring
Similar Open-World Design Mentality
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Go Anywhere, Fight Anyone
- Rich But Ignorable Lore
- Epic Boss Fights
- Character Customization (Nothing To Do With BOTW, But Still Worth Mentioning)
FromSoftware's Elden Ring and Breath of the Wild are vastly different in a number of key areas. While Nintendo's game certainly has its dark undertones, Elden Ring is a Lovecraftian nightmare in comparison. Set within the Lands Between, the game's world is an unforgiving place filled with terrifying monstrosities that are aggressive, relentless, and, in some cases, massive. Elden Ring's combat expands on Dark Souls' systems, coming with a wide range of build options so that players can approach scenarios in their preferred way. Melee, ranged, magic, and even stealth are all viable forms for approaching battles.
For all their unique elements, these two fantastic games do share one very important thing: they approach open-world design in similar ways. Elden Ring and Breath of the Wild drop players on a vast map and simply let them explore. Although the former does provide more direction than the latter, the Tarnished are free to roam as they see fit, and there is a lot to discover in the Lands Between.
Shadow of the Erdtree is also great, and the expansion is very substantial.
Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity
A BOTW Spin-Off
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
- Released
- November 20, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Koei Tecmo, Omega Force
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- Genre(s)
- Action
- Enjoyable Non-Canon Story
- Play As BOTW's Secondary Characters
- Pretty Good Visuals
- Musou Combat Is Not For Everyone
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was released for the Nintendo Switch as a follow-up to Hyrule Warriors. To be clear, the gameplay is very different from Breath of the Wild, as the Hyrule Warriors games take on the hack and slash format of the Dynasty Warriors franchise.
However, the reason that it's a great recommendation is that Age of Calamity is a prequel that is set 100 years prior to the events of Breath of the Wild, depicting the Great Calamity. This makes it a must for anyone who is a fan of the Breath of the Wild storyline and wants to know more about the backstory.
Immortals Fenyx Rising
BOTW Combined With The Ubisoft Formula
Immortals Fenyx Rising
- Released
- December 3, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia, Xbox One, PC, Switch
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Puzzles, Combat, & Exploration
- Clearly Inspired By BOTW
- World Is Beautiful
- Humor Can Grate
Naturally, Breath of the Wild's success rippled throughout the industry, encouraging a few developers to take inspiration from Nintendo's masterpiece. Ubisoft's Immortals Fenyx Rising was arguably the most unabashedly BOTW-esque project to spawn from this movement, especially since it was quite a high-profile release by modern standards. Ubisoft also does not explore new IPs all that often, so this 2020 title still came as a breath of fresh air despite its similarities to Link's 2017 Hyrule adventure. While someone's mileage may vary depending on their tolerance for the publisher's tropes, Immortals Fenyx Rising has plenty of positives that make it an easy recommendation for not only fans of BOTW but also anyone searching for an open-world game in general.
Inspired by Greek mythology and presented as a hero's journey narrated by Prometheus to Zeus, players take control of the eponymous Fenyx, a Greek soldier who must free the gods who have been corrupted by Typhon. The Golden Isle serves as the story's main setting, and it is divided into clearly defined regions that are tied to specific deities. Fast-paced and stylish, the combat is fairly typical for a hack and slash title, and the system improves once Fenyx unlocks all his godly powers.
Genshin Impact
Far More Than Just A BOTW Copy
Genshin Impact
- Released
- September 28, 2020
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, iOS, Android
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action, Adventure, Gacha, Open-World
- Great Party-Based Hack And Slash Combat
- Graphics Match BOTW
- Constantly Evolving With New Regions & Characters
- Friendly To Free Players
- Gacha Mechanics (Can Be A Positive Too)
In hindsight, early rumblings that Genshin Impact was just a Breath of the Wild clone were largely off-base. MiHoYo's action RPG has been nothing short of a resounding success since its 2020 launch, and it is still going as strong. The publisher regularly releases major and minor updates to keep the player base engaged, and the game has amassed a dedicated community filled with people who are enamored by everything that takes place within Teyvat. Now, Genshin Impact takes a few pages from BOTW's playbook, mainly its art style and a handful of traversal mechanics, but they are fairly superficial similarities; overall, the two games play completely differently.
