Open-worlds have become a cornerstone of modern gaming, with many new titles now advertising a large open-world with tons of hours of content as a way to shift units. The appeal of an open world isn't too difficult to understand, as not only do many players enjoy the sense of freedom, but they also appreciate that the subgenre tends to be good value for money with the numerous quests and activities available.
However, open-world gaming isn't without its issues. Not only do many titles favor quantity over quality, but they also frequently inundate players with gameplay mechanics and lore to learn, something that more casual players aren't a fan of. To help out casual gamers who are looking for an open-world game that is of great quality but not too complicated to play, here are 10 great choices.
Updated on August 13, 2021, by Jack Pursey: Thanks to the sharp rise in prominence of the open-world genre, there are bucket loads of causal open-world games for fans of the genre to sink their teeth into. Moreover, causal open-world games are constantly increasing their length and amount of content, letting players delve into a game's universe for hundreds of hours. So, to shine a spotlight on some more excellent, casual open-world games, we've expanded this list by a further five entries.
15 Stardew Valley
• Release Date: 26 February 2016
• Available Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Android
ConcernedApe's Stardew Valley burst onto the open-world scene in 2016 and has provided one of the most encapsulating open-world experiences since Mojang Studios' Minecraft first hit stores. The farming, life simulator begins in a similar way to many games in the genre, with the player inheriting a plot of land that they are free to cultivate and build upon in any way that they choose.
Farming is far from the only thing that players can do in Stardew Valley, however, as the game offers tons other activities like fishing, mining, and growing social relationships.
14 Burnout Paradise Remastered
• Release Date: 16 March 2018
• Available Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
Burnout Paradise was originally released on the 22nd of January 2008 and offered an open-world take on the Burnout formula, which was a cornerstone of the street racing genre at the time. Ironically, Burnout Paradise inadvertently led to the downfall of AAA street racing games, as data showed that players were preferring to drive around the open world and utilize the game's social features rather than compete in street racing events.
Burnout Paradise Remastered was released in 2018 and offered a fresh coat of paint to the divisive modern classic.
13 Crackdown
• Release Date: 20 February 2007
• Available Platforms: Xbox 360
Xbox 360-exclusive Crackdown was one of the many games in the 2000s that tried to capture the magic of the Grand Theft Auto series while offering its own spin on Rockstar Games' winning formula. Like the recent Saints Row games, Crackdown differentiates itself from the GTA franchise with its over-the-top, explosive action that heavily favors fun over realism.
Crackdown was well-received by fans and critics, exemplified by its 83 critic score and 7.9 user score on Metacritic.
12 No Man's Sky
• Release Date: 8 August 2016
• Available Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Android, Microsoft Windows
In the five years since it originally hit stores, No Man's Sky has gone from being a disaster, to having one of modern gaming's greatest redemption arcs, to being one of the best open-world survival games of the last decade. Suffice to say, it's been a rollercoaster ride for Hello Games, though the future looks bright for the British studio.
No Man's Sky has become one of the survival genre's most engrossing games and exploring its world finally feels like the exhilarating experience that fans expected when the game was first announced.
11 Just Cause 4
• Release Date: 3 December 2018
• Available Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Like the aforementioned Crackdown, the Just Cause series has always been known for having little regard for realism. Just Cause 4 doesn't buck this trend, offering one of the most ridiculously over-the-top adventures yet.
The game is set in a fictional nation, on a map that is filled with numerous different biomes and has frequent hazardous weather conditions like thunderstorms and tornados. If that wasn't enough, the game also introduces some of the most hilariously nonsensical guns in the franchise's history, such as the Wind Gun and Lightning Gun that both allow players to create absolute mayhem.
10 LEGO City Undercover
• Release Date: 18 March 2013
• Available Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Wii U, Microsoft Windows
If someone were to put LEGO Star Wars in a blender with Grand Theft Auto, it would probably look something like LEGO City Undercover. The 2013 Wii U game, which is now available on numerous other systems, took the collectathon formula that Traveller's Tales created with LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game and applied it to a Los Santos-like world.
LEGO City Undercover was designed to utilize the Wii U's unique controller, which does harm the game's multiple ports. However, TT Fusion's open-world adventure is still great fun to play and offers around 50 hours of content for completionists.
9 A Short Hike
• Release Date: 5 April 2019
• Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Macintosh operating systems
The winner of the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival Awards, Adam Robinson-Yu's A Short Hike is a fantastic indie open-world game that ditches combat in favor of exploration.
The PC and Nintendo Switch game requires players to jump, swim and glide their way around the map as they try to locate golden feathers required to scale Hawk Peak. Like any great open-world game, the main adventure is supplemented by numerous side activities. Players can go fishing, locate treasure, and compete in the unique sport beachstickball to pass the time.
8 The Sims 3
• Release Date: 2 June 2009
• Available Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X, Android, BlackBerry OS, Windows Phone, iOS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, N-Gage 2.0, Wii, Nintendo 3DS
The Sims series initially hit stores in 2000 and was a pioneer in casual gaming. Electronic Arts' The Sims showed that gaming wasn't all about action and violence like Resident Evil 3: Nemesis or Medal of Honor, which had both released the previous year, and that the form of media was ready to appeal to a far wider audience than it currently was.
The Sims 3 is still considered the series's best entry today, as its open-world gameplay immediately elevated it from its predecessors. Freely exploring the map's town added a whole new layer to the series and is still fun to do today.
7 Immortals Fenyx Rising
• Release Date: 3 December 2020
• Available Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and Series S, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows
Whereas LEGO City Undercover is a combination of the LEGO movie tie-in games and Grand Theft Auto, Ubisoft's Immortals Fenyx Rising is like a mixture of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Assassin's Creed Odyssey. The link between the game and Odyssey is more than just in the playstyle and development teams, as the idea behind the game was formed when a glitch during Odyssey's development made all of the characters look like cyclopes.
Immortals Fenyx Rising isn't able to hold a candle to the quality of Nintendo's Breath of the Wild, hence why it's been giving the unfortunate nickname of Breath of the Mild among the community. However, it's still a thoroughly enjoyable open-world game worth considering for those who either want an experience like Link's latest adventure or don't have a Switch.
6 Eastshade
• Release Date: 13 February 2019
• Available Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Macintosh operating systems, Xbox One
Although the term "casual" is subjective, there won't be too many people arguing against the idea that Eastshade is the most casual game on this list. Eastshade starts somewhat dramatically, as the player washes up on a beach after being involved in a boat crash, but it soon finds a far more gentle and meditative pace.
Eastshade lets players explore the game's beautiful island and paint the world around them by simply capturing what they're looking at with a mechanic similar to a photo mode.