Ever need a day to fully get immersed in a game to make the troubles of life go away? For many, a good open-world game is the perfect way to escape reality as they can often offer endless ways to wile away hours from leveling up to exploring every nook and cranny. Open-world games are great, and there are so many out there today on all consoles.
Best Games About Exploring The Unknown
Step into the unknown for fame, fortune, and adventure in these games that focus on exploration.
While there are definitely some good examples worth considering, there are also smaller games that promote a sense of escapism. Whatever the case may be, whether immersive or so monotonous that players can turn their brains off, these games are great.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
A World Of Wonder
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild virtually has no limits in what players can do, as it starts quickly, and the world is gorgeous, especially when played on a Switch 2 now. It’s easy to pick a place on the map to travel to, for a quest or something, and then get sidetracked for hours.
Soon enough, time will fly by, and it may be time for bed. This is one of the most immersive versions of Hyrule to date, with the places to see, the slick combat, and the mesmerizing visuals.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Sometimes, You Must Smash
Donkey Kong Bananza
- Released
- July 17, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Sometimes, players may need to get a bit of aggression out, and Donkey Kong Bananza is the perfect solution. Set within several open biomes, players have free rein to tear up the world in whatever manner they please, from punching to throwing explosive materials.
Beyond the destruction, it’s also quite fun to explore and look for secrets like collectibles, level-up skills, or to grab a slab of earth and surf around. It’s a game so fun that players will forget they’re even holding a controller.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
An Affordable Housing Market
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Released
- March 20, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a simple life-sim game that starts slow, but once players get their established plot of land, they will be golden. Players can build a house and then learn recipes to craft furniture to put inside or outside their residence.
They can plant things like apple trees and then trade the fruits of their labor in for cash on their island or visit a friend’s to perhaps get a better deal. Every day brings a new task, just like real life, and the monotony of it all can be satisfying to just live in the moment.
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
Shiver My Timbers
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
- Released
- October 29, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Open-World
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag was not the first game in the series to feature sailing, but it is the first one to focus so much on it and the life of pirates. While there is a typical assassin-based plot to follow, that’s not the best part of the game.
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The freedom players will have on the high seas of the Caribbean is unmatched. It’s even better when sailing to the tune of crewmen singing sea shanties like “Dead Horse” or “Fish in the Sea,” which will fully immerse players into being a pirate in the 1700s.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Life In The Old West
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
For those who prefer cowboys over pirates, Red Dead Redemption 2 is the perfect simulator. Set in 1899, the life of outlaws and the classic Old West is fading out, but players, as part of the Van der Linde gang, are willing to give it one last hurrah. Players can get into plenty of mischief, from robbing banks to trains to just causing chaos in a town.
Alternatively, as Arthur Morgan, one of the members, players can try to be a changed man and hold off on criminal activities. Either way, there’s no better Western out there to make players feel like they've time-traveled.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Your Superhero Escape
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Released
- October 20, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
Sometimes, players want to be a superhero without having to dress up and pretend in front of a mirror, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a good video game alternative. As either Peter Parker or Miles Morales, players can patrol New York City to stop random crimes to feel like the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
They can also follow the plot and get into some classic Spider-Man stories involving Kraven the Hunter and Venom. Best of all, the web-swinging feels natural and will be the reason why players will prefer using it over fast travel.
Hogwarts Legacy
You’re A Wizard, Player
Hogwarts Legacy
- Released
- February 10, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
Since the movies started releasing in 2001, there have been accompanying Harry Potter video games, and most of them have not been fun. Hogwarts Legacy finally changed all that by giving players the freedom to create their own Hogwarts student to attend school way before Harry Potter was alive.
Players can attend classes, learn spells, make friends, and explore the school grounds on foot or with a broom. It’s everything a Harry Potter fan could want and more, minus being able to use magic in real life.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
Too Many Lives To Name
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
- Released
- May 21, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is an action RPG with a class system called Lives. Unlike most class-based RPGs, players are not stuck with one as they can freely change on the go.
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Also, Lives fall into different categories, all of which level up in different ways. A combat class, like the Paladin, levels up by attacking enemies, a crafting class, like the Cook, levels up by making dishes, and the gathering class, like the Woodcutter, levels up by chopping wood. However, players feel like role-playing that day, there is a Life for them.
Tetris Effect
The PSVR’s Selling Point
Tetris Effect
- Released
- November 9, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle
Tetris Effect was originally released for the PS4 with an option to play it in VR via the PSVR peripheral. While good as a Tetris game, it is a transformative experience that is indescribable unless players try it out in VR. The puzzle blocks pop, the music flares, and the background visuals will glue eyeballs to the screen and sink players into a dream-like trance.
It’s soothing, good for the brain, and just an absolute creative endeavor that manages to combine several types of media well. Tetris Effect: Connected is also a good game, expanding upon the original and adding multiplayer, but the VR version on PS4 is still THE way to play.
No Man’s Sky
To Infinity And Beyond
No Man's Sky
- Released
- August 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Hello Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Nintendo Switch 2
No Man’s Sky is the game for any type of player who wants to start a game and have it never end. The game uses procedurally generated worlds to create planets for players to fly to manually in their ship and then land.
They can scan plants and animals, build bases, meet up with friends, or cause a little chaos with patrolling drones. While action is a part of the experience, it’s an overall chill space-sim for anyone who dreams of going into space one day to discover the great unknown, if that day ever comes.
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