Most Open RPGs Of All Time – Investment Policy

Open-world role-playing games can be deeply engaging and feel incredibly real. They give players freedom to roam detailed environments, face challenges, and make meaningful choices, creating a sense that anything can happen. The best ones allow you to explore and overcome obstacles at your own speed and in your own style, making you feel truly in control of your character’s destiny.

These role-playing games truly capture the spirit of ‘open-world’ gaming, giving players significant choice and freedom. Whether it’s through vast environments, immersive fantasy settings, or characters that react to your decisions, these games prioritize what you do and how you play.

8. Fallout: New Vegas

Wasteland Wanderers Of All Kinds

Among all the games in the Fallout series, New Vegas gives players the most freedom. You start the game after being shot in the head and waking up in a small town full of scavengers, and from there, you’re free to explore the wasteland and make your own choices about how the story unfolds.

Players have a lot of freedom to create and play as the character they want, thanks to branching conversation choices. Even the most dangerous areas of New Vegas, filled with deadly creatures, are accessible to anyone brave enough to attempt them. The main storyline revolves around choosing a side, and your decisions will genuinely impact the game, giving you significant control from the very beginning.

7. Gothic 2

Go Anywhere, Try To Survive

Piranha Bytes’ role-playing games are known for being a bit unpolished, but they have a unique charm, especially the first two Gothic games. Though I prefer the original, Gothic 2 offers a more expansive experience with a much larger world and more freedom. A key feature of their games is that exploration needs to be earned. Gothic 2 allows you to roam almost anywhere from the start, but you’ll quickly find yourself overwhelmed if you venture into areas before you’re ready.

You won’t be the only important person in this world, but your choices and who you ally with will determine how much influence you gain. The world will respond to you based on the faction you join, and that will also shape your character’s development. Each faction has its own unique story, and you’ll often have multiple ways to complete quests and handle combat encounters.

6. Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn

BioWare’s Most Open RPG

BioWare has created many beloved role-playing games, but their recent titles haven’t been as open-ended as older ones. While a tighter focus can strengthen a game’s story, there’s a lot to appreciate about the depth and freedom of games like Baldur’s Gate 2

I love how open-ended Baldur’s Gate 2 is. Most quests aren’t just ‘do this, then that’ – I can usually tackle them in a few different ways depending on my character and how people see me. Speaking of reputation, it really matters in the game! It affects how shopkeepers treat me, and even whether my companions stick around. Seriously, make enough choices they don’t like and they’ll just ditch you!

5. Elden Ring

Conquering The Lands Between

In Elden Ring, you begin your journey as a Tarnished, emerging from a forgotten crypt into a vast and open world. From the start, the game gives you freedom to explore wherever you like – you can search for backstory, safe havens, powerful gear, or challenging enemies. Though the main goal is to defeat the Shardbearers and become Elden Lord, the world is packed with hundreds of optional locations, tough dungeons, puzzles, and hidden secrets that can easily pull you away from that central quest.

Players can largely focus on the main story and skip over large parts of the game world. However, those who choose to explore will discover captivating side quests, interesting characters, and a wealth of new equipment and abilities.

4. Ultima VII: The Black Gate

The Most Open RPG (In 1992)

Released in 1992, Ultima VII was groundbreaking for its open-ended gameplay, and even today, it remains one of the most interactive RPGs ever made. While its age might make it challenging for modern players, it truly stands out for letting you freely interact with nearly everything in the game world. You can pick up, move, steal, and manipulate objects in almost any way you can imagine, adding a personal touch to how you experience the environment. Though the actions you can perform with these items are somewhat basic, the freedom to interact with the world is remarkable.

Just like the open world it offers, Ultima VII lets you approach challenges however you choose. Instead of following a set path, you create your own unique story filled with successes, setbacks, and lasting consequences.

3. Divinity: Original Sin II

Endless Possibility And Opportunity

Divinity: Original Sin 2 boasts one of the most detailed and immersive worlds in gaming. Players can shape their own adventures, creating any type of warrior they desire. The game also features compelling characters with rich personal stories, and vast, explorable maps full of opportunities. This freedom allows players to truly forge their own path.

Players will be completely immersed in Larian’s incredible game, thanks to its many different ways to tackle challenges and the huge cast of characters they can interact with – whether through friendship, help, trade, or combat.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is also very open, and we only left it out so that we don’t include two Larian RPGs.

2. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

The Most Open Game In An RPG Franchise Known For Its Open-Worlds

Morrowind is a truly groundbreaking open-world game. Compared to later titles like Skyrim and Oblivion, it feels incredibly expansive and free. What sets it apart is the lack of hand-holding – there are no quest markers telling you where to go. Instead, Morrowind encourages you to explore, talk to people, and really pay attention to the world around you. Getting lost isn’t a problem – it’s often how you discover the most amazing parts of the game.

The game takes place in a beautiful and untamed world filled with diverse creatures and snow-covered mountains. What really sets it apart is its detailed political landscape and warring factions – your decisions genuinely impact the world around you. Traveling feels dynamic, with unpredictable encounters like bandits, wolves, or even dragons. And beyond the quests and world itself, Morrowind is designed to be exploited; you can often find ways to do things that don’t make logical sense, adding to the freedom and fun.

1. Kenshi

Be Anything

If you’re looking for a game where you can truly get lost in a vast and open world with endless possibilities, Kenshi offers complete freedom. It doesn’t follow a traditional story, and it can take a while to figure out what you’re supposed to do. You’ll need to survive in a dangerous and dynamic world where power shifts constantly, and the deaths of key characters can have major consequences for entire areas.

After a global catastrophe, players in Kenshi are free to develop their character’s abilities in any way they like. As they team up with others, they can eventually build and manage their own settlements. With its unique blend of real-time strategy battles and in-depth roleplaying, Kenshi offers a truly immersive and captivating experience for any gamer.

2026-01-15 04:14