Open-World Games With Better Exploration Than The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is widely considered one of the best open-world games ever made. While the story, gameplay, and visuals are all excellent, a key reason for its popularity is the incredible freedom it gives players to explore. You can ride across stunning landscapes and glide from mountaintops, discovering new areas or simply enjoying the beautiful world around you.

While Breath of the Wild offers fantastic exploration, other open-world games sometimes do it even better. Some achieve this by giving players complete freedom to roam and do anything, while others create worlds so packed with interesting things that every journey feels worthwhile, no matter where you go.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Taking Off Into The Clouds

Even years after its release, Xenoblade Chronicles X stands out as one of the most impressively expansive open-world RPGs ever made. The game takes place on the alien world of Mira, which feels incredibly vast and invites exploration. Its diverse environments – from bright jungles and dry deserts to surreal floating islands – are huge and full of life, making every part of the world feel unique and worth discovering.

What really sets this game apart from Breath of the Wild is how vast and surprising the world feels. While Hyrule is lovely to explore, this game constantly keeps you guessing. Traveling is also much more exciting thanks to the Skells – vehicles that let you launch into the air and soar above the landscape. That first flight is incredible, and it remains thrilling even after hours of gameplay.

Outer Wilds

Adding Meaning And Intention To Exploration

Outer Wilds is more than just an exploration game; it’s a unique experience that captures the joy of being curious. You’re trapped in a tiny solar system that keeps repeating the same 22 minutes as it’s destroyed, and each planet holds a piece of a larger puzzle. Instead of focusing on collecting items or fighting, you’re motivated by a desire to uncover a central mystery, following clues and strange signals to understand what’s happening.

I think what really sets Outer Wilds apart from games like Breath of the Wild is how it makes exploring feel like you’re actually learning things, not just trying to beat the game. There aren’t any enemies to fight or levels to grind – it’s all about slowly piecing together clues until you have this huge ‘aha!’ moment that completely changes how you see everything. It’s not about running around a big world and fighting; it’s about being challenged to find the answers yourself, and that’s what makes it so special and thought-provoking.

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Where BOTW Walked, TOTK Flies

While Breath of the Wild revolutionized open-world games, Tears of the Kingdom truly mastered the formula. It took everything that made the first game great and added incredible new dimensions with its focus on height and player creativity. Few games take such risks, but Tears of the Kingdom makes the world feel both bigger and easier to navigate. The new Ultrahand and Fuse abilities let players build almost anything – vehicles, bridges, and contraptions – to reach previously inaccessible areas, turning exploration into a limitless creative process.

This update makes the game feel more unique and personal. Players are no longer limited to pre-defined paths for gliders or horses; they can create their own routes to explore the world. It’s more than just getting from point A to point B – with the addition of the Depths and Sky Islands, Hyrule is now a complex, multi-layered adventure where every direction offers something new, and no two journeys are alike.

Elden Ring

Every Direction Is A Feast For The Senses

Elden Ring truly sets a new standard for open-world games, offering players a stunning and consistently surprising world to discover. From the moment you start, the massive Erdtree dominates the landscape, and you’re launched into a journey with incredible freedom. You’ll explore everything from sprawling underground cities filled with dangerous enemies and powerful bosses, to towering mountains where you’ll battle colossal giants and dragons.

While Breath of the Wild might have slightly better controls, Elden Ring offers a much richer and more extensive world to explore. Players can keep discovering new areas and secrets even after finishing the game multiple times. The recent expansion adds an enormous new area, providing even more places to visit, items to collect, and challenging enemies to defeat.

Subnautica

Revealing Secrets And Horrors Under The Sea

Subnautica drops you into a stunning, alien underwater world where you’re stranded and must find a way to escape. What makes the game special is how it balances peaceful beauty with terrifying moments, creating a constant sense of both wonder and fear. Each dive reveals incredible sights and frightening creatures, but you’ll always feel like you’re making progress towards your goal.

I love how this game really ties exploring to actually surviving. You’re not just wandering around; you need to go further and dig deeper to find stuff that keeps you alive if you want to get anywhere. While Breath of the Wild is all about freedom and relaxing, this game makes exploration a necessity. It really pushes you to face your fears and keep going, even when you’re diving into the scary, dark depths.

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2025-11-10 20:08