Best Open-World Games Where You Start with Nothing

Open-world games often tell stories of characters who start with little and become powerful, or rise from poverty to wealth. This makes sense because it fits how most games are designed to progress. However, it’s rare to find an open-world game where you genuinely begin with absolutely nothing – just basic supplies and your own skills to survive.

If you don’t mind a slower pace and enjoy earning your strength, these adventures can be really rewarding. Instead of immediately giving you everything, they let you gradually learn the ropes, develop skills, and find better gear as you overcome challenges – making the progress feel much more meaningful.

9. Valheim

Norse Rules

Launched in 2021 when survival games were incredibly popular, Valheim was a surprising success story. Developed by a small, relatively unknown indie company, the game featured a unique art style and immediately impressed players with its strong gameplay. Valheim took the familiar survival genre and captivated audiences with its beautiful take on Norse mythology, memorable boss battles, and deeply rewarding gameplay loop.

The game also provided a unique and rewarding experience: starting with nothing and having to rely on resourcefulness to survive. The feeling of accomplishment after building an entire town from scratch is something few games can match.

8. Sons Of The Forest

Cannibals and Mutants? Oh My!

When the first The Forest game came out on PC in 2014, it quickly became known for being exceptionally scary. Its creepy woods, unpredictable monsters, and incredibly dark nights all contributed to this. Sons of the Forest, released nearly a decade later, doesn’t drastically change the original. Instead, it refines and improves upon what made the first game so effective.

You begin the game as a survivor of a plane crash, stranded on a gorgeous but dangerous island. With only the clothes on your back, you’ll have to contend with terrifying creatures lurking in the forests. It’s incredibly rewarding to build a secure base and gather powerful gear, but the real satisfaction comes from successfully defending against these threats – a feeling that sets this game apart.

7. DayZ

The OG And Still On Top

Open-world survival games became incredibly popular during the 2010s, with DayZ leading the way. Originally a modification for the game ARMA 2, it evolved into a full game known for its intense difficulty. Players start alone in a harsh Russian landscape and must find weapons and supplies to stay alive.

DayZ isn’t just about collecting items and becoming powerful; a big part of the fun comes from learning the map itself. The game doesn’t hold your hand with minimaps or quest markers – you have to explore and learn the environment. This makes becoming truly skilled and dangerous feel incredibly rewarding, like you’ve genuinely progressed from being helpless to becoming a force to be reckoned with.

6. Conan Exiles

You Literally Start With Nothing

While it might not appeal to everyone right away, Conan Exiles offers something for a wide range of players. If you’re looking for a challenging, single-player survival experience, Funcom’s game is a great fit. You begin completely vulnerable – naked and unarmed – in a dangerous world, and the initial hours are focused on gathering materials to craft essential tools and build a safe haven, just to survive. The game doesn’t make it easy; you truly have to work for every bit of progress you achieve.

Though it starts a bit slowly, Conan Exiles effectively builds a feeling of growing power. You begin as a vulnerable character struggling to survive, but quickly become a strong hero capable of defeating formidable enemies. While there’s a story available, Conan Exiles is mostly a limitless open-world game where you can team up with others or compete against them.

5. Kingdom Come: Deliverance

A Peasant’s Lot

Many open-world games that start you with nothing are survival games, but not all of them are. For example, in the game Kingdom Come: Deliverance, you play as Henry, a blacksmith’s son who begins with little money or skills. This becomes a big issue when his village is attacked and destroyed, leaving him with nothing and no family.

The game follows Henry’s journey to become a skilled knight and warrior, driven by a desire for justice in a world that harshly mistreats common people. Throughout the adventure, players transform from vulnerable victims into a powerful force, culminating in a remarkably rewarding ending – one of the most satisfying in any open-world game.

Like the first game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 begins with you starting from scratch, even though it continues Henry’s journey. We’ve chosen the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance for this discussion, as it feels more relevant to the point we’re making.

4. The Long Dark

Out In The Cold

Most open-world survival games prioritize fun over realism, often simplifying the challenges of actually surviving. But The Long Dark is different. It drops you into a harsh wilderness with no supplies and demands you truly fight to survive.

Survival games aren’t just about the basics like food and water; players also have to think about dangers like wild animals, the weather, and even how they cook their meals. It can be overwhelming at first, but with effort and careful observation, players can ultimately overcome the harsh challenges and thrive in a truly unforgiving environment.

3. Subnautica

Under The Sea

If you’re afraid of the ocean, you might want to steer clear of Subnautica. The game starts with a terrifying crash landing on an alien planet completely covered in water. You’re left with just a life raft and have to figure out how to survive and find a way back to Earth.

The game takes you to the crushing depths of the ocean, a place where humans aren’t meant to be. You’ll face terrifying creatures in the darkness, and must rely on your ingenuity to build vehicles, bases, and even maps to stay alive. But beware – if you hear a Reaper’s roar, it means you’re already in danger.

2. Fallout: New Vegas

Without A Big Iron On Your Hip

Many open-world games start you with nothing, forcing you to survive on your own. Fallout: New Vegas adds an extra challenge: you also have no memory of who you are. This creates one of the best role-playing games ever, letting you completely define the kind of character you want to play.

Throughout the game, the Courier transforms from an unknown figure into a major force in the Mojave Wasteland, ultimately shaping the destinies of both individuals and powerful groups. This incredible journey, starting with amnesia and nothing to their name, makes for a truly rewarding experience and one of the most compelling stories in recent role-playing games.

1. Minecraft

One Block At A Time

It’s no surprise that Minecraft has been so influential. Since its release, it completely changed the landscape of indie and survival games, and shaped the kinds of games developers created for years to come. Each time you play, you’re dropped into a brand new, randomly generated world with nothing but your bare hands, and you have to learn how to survive by gathering resources like wood.

Although the survival aspects aren’t overly complicated, Minecraft perfectly captures the joy of building something amazing from scratch. By the end of the game, you’ll have explored and truly shaped a world that feels uniquely your own. This feeling remains unmatched, solidifying Minecraft‘s place as one of the all-time greatest games.

2025-11-29 21:08