Best Adventure Game Maps – Investment Policy

Most video games include some form of violence, so it’s refreshing when a game offers something different and focuses on more than just fighting.

I love action games, but I also appreciate games that offer more than just fighting. Combat is fun, but it can’t always be the only focus of a game to keep it interesting.

I often enjoy simply exploring, figuring things out, or reading conversations in games. I’ve come to appreciate how engaging these interactive experiences can be, much more than just the quick excitement you get from popular games.

These games are truly special thanks to their incredible settings, so I’ve put together a list of the ten best adventure game maps for you to explore.

10. Solar Ash

The Most Colorful Apocalypse

While the rest of this piece focuses on peaceful games, Solar Ash was the first title that sprang to mind when I began writing, as it stands out as an exception to that theme.

I was already a fan of Heart Machine thanks to their beautiful game, Hyper Light Drifter, but their new adventure with Rei proves they’re a truly talented indie studio with a lot of creativity.

Ultravoid offers a unique experience: explore a beautiful, yet crumbling world while feeling the weight of an approaching disaster, all while enjoying the freedom of skating wherever you please.

The game features a lot of high-reaching levels, hidden secrets, and a bright, colorful art style. Battles with bosses are particularly unique, as they use the surrounding environment to create platforming challenges that demand skillful movement and awareness of your surroundings – all set against a beautiful, lively backdrop similar to the one in Solar Ash.

9. Firewatch

A Forest to Care For

I’ve never been as enthusiastic about Firewatch as many other people, but I still recognize how beautifully it’s presented.

The game is visually stunning, with beautiful art that makes the world feel truly alive. From simple walks to the changing sky, there’s a constant stream of impressive sights, setting it apart in the indie game world.

As a gamer, I gotta say, Firewatch really nails the feeling of being a park ranger. The way the world is built, it just clicks – everything feels natural and easy to use, so you quickly get to know the area like the back of your hand. It’s like they really thought about how a ranger would actually interact with the forest, and it totally works!

The game is visually stunning, but what really stood out to me was how well it tied the gameplay to the character’s job, making the world feel truly connected and immersive. I think this aspect deserves more recognition, as it’s executed brilliantly.

8. Pentiment

Tassing Will Be Your Second Home

Typically, video games create immersion through realistic graphics that almost feel like virtual reality. However, Pentiment is a remarkable game that achieves this same feeling by intentionally going in the opposite direction – using a unique, less realistic visual style.

The city of Tassing feels truly vibrant and real, not just a setting, thanks to a wonderful story and incredibly well-developed characters you grow to care about like old friends.

As you explore, the map becomes completely familiar – you learn every route, remember where everyone is, and instinctively know where to go to progress the story. It feels like a comfortable, welcoming place, almost like a second home.

While Pentiment‘s art style is truly one of the best in gaming, its brilliance goes deeper than just looks. The game is also exceptionally well-designed and structured, creating a fantastic overall experience.

7. Sword of the Sea

The Beauty of Nature

Giant Squid is seriously one of my favorite game developers now. I loved what they did with Journey when they were part of thatgamecompany, but what they’ve built with their own studio is even more impressive – especially Sword of the Sea. It’s a fantastic game!

Every game this studio makes is clearly well-crafted, but their newest release is truly special. It demonstrates how much they’ve grown as developers and is, in my opinion, their most refined and fun game yet.

The shifting sands and vast oceans create a quiet, captivating experience where you truly feel part of the world around you. The story encourages you to learn about the ancient, thriving ecosystem that existed before the ruined world you first encounter.

One of the most satisfying experiences of 2025 is seeing the world come back to life as you explore, uncovering its story through exhilarating sword-skating gameplay. Sword of the Sea truly stands out as one of the year’s best games.

6. What Remains of Edith Finch

The House of Hardships

I’ve always been impressed by video games that can keep you captivated for hours even when they’re set in just one place, but What Remains of Edith Finch is truly special and stands out from the rest.

Visiting the Finch family home is one of my most unforgettable gaming experiences. Every room feels like a complete world, filled with both intimate details and broader stories, all woven into a truly captivating narrative.

The house itself tells the story of everyone who lived there, revealing their experiences in surprising ways. This keeps you guessing and makes the emotional impact of the game feel deeply personal and realistic.

Honestly, when you combine amazing gameplay with a truly incredible soundtrack, you end up with a game that just sticks with you – one you won’t forget even if you tried! And the atmosphere, especially in a place like the mansion in this game, is so powerful. It’s a bit sad, sure, but that feeling just stays with you long after you’ve stopped playing.

