Summary
- RPGs like Persona 5 and Dragon Age: Origins lack open-world freedom for players.
- Expedition 33 captures an open-world feeling but remains very linear.
- Games like Avowed should have an open world to further lean into the game's great exploration.
RPGs bring their players into worlds of wonder, often having magic, monsters, and settings completely different from Earth. Players explore these worlds as they chase their main goal, often revolving around preventing the rise of something evil and powerful that risks the lives of everyone should the heroes fail in their quest.
Best RPGs With The Perfect Length, Ranked
Explore the best RPGs with perfect game lengths, offering satisfying stories and gameplay without overstaying their welcome.
Though there are plenty of excellent RPGs that allow the player to explore at their own leisure, this is not the case for all, as players might be relegated to certain areas, being denied the pleasure of fully exploring the map. While this suits certain games, the titles below could have benefited from a more open map that offered more free-form exploration.
7 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
There isn't Much of LA to Explore
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
- Released
- November 16, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Troika Games
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC
The ill-fated RPG made by Troika is based on the popular tabletop RPG in which players are one of the walking undead, balancing their withering humanity and insatiable thirst for blood while also dancing around the complex politics of the vampiric houses. In Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, players control a newly embraced fledging who finds themselves caught in tensions between rival sects that reaches a tipping point as an ancient sarcophagus is unearthed, rumored to hold something of great power within.
The fledgling's story takes them to a few places of note in LA, such as Downtown, Hollywood, and Santa Monica, all reached by hitching a ride with a mysterious cab driver who might be more than meets the eye. As players fast-travel from hub to hub, there isn't any real room for exploration off the main path, which is a shame when set in such an iconic, sprawling location. But, given the fact that Bloodlines had to be rushed to completion, it is entirely possible that there might have been plans for a more open-world structure that could not come to fruition because of its cursed development.
6 Persona 5
Many Discovered Areas Can Only Be Visited by Another Person
Persona 5
- Released
- September 15, 2016
- ESRB
- m
While some Persona games favor using a fictional city as its setting, Persona 5 decides to take players into Tokyo itself after the player character, code-named Joker, was falsely accused of assaulting the corrupt politician Masayoshi Shido. This city is where he will serve one-year probation, and thus he will be given the chance to explore this popular metropolis — at least to a limited extent.
The Persona games have never ventured into the open-world genre, and given the nature of these games, that might be for the best. But, since Persona 5 is set in a major city, they could have given players a little more freedom, as some locations aren't even accessible unless Joker invites the right person along on an outing, and some of these locations are disappointingly small. While a completely open world might push Persona 5 well beyond what it was going for, the game should have opened the map up a little more to give players the freedom to explore as they please.
5 BioShock
Rapture is One of the Most Interesting Game Locations of All Time
BioShock
- Released
- August 21, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
BioShock is an intriguing game, as it blurs the lines between first-person shooter, horror, and action-RPG, which means it has a lot to offer — except for an open world. Playing as a man named Jack, players plunge into the ocean after their plane crashes, leading them down to the underwater city of Rapture. This once-promised utopia has descended into a nightmarish dystopia, as now Adam-addled splicers and Big Daddys run rampant. Guided by Atlas, players work their way through Rapture to the man running the show: Andrew Ryan.
Best Open-World Games For Underwater Exploration
Most open-world games allow players to explore across a wide variety of lands, but few try to expand upon the oceans and let players explore there.
Players can, to an extent, wander off the beaten road, but unfortunately, Rapture isn't completely free to explore, and the story follows a linear structure that cannot be deviated from. Some locations are even locked until players progress through the story, which means, sadly, they can't see everything Rapture has to offer, as the intriguing world is bound to be one that players want to explore.
4 Avowed
The World Could Have Been So Much Bigger, So Much More
Avowed
- Released
- February 18, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
In the shoes of an Envoy, the player leaves the Aedyr Empire to look into a mysterious plague known as the Dream Scourge, traveling from place to place while they seek a cure. Set in the same university as Pillars of Eternity, players have the chance to explore the Living Lands in the world of Eora, made up of several different biomes, from forests to deserts to dark caves and flowing rivers.
But actual exploration in Avowed is fairly limited, which is a shame as the Living Lands are such an interesting and diverse place. The game simply gives a taste of what could have been, as this game could have been one of the greatest for free-roam exploration. Maybe in a possible Avowed 2?
3 Dragon Age: Origins
The World Map Completely Nullifies Exploration
Dragon Age: Origins
- Released
- November 3, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
The first entry in BioWare's fantasy RPG series, Dragon Age: Origins introduced players to the world of Thedas, specifically the kingdom of Ferelden, as it falls victim to an oncoming Blight, which is when creatures known as Darkspawn are led to the surface by an Archdemon, and they ravage the lands and its people without mercy. Only the Grey Wardens can stop them, but their forces were demolished in an attempt to stop the Darkspawn at Ostagar, along with Ferelden's King and his army. Only two Grey Wardens seemingly survive and remain in the realm, one of them being the player character.
Afterward, the Wardens travel the land and gather allies to make one last stand against the Darkspawn. They do so by traveling from place to place, which is done by selecting a new location on the map, which they then fast-travel to. While this certainly saves time and keeps the story focused, it also completely prevents any opportunities for exploration which could have led to treasure, hidden locations, or even exciting new side-quests to give players a much-needed break from dreaded places such as the Deep Roads and Circle of Magi.
2 Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Midgar is Lacking in Exploration
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
- Released
- April 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix Business Division 1
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
A much-needed remake of one of the most acclaimed JRPGs of all time, Final Fantasy 7 Remake brings back the treasured characters of the original game, all with a fresh coat of paint. Following the same story (with some tantalizing twists), a former member of Shinra Electric Power Company's SOLDIER team, Cloud Strife, grows disillusioned and abandons Shinra, joining a rag-tag team of mercenaries at Tifa's behest.
Midgar proves to be quite a linear setting by design, as for quite a long time, players will be dragged from location to location, and once they are free to explore, there isn't really much worth doing, especially compared to its sequel, Rebirth, which features a massive open world. As Square Enix has proven in the past, they can do open-world games very well. With Midgar offering the potential for unique verticality due to the plates dividing the upper and lower city, Final Fantasy 7 Remake could have delivered a novel setting for an open world.
1 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Despite Capturing the Feel of an Open World, Expedition 33 is Very Linear
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Released
- April 24, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Kepler Interactive
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Sandfall Interactive entered the gaming industry with a bang, as their debut game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, shocked and thrilled fans all across the world. Set in a fascinating original world evocative of 19th century France, the people of Lumiere are slowly dying off, as every year, the mysterious Paintress paints a number on the horizon that decreases by one each year. Everyone of that age dies. This has led to the expeditions — daring missions wherein brave people depart from Lumiere to slay the Paintress to save the futures of those still alive.
And, of course, the players are setting off for the latest expedition, embarking out into the strange world glimpsed on the horizon, hoping their expedition will be the one that finally succeeds. This new world feels expansive, with a charming overworld map that offers some great exploration, with little pocket areas worth exploring, but for the most part, it is a linear game, and players will always need to return to the path that leads them to the main quest. An open-world design might have deepened the game's immersion even further, allowing for greater exploration, more optional fights, or even side objectives. It would have especially been a great way to further honor those that came before, highlighting previous expeditions' struggles (even moreso than the base game already does). After all, they have one year, so the Paintress can surely wait.
Best Semi-Open World RPGs, Ranked
These semi-open world RPGs deliver the best of both worlds, offering detailed areas, rich exploration, and endless adventures to dive into.