The greatthing about an open worldis that you get thrust into a setting that is abundant with detail, lore, and points of interest. Usually, the world is in a state of calamity, and you’re the only one who can turn the tide, but there are usually plenty of interesting ways to procrastinate and blow off saving the world as well.
10 Great Open World Games You’ve Probably Never Played
Deep cuts with big worlds
My point is that these games are usually brimming with branching narratives, with a main plot that ties everything together and grounds the experience. However, it doesn’t always work out that way, as numerous open-world games prioritize scope and scale over providing fans witha compelling story to engage with.
Sometimes it works against a game that could use a little more structure, whereas other times, this freedom to just embracethe open-world sandbox for what it iscan be a brilliant time.
So, if you want an open world but don’t want to invest in a cast of characters or unravel a narrative full of twists and turns, then these games will probably be up your alley.
For clarity, we will only include games that attempt to tell a story to some extent, or feel like they should have a larger narrative focus, but don’t. So, open-world racing games, for example, will not be making the cut.
A Desert Flower
If you’re looking for an indie game that offers a lush,inviting open world with no fail statesand a leisurely pace, minus the complex story that tends to be packaged with that sort of thing, then Sable is the game for you.
Set in a vast desert full of intrigue, you’ll be sent off on The Gliding, a rite of passage that sees you go out on your own away from your tribe and carve out what your destiny is in this enigmatic world.
With just a Star Wars pod-racer-esque glider, you’ll be on your way, and over time, you’ll discover new settlements, learn about the world around you, and you’ll even learn how to fish in the desert if you can believe it.
But, as far as the plot goes, aside from doing the occasional quest and finding new places to explore, you won’t find a ton of structured narrative. It’s as deep and meaningful as you want it to be, and that’s the beauty of Sable.
9The Forest
Sorry, Timmy
The Forest
Cards on the table, The Forest does have a story, and one that starts with a bangas you crashland on a remote island, only for your son to be kidnapped by the leader of a cannibal tribe. High stakes indeed, but I assure you, you’ll forget about your son in no time.
You see, from there on out, the game is all about survival as you learn to live off the land, explore the intricate cave system below the surface, and inevitably spend way too long building one of the most gnarly treehouses the world has ever seen.
There are subtle little clues as to where your son is, and how you can eventually roll credits. But, in truth, finding Timmy is very much a footnote in the grand survival experience that is The Forest.
So, cast your parental responsibilities aside, forget your son, and become the most feared cannibal this island has ever seen instead. If you can’t beat them, join them.
8Subnautica
The Story Got Washed Away
Subnautica
Keeping with survival games that barely offer any semblance of a plot, we have Subnautica. A game that drops you on a planet completely covered in water and forces you to combat your thalassophobia to find a means of escape.
There are some optional storybeats that you’re able to uncover as you go, allowing you to make sense of the world around you, establish what sort of alien artifact you should be on the lookout for as you explore, and find out what happened to the crew that preceded you on this mission.
However, most players will be so engrossed in the survival gameplay loop and avoiding the perils that lurk below the waterline that they will struggle to engage with the limited story this title has to offer.
The world of Subnautica is impressive, but it’s very much in spite of the rather lackluster story. So, do yourself a favor. If you see the Emperor Lethiathan swimming around, just leave him be and make Planet 4546B your forever home.
7Minecraft
Just Stick To Building
Minecraft is a game that has stood the test of time and captured the hearts and minds of multiple gaming generations thanks to its ever-evolving format, its gripping survival experience, and the exponential scale of what is possible within the procedurally generated worlds you can form in mere seconds.
However, it would be hard to argue that Minecraft has found success off the back of its storyline, as it’s pretty bare bones to say the least. Hence why the speedrunning community is so healthy for this game, as you can blitz through the story in seven minutes or less.
The story basically boils down to this. Get your bearings, craft a portal to the Nether, use resources in this hellish dimension to craft the Eyes of the Nether Dragon, and then fight the Nether Dragon to roll credits.
It’s something that you should definitely do at least once to say you’ve beaten the game. But, in truth, the brilliance of Minecraft is its sandbox structure andthe promise of endless possibilities.
6No Man’s Sky
Go Here, Because We Say So
No Man’s Sky
There are some games out there that feel like a joy to play, but also happen to have a tacked-on storyline included that feels like a needless afterthought. No Man’s Sky is perhaps the most egregious example of this ever.
The game wasn’t exactly in the best state when it was first released, as the ‘infinite planets’ feature was overhyped and underwhelming in practice. But, there was something rather interesting and therapeutic about the gameplay, which would serve as the strong foundation for the developers to create the updated version that exists today.
