It’s becoming harder to find, but a well-made, concise open-world game can be a real treat. The best ones still offer rich, detailed worlds, engaging side missions, and a focused main story. What’s great about these shorter games is they keep you hooked and wanting to play more, maintaining excitement right up to the end and even encouraging you to continue exploring after the story is finished.
The best thing about open-world games isn’t necessarily how long they are, but how captivating they can be. Players can easily spend countless hours discovering everything these worlds have to offer, or simply enjoy a faster experience by focusing on the main storyline.
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8. Just Cause 2
A Massive Sandbox Open-World Game With A Frantic And Short Story
- Main Story Length: 12–18 hours
All of the Just Cause games are relevant here because their main stories don’t usually take more than 20 hours to finish. The original game is particularly quick, clocking in around 10 hours, but it’s generally considered the least impressive of the series. We chose Just Cause 2 because it really established the franchise, and its story is surprisingly short given how large the game world is.
The game lets you freely explore and have fun outside of the main story, which adds a lot of playtime. However, the required missions are short and not very numerous. You could finish the main campaign in just 10 to 12 hours if you rushed through it. I’d actually suggest doing that – Just Cause 2 is most enjoyable when you’re causing chaos and not worrying about the story missions, but completing the campaign is definitely possible.
7. The Outer Worlds
Space Exploration Driven By Player Choices
- Main Story Length: 10–15 hours
In The Outer Worlds, players uncover a dangerous conspiracy that could destroy a space colony. The game is popular for its clever and well-written conversations, meaningful choices that impact the story, and a compelling plot. The Outer Worlds also uniquely adapts to each player, learning their strengths and weaknesses to create a personalized gaming experience.
Even though the first game has a relatively short main story, its multiple endings make it highly replayable. Each decision you make leads to different outcomes, ensuring a fresh and engaging experience. The sequel, The Outer Worlds 2, builds upon everything that made the first game great, especially with a much longer main story expected to take around 20 hours to complete.
6. Rage 2
Chaotic Combat In A Post-Apocalyptic World
- Main Story Length: 8–12 hours
Rage 2 is a fast-paced, first-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world. You play as a ranger battling for what’s right in a dangerous wasteland. Players love the game’s exciting and rewarding combat, along with the many vehicles and weapons you can collect while exploring its unique open world.
The game’s open world is a great setting for the action, though it can feel a little empty in places. It’s visually appealing, with diverse landscapes and plenty of interesting ruins to discover. Rage 2 is ideal for fast-paced, exciting gameplay if you’re not looking for a complicated story.
5. Journey To The Savage Planet
An Offbeat Space Exploration Story In A Semi-Open World
- Main Story Length: 6–10 hours
In this unique adventure, you play as a corporate explorer sent to the strange planet ARY-26 to determine if humans can live there. The game features a large, explorable world filled with vibrant, surreal environments and bizarre creatures. What really makes Journey to the Savage Planet special is its funny writing and the humorous events that happen along the way.
The main storyline in this game is brief, but there’s plenty to do beyond that. Players can freely explore a large world, complete a comprehensive survey, and create new items from resources they find. Despite its length, ARY-26 offers a satisfying and enjoyable experience.
Revenge of the Savage Planet is also quite short, although it is a bit longer than the first game.
4. The Pathless
A Mystical Action-Adventure Tale
- Main Story Length: 6–10 hours
In this game, you play as a hunter and her eagle companion on a quest to break a curse. Players are captivated by the beautiful, expansive world, featuring diverse environments like mountains, forests, meadows, and snowy areas. The Pathless stands out with its unique gameplay, letting you master both archery and falconry. The game’s innovative flight and shooting mechanics offer fresh perspectives as you explore.
Although The Pathless isn’t a long game, players appreciate it for its focus on exploration. It encourages a slower pace, allowing you to connect with the story and the bond you form with the eagle, while also fully appreciating the beautiful environments.
3. Ultimate Spider-Man
Spidey’s Shortest Open-World Adventure
- Main Story Length: 4–8 hours
Peter Parker games often feature open worlds, but they tend to be on the shorter side. While Insomniac’s Spider-Man trilogy beautifully recreates New York City, even completing the main story takes under 20 hours. Other Spider-Man open-world games like Web of Shadows, Spider-Man 2 & 3, and The Amazing Spider-Man games are even briefer, feeling more like visually impressive backdrops for a traditional 8-10 hour adventure.
I actually enjoy these games! I’m a big fan of lighthearted superhero adventures, and Spider-Man always provides that.
Compared to other Spider-Man games, Ultimate Spider-Man is surprisingly short. Even for its time in 2005, when open-world games weren’t as expansive, it could be finished in around 5 hours. Despite offering two playable characters with unique abilities and a decent-sized map for that era, the game feels rushed, likely because the developers, Treyarch, were under pressure to release games frequently. It also lacks substantial side missions or activities to extend the gameplay.
Even though it’s not perfect, Ultimate Spider-Man is still an enjoyable game, especially when you get to play as Venom. If you’re a big fan of the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, this is the best game available, and it’s a pretty good one at that.
2. Firewatch
An Exploration-Focused Wilderness Story
- Main Story Length: 4–6 hours
Okay, so I’m playing this game set way back in the 80s, out in the Wyoming wilderness. I’m a fire lookout, and things are getting seriously weird in the forest around my tower. The coolest part is the map – it’s huge and totally open, so I can wander around and explore at my own speed. The story unfolds as I go, and I’m not really rushed to do anything, which is awesome.
Though the main story is brief, this game is remarkably memorable. Its beautiful visuals and focus on emotions create a deeply immersive experience as you explore the wild landscapes and unravel the mysteries within – it’s a thoughtful and subtly unsettling journey.
1. Infamous: Second Son
A Superhero Romp That Moves At A Blistering Pace
- Main Story Length: 9–12 hours
Sucker Punch’s Infamous games took an interesting turn, becoming noticeably shorter with each release – starting around 15 hours, then shrinking to 13, and eventually 10. Focusing on the main games, Infamous: Second Son is both the most expansive and the shortest in the series. It boasts a slightly larger game world than previous titles, but its main story can be finished in just a few days. Despite not feeling rushed, Second Son is a fully-fledged, high-quality game that feels like it should take over 20 hours to complete, but it doesn’t come close.
This game features a detailed recreation of Seattle, diverse superpowers, and a true open-world design that feels like a playground. There’s plenty to do outside the main story, and your choices matter thanks to a karma system and multiple possible endings, encouraging you to play through it again. It captures the scope of a big open-world game from the PS4 era, but avoids unnecessary filler, keeping a good pace and knowing when to end.
Again, I’m not complaining.
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2026-02-21 18:40