Despite being a free-to-play title, Genshin Impact is a single-player RPG that focuses on real-time squad combat rather than a conventional MMO. As a gacha game, players will be spending a lot of time trying to pull new characters and weapons as they try to piece together their ideal party. Within battles, players can swap between four characters with the click of a button, and the available roster's members are diverse enough to encourage team setup experimentation. The world, Teyvat, is constantly expanding as new regions become playable, and the map is now massive.
MiHoYo's other free-to-play games (Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero) are also very good, but they are not similar to BOTW. That said, they are well-worth downloads if someone is craving a turn-based RPG (Honkai) or a mission-based action RPG (ZZZ).
Palworld
Crafting, Survival, & Pokemon?
Palworld
- Released
- January 19, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Pocket Pair, Inc.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Shooter, Survival
- Fun Blend Of Genres
- Gorgeous Open-World
- Focus On Gameplay, Not Story
- Very Much A Survival Game, Which Sets It Apart From BOTW
Similar to BOTW, Palworld offers an open-world experience that takes inspiration from multiple areas but still succeeds in being a unique, one-of-a-kind package. Before its early access debut, Pocket Pair's project seemed too good to be true. Blending survival elements with monster collection, third-person shooting, base building, and exploration, the game appeared destined to stretch itself too thin; however, those fears proved to be largely unfounded. Even in its current incomplete state, Palworld is already fantastic, with most of its ideas gelling to create a surprisingly consistent whole.
While their core gameplay loops are quite different, Palworld and BOTW both excel in allowing players the freedom to move at their own speeds. They present goals that can be worked towards without forcing them upon players, leading to a campaign that is always about the journey and not the destination. Crafting is also a big part of Palworld, especially during a playthrough's early hours.
Super Mario Odyssey
Expanding Another Nintendo Classic
Super Mario Odyssey
- Released
- October 27, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- Another Fresh Spin On A Nintendo Staple Franchise
- While Not Open-World, Most Stages Are Quite Vast
- It Is Mario
Nintendo's 2017 was positively stellar. The release of a console along with two amazing titles established the company as a top-of-the-line console manufacturer and video game developer once again. The first game that was launched along with the Switch was Breath of the Wild, while Super Mario Odyssey came out later that same year.
Just like Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey has secrets awaiting the player at every corner. It makes for an excellent platforming title where players have all the freedom in the world to accomplish challenges and unlock the wealth of content that lies within. Games like BOTW take a classic property and frame it around modern gaming conventions; Super Mario Odyssey isn't quite as big of a departure from previous 3D Mario games as Breath of the Wild is to The Legend of Zelda, but it is in the same ballpark.
Monster Hunter Rise
Challenging But Accessible Combat
Monster Hunter Rise
- Released
- March 26, 2021
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- Switch, PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- Deep & Versatile Combat
- Potentially Endless Gameplay Loop
- Emphasizes Preparation
- Very Little Exploration
The Monster Hunter series has been on a constant high since the debut of Monster Hunter World, a game that most people consider to be the most accessible title in the series. So, it's only a given as to why so many people were hyped for Monster Hunter Rise.
The game is another excellent entry in the Monster Hunter series. The tough combat and weapon variety make Rise a decent recommendation for Switch owners seeking games like Breath of the Wild. Within Monster Hunter Rise's small explorable areas, players are free to utilize their tools, experience, and knowledge to hunt the massive beasts that await. Now, it should be noted that Rise has a very different gameplay loop than BOTW, with the game focusing exclusively on boss encounters rather than open-world exploration. Still, if someone is craving an action-focused Switch project, Capcom's release is a safe bet.
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is also on the Switch, and it has far more content than Rise. However, it is also a lot more difficult.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Liberating Exploration
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Explore The Vast Map Freely
- Progression System
- RIch Lore
- Gameplay Does Not Feel Anything Like BOTW
Breath of the Wild's unfettered exploration allows players to experience some truly magical moments. In 2017, this feeling was something that most gamers hadn't experienced since the release of Skyrim.
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To this day, Skyrim still stands tall as one of the best open-world RPGs around. Bethesda hit a gold mine with this title that it hasn't stopped mining since. Although there is far more emphasis on story in the 2011 RPG than Breath of the Wild, Skyrim shines the brightest when treated as a sandbox for players to immerse themselves in.