5. Sludge Life

Living in the Mud

I know many people play video games to relax and get away from things, but for me, they actually help me face the problems in the world and strengthen my motivation to make things better. That’s why I’m so drawn to Sludge Life.

Despite its playful premise – simply roaming and ‘tagging’ the world while encountering utterly strange characters – this work surprisingly captures the essence of modern life, offering insightful commentary on our current anxieties and concerns.

The game depicts a bleak, muddy world that represents the things – both physical and emotional – holding us back and trapping us in a cycle of inaction. It feels like we’re forced to accept this difficult reality, even though nobody truly wants to be stuck in it.

The game’s world is a gritty, strange place – a plastic globe filled with murky liquids, questionable burger restaurants, and people making homes in shipping containers. If Sludge Life doesn’t resonate with you, I doubt any video game ever will.

4. Blue Prince

An Unforgettable Mansion

I’ve consistently recommended Blue Prince since I first played it, and I genuinely think it’s among the greatest puzzle games ever made.

Mount Holly Estate feels like a storybook world, but with a challenging, roguelike twist. It’s full of hidden secrets and puzzles, and I’m still impressed by how cleverly everything is interwoven.

Whether it’s a hidden story criticizing the monarchy that unfolds over many hours of gameplay, or secret passages linking puzzles across the mansion in incredibly complex ways, the game consistently surprises you with how detailed and expansive it is – specifically, how much there is to discover within the mansion itself.

The heart of Blue Prince is its intricately designed map, which expands with permanent upgrades found by exploring the estate. It cleverly uses this map system, even surpassing many larger, more expensive games in its execution.

3. Return of the Obra Dinn

The Most Iconic Ship

If you enjoy games where the story is one big, rewarding puzzle, you absolutely need to play Return of the Obra Dinn. It’s a fantastic game that any fan of indie titles will love.

Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper game-world dives

Explore adventure maps and world design more fully — subscribe to the newsletter for focused breakdowns, developer insights, spatial-storytelling lessons, and curated explorations that reveal how iconic game environments are crafted.

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Lucas Pope proved his talent with Papers, Please, but his new detective game, set on the high seas, is even more impressive. It features a brilliantly crafted story that lets you rewind time and piece together clues, keeping you completely engaged until you’re exhausted – but in the best way possible.

Most mystery games focus on solving a single event, but Return of the Obra Dinn makes the entire ship itself the mystery. It cleverly uses the limited space to create layers of puzzles, making every corner a new challenge.

The Obra Dinn offers a truly captivating experience. With its many rooms and hidden stories, you’ll quickly become invested in unraveling the mystery of what happened on board, and the ship’s atmosphere will likely keep you completely focused on solving it.

2. Disco Elysium

You Will Carry Martinaise in Your Heart

I was completely gripped by the city of Revachol in Disco Elysium. It’s a place of stark realism, and I eventually realized the game was a timeless work of art that most people aren’t ready for.

The game blends the harsh, realistic world of Sludge Life with the close-knit community feel of Pentiment. As the story progresses, this small part of Revachol becomes both your home and the place where your character’s time runs out, as you’re constantly aware of a dwindling clock and the approaching end.

The characters in Martinaise are remarkably complex and well-written, exceeding the depth found in most video games. Their conversations, situations, and emotional responses feel genuinely unique and haven’t been matched in any other game besides the one created by ZA/UM.

If you really take the time to notice the buildings, how the city is laid out, the little details in the colors, the stories of the past, and even endure truly terrible karaoke, you realize that the reason you haven’t moved to Martinaise is simple: you already are. Martinaise isn’t a specific place, but everywhere you’ve ever been.

1. Outer Wilds

A Mini Galaxy Full of Wonders

When it comes to memorable game maps, the small but fascinating world of Outer Wilds, filled with incredible sights and a compelling story of a lost civilization and a new beginning, truly stands out as an adventure masterpiece. It perfectly demonstrates why video games, with their interactive elements, are so captivating.

That first plunge into Giant’s Deep, traveling through a black hole, locating Feldspar, spotting an anglerfish for the first time, figuring out the Hourglass Twins, and completing your first cycle… these moments are unforgettable and truly make you feel part of another world.

Outer Wilds is incredibly captivating because of its immersive world and detailed planet design. Each planet feels unique, offering its own challenges and clues that contribute to the game’s overall mystery. This creates a truly wonderful feeling of discovery, as you explore each ecosystem and learn how it works.

Every element of this game is fantastic on its own, but when experienced together, they create a truly remarkable and cohesive universe. It’s a world that feels just as impressive viewed from a distance as it does when you explore its intricate details. Whether you focus on individual moments or the overall scope, this game is transformative, and its stunning depiction of space is a major reason why.

2026-01-20 16:43