Survey is an integral part of everyone adventure game. It's one thing to have an engaging story, but it's quite another to have a world that's actually enjoyable to navigate. Many games manage to capture the perfect blend of satisfying exploration with a real sense of adventure, sending the player on a journey that is equal parts exciting, seductive and unexpected.
It doesn't matter if players are diving deep beneath the waves of the ocean, climbing mountains to reach their next destination, or driving through breathtaking landscapes; true adventure requires an impressive loop of exploration. With so many worlds to explore, only a few stand out above the rest exploration highlights within the adventure genre.
Subnautics
Discovery in the deep
Subnautics delivers one of the most amazing exploration gaming experiences, throwing players into the alien ocean of Planet 4546B with nothing but the desire to escape and guide them. Survival on alert and alone depends on searching, crafting and venturing deep to uncover the planet's secrets, meaning no progress can be made without plunging into the daunting and unknown darkness.
From glowing cliffs to pitch-black moats filled with ancient leviathans, the world is equal parts peaceful and terrifying. No two expeditions will have the same result. Some allow the player to return with crucial minerals, others with severe injuries and a broken spirit. The narrative itself is tied to the player's exploration, connecting the movements of the ocean directly to the story and encouraging bravery at all times.
No Man's Sky
As close to infinity as it gets
No Man's Sky is one of the most ambitious gaming visions that has now blossomed into an almost endless universe full of planets and galaxies to explore. Players wake up on an unknown planet with a broken ship and only one goal: survive long enough to take off to the stars. From there, the universe is just a playground waiting to be explored, with countless alien species and many mysteries scattered throughout each individual world waiting to be solved.
what does he do No Man's Sky so extraordinary is how limitless scope is actually realized. It is not a facade that simulates what an infinite universe might look like; in fact, he does it with more perfection than anyone could ever dream of. It captures the raw thrill of discovery and can give players a true adventure of a lifetime, spanning hundreds of star systems with no limits to where they can go.
Spirit of Yotei
The Path of Self and Spirits
Ghost of Yotei redefines the art of environmental storytelling through its hauntingly beautiful depiction of the northern border of feudal Japan. Set in the shadow of Mount Yōtei, players embark on a meditative journey through frozen forests, misty temples, and desolate villages, surrounded by memories and myths from times long past. The backdrops never feel like they're just filler. Instead, they function as intentional devices for setting up specific encounters and connecting exploration directly to the world itself.
The world feels large enough to hold the player's attention for a considerable amount of time, but limited enough to feel digestible and never overwhelming. It really guides the player on a journey to meaning, pulling them forward with calm and solitude rather than constant action, and reinforces the idea that the journey is as important as the destination.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Making connections around the world
Death Stranding 2 it takes the idea of exploration and makes it the primary mechanic and driving force of the narrative. Rather than entering giant castles or hunting in lost cities, the game sends players across breathtaking landscapes with the sole mission of delivering rescue packages to those in need. Humanity and the world beyond are bound together to create an environment that is equal parts beautiful and haunting. While the story itself may remain abstract, it's a step up from the more ambiguous narrative of the first game.
As players get used to wandering the land alone, they become increasingly connected to the world, building bonds with both the characters and the environment in which they live. This intimacy allows the quieter moments to feel reflective rather than drawn out, allowing the player to absorb the weight of their task and fully absorb the majesty of the surrounding landscape.
Hollow Knight
Led by Will to Explore
Hollow Knight sets a new bar for the Metroidvania genre, taking players on a quiet yet intense adventure that will test their mechanical skills and mental abilities in equal measure. Nothing is ever simple, as even the simple act of checking the map has obstacles for the player, such as finding an NPC selling the map and venturing back to the surface to buy badges that indicate everything from checkpoints to the player's position in the world, often forcing them to hunt without clear guidance or certainty that they know where to go.
While combat takes center stage in many sections, players will also find themselves exploring for a significant portion of the game's run. Crystal caves and poisonous rivers make for some pretty engaging traversal challenges, and since players only gain access to skills like dashes by finding them in the world, exploration becomes mandatory to see the adventure through.
Red Dead Redemption 2
The wild and wonderful west
Red Dead Redemption 2 takes the blueprint of the open-world western and blows away all expectations of what a single medium can do. Arthur Morgan's adventure is grand yet deeply human, showing all walks of life from the highest highs to the lowest lows, all in a world that oozes character and realism in every possible way.
The reason the game has received so much praise is because of the unmatched level of detail that covers the entire world. Individual characters react to the player's actions, the weather affects how certain parts of the terrain work, and the visuals make it look more like a blockbuster than a video game, immersing the player in a ride that demands exploration and rewarding those willing to explore its most forgotten corners with an unforgettable experience.
Elden Ring
One gate can lead to an entire city
Elden Ring is more than impressive in how it manages to integrate exploration into the adventure. FromSoftware is known for its ability to create immersive worlds that players want to explore without being told where to go, but when you take that formula to a vast open landscape, each direction feels like its own journey. There are as many challenges and riches to be found in one place as most games can pack into a full-length adventure.
The game really kicks things up a notch by turning seemingly small locations into doorways to hidden worlds that lie just out of sight. A single path in an underground cave can unlock a city of stars, a shortcut through a dungeon takes players into a sea of red rot, and even sections of the main story can have a secret path tucked just off the beaten path, meaning that no matter where players go, there's another adventure waiting for them.
The outer wilderness
Knowing is half the battle
The outer wilderness is a masterpiece of curiosity and consequence that sends players into a solar system trapped in a seemingly never-ending time loop. During each cycle, the sun approaches destruction, forcing players to hastily explore alien worlds, decode ancient civilizations, and uncover the truth behind the universe's fragile clockwork before everything resets. There are no upgrades or combat, just the desire to learn more and the potential to stop the cycle of destruction.
Each discovery brings both clarity and melancholy as the player pieces together a cosmic mystery that feels otherworldly but also deeply personal. The reward for exploration is learning about the environment within the wider context of the solar system, which lends the game a unique psychological feel that rewards careful attention in a way that no other adventure game can truly capture.
