Open-World RPGs With The Best Exploration

There’s a unique joy in exploring, particularly in games with huge, mysterious worlds. These open-world games encourage you to venture into the distance, rewarding curiosity with discoveries and smaller goals as you work towards a larger objective – uncovering everything a virtual world has to offer.

As someone who loves open-world RPGs, I’ve noticed it’s really tough for developers to get exploration just right. You want to wander around and discover things, but if you get too powerful too quickly, it kind of ruins the fun. That means devs need to carefully balance rewards – making sure every new item or upgrade feels worthwhile and keeps you hyped to see what’s around the next corner. Today, I’m thinking about the games that nailed it – the ones where exploring felt genuinely rewarding and kept me hooked for hours.

This list focuses on games with strong role-playing elements, so we’ve left out more straightforward, story-driven action-adventure games like Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom, Ghost of Yotei, and similar titles.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

A Legendary-Grade Blueprint

Even today, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains a fantastic game, and it largely defined the open-world design we see in many modern titles. Its map is filled with interesting locations and things to discover, keeping players engaged even after years. What’s truly impressive is how the developers created a world that feels both vast and meticulously crafted. Every part of the Continent, from White Orchard to the bustling city of Novigrad and the islands of Skellige, is packed with detail and feels intentionally designed, making exploration a constant joy.

Players who explore every nook and cranny of the Witcher 3 will be rewarded. Hidden throughout the world are Places of Power that grant extra skill points, and caves or abandoned villages often contain valuable gear. You might even start a new quest just by finding a broken cart or lost item. The most challenging areas to reach hold the rarest and most powerful blueprints and materials.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

A Legacy That’s Impossible to Deny

No list of great open-world RPGs would be complete without Skyrim. As the fifth installment in the popular Elder Scrolls series, it excels at exploration. The game world is perfectly sized – dense and believable, with a great mix of wild landscapes and thriving cities (there are nine to discover!). Traveling across Skyrim feels like a real journey, not just a series of stops at different points of interest.

Exploring Skyrim is full of surprises. Beyond the usual dungeons and bandit hideouts found in open-world games, you’ll uncover hidden treasures, resource-rich mines, and even rare skill books. The world feels incredibly natural and detailed, which is likely a big reason why the game remains so popular.

Elden Ring

Defying the Formula

A few years ago, Elden Ring reignited players’ passion for open-world games. While the game’s world and exploration are impressive, what truly sets it apart is its refusal to follow typical open-world conventions. Staying true to FromSoftware’s style, Elden Ring offers a challenging experience with very little guidance. Players aren’t given many map markers or hints, and are instead encouraged to explore and learn the beautiful, yet dangerous, world on their own. Some players even recommend using a physical journal and pencil to help them navigate and keep track of discoveries.

Every action in the Lands Between feels rewarding. Players gain runes and items from enemies, allowing them to become more powerful, but the game is incredibly generous with its rewards – far more so than many previous games. There’s a huge variety of weapons, skills, and spells to find and use. Sometimes, players can even stumble upon entirely new areas, either by exploring deep underground or being unexpectedly transported, forcing them to quickly adjust to new challenges.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Catching the Tailwind

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey marked a significant shift for the series by fully incorporating role-playing elements like choices in conversations, detailed character development, and customizable combat styles with tiered loot. While it may not have the same level of RPG depth as games like Elden Ring or Skyrim, Odyssey was a bold move forward and features one of the most engaging worlds in the entire Assassin’s Creed franchise.

Ancient Greece provides an incredible setting for the expansive and lively world of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and the game truly makes the most of it. Players have complete freedom to explore on foot, horseback, or by sea, choosing their own path and deciding what to do next. A constantly evolving quest system and the threat of roaming mercenaries keep things exciting, and venturing into dangerous areas offers the best loot and most powerful legendary items. As the name suggests, AC Odyssey delivers a remarkably enjoyable and relaxed adventure that focuses on pure fun.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Immersive and Organic

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 stands out from typical medieval RPGs because it prioritizes realism. While some players might miss the powerful items and abilities often found in these games, Deliverance 2 doesn’t offer them. However, that doesn’t mean exploration isn’t enjoyable or worthwhile – the game features stunningly detailed and realistic environments like forests, swamps, and towns.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 prioritizes realism, making even small improvements feel impactful. Powerful items are genuinely rare and valuable, offering a sense of accomplishment you don’t often find in games that constantly shower you with rewards. Thanks to its immersive exploration, natural world, and interesting random events, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a uniquely deep and engaging open-world RPG.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Confidently Its Own Thing

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a unique open-world RPG that truly stands apart. Unlike many other games in the genre, it doesn’t rely heavily on quick teleportation. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of exploration and the journey itself. Players travel using carts, ferries, and ropeways along set routes, and these trips can be dangerous, particularly at night when visibility is extremely poor. The game also avoids hand-holding, offering minimal map markers or guidance, which keeps the world feeling mysterious and encourages genuine discovery.

Despite being a difficult game with tough enemies and huge bosses, exploring the world feels rewarding because the discoveries are well worth the challenge. Though the game’s vast world can start to feel a little repetitive later on – it doesn’t have quite as many unique areas as some might expect – fans of open-world RPGs will likely have a great time, as long as they’re willing to adapt to its particular gameplay style.

Fallout 4

No Better Place for Newcomers to Start

With the success of Fallout Season 2, the series is popular again, drawing in both longtime fans and new players. If you’re looking for a great place to start, Fallout 4 is arguably the best choice (though a remake or re-release of New Vegas would be amazing!). Fallout 4 perfectly captures what people love about Bethesda’s open-world RPGs, letting you explore a huge, detailed world with a straightforward objective: discover what’s out there.

In the ruined world of Fallout 4, you’ll spend a lot of time scavenging for useful items. But this game goes beyond simple collecting with its detailed crafting and building system. Almost anything you find can be used, and you can even rebuild the world around you. The game is packed with interesting and complex locations to explore, and reaching them is often a challenge. The real reward isn’t just finding better gear, but uncovering the rich and captivating stories hidden within the Fallout universe.

2026-01-07 14:35