I Love Open-World Games, But I Dropped These 6 Masterpieces

While I don’t know if open-world games are my absolute favorite, they’re always among my top picks. Each year, at least one open-world game ends up in my top 5. Last year, 2025, I especially enjoyed playing Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows was also fantastic.

I don’t enjoy every open-world game, even the ones considered the best. In fact, the following games are often called masterpieces, not just within the open-world genre, but in gaming overall. However, I stopped playing each of them before finishing the story. While the reasons differed for each game, my general enjoyment of open worlds wasn’t enough to keep me engaged until the very end.

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

For A Game Built Around Exploration, I Rarely Felt Rewarded For Exploring

You might be wondering why I stopped playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, especially since I usually love open-world games. I completely agree the game is technically impressive and well-made – it runs smoothly, has lots of interesting things you can do, and gives you a lot of freedom. However, despite encouraging exploration, I often found that exploring didn’t actually lead to anything rewarding, which ultimately made it hard to keep playing.

It wasn’t just that weapons break quickly – finding a great one was always bittersweet knowing it wouldn’t last. But the biggest problem was how repetitive everything felt. Every chest contained only weapons, money, or food. While shrines and the Spirit Orbs you earn from them are nice, they became the reward for absolutely everything. The breaking point for me was completing a challenging race down a mountain, expecting something special, only to receive another Spirit Orb. That was actually the last thing I did in the game. I had finished a few dungeons and gotten partway through the Goron storyline before I finally stopped playing.

I’m a big fan of the classic Zelda games – titles like The Wind Waker, A Link to the Past, and Oracle of Seasons/Ages are among my favorites. I especially love the traditional gameplay loop of exploring dungeons, finding a key item, using it to overcome challenges, and then using that item to open up new areas and dungeons. That’s what first got me hooked on video games! While I can see the appeal of the open-ended freedom in Breath of the Wild, I didn’t enjoy how it moved away from that classic structure, and the lack of clear direction really turned me off.

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Immortals Fenix Rising

The Humor And Visual Style Killed Any Sense Of Tension

I didn’t really connect with Immortals Fenyx Rising, and it wasn’t simply because it felt similar to Breath of the Wild. Actually, it improved on some things I disliked about BotW – there’s no weapon durability, the game is more focused, and the story is more straightforward. I enjoyed exploring its smaller world and loved the game’s setting. Plus, unlike Breath of the Wild, which tried to be realistic, Immortals Fenyx Rising embraces a more fantastical approach, making exploration feel smoother and less restricted by physics. I commend Ubisoft for taking a chance on this game, and it’s too bad it didn’t perform well enough to justify a sequel, because I would have definitely considered playing it, even though this first installment wasn’t quite for me.

I didn’t enjoy the game for a few key reasons. First, the art style didn’t appeal to me – it felt like a less polished version of a Pixar film or a bland Saturday morning cartoon. Also, the humor, which was present throughout the story, just didn’t land for me. I can appreciate that Immortals Fenyx Rising attempted a unique approach, but it wasn’t something I personally enjoyed.

The combat system is unfortunately a weak point. It’s limited to light and heavy weapon attacks, plus a bow and arrow, making it feel repetitive and overly simple. This combination of being both boring and easy allowed me to defeat even challenging bosses by simply dodging and attacking, despite being underprepared. Even the special god powers you unlock don’t add much excitement. Since you’ll spend a lot of time fighting alongside exploration and puzzles, the combat quickly became tiresome.

Fallout 4

The Environmental Storytelling Was Gripping, The Narrative Storytelling… Not So Much

Here’s the thing: before Fallout 4 came out, I hadn’t even finished Fallout 3 or started Fallout: New Vegas. I was really into Fallout 3 when I had to stop playing, so I went back and finished it. Then I played through New Vegas completely. After that, I finally started Fallout 4. I don’t clearly remember being burned out on the typical Bethesda Fallout style, but it’s likely that playing those games back-to-back made it hard for me to get into Fallout 4.

