After the release ofSkyrimand a million Ubisoft games, theopen-worldgenre got overly standardized into a melted-together pile of slop where you go to one map marker, then go to the next, and repeat for 50 hours.
However, there are a few developers that broke the mold, taking the concept of a huge, freely explorable world, and not forcing you down some linear questline that never feels satisfying.
10 Best Open World Survival Games
How can I survive off of grass and dropped frames?
These games let you go wherever you want, allow you to explore and mess around without pigeonholing you into one specific thing, and best of all, they aren’t a slog if you want to get to one end of the map from the other.
I’ve personally found open-world games as a genre much more appealing, because games like these push it forward and show you can have a non-linear experience that’s still incredibly satisfying.
10Rain World
For The Worthy
Rain World
It’s a pretty acquired taste, but if you’re into an entire simulated ecosystem with a side of suffering, thenRain Worldwill appeal to you. It’s one of the most open-ended games ever made.
you’re able to go anywhere if you have the skill, and the game won’t tell you no. It’ll just throw a dozen living ropes, big lizards, and weird bugs at you, even if you’re going the “right” way.
Instead of using the open world to encourage your sense of whimsy and let you take in the sights, you take in the sights as a reward for struggling your way up the food chain and getting devoured alive.
If you want to do slugcat flips around a dozen predators while desperately struggling to get to a new resting point while starving just a little bit, then the intensity will immerse you in this world.
9The Pathless
Straight Shot
The Pathless
One of my favorite kinds of open-world games is when the game isn’t super linear, but you may scavenge a somewhat small map for any goodies you can find.The Pathlessnails that idea.
The movement feels so slick. Sliding around the world while hitting off every shot you can to boost your speed and smoothly glide across the land is a nearly unmatched method of traversal.
It makes it ten times more enjoyable to roam a big, grassy field with little things to find scattered about when you’re constantly on the move, aiming at targets, and shooting them with some insane accuracy.
The dungeons and little bits of combat scattered about are cool too, but when I boot up this game, it’s mostly to move around and feel awesome while doing so; plus a tiny bit of progression here and there.
8Forza Horizon 5
Driving Through Forever
Forza Horizon 5
I think theForza Horizonseries as a whole has pretty much defined exactly what every open-world racing game should be, as it nails the feeling of driving around to do any fun thing you find on the road.
WhileI enjoy Forza Horizon 4 a bit more, Microsoft decided you aren’t allowed to buy that game anymore, so 5 is good too, I guess. It’s still extremely fun to drive around and get distracted, and that’s half the point.
The events dotted around are all different types of racing that all feel uniquely enjoyable, plus you have things that require even less commitment, like signs you may bust right into, or awesome ramps to throw yourself off of.
It has some of the best vibes of any game, feeling both relaxed and energetic, making it a surefire good time. It never feels like I’m being railroaded into the main “story”, and that makes messing around in the world all the more enjoyable.
7Sonic Frontiers
Step To It
Sonic Frontiers
WhileSonic Frontierscan be a bit divisive among the Sonic fanbase, I think most people will find it an incredibly unique approach to both the Open-World genre and platformers in general.
You run around these big areas with tons of little platforming sequences and diversions scattered around, and it just feels awesome to move around, grab memory tokens, and get into a flow state.
On top of the inherent joy of running around big landscapes as an oversized blue rat, the game is essentially four small open worlds put together into a full experience, meaning it never feels overwhelming.
You can get from one end of the island to the other within a few minutes, and it feels excellent to mess around and run through the world for a while. I’ve booted up the game plenty of times just to move around and have fun.
6Hyper Light Breaker
Random Access Memory
Hyper Light Breaker
I think the approach Hyper Light Breaker takes to its world design is really neat, and genuinely somethingnew that I haven’t seen anywhere else. It’s a Roguelite, so all the worlds are procedurally generated, but they’re all pretty fun.
