Summary
Open-world gamesare diverse in their variety, from small andaccessible adventures such asA Short Hiketo the expansive worlds of games such asElden RingorFallout: New Vegas. Open-world games can provide players with a sense of wonder and discovery that linear games typically can’t, but sometimes their main story can get in the way.
Many of these titles, more typically in the triple-A scene, use their open-world designs in tandem with a dramatic, linear story. However,other titles encourage exploration and discovery over railroading players along the main narrativeor even forgo a narrative altogether.
This open-world indie game gives players control of their own spaceship and its crew. In the game, players can explore the universe freely, participating in sandbox activities and side missions that allow them to improve their ship, its crew, and their overall wealth.
There is a main story inStar Traders: Frontiers, but the emphasis here is on the aforementioned side activities and the sandbox structure of the gameplay. For fans of exploration, sci-fi, and sandbox gameplay,Star Tradersis worth a shot, but its open-world is somewhat more limited due to its nature as a lower-budget indie game.
Featuring an interconnected pseudo-open-world,Borderlands 2excels with itsco-op FPS actionand emphasis on exciting loot. The looter shooter gameplay structure focuses heavily on exploration and discovery, with plenty of combat encounters sprinkled throughout to test new weapons and offer some difficulty.
There is a narrative thread that runs throughoutBorderlands 2, but the focus here is most certainly on exploring and looting with friends. There’s also an abundance of side-quests for players to get distracted by, providing more opportunities for leveling up and finding new loot.
Elden Ringdoes feature a main story for players to progress through. However, as with FromSoftware’s previous titles, its storytelling method is slow and irregular, feeding players information piecemeal as they explore and discover new locations.
Because of this, the emphasis is very much on player exploration and optional content such as dungeons and mini-bosses. Players who enjoy a more dramatic, focused story or the option to approach quests from multiple angles may be disappointed by this combat-centric RPG, but the sense of discovery it offers will likely be enough for many open-world fans.
With itsexpansive open-worldand plethora of locations and side-quests,Skyrimis a tried and true title to get lost in. The game’s main story can be ignored almost immediately, with the game allowing players to forge their own path through its fantasy world directly following the tutorial.
While it’s certainly recommended to progress through the main story eventually,Skyrimexcels in its side-questsand optional content. From the abundance of hidden caverns to the variety of factions offering unique quests,Skyrimhas something for everyone.
Kenshidoesn’t technically feature a main story,but it’s worth mentioning here because it’s a fantastic game for players who enjoy carving their own path. The amount of agency thatKenshiallows its players is commendable, allowing them to build their own character and companions as they explore and set their own goals.
For many,Kenshiwill simply be too directionless, too far in the other direction; radical. However, the detail of its strange open-world and the freedom through which it allows players to explore and interact with its setting more than makes up for its lack of scripted narrative.
STALKERis technically a pseudo-open-world,made up of large interconnected areasthat together make up the series' iconic Zone. This harsh and unforgiving environment is the lifeblood ofSTALKER, providing players with memorable journeys across long stretches of dangerous wasteland.
The main story ofSTALKERis at first not a priority, as players begin the game with little to their name. This emphasizes careful exploration and side-questing, both of which will allow players to amass powerful new items and equipment to help them survive the Zone’s more treacherous environments.
Caves of Qudis anopen-world roguelikeRPG that’s unique for its combination of hand-crafted and procedural content. This aspect of procedural generation also takes the focus off of the main story, allowing players to be rewarded for consistent exploration.
Leveling up and discovering powerful items is integral to success inCaves of Qud, and as a result, exploring every nook and cranny is key. Following the main quest-line is certainly recommended, but players shouldn’t be afraid to veer from the primary path, as their curiosity will often be rewarded.
Fallout: New Vegasthrows players in the deep-end from the very start, featuring a simple revenge plot that functions as its main story. This story is actively designed to push players into the wasteland and explore, talking to NPCs and interacting with the world at large.
At first, players may be extremely focused on the main story, but they’ll soon get entangled with the lives of the various NPCs, taking sidesand completing questsin creative ways. The game’s waypoint system also tries its best to constantly pull the player in several directions at once, ensuring there’s always some new distraction to tear them away from the main quest.
