Open-World Games With Multiple Layers to Explore

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Games like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption 2, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are celebrated for their expansive, unrestricted open worlds. However, a common issue with these games is the terrain itself.

Most games restrict players to moving on land or within underground areas like dungeons. It’s rare to find games that let you explore across land, underground, in the sky, on water, or even in space. Hopefully, future open-world games will offer more diverse environments, and we might see this in upcoming titles like Grand Theft Auto 6.

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

The Biggest Hyrule Yet

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom truly defines the open-world genre, offering an incredible amount to explore. It expands on the world of Breath of the Wild, with some changes to the landscape. Now, players can venture underground into a vast, mirrored version of the surface world, but much darker and more dangerous. Exploring below requires managing resources for light, avoiding deep pitfalls, and battling tougher enemies. However, the risks are balanced by the chance to find unique and valuable items. A fun addition for Zelda fans is the ability to pilot a mech in this underground area.

You can also explore the skies, which now feature floating islands scattered across the map. A brand new feature in this game is the ability to build vehicles, making it easier to travel across the land, underground, and between the sky islands. This version of Hyrule is definitely the largest in the entire series.

No Man’s Sky

Exploring The Galaxy

No Man’s Sky is a truly expansive open-world game – really, it’s more like an open-galaxy experience. When you start, you appear on a randomly created planet and can immediately take off in your spaceship. From there, you’re free to set your own goals, though a central mystery involves reaching the center of the universe. You can seamlessly travel from any planet to another, flying through space filled with asteroids, other players, and hostile creatures. By traveling between planets, you can create a network of connections to help you reach the galaxy’s center if you choose.

Players can also choose to stay on planets and collect resources, study plants and animals, and even explore underwater if there’s water. They can also reshape the land and dig deep underground. No Man’s Sky is perfect for players who enjoy exploring and building things more than fighting. However, because everything is randomly created, the worlds might not always feel uniquely designed, which some players may not like.

Donkey Kong Bananza

Dig Deep DK

One of the best reasons to get a Switch 2 is Donkey Kong Bananza, a game that really shows off the console’s ability to create dynamic, destructible environments. Players control Donkey Kong and can run, jump, climb, and even surf on debris. But the core gameplay revolves around DK’s powerful fists – he can dig and carve into the ground to create paths, unearth treasure like Banandium, and gain new abilities that make him an even more skilled digger. He can dig as deep as he needs to, or just reshape the landscape in search of riches.

Donkey Kong can swim in this game, but it doesn’t feature underwater exploration. Each area offers different ways to get around – some have floating platforms and materials that let DK reach the sky, like the Resort Layer, while others are focused on tall structures to climb, such as the Canyon Layer. Importantly, the game world resets when you move between areas, so your actions don’t permanently damage the environment. While it might not have as many levels to explore in each area compared to other games, Donkey Kong Bananza definitely has the most satisfying movement and digging controls, making you feel truly powerful as an explorer.

Minecraft

Just Keep Digging

Minecraft is an accessible game for players of all ages, with its simple, block-based graphics and easy-to-understand gameplay. While it doesn’t have a traditional story or tutorial, players quickly learn through trial and error. You’re dropped into a unique, randomly created world as a blocky character, and your goal is to explore and collect resources for crafting. Starting out, you can only gather materials by punching trees and the ground, but making tools like axes and pickaxes will significantly speed up the process.

In the game, players can dig underground to discover rare gems or dangerous lava worlds. With the right gear, they can also explore and even build homes underwater. While the game doesn’t naturally create areas high above the ground, players can construct structures to reach those heights and create their own floating islands. Over the years, players have shown incredible creativity, building everything from underwater labs and complex minecart systems to sprawling floating islands and beyond. This level of ingenuity clearly explains why so many similar games have emerged.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

An Alien Restart

Xenoblade Chronicles X stands out in the Xeno series for its incredible freedom. You create your own explorer and join humanity as they try to build a new life on an alien world. As you explore, you’ll battle creatures and set up beacons that gather resources and allow for quick travel. While you can’t dig underground or deep dive, you can explore caves and swim in the planet’s waters.

What makes Xenoblade Chronicles X’s world special is its seamless design. Unlike games like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, you explore without loading screens between areas like caves. Later on, you gain access to Skells – powerful mechs that let you travel quickly across the ground in vehicle-like form. Even better, Skells can fly, opening up previously unreachable areas and letting you explore from above. While it might not be the most open world out there, Xenoblade Chronicles X is undeniably huge.

Subnautica

The Deep Blue

Subnautica offers a unique and immersive underwater exploration experience. After crash-landing on an alien ocean planet, players must survive by diving into the depths, gathering resources, and scanning alien life. These discoveries unlock new technology in their lab, allowing them to either repair their ship or venture even further down.

While the tropical environments in Subnautica are beautiful, filled with plants and colorful fish, the game can also be genuinely frightening. You won’t find much in the way of weapons, so avoiding the massive sea creatures is usually your best bet. The main gameplay revolves around diving deep underwater, though you can swim on the surface and look for things like islands, but they don’t compare to the incredible diversity hidden beneath the waves. It’s not as expansive as some other open-world or survival games, but Subnautica offers the most stunning and immersive underwater world you’ll ever explore.

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2026-02-11 08:35