It scatters weapons, upgrades, and armor throughout, and with the addition of genuinely pretty tough mob fights, it makes exploring the world feel like a steep upwards climb.
That just makes it all the more satisfying once you’ve got a build going that shreds through health bars like it’s nothing, knowing you need to survive or one big slip-up will delete that world forever.
It’s like you’re playing a little, condensed open-world RPG every run. Especially with some recent sweeping changes, it’s one of the most satisfying games to fully explore and conquer.
5The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Obviously Revolutionary
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
While I loveBreath of the Wild, I think this recommendation can be pretty divisive for some. If you don’t like most open-world titles that have been released in the 2020s, then you already don’t like this game.
It became the de facto blueprint on how to make a great open-world game after everyone got exhausted of the Ubisoft formula, and the reason it’s the main formula now is because it’s incredibly fun.
I love running around Hyrule, discovering towers to glide from later, and generally just looking around, seeing something neat on the horizon and heading there whenever I want.
Tears of the Kingdomis also great for that, but I thinkthat one is even more divisive, and specifically appeals to people like me who love building solutions and breaking games, rather than being a typical adventure game.
4Cassette Beasts
Cassette Beasts
If you’ve ever wanted a properPokémongame where you can explore the entire region however you want, plus a few cryptid horrors on the side, then Cassette Beasts is that and more.
It takes a Metroidvania-like approach to world design, giving you upgrades and abilities from the monsters you catch, all of which let you explore more of the world and get a slight advantage in battle.
It’s one of the best open-world RPGs I’ve played. No quest line forces you into a linear route; you can seek out the stations and gym leaders whenever and wherever you feel like going.
All that combined with music I have listened to an unhealthy amount, and cutecritters that rival whatever skrunkly beastsGame Freak creates, and you’ve got an incredibly unique formula.
3Slime Rancher
Goopy Quest
Slime Rancher
Instead of just going for the cute monster-taming cozy game angle,Slime Rancherthrows you into a mostly peaceful but occasionally very hostile alien world, then makes you turn a profit from the adventure.
Exploring the world feels especially fun when you get a jetpack and can breeze over a ton of obstacles, and your entire goal is just grabbing slimes, slime food, or something else for your slimes.
The money fuels into upgrades, those upgrades let you explore more of the world, and exploring gives you new slimes and new stuff to give them, making the entire game loop a constant cycle that never gets old.
The dichotomy between farming your goopy critters for profit and exploring the huge open area surrounding you makes the game constantly feel engaging, and watching that number go up is especially satisfying.
2Outer Wilds
To Your Heart’s Content
Outer Wilds
My favorite game ever made,Outer Wildsdestroys the mold of a typical open-world game, twisting the adventure genre into an open-ended narrative you’re tasked with piecing together.
You can go anywhere, you can see the ending within the first 20 minutes of starting the game up, but you’re most likely going to be scavenging the entire solar system for knowledge.
Every progression barrier is only gated by what you do or don’t know. Every mystery feels incredible to solve, and it’s about as open as a world can get, which feels so incredibly freeing.
The game lets you do anything. If you get curious, you may sate your curiosity immediately, or you can take a bit of a break and relax onthe overwhelmingly soothing Timber Hearth.
1A Short Hike
Quick Trip
A Short Hike
The main issue I see brought up with most modern open-world games is the fact that they’re way too long and bloated for anyone with a job to finish in a reasonable amount of time. None of that applies to A Short Hike.
The game is, and you may want to sit down for this, pretty short. you’re able to beat it in just a few minutes, but you can also choose to spend hours just enjoying the world and the people around you.
Everyone I’ve ever seen play this game feels the mission to climb up the mountain, then getdistracted by the bevy of stuff to do, going on to play volleyball, grab golden feathers, and compete in races.
It’s so fun to roam around, glide, and just take in the silly characters and lovely sights. Once you’re satisfied, you may finish up the game whenever you want. It’s incredibly whimsical and refreshing.
