Games Where You Decide How To Play (Not The Game)

Gamers sometimes prefer a straightforward experience where the game clearly guides them. But other times, they enjoy more freedom and creativity. The success of open-world games shows that many players like having a variety of tools and the ability to decide their own goals.

Many of these games offer us challenges to overcome with our own unique solutions. Others let us shape our characters in ways that define how we experience the game. But in all of them, it’s the player, not the game, who ultimately decides how to play.

The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom

When Princess Zelda Takes The Lead, Anything Goes

After many games, fans are very familiar with Link, the hero of The Legend of Zelda series. He usually appears as a hero from the Hylian race, wearing a green tunic and carrying weapons like swords, bows, bombs, and boomerangs. When Princess Zelda became the main character in Echoes of Wisdom in 2024, players wondered what tools and weapons she would use on her adventure.

It turned out Zelda could create and use a vast array of objects with the Tri Rod. With help from her fairy companion, Tri, she can conjure these objects – called echoes – to solve puzzles and interact with the world. There are over 130 different echoes to discover, ranging from Bombfish and Old Beds to Wind Cannons and Freeze Slugs. While you can’t have too many echoes active at once, and summoning them comes at a cost, this system greatly expands the possibilities for puzzle-solving as you progress. It’s similar to the gameplay of Scribblenauts and offers a wonderfully creative twist on the classic “save Hyrule” formula.

Elden Ring

The Tarnished Is Whoever You Wish Them To Be

I’ve always loved how some games let you completely reinvent yourself with different builds, and it honestly feels like starting a fresh adventure. Take Monster Hunter, for example – playing with a Light Bowgun is so different than a Great Sword, and it takes a ton of time to really master each one. And even in the Soulsborne games, where everyone usually pictures a standard knight, there’s actually a surprising amount of ways to customize your character and playstyle, which keeps things interesting!

In Elden Ring, you can choose from ten different starting classes like Warrior, Samurai, Prophet, and Astrologer. The Warrior is a strong, traditional fighter, while the Astrologer excels at magic. While these classes offer initial roles, the game allows you to customize your character and playstyle, and you’re free to explore and tackle challenges in the Lands Between however you choose.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

You’re Finally Awake

There’s a running joke that whenever someone starts a new game of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, they inevitably end up playing as a sneaky archer, no matter what they originally intended. But those who can avoid that path really get to experience how much freedom Skyrim offers, even without adding any modifications. That’s especially impressive considering the game first came out in 2011.

While mods can greatly expand the game, even the base version of Skyrim offers a lot of freedom for roleplaying. You can choose from different races, make meaningful decisions, select companions, pursue various quests, and shape your character’s story. Almost everything you do helps improve your skills, letting you fully develop your preferred playstyle. It’s a game that truly allows you to create your own experience, and powerful mage characters are definitely viable, making Skyrim a must-include.

Garry’s Mod

Player Freedom Is An Understatement

Garry’s Mod isn’t a traditional game; it’s more like a set of tools for creating things. It gives you access to the powerful Source engine and tons of resources you can use to build anything you imagine – from wacky worlds to unique characters and gameplay rules. You can even import assets from other games made with the same engine, expanding your creative possibilities.

Garry’s Mod can be played in many different ways – alone, with friends in a competition, or as a team. You might find yourself playing a simple game like tag, or something much more complex. What keeps Garry’s Mod interesting is the constant stream of new content created by its players.

Hitman: World Of Assassination

All That Matters Is That The Job’s Completed

Games are much more fun when players have lots of different ways to complete objectives. The Hitman series really showcases this, and while fans have their preferences, Hitman: World of Assassination successfully captured the open-ended gameplay of the earlier games. And let’s not forget the incredibly versatile Party Cracker!

The Hitman games are well-known for focusing on eliminating specific targets. But the levels are also full of opportunities for creative problem-solving. You can grab disguises – like a chef’s uniform to poison someone’s food – or pretend to be someone else entirely to carry out the hit. Essentially, each level becomes a complex, interactive puzzle that players enjoy replaying, constantly experimenting to see what works.

Dishonored

Wonderfully Chaotic

Both the Hitman and Dishonored games focus on completing objectives – eliminating targets – through a variety of different methods and approaches. While Dishonored doesn’t have the same playful disguise options as Hitman, it shares the same appeal of letting you replay levels and try completely different strategies each time.

In the game Dishonored, your actions have consequences, tracked by a ‘chaos’ meter that reflects how violently you play as Corvo Attano while supporting the Loyalists. This system encourages multiple playthroughs with different strategies, as it directly impacts the story’s ending. Adding to the replay value are Corvo’s unique and powerful abilities, which are fun to experiment with. For example, you can briefly stop time with ‘Bend Time’, take control of other characters, or summon a swarm of rats.

Don’t Starve

How You Survive Is Up To You

Survival games typically don’t offer much guidance. Players start in a strange and often hostile world with no supplies and must find everything they need to live. It’s a process of learning through experimentation – figuring out which resources are most important, where to build a base, and what to build first. Klei Entertainment’s Don’t Starve perfectly embodies this challenging and rewarding gameplay style.

Staying alive means keeping your character healthy, mentally stable, and fed. You’ll also need to watch out for getting wet and make sure your food doesn’t spoil. Darkness is especially dangerous because of a lurking threat named Charlie. You’re free to use anything you find in the randomly generated world to deal with these problems, as well as dangers from wild animals. As you play, you’ll learn the best ways to survive each season, and the character you choose will also impact your strategies.

Each character has a unique playstyle. Wigfrid, for example, excels at fighting but only eats meat, making survival a bit trickier. These individual skills and personality traits influence how the game unfolds, but players are free to adapt and survive however they choose. The game’s overall style is reminiscent of Tim Burton’s work, which really enhances the immersive atmosphere.

2025-12-13 02:36