I really enjoyed playing this game. What stood out most was how the environment told the story – it’s some of the best I’ve seen in an open-world title. Discovering the history of people, like the owners of an abandoned grocery store, just by observing the details around you is a fantastic experience, and I hope other games will do more of that.

While I enjoyed Fallout 4, its story didn’t resonate with me as much as New Vegas, which is often praised for its excellent writing. The quest to find Shaun just didn’t fully capture my attention, and I never finished the game. I still had fun, but it’s remained incomplete, and honestly, I probably won’t return to finish it, especially since I’ve learned how it ends over time.

Grand Theft Auto 5

I Had More Fun Wandering Around Than Playing The Campaign

What I loved most about Grand Theft Auto 5 was simply exploring the city of Los Santos. I especially remember my first time playing – I just walked around with Franklin, soaking in all the little details, how people acted, and the amazing views. Even now, GTA 5 still looks great, but back in 2013 it was unlike anything I’d ever seen.

I spent a good amount of time with the game’s story, but honestly, nothing beat the simple joy of driving around and exploring Rockstar’s open world. I loved finding the best cars and discovering hidden details on the map. Starting a story mission always felt like a distraction from what I really enjoyed. Ultimately, despite playing for quite a while, I never finished the main story of GTA 5.

I barely played GTA Online – less than 15 minutes, actually. I tried it shortly after launch, created a character, explored a little, and then quit. I didn’t even get to experience the Beach Bums update that came out in November 2013. I generally don’t enjoy online games, so I don’t feel like I missed much. It’s just another part of GTA 5 that I didn’t stick with, even before finishing the main game.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

There Was So Much To Do That I Had To Give Up Eventually

I spent a lot of time playing The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – over 80 hours, actually. While some players have put in many more hours, that’s still a significant amount of gameplay. More importantly, I really enjoyed it! I have some of my best gaming memories from Skyrim, and I still remember those moments vividly, even after almost 15 years. I have a lot of affection and respect for this game, and I truly believe it’s one of those titles everyone should experience at least once.

I stopped playing because I like to get everything out of a game when I start it. I don’t necessarily need 100% completion, but if I intend to finish a game – which I usually do – I want to experience as much content as possible: all the side quests, hidden areas, and bosses. I believe this is the best way to truly understand a game’s artistic vision and form a well-rounded opinion, knowing I haven’t missed anything potentially amazing.

It’s no surprise that finishing everything in Skyrim is a huge undertaking – there’s just so much to do! A lot of the content isn’t clearly marked, so you really have to explore to uncover everything. I spent hours playing Skyrim without even getting to the point where I could learn the full “Fus Roh Dah” shout. Eventually, I realized I wouldn’t be able to see everything the game had to offer, so I stopped playing when it started to feel like I was just ticking boxes. I really enjoyed my time with Skyrim, but even now, I’ve never actually finished the main story, and that’s perfectly fine with me.

Subnautica

I Gave It An Honest Try, But I’m Terrified Of The Ocean

I suspected from the beginning that Subnautica would be difficult for me to get into. I generally don’t love survival games – not that I dislike them, but I usually don’t enjoy collecting resources, which is a core part of the genre. However, that wasn’t the reason I initially struggled with Subnautica, or why I stopped playing it.

I’ve always been incredibly afraid of the ocean – I honestly can’t pinpoint when it started. The idea of being on top of all that dark, unknown water is terrifying. I’d genuinely rather travel to Mars than go on a cruise! But, when Subnautica was offered for free on PlayStation Network, I decided to give it a try during a quiet period between other games.

I was having a good time at first. Exploring the shallow waters, collecting resources, improving my little base, and heading towards my crashed ship was actually pretty enjoyable. But then night fell. Seriously, when the darkness hit while I was still underwater, I panicked and swam for safety faster than I ever have in a game. I’ve seen videos since then of the creatures that live in the deep ocean of Subnautica, and I’m really glad I turned around when I did. Even thinking about those things makes me want to quit! If I had actually run into one, I probably would have been finished.

2026-04-01 01:39