The Biggest Open World Games You Can Play in 20 Minutes

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Open-world games face a tricky challenge: if their worlds aren’t filled with interesting things to do, they can feel empty. But adding too much can lead to repetitive tasks – collecting pointless items or running back and forth for uninspired quests. This can make open-world games feel overwhelming, especially since they’re often incredibly long, sometimes taking over 100 hours to complete, which can be daunting for players.

Many open-world games seem like they require hours of uninterrupted playtime to really get anywhere. But that’s not always true! These games are often perfect for shorter play sessions – even just 20 minutes here and there can let you make good progress.

Ghost Of Yotei

Each Mission Is A Bite-Sized Chunk Of A Delicious Whole

Sucker Punch’s new game, Ghost of Yotei, follows up on their popular Ghost of Tsushima with a traditional revenge story. The main character, Atsu, is driven to hunt down the Yotei Six after her parents are killed, and this quest threatens to overwhelm her. Interestingly, many players found themselves distracted from this central pursuit by the game’s many collectibles, beautiful landscapes, and engaging side quests.

The game offers a lot of side quests and ‘Tales,’ and they’re genuinely fun and rewarding. Even if you only have a short amount of time to play – like twenty minutes after work – you can quickly check the map for available missions. These Tales are usually short, complete stories that often feel touching and reveal surprisingly deep insights into the lives of even minor characters.

Monster Hunter Wilds

How About A Quick Hunt?

Long-time players of the Monster Hunter series knew exactly what to expect with Monster Hunter Wilds. The game focuses on hunting monsters, collecting materials to improve your equipment, and then using that better gear to take on even tougher challenges. A running joke among Monster Hunter fans is the “desire sensor” – the feeling that the game intentionally withholds that last crucial item needed to finish a complete set of armor.

Honestly, sometimes this game makes you fight the same monster over and over just to get what you need, and it can be really frustrating! I’ve started doing something different though: if I only have a short amount of time, like 20 minutes, I just go on one hunt. It’s a great way to quickly enjoy the game. It’s also perfect for winding down at the end of the night. Plus, if I’m playing with a friend, we can chat and catch up while we hunt, which makes it even more fun. And even if I don’t want to fight, 20 minutes is plenty of time to get organized – I can sort my storage, prep my gear, or even design some new armor. It’s a surprisingly productive little burst of gameplay!

No Man’s Sky

A Wealth Of Content To Experience As You Wish

Many long-time gamers remember that No Man’s Sky had a rough start when it launched in 2016. However, the game has been consistently updated and improved over the years to the point where it’s almost a completely different experience. While it doesn’t have the same peak player numbers as before, No Man’s Sky still offers a unique blend of space exploration and the ability to play for as long or as little as you have time for. With its ever-expanding, procedurally-generated universe (and beyond), there’s always something new to discover.

You can spend hours exploring planets, or quickly jump to the closest one for a shorter experience. You could also customize your ship to prepare for longer journeys – even just 20 minutes at the ship builder is really fun!

Elden Ring

Brief Practice Sessions Can Go A Long Way

The Soulsborne series is famous for being incredibly challenging, set in grim fantasy worlds with tough boss fights. Elden Ring continues that tradition, but with a key difference: it’s an open-world game. Players can expect to spend around 60 hours completing the main story, and roughly 135 hours if they aim to complete everything, according to How Long To Beat.

The journey to restore the Elden Ring will take a considerable amount of time, particularly for players who want to experience everything the game has to offer. But there’s no rush. Like trying to get a rare item in Monster Hunter Wilds, you can spend about twenty minutes attempting a boss or gathering resources to improve your character. This approach can help reduce frustration, give you a chance to rest, and prevent burnout.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

One Shrine At A Time

Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild offered a vast, open-world Hyrule unlike anything fans had seen before. To populate this expansive world, the game included numerous enemy camps, shrines, and collectible items. The sheer number of Korok Seeds (900!) and shrines (almost 140) is impressive, and the game is well-suited to shorter play sessions. Players can easily spend around 30 minutes completing a shrine they’ve marked on their map.

If you’re planning a longer play session, like tackling one of the Divine Beasts, it’s best to wait until you have uninterrupted time. But for shorter tasks, like finding Korok Seeds or gathering ingredients for a trip, you can still make progress even when you have to pause. The Switch’s ability to quickly enter sleep mode makes it easy to pick up right where you left off.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Just A Sidequest Or Two

Both Marvel’s Spider-Man and its sequel are among the best video games ever made based on licensed properties. A great Spider-Man game needs to make you feel like you’re really swinging through New York City, and these games nail that. But to stand out in today’s open-world games, there also needs to be plenty to collect. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 does this by introducing a system where you complete tasks in each district, like finding photo opportunities and hidden items, turning the map into a comprehensive to-do list. Luckily, the side missions and challenges are diverse and don’t take too long to finish.

Like other games mentioned, this one fits your schedule perfectly. You can dive in for a long, challenging hunt for every Spider-Bot, or just quickly complete a couple of Symbiote Nests before starting your day. Even simply swinging through the city and checking out random events can be a great way to unwind. While we don’t know who will develop the next Spider-Man game, Insomniac has really done amazing things with the character.

Grand Theft Auto Online

Build Your Reputation As You See Fit

With excitement building for the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the current game. Grand Theft Auto Online has expanded greatly since its launch in 2013 – remember the initial server crashes from everyone logging in at once! – and continues to add new things to do, vehicles to modify, and increasingly creative ways to earn huge amounts of in-game money.

This game offers something for everyone. You can easily lose track of time just hanging out with friends and chatting, or you can really focus on building a successful criminal empire. Whether you’re racing cars, pulling off heists, or doing other activities, everything you do helps grow your influence and wealth within the game.

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2025-12-09 06:06