Summary
- MMOs offer diverse experiences, from exploration to combat, catering to all types of players.
- Unique games like Sky: Children of the Light and New World provide stress-free exploration.
- Long-running classics like World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online offer immersive worlds to explore.
MMOs are a broad and varied genre that appeals to a multitude of different players. While some people may be interested in grinding to the highest level, with some just wanting to spend some time cooking, one of the major draws is the sheer amount of exploration that these games have to offer.
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MMOs are perfect for players that want to embark on a crazy adventure in another world. This gets a bit easier with free-to-play options.
While MMOs will vary in size, there are plenty out there that provide hours of immersive maps to become engrossed in. Whether players' interests lie in touring far-off galaxies in Star Wars: The Old Republic or hiking through Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls: Online; there's sure to be an experience to appeal to every would-be explorer.
10 Fallout 76
Unique Appalachian Setting
Fallout 76
- Expands on the Fallout universe.
- Encourages players to be aware of their surroundings.
While Fallout 76 may not feature the most immersive exploration in the Fallout series, its large map size and open world ensure that players will still have plenty to see and do. The game places importance on base building, building a relationship between the gameplay and the environment - if players want to survive the hostile landscape, they must explore in order to find the perfect place to camp.
For fans of the Fallout series, this is also a chance to see more of the nuclear wasteland, exploring six regions of post-war Appalachia.
9 Sky: Children Of The Light
Cozy Indie Game
Sky: Children of the Light
- Released
- July 18, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Thatgamecompany
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Adventure, Indie Games
- Vibrant art direction.
- Perfect for players who only want to explore.
In a unique spin on the typical MMO, Sky: Children of the Light is a cozy indie game that features no combat. Instead, players solve puzzles, fly around, and explore the dreamlike world in order to progress; this makes it the perfect game for those who want a no-stress exploration experience.
While it is very different from other MMOs, Sky: Children of the Light is still a social game with a dedicated player base, so new players won't be undertaking all this exploration on their own.
8 Lord Of The Rings: Online
Middle Earth MMO
The Lord of the Rings Online
- Takes place in a faithfully rendered Middle Earth.
- Perfect for fans of The Lord of the Rings.
For those who have always wanted to explore The Lord of the Rings' Middle Earth, Lord of the Rings: Online may just be the perfect game: it features a dynamic Middle Earth that includes multiple regions and iconic locations such as The Shire, allowing players to walk the same paths as their favorite characters. Making the world feel more alive, the game incorporates weather effects and a robust day-night cycle, meaning the atmosphere can change around the player as they explore.
Though the game is slightly older, having been released in 2007, it's still capable of capturing the classic mood and tone of Tolkien's world.
7 New World
Beautifully Unique
New World
- Features a unique setting.
- Full of beautifully designed environments.
Fans of unique fantasy settings will undoubtedly enjoy exploring the beautifully rendered landscapes in New World. The game is set on the hostile, supernatural island of Aeternum, which features over a dozen regions, cities, and claimable territories.
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When players aren't out exploring the world, they are able to work together to build their own customizable settlements in most regions, allowing them to choose where they live. Additionally, New World is graphically beautiful to look at, with a mostly realistic art direction that showcases the care put into the game's visuals.
6 Star Wars: The Old Republic
