One of the things I love about open-world games with dungeons is that they occasionally give you a break from their mega-open world by confining you to a somewhat linear progression system.
It allows you to catch your breath before you venture off to explore the rest of the daunting open world.
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However, since dungeons are mostly used in linear or semi-open-world titles, such asPersonaor someFinal Fantasygames, this leaves us with a very limited pool of games to choose from that are both open-world and feature dungeons.
But nonetheless, out of an already limited pool of games, here I will be listing the open-world games with the best dungeons.These games will keep you satisfied with both their open worlds and their vast number of dungeons for hours to come.
8Hogwarts Legacy
A Magical World Filled With Dungeons
Hogwarts Legacy
Fextralife Wiki
Hogwarts Legacy was my most anticipated game of 2023, since I grew up with the Harry Potter movies and was a huge fan of the franchise. Fortunately,Hogwarts Legacy hit the mark and gave fans one of the best Hogwarts experiences in gaming.
Alongside a downright amazing open world with breathtaking views and an intricate design of Hogwarts itself,Hogwarts Legacy can even become a comfort game for some players. There is no shortage ofdungeonseither, as most, if not all, main andside missionsrequire you to go to a dungeon one way or another.
But Hogwarts Legacy dungeons do fall victim to repetitiveness, with most, if not all of them, being near copies of one another, sometimes making them generic or downright boring.
The Classic Dungeon-Crawler Makes A Return
The latest entry in the iconic Diablo franchise is jam-packed with a large open world and a ton of side quests and dungeons. With the classic top-down camera design,exploration feels like a breath of fresh air as you uncover new villages, do different side quests, and stumble acrosssecret dungeons.
With everything coming together near flawlessly, you will have a hard time stopping due to Diablo 4’s incredibly fun and addictive gameplay loop. But obviously, like all dungeons, Diablo 4 also feels a bit on the generic side. Still, nothing too major and something quite expected.
From my experience, the game plays its cards very well and doesn’t fall short in giving you a fantastic Diablo experience.
Pokémon with Guns
When you put Pokémon and a survival game together, you get Palworld, a unique title where you go out in the world, capture mysterious creatures with their version of Pokéballs, while building your own fortress.
Since this is a survival game,you can most definitely start off with building just a simple village as your base and gradually turn it into an impenetrable fortress as you capture more creatures to help you out with your farming and overall journey.
The world is also filled with dungeons that you can explore and get materials from. One thing that I personally love about Palworld is theCompletely Random Pal mode, which makes Pals spawn randomly throughout the game regardless of their level.
This turns dungeons into a double-edged sword that can either make them a breeze or a nightmare to explore, allowing the experience to remain fresh and engaging most of the time.
Overall, if you are a fan of survival games with a hint of fantasy, then Palworld is one of the games that you should definitely play.
5Final Fantasy 15
Cruise Like There Is No Tomorrow
Final Fantasy 15
Like all Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy 15 showcases several dungeons, in both the main story content and side content. But unlike most Final Fantasy titles, it also features an incredibly large and daunting open world.It’s even bigger than Final Fantasy 16’s world despite FF15 releasing more than half a decade earlier.
Final Fantasy 15 also does a fantastic job of mixing both realism and fantasy elements in its story, as the world of Eos is surprisingly true to life. One of my favorite pastime activities is exploring the fields on the back of my Chocobo, or just cruising along the highway in my car on autopilot while taking in the views.
In terms of dungeons, like many other games, FF15 dungeons can also fall a bit on the repetitive side, but they are still able to hold their own by offering some incredibly fun ones as well.
While FF15 dungeons may not be groundbreaking, I put this title on this list over FF7 Rebirth and other Final Fantasy titles because I think Rebirth is filled with fluff and hasterrible pacingissues, while the others are pretty much linear and can’t really be considered open-world games.
If you’re just looking for great dungeons in an open world setting, then you will most probably have a much better time with Final Fantasy 15 instead.
4The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
A Bethesda Classic
One of the most popular RPGs of our time is also home to some of the highest numbers of dungeons in an open-world game.You will find no shortage of dungeons here, as every quest will ultimately lead you to one.
It is also home to some of the most unique andbest dungeonsmade by Bethesda, as the densely packed world of Skyrim itself makes exploration addictive for a lot of players.I have personally seen people drop more than a thousand hours in Skyrim.
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If Skyrim turns out to be your cup of tea, then you should check out other Bethesda titles as well,like Oblivion Remastered and Fallout 4, as these games also share the same formula and have several great-to-explore dungeons.
3Fallout New Vegas
Who Won The Lottery?
Fallout: New Vegas
While Fallout New Vegas isn’t exactly dungeon-focused,it is filled with incredibly fun locations that you can call dungeons, including abandoned vaults, mysterious buildings, and underground tunnels, in both the base game and the DLCs.
And while this is a staple of almost all Fallout games, what better game to choose than the one Fallout game not made by Bethesda? While we are on the topic, New Vegas is also considered the best Fallout game out there, making it an easy contender for this list.
Yes, I know the interiors of each dungeon may feel similar to one another. Still,Obsidian somehow designed each dungeon in such a way that you never get tired of exploring them, as each of them is hiding its own secret story, making exploration incredibly addictive.
2The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Every Dungeon Is Its Own Unique Puzzle
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild is my comfort game, as its story, sandbox design, and freedom are unparalleled.With the amount of autonomy this game offers, I was very tempted to put Breath of the Wild at the number one spot instead.
In Breath of the Wild, most of the dungeons are optional, but encouraged to complete as that is the only way to upgrade your health and stamina.
Each dungeon offers a different puzzle for you to figure out and complete, making it the only open-world game where the dungeons don’t feel like a copy-paste of one another. I remember going out of my way to faraway dungeons just to finish them.
Tears of the Kingdom also shares the same blueprint as Breath of the Wild. Many people even consider it an upgrade, so if you get addicted to the world of Breath of the Wild, then you already know which is the best game to play next.
1Elden Ring
A World Where Every Dungeon Feels Worth Exploring
Elden Ring
Fextralife
From Software’s ability to implement theirlegacy dungeondesign from Dark Souls in an open world setting really shook the gaming industry. Alongside a fantastic open world,Elden Ring’s dungeon design is one of the most memorable and entertaining in gaming.
The major dungeons are all unique to one another, featuring multiple areas and bosses. At the same time, the mini-dungeons scattered throughout the open world are akin to the ones in Skyrim, where a demanding boss typically waits for you at the end.
Elden Ring allows you to experience a vibrant open world while still featuring dungeons that would give Dark Souls and Bloodborne a run for their money, easily making it worthy of the number 1 spot on this list.
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