Best Open-World Games That Are Empty By Design

Summary

Certain open-world games embrace emptiness to convey meaning through silence and exploration.
Titles like Outer Wilds and Shadows of the Colossus prioritize atmosphere and storytelling over combat and content.
Games like Sable and Journey create impactful experiences through serene, non-threatening open worlds.

There’s a unique kind of quietness that lingers. It’s not the type where nothing is occurring, but the one that makes you feel as if something significant has taken place earlier. This is the essence that certain games capitalize on. When players criticize open-world games for being “barren,” it often comes off as a criticism; there’s too little activity, excessive empty space, and insufficient content. However, some games not only endure this silence; they thrive on it. These are the worlds that intentionally seem void because the emptiness conveys more than any dialogue ever has.

In these games, “emptiness” doesn’t mean they are void of a map or devoid of additional tasks and stories, as some don’t even have maps. Instead, it refers to the design structure and how this “empty space” intertwines with the game’s setting, history, and gameplay mechanics.

Outer Wilds

The Universe Isn’t Empty. You’re Just Very, Very Small

In the game called Outer Wilds, there are only a few planets, none of which have inhabitants. Some crumble beneath your feet, others travel through black holes, while at least one is being eroded by a real-time sandstorm. This solar system is stuck in a 22-minute time loop, where everything resets and explodes again afterwards. There’s no need to rescue anyone or engage in combat; instead, you collect information.

The vacancy carries a sense of significance, woven with the threads of curiosity. Each realm seems like a puzzle hidden within its landscape. There’s minimal guidance; uncovering the fate of the ancient Nomai civilization and why things continuously reset is purely an exploration of the player’s imagination. The gaps between revelations don’t feel idle; they feel like pauses for reflection. As if the universe is granting players moments to absorb what they’ve just discovered before it stirs their emotions once more, and again, and again.

Sable

Sometimes Emptiness Is Just Another Way To Say Beautiful

In this peaceful desert landscape devoid of threats, the game Sable offers a serene exploration experience. Instead of conflict, failure, or danger, it presents a hoverbike, expansive landscapes, and a young girl embarking on a coming-of-age journey. Players leisurely traverse sand dunes, climb massive fossilized remains, and discover remnants of lost civilizations, all at their own pace. The world seems to stand still, inviting tranquility.

The art design of Sable is heavily influenced by French comic artist Moebius, creating an atmosphere with soft, pastel hues that breathes life into even barren landscapes. Despite the presence of dialogue, it’s the quiet moments that truly shine in this game. The feeling of aimless exploration, pausing to appreciate the contours of the horizon, is what gives the world its unique beat. Sable stands out among open-world games as one of the rare instances where doing nothing seems anything but a waste of time.

The Long Dark

Loneliness Hits Harder When It’s Below Freezing

In the game titled The Long Dark, you won’t encounter any zombies or bandits. Instead, what awaits you are harsh weather conditions, wildlife, and an unforgiving cold. This game is set in the Canadian wilderness following a geomagnetic disaster that renders modern technology obsolete. Despite being empty, this world never lacks intrigue. Each abandoned cabin and frozen body has its own tale to tell, but none of these stories have happy endings.

In the game The Long Dark, players don’t gradually acquire fast travel and easier tools; instead, survival remains challenging throughout. Days tend to merge together, with time being a matter of calories and kindling. Initially, the tranquility of the forest is soothing, but it soon transforms into an oppressive atmosphere, particularly when a blizzard strikes and players find themselves two hours away from any shelter. This game excels at simulating loneliness so convincingly that it doesn’t require jump scares. The fear arises from the game’s striking realism.

Journey

A Story Told Without A Single Word Still Echoes

The game, titled Journey, eschews the traditional gaming elements like dialogues, combats, or inventories. Instead, it portrays a solitary figure in robes gliding over sand dunes and soaring through gusts of wind, headed towards a remote mountain. Unlike other games that clutter their expansive landscapes with objectives or backstories, Journey leaves its desert world to be experienced rather than explained. This unique approach seems to make the game all the more profound.

The enchantment manifests as brief camaraderie with other players. Despite their silent and anonymous appearances, they can’t be directly interacted with, creating a sense of intimacy that many multiplayer games strive but rarely achieve. The voids between key locations don’t seem like unnecessary padding; instead, they evoke contemplation. When the final credits roll and the mountain disappears from sight, players often ponder not about their actions, but about their meaning. It’s a unique open world that appreciates that space isn’t always intended to be occupied.

Death Stranding

Walking Across A Broken World Feels A Lot Like Therapy

In Death Stranding, the main focus is on exploration through vast, unnamed landscapes, rather than reaching a destination or engaging in combat. The setting is a post-apocalyptic United States, where humans have retreated into isolated shelters, leaving behind a desolate world that intentionally evokes loneliness and emptiness.

As a gamer, what truly hooks me is how the game’s environment isn’t just a backdrop, but a living, challenging entity. It’s not just about traversing the terrain, but constantly adapting to its slippery slopes, weight shifts, and hazards. Building bridges or ropes for others and discovering those left by fellow travelers adds an unexpected emotional depth. Kojima transformed desolation into a social mechanic, making the world feel genuinely touched by the people who pass through it. The silence here feels hard-earned and profound.

Shadow of the Colossus

The Only Thing Louder Than Silence Is Dread

Over the past two decades, Shadow of the Colossus has been extensively analyzed in game design classes and fan discussions for good reason. The game’s sense of emptiness isn’t an accident; it’s a deliberate choice. Unlike other games where you can explore towns, accept side quests from NPCs, or hunt monsters for loot, this game offers nothing but an expansive, ruined landscape filled with distant cliffs and a solitary hero on horseback, pursuing one objective: to defeat the sixteen colossi that inhabit this abandoned land.

The key to its functioning lies in how the silence subtly evolves over the course of events. Initially, this silence carries an air of grandeur. However, as time passes, it transforms into an unsettling discomfort. As each desolate canyon is traversed and every resonating horsehoof echoes, a growing unease arises, questioning whether any part of this journey embodies heroism. The absence of music during conflicts intensifies the gravity of players’ actions, while the expansiveness of the landscape imbues each encounter with an overwhelming intimacy. By the time the last colossus collapses, the silent world has conveyed a wealth of information, all of it ominous and unnerving.

2025-08-06 09:34