Open-World Games Where Exploration Is More Rewarding Than Combat

Many open-world games feature combat systems so engaging that players sometimes prioritize fighting over exploring. Fans of challenging action games, like the ‘Souls’ series, often choose games like Elden Ring specifically for its incredibly satisfying and rewarding combat, which is unique in gaming. Ghost of Tsushima is another excellent example; while the game world is stunningly beautiful, it’s the thrilling and action-packed samurai combat that truly stands out.

Both of those games feature interesting worlds, but what truly makes them special isn’t just the settings themselves. These open-world games stand out because they offer so many different ways to explore, often overshadowing even their combat. The combat isn’t necessarily weak, it’s just that players are more likely to remember the joy of discovering and wandering through the game world long after they’ve finished the story.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

It Was Never About Combat

While the combat in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is well-designed, most players don’t focus on the fighting itself. What they truly love is the immediate freedom to explore – from bustling cities to ancient ruins and dark underground caves.

The game world is full of interesting places to explore, even challenging boss battles that reward players with new dragon abilities. There’s always something new to find, making it easy to lose yourself in the world of Skyrim for hours on end.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

Sailing With A Song

Combat in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag works much like previous games in the series – you mostly wait for enemies to strike and then quickly counterattack. While effective, the real fun comes from commanding your own massive pirate ship. That, and listening to your crew sing sea shanties, truly makes you feel like you’re on an incredible adventure.

The Caribbean islands in the game offer a lot to explore, including towns, unique animals to hunt, and amazing underwater ruins that hide lost treasure.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Kojima’s Hidden Secrets Are Everywhere

In Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, players will journey through Mexico and Australia, delivering packages to numerous hidden underground bunkers. Finding efficient routes is a key challenge, as getting from place to place won’t always be direct.

The game lets you explore a map and mark safe routes to bypass dangers like rivers and cliffs. You can travel on foot, in a vehicle, or by using ziplines. While there’s some shooting, the core gameplay focuses on delivering packages with a compelling story, and you can use 3D-printed gear to help you along the way.

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

A Literally Broken System

Many consider The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to be one of the greatest action-adventure games ever made, and a standout title in the Zelda series. However, its breakable weapons are a significant downside. While combat can be enjoyable, constantly losing weapon durability is more annoying than fun. Luckily, the game’s incredible freedom and vast open world are even more impressive than those found in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.

Players can climb almost anything – trees, mountains, you name it – and then easily glide back down. The world is packed with things to discover, like monster camps, towns, hidden shrines, and collectibles, offering hundreds of hours of gameplay.

Donkey Kong Bananza

Punch, Grab, Repeat

Donkey Kong Bananza is a fast-paced platforming game where collecting items is key. Donkey Kong can both fight enemies and destroy the environment, and this ability to smash through obstacles and create new paths is what makes exploring the game so enjoyable.

Players chart their own paths to find valuable treasures like Banandium, which helps DK learn new abilities. The game features diverse environments – each a unique mini-open world – ranging from icy landscapes to sunny beaches, offering plenty to explore.

Hogwarts Legacy

Live Out Your Hogwarts Dreams

The game Hogwarts Legacy starts with a scenic coastal area, but most Harry Potter fans will be eager to reach Hogwarts itself. After all, that’s likely the main reason people buy the game—to experience what it’s like to be a wizarding student—not necessarily for the game’s magic system, which is functional but not groundbreaking.

It won’t be long before you arrive. Once you’re settled into your house, you’re free to explore the school and grounds, discovering Easter eggs and hidden secrets. While other games have let players visit Hogwarts before, none have captured its detail quite like Hogwarts Legacy.

Fallout 4

The Destruction Of History

While not the most visually stunning, Fallout 4 offers a vast world to discover. Players familiar with Boston will recognize locations based on real-world landmarks, like harbors and stadiums, which adds a unique appeal to this post-apocalyptic game set on Earth.

Thankfully, most players won’t face real-life apocalypse scenarios, so video games offer a fun way to escape and explore ruined historical landmarks. While the shooting mechanics are solid – even better than some Fallout games – the series has always been more about exploration and atmosphere than intense combat, and that continues to be true.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Skell Or Bust

Xenoblade Chronicles X is a massive, open-world RPG with elements similar to online multiplayer games. While your characters will automatically fight enemies once you start a battle, building up powerful combos can be fun. The combat isn’t particularly flashy, but the game’s world is truly impressive. Players explore a huge alien planet that humans are trying to make their new home, and it’s filled with unbelievably large creatures – some are as big as Godzilla!

The game gets much more enjoyable once players unlock their Skell, a mech that lets them drive and fly around. Adding flight to an open world is always a popular move with players, and this game delivers that experience.

Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)

Empty, But Compelling

As a huge fan, I always explain that Shadow of the Colossus isn’t your typical open-world game. It’s not filled with towns and people giving you endless quests. Instead, it’s beautifully empty – a forbidden land full of ancient ruins and these massive creatures called Colossi. You ride around this world searching for them, and the whole game is about fighting these incredible boss battles. The combat is good, but honestly, it’s the battles themselves that are unforgettable. You’re doing all of this to try and bring a girl back to life, and that drives you forward.

This game tells a captivating mystery within a strangely beautiful, unsettling world, making players feel like outsiders. For years, fans have been driven to uncover its secrets across every version of the game – from the original PlayStation 2 release to the updated versions on PS3 and PS4. They’re searching for small details that expand the game’s rich story, and the community has been piecing it all together online for over twenty years.

Grounded 2

Ants In Your Pants

Grounded 2 makes exploration enjoyable by turning everyday things into exciting adventures, similar to Fallout 4. The game revisits the story of kids shrunk down to a tiny size, this time in a brand new backyard. Players get to battle insects like beetles, ants, and ladybugs using weapons they create themselves. While the combat can be a little rough around the edges, like in Skyrim, crafting is a really fun part of the experience.

The concept of experiencing the world from a miniature perspective is incredibly creative, and it’s surprising it hasn’t been used more in games. The idea of a puddle feeling like an ocean, or using a dandelion seed as a glider, is truly amazing, and Grounded 2 delivers that sense of wonder in abundance.

2026-01-25 20:06