The best open world games where the story unfolds at your pace

Open world games they typically tell an underlying story that either grabs the player's attention and drives their every action, or simply serves as a justification for their protagonist's existence in that universe. Player freedom is one of the core appeals of the genre, but not every game encourages you to deviate from the main story; however, those that do are among the greatest open-world games of all time.

By letting you explore at your own pace and not forcing you to immediately seek out specific locations or complete certain objectives, these titles can offer distinctive and often relaxing experiences. Each of these games offers a world that is fun and often intuitive to explore, encouraging players to actively explore and experiment.

10

Dredge

An addictive loop of Lovecraftian horror and fishing

Dredge is a hugely addictive fishing game that tasks players with earning a living in the calm but sometimes haunted waters of the archipelago. This carefully crafted gameplay loop is supported by a Lovecraftian horror story that is full of supernatural hauntings and creepy characters.

Although Dredge features a narrative told in a stylishly minimalist manner, the story unfolds at the player's own pace; Dredge giving players the freedom to explore as they see fit, the only limitation being the power of their ship. Players can reach further with each power-up they get, but there's never any rush or much pressure, allowing players to control the pace of the story.

9

Death Stranding

A game that is all about the journey

Death Stranding's the game loop is truly unique and definitely not for all types of players; the game is focused almost exclusively on slow and laborious travel. While it can be tiring at times, managing the weight of the load and traversing hostile terrain can be a rewarding experience for the right type of player.

One of the side effects of this distinct gameplay loop is that players can enjoy the game at their own pace. Players are largely in charge of their journeys, and there's often a good chance to stop and admire the post-apocalyptic wilderness. Combined with the amount of distraction and delivery players can explore Death Stranding's a really strange narrative in their own clip.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach it's a bit more action-packed than its predecessor, but still mostly lets you play the story at your own pace.

8

STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl

Immersive exploration in interconnected open areas

Storytelling is by no means the main focus STALKER: Shadow of Chernobylbut its detailed and dynamic world is certainly in the foreground. Its world's harsh and hostile environments, roaming NPCs and mobs, and a truly immersive atmosphere make every journey across STALKER landscape an unforgettable experience. More importantly, the disparate nature of the game allows players to explore at their own pace.

However, while some elements STALKER allow for free exploration and experimentation, many missions are subject to a deadline. Some of these terms are more lenient than others, but generally players have plenty of time to roam. Furthermore, the main quests from STALKER they are usually not timed, allowing players to control the pace of the story.

STALKER: Call of Pripyat and STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl they also correspond to this theme to some extent and are more open than Shadow of Chernobyl. However, the original is still the most unique game in the series.

7

Elden Ring

The mystery of dark souls and the freedom of an open world

Sporting the loosely interwoven story and mysterious characters that FromSoftware is known for, Elden Ring can reach a wider audience with its vast open world. The variety of bosses and encounters, both optional and mandatory, is given an added sense of discovery thanks to well-hidden locations and real player agency.

Exploration can be done at the player's own pace, and boredom is taken out of the equation with the addition of a horse; allowing the player to travel at a higher speed compensates for the vast distances players are often tasked with covering and maintaining pace. As with Dark souls, Elden Ring it features a number of optional quests for players to tackle on their way to beating the game, and the open world structure allows players to control the pace even more.

6

Cave of Qud

An open world roguelike RPG with endless distractions

Cave of Qud it may not look like much at first glance, but its evocative writing, immersive atmosphere, and free-form gameplay elevate the overall experience. In the game, players build their character using an extremely detailed character creator and venture into a truly unique sci-fi world full of quests to complete and people to meet.

There is a main quest line to follow Cave of Qudbut the vast open world and extensive mix of procedural and hand-crafted content is often distracting in the best possible way. Outside of exploring places out of pure curiosity or in search of valuable treasure, Cave of Qud lures players to specific locations with various side quests. All these elements allow players to explore the world and enjoy the evocative stories at their own pace. Additionally, the turn-based nature of the game removes time pressure from the equation.

5

LEGO The Lord of the Rings

A familiar story interspersed with collecting in an open world

With a story that will be comfortably familiar to fans of the source material, LEGO The Lord of the Rings stands out not only for its sense of loyalty and loving nostalgia, but also for its admirable adaptation of Middle-earth through the LEGO open world. Although players progress through the story through several levels, LEGO The Lord of the Rings allowing players to explore and collect all kinds of items at their own pace.

Players have no time limit, taking all stress or pressure out of the equation. Additionally, the LEGO formula works perfectly with the open world structure, resulting in a truly free-flowing gameplay loop that allows players to balance exploration and mission completion.

A dynamic open world that encourages a journey off the beaten path

A large, detailed world, a wide variety of tasks and an open world structure Skyrim a truly diverse free-form experience. Players are free to explore the game world at their own pace and there is no doubt that there is a lot of fun to be had even before starting the main tasks of the game.

The game's waypoint system puts plenty of crumbs under players' feet, constantly encouraging investigations and distractions that keep players moving and fueling exploration. Intentional or not, Skyrim is best played in a wandering way, and players who take a straight line to the main story may miss out on some of its greatest moments.

3

Fallout: New Vegas

Missing Hand-Holding & Champions Player Agency

Many of Fallout the games provide players with a vast open world and a free style that allows for flexible pacing. However, Fallout: New Vegas is probably one of the best due to the complete lack of hand holding that players get. This is especially true of the game's main quest, in which players have very little to do.

While this may be frustrating for some, it throws the player right into the world and strongly encourages exploration and experimentation. Players are guaranteed to encounter all kinds of interesting characters, creatures, and antagonists along the way, many of which will distract and delight in equal measure. Overall, the abundance of side quests, the expansive world, and overall player agency allow players to navigate the open world Fallout: New Vegas in your spare time.

2

Red Dead Redemption 2

Live like Arthur Morgan

Compared to the original Red Dead Redemptionwhich is fairly linear for an open-world game, the sequel is not only much more expansive, but also rewards players who are willing to live as Arthur Morgan and not just witness his story. As fantastic as the main story is, Red Dead Redemption 2 it rarely prompts you to continue it, fully supporting side activities such as hunting, fishing, gambling and alien missions. Along your journey, you'll encounter plenty of world events that explore themes or reveal character arcs. Memorable moments don't just happen during marked missions.

Arthur's development is not limited to mandatory missions, as he develops through optional camp interactions and side content that affects his reputation (and personality). Speaking of the side missions, they are so fantastic that they don't feel like a distraction, but rather just another part of Arthur's journey. most importantly RDR2 it's about realism and keeping the pace deliberately slow, including the story.

1

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

An open world story played entirely at your own pace

The definitive example of an open-world, player-driven pacing game, Breath of the Wild leaves things entirely up to you. After the intro, Link is dropped into a post-apocalyptic Hyrule with only one mandatory objective and four suggested destinations. Ideally, players should defeat the four divine beasts and eventually reach Hyrule Castle and Calamity Ganon; however, they don't have to do the first one and they decide whether this journey will be a sprint or a marathon.

To be fair, Breath of the WildThe story is minimal and mostly stands aside, focusing squarely on exploration and freedom. However, it works for this game. You can easily explore Hyrule for dozens of hours without engaging in any of the “core” quests and still be playing BOTW in your intended way.