The story, however, was a complete bust, as players were given an arbitrary quest marker and asked to travel to the center of the universe. Leading to a devastatingly underwhelming payoff. A short cutscene, a note that you had been dropped into a ‘new galaxy’, and the world being effectively reset.
The story has a little more depth to it now, but it still bears mentioning just how sparse and underwhelming the narrative used to be.
5A Short Hike
Short Hike, Short Story
A Short Hike
I love a game with a simple premise, and games that effectively place a mountain in the distance and boldly say ‘go climb to the summit’ tend to offer some of the best experiences of this ilk.
Games like Jusant and Journey immediately spring to mind, but the best open-world offering that meets this criteria is A Short Hike. A game where you need to collect enough feathers to climb to the top of Hawk Peak and get some cell phone reception.
The game admittedly does have some great writing, fun characters, and interesting side content. But, in terms of the actual plot, it never expands beyond ' climb to the top of Hawk Peak'.
Yet, despite the threadbare narrative, the game somehow manages to leave a lasting impression and tug at the heartstrings with what little story it does include to punctuate this pocket-sized open world affair. In short, all-killer, no-filler indie bliss that’s well worth your time.
4Shadows of Doubt
No Noire Narrative
Shadows of Doubt
When it comes to meticulously crafted, narrative-driven games, there aren’t many genres that can compete with the storytelling chops of detective games. Not only do you have endless, cleverly designed puzzles to solve, but each one acts as a piece of the grander puzzle, allowing you to piece the story together yourself.
However, in this genre, Shadows of Doubt is a quirky outlier, as this game features essentially no core narrative at all, as you are dropped into a gritty, procedurally generated voxel world and tasked with stepping into the shoes of a vigilante detective with something to prove.
It seems like a solid foundation upon which to build a great story, but instead, the game focuses on replayability by offering endless cases to crack in a surreal sandbox world, making it one of the rare detective games that you could play infinitely.
It can get a little repetitive, but all in all, it’s a staggering achievement and a game where you get out what you put in. Except for a story, you ain’t getting that.
3Grow Home
A Sapling-Sized Story
Open worlds don’t have to be gargantuan in scope to ensure players have a good time, and that is very much proven by games like Grow Home.
In this title, you play as a little robot tasked with restoring the fauna on the planet you find yourself on, to the point that there is enough oxygen being produced that you may pack up and head on home.
However, to do that, you’ll need to embrace this game’s rather unique and intentionally cumbersome climbing mechanics to clamber up the plant life to your ship. Think Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy, but more whimsical and less infuriating.
The gameplay is fun and accessible, and progression is rather satisfying. But, there’s practically no narrative to be found in this adventure. So, if you just want to climb without the burden of quest markers and dialogue trees, then take control of B.U.D. and get going.
Where’s The Elite Four?
I’ll admit that I was tempted to rag on the Pokémon series and its more modern open-world offerings for providing another example of Game Freak’s typically threadbare and lackluster excuse for a storyline. However, I couldn’t do that when the option of Palworld was right there.
Palworld is a great game that allows players to enjoy all the trappings of a survival sandbox while also diving into a world obsessed with creature taming. It’s essentially the mature, open-world Pokémon game we kept asking for, and PocketPair delivered.
However, the success of this ‘Pokémon Killer’ has not been on account of any sort of storyline featured in the game, as the title barely has any sort of lore, worldbuilding, or plot to speak of.
Sure, the game is technically still in Early Access, so a more juicy plot could be added in the future, but as it stands, Palworld is a fun sandbox, but one that lacks any sort of story-driven aspects at all.
Carve Out Your Own Story
When I say to you, ‘here is a game with no plot’, you will likely instinctively think that this game is unfinished, underwhelming, or lacks the depth that an open world should have. A fair assumption, but Kenshi is far from a shallow experience.
You see, this game has no structured plot, and doesn’t have you follow a set order of quests on a hero’s journey. However, it does give you one of the most intricate sandboxes ever crafted to carve out any sort of story you like.
That’s not to say you’ll have much choice in how your story plays out, as Kenshi is a punishing game that will rip control from you and force you to come along for the ride. But, in fairness, that’s part of the charm and what makes each playthrough so unique.
It’s a game that does require you to immerse yourself and give yourself wholly to the experience. But, if you do, you’ll become familiar with a world rich in lore, intrigue, and detail, even if there isn’t a clear plot to follow.
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