Summary
- Traveling is often overlooked in games, but these titles prioritize it as a core gameplay experience, providing fun and relaxing journeys.
- These games offer unique and immersive experiences through exploring, driving, and surviving in various environments.
- Whether it's hiking, rafting, driving, or traveling through space, these games focus on the joy of the journey rather than just reaching the destination.
Traveling is often a part of games, especially in open-worlds and RPGs, be that in its gameplay or setting. However, most of the time, traveling is done through a loading screen or cut scene, with the actual process of traveling being a means to an end, rather than a core part of the gameplay.
However, there are plenty of games that use the process of traveling as their core gameplay loop, though outside of simulators like Euro Truck Simulator, there are often other gameplay mechanics supporting it. The following games focus on fun experiences while embarking on a journey.
10 A Short Hike
This beautifully realized indie game has a unique aesthetic and short but sweet playtime that's perfect for a quiet afternoon indoors. The game tasks players with making their way to the summit of a mountain through hiking, climbing, and flying.
Throughout A Short Hike, players will encounter charming NPCs, explore the mountain’s surrounding island, and gather collectibles in the form of "Golden Feathers" to reach higher points. The game's combination of a distinct art style and charming writing make it a relaxing, therapeutic journey.
9 Jalopy
This driving simulation game has players taking care of their car; changing tires, repairing, upgrading, and refueling to make their way across a procedurally generated world. There's not much conflict in Jalopy, but it's a quiet and meditative experience that can often be relaxing.
Throughout the game, players will travel from city to city scavenging for resources, making pit stops to repair and maintain their vehicles, and making purchases at vendors. Jalopy's journey is broken up into segmented "routes," which players can pick and choose from to make up a larger route, allowing for some replay value and player agency.
8 The Long Drive
This post-apocalyptic road-trip simulator is an atmospheric driving experience in which players travel across randomly generated desolate environments in a customizable vehicle.
The Long Drive focuses on exploration, immersion, and driving, and although the game includes car maintenance and survival mechanics, they are minimal. Furthermore, although the game is a driving simulator, it does allow the player to leave the car and walk around. This focus on allowing the player to drive where they want, and the procedural generation of the world, makes each player's journey in The Long Drive feel unique.
7 Snow Runner
This simulation game has players driving through hazardous, extreme environments in over forty unique vehicles, either solo or with up to four players in the game's cooperative multiplayer.
Success in Snow Runner is highly reliant on being patient and taking things as slow as possible, as players are tasked with transporting cargo to and from various locations through unapologetically hostile terrain. Players will need to pick the right route and choose their tools wisely, all while avoiding pushing their luck, to complete the game's variety of challenging missions.
6 The Flame In The Flood
This rogue-like game has players journeying down a rapid river on a makeshift raft with their dog companion in a post-apocalyptic environment. The game has a beautifully distinct aesthetic, as well as ambient sound design and music that help to immerse the player.
The Flame In The Flood's gameplay is primarily focused on survival elements and resource/inventory management as players make their way downriver, choosing when and where to stop and explore the various locations. Despite the minimalistic gameplay, The Flame In The Flood's atmosphere and immersive environments help to make the journey memorable.
5 Death Road To Canada
It's safe to say that The Oregon Trail would be perfect for this topic, but Death Road To Canada is a more accessible, modernized version of its classic gameplay loop. Death Road To Canada tasks players with getting a group of survivors to Canada in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.
In the game, players will manage their group both on the road and while exploring locations packed with flesh-eating undead. The game can be fairly lethal, and while it does feature a lot of arcade-style combat, Death Road To Canada links the combat encounters together with random events and traveling mechanics to make the journey whole.
4 Journey
This visually stunning, short but sweet game has players guiding a nameless character across a beautifully realized desert environment to reach the top of a shining mountain.
Journey's sound design and musical score are some of the best in games and help to add emotion and immersion to the title's wonderful atmosphere. The gameplay in Journey is minimal, focusing on the titular journey and the game's atmosphere over any form of challenge, but the experience is one worth having. The game also has a unique multiplayer system, though due to the game being rather old, players are far from guaranteed to experience it.
3 Sable
Sable is a meditative, exploration-focused experience with light puzzle elements that focus on movement. The game tasks the player with traveling across detailed, breathtaking environments to discover new locations and progress.
The game's original soundtrack by Japanese Breakfast combined with the game's unique pastel aesthetic provides the perfect melancholic atmosphere while exploring the ruined, desolate open world. Sable does have a narrative, NPCs, and dialogue to help paint the game's backdrop, but its focus on movement and array of landmarks to explore make it a title focused almost entirely on traveling from one location to the next, and figuring out how to get there.
2 Outer Wilds
This critically acclaimed space exploration game is a truly unique, atmospheric, and immersive experience with a beautiful soundtrack and charming dialogue, as well as a compelling mystery narrative that helps push players to travel to and explore the game's various planets.
Travel in Outer Wilds is simple and intuitive but manages to be immersive nonetheless. Players pilot a small spaceship, lifting off and landing in real-time, and use it to traverse the space between the Outer Wilds' distinct planets. While on a planet's surface, players explore on foot using a variety of gadgets.
1 Death Stranding
Putting players in the shoes of a glorified postman, Death Stranding tasks players with carrying heaps of cargo to and from various settlements in a post-apocalyptic America populated with horrific creatures.
The game's beautiful landscapes, immersive atmosphere, and melancholic soundtrack set the tone for protagonist Sam Porter's many arduous journeys. Players can use various tools and vehicles to help traverse the terrain, and while the gameplay is repetitive, it can often be therapeutic. Furthermore, the game's narrative - propelled by dramatic performances and competent writing - helps to link the game's various journeys together.