In most open world games, exploration will only benefit the player. For example, there is no reason to Link in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild try to uncover every nook and cranny in Hyrule. His main goal is to get to Ganon's castle to save Zelda, who keeps calling for him. His path is what the players tell him to do.
10 Open World Games Where Exploration Is More Rewarding Than Combat
In the immersive worlds of these open-world games, exploration takes center stage, overriding the visceral thrill of combat.
For these other characters in the following games, the players are more like assistants. These heroes are destined by their main goals to explore everything for one reason or another. Having a personal connection to the open world benefits the story in these games, and it will make more sense when these examples are explained.
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Red Dead Redemption 2
A true redemption arc
Red Dead Redemption 2 focuses on the Van der Linde Gang, whose leader, Dutch, claims he has a plan to bring them all back to prominence. Arthur Morgan, the protagonist, is not sure if Dutch is in his right mind, but players can choose to be loyal or independent.
As players try to leave his gangster days behind, they can help Arthur discover himself through exploration of the open prairies. He can hunt, camp, and live off the land to try to better himself. Players can also choose less violent ways to deal with some missions, thereby achieving redemption Red Dead Redemption 2 name more meaningful.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Ciri of it all
For most of Charmer game, Geralt is looking for his beloved Yennifer and in the opening act The Witcher 3: Wild Hunthe finds her almost unceremoniously. Then a new quest begins as he tries to find Ciri, who is like a daughter to him.
A paranormal organization called the Wild Hunt is after her, and he is desperate to uncover clues to her whereabouts. Most of these clues will only come out of the main story quests, but Geralt as a character doesn't know that, so his exploration of each area makes sense to him.
Marvel's Spider-Man
Just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man
Marvel's Spider-Man is the purest of Insomniac Games' Spider-Man trilogy, focusing solely on the OG hero himself, Peter Parker. As players patrol various New York neighborhoods, they look for crime. Sometimes they come across random burglaries that they need to stop, or sometimes they come across a specific side quest.
Either way, swinging around town is Spider-Man's job, and Peter isn't doing it for the big payday. He does it to help his fellow man. It is both his personal goal and desire to help humanity be better.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Therapeutic walk
As in the first game, protagonist Sam isn't very invested in his initial journey across Mexico Death Stranding 2: On the Beach unite humanity. After his mission is complete, he is given another personal reason to go to Australia because he is dealing with his child, Lou.
Games with gigantic maps that do not waste time (exploration without filler)
Lose yourself in these open-world adventures and forget you're even playing a game because they're packed with content.
The journey across Australia will be something of a soothing therapy session for Sam, taking his mind off other things while searching for answers. It might be hard to tell how invested Sam is in delivering his packages since he doesn't hang out much, but overall the adventure means a lot to him.
For Mother Base
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain giving players control over Big Boss, though he has a new code name in this adventure: Venom Snake. In the main missions and side quests, players can search open areas for supplies that they can collect themselves, or attach balloons to them to send them back to the Mother Base.
Instead of killing enemies, players can also kidnap them using balloons, where they can be broken and turned into allies. Supplies and recruited enemies can help Mother Base be a better haven for players, so everything Big Boss does is for his people.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Establishing the last bastion of humanity
Xenoblade Chronicles X takes place on Mira, an alien planet where a human colony settles, names its original city New LA, and branches out from there. As a player-created character, they will be tasked with traveling the planet with others, gathering resources and fighting alien suppressors.
They can place beacons in multiple areas that will act as fast travel points and also link the network for more efficient harvesting of materials. Overall, the game never tries to play the hero character as if they want to become stronger for personal gain because it's all about humanity.
Pokemon Legends: ZA
To be the best of Lumiose City
Most Pokemon the games are about personal journeys as players start out as a young Pokémon trainer hoping to be the best they can be. While Pokemon Legends: ZA doesn't feature Gym Badges or battles in the traditional sense, players still compete for a place at the top.
In Lumiose City, there are zones for catching wild Pokemon along with night zones set up for Pokemon Trainers to battle. By fighting their way through prized battles, players can progress through the ranks from Z to A, which in turn crowns them the reigning champion of the city.
Saboteur
Black And White And Red Everywhere
Saboteur is a WWII game about the Nazi occupation of Paris. As a race car racer turned terrorist, Sean Devlin helps the resistance take back Paris one Nazi base at a time. By exploring the city and countryside, players can find upgrades to aid Devlin in his quest to create a free Paris.
8 good open world games with boring exploration
While these open world games are good, the lack of traversal options makes them somewhat difficult to navigate.
Also, careful searching and tracking of Nazi controlled territories will help bring color back to this otherwise black and white world. It's not as wide a world as some other open world games, but who doesn't like the idea of hunting Nazis in Grand Theft Auto-type of adventure?
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Viking rule
Assassin's Creed Valhalla it feels like the most personal journey of all Assassin's Creed series, featuring a Viking leader named Eivor, who can be male or female. After leaving their homeland, they wander into English territory in search of supplies and a new land that will benefit their people.
Everything players earn can go towards building a village, making exploration a victory for the entire tribe and not just the individual hero. Between gathering resources in the forest and raiding villagers, there's a lot to do Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii
Yo Ho Where's My Memory?
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is one of the wildest Yakuza games in the series, and that's saying something. Longtime anti-hero Goro Majima wakes up one day on a desert island with no memory, which then leads him to become a literal pirate captain with a galleon and a costume.
By fighting other pirates, searching for treasure, and returning to other characters in the pirate colony and Honolulu, Majima hopes to regain his memories. As the story unfolds, players won't see many twists coming.
5 Open World Games With Better Exploration Than Elden Ring
Elden Ring's exploration is excellent, but there are several games that arguably provide an even better experience.
