As far as open-world games go, the genre has blossomed quite a bit in the 2010s. There were earlier, but big games like Grand Theft Auto 5, Red Dead Redemption 2and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild all helped change the landscape in different ways. Almost everyone has played these games because they are innovative.
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While important, they are not strictly RPGs. So what open world RPG has helped the genre in specific ways? Did they influence many games or were they ahead of their time and still don't have many imitators? The following games are open worlds with vast areas to explore and RPG in more ways than one.
The Big Daddy Is All
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was and still is a big deal as the first open world game that truly felt like there were no limits. After the tutorial area, players could go anywhere, including mountain climbing, which has been strongly remembered ever since.
There were quests, some randomly generated, tons of dungeons, gear to loot and so on. It's been an almost endless experience that some open world games still struggle with being so vast and open right off the bat, and so Skyrim it's still big on platforms like Steam.
Fallout: New Vegas
Factions and Karma
It isn't Fallout game quite like Fallout: New Vegas in several areas. The desert area of Nevada is certainly iconic along with the faction and karma system that really sets it apart. If players do good deeds, NPCs will treat their character differently, and the same goes for who they are associated with.
If one faction doesn't like the other, like when players follow Caesar's Legion, then talking to someone in the NCR might be a bad idea. The alignment system also makes for fun play to see different sides.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Quest System That Matters
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has a lot of great things about its open world, including Geralt as a character, action-packed combat, and a long story with branching patterns. Among the many positives of the game, the side quest system stands out.
The game fixes the side quests, but there isn't one that feels like a fetch quest at the end because they all have compelling stories and great rewards. With lively NPCs and interesting stories, it helped make the world seem more alive that the games keep messing around with.
Kingdom of Amalur: Showdown
What if the fight was fun?
There are plenty of open world games with good combat systems, including the ones mentioned above The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. However, the open world game still wasn't as fun as it was Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's combat system.
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The range of weapons was wide, the spell and skill system leveled the playing field, and the characters were nimble and easy to control in battle. It was like playing an open world RPG version Devil May Cryand that's a combination that needs to be seen more.
Assassin's Creed Origins
Series A transformation
Assassin's Creed Origins he did something for his series that was brave at the time. The previous games were all standard open world games that primarily relied on stealth. Set in Egypt, this new game has completely transformed it into an RPG with leveling, loot, quest system and more. It changed forever Assassin's Creed as a series.
It was also the first game to feature Discovery Tour, a mode for playing the game with an educational commentary focused on exploration. Now this would be a great mod for other games to use Assassin's Creed.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Building your enemies
Horizon Zero Dawn it had enemies like no other open world game, as animals were replaced by robots, leading to a post-apocalypse. Fortunately, the setting was beautiful, vines were taking over the buildings and the land was growing again in its natural beauty.
As for the robots, players could attack them with various tools and weapons, hack them, or some of the larger enemies could even drop items that could be used as makeshift weapons. Enemy variety can make a big difference in keeping players interested in the game.
Dragon Quest Builders
Building on Minecraft
Dragon Quest Builders it doesn't get as much attention as it deserves because what it created has evolved Minecraft convincingly. Like Minecraftplayers had the freedom to destroy almost everything in the world to collect resources which they could then use for building or crafting purposes.
Adding story and RPG elements like a proper leveling and gear system Dragon Quest Builders a more compelling game to play. For players who want something beyond a sandbox with just a bunch of building blocks, this Dragon Quest spinoff deserves attention.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Open World Multiplayer
Xenoblade Chronicles X was ahead of its time on a console that many don't own, the Wii U. Players could create a character and then land on an alien planet where they had to help cultivate it to develop the capital, New LA.
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They could walk out into an almost endless open world with a greater sense of danger around every corner as a tall beast chased the land. Players could set waypoints for fast travel and mine them for materials. It took a while, but eventually players could acquire a mech, the Skella, to fly around and fight monsters, and there aren't many open world games that offer that.
Dragon Dogma
Get on board, everyone
Dragon Dogma it had two great mechanics that not many games normally use. Not only could players create their character, but they could also create party members called Pawns. The fully customizable party was a great addition, but the combat was commendable as well.
Smaller enemies could be sliced and diced, but larger enemies, from griffons to hydras, could be climbed to distract them and find their weak spots. This made the combat more realistic as the adventuring party would hypothetically try to climb the titans to find weak spots if the monsters were real.
Two worlds two
Prepare your magic
Two worlds two is probably a game that most people don't remember, but it still has some impressive ideas for a game that came out in 2010. There was a standalone multiplayer mode that equated to players diving into dungeons with friends, and while it wasn't completely open world, it was still a great idea. Among his many creative endeavors is the spell system Two worlds two should be remembered.
Players could create their own spells based on properties, so if they wanted to hurl a fireball, they would add a fire elemental to the base of the projectile. Two worlds two it's almost like a post-child because it's a game that wasn't perfect, but had some innovative ideas like the spell system that nobody took to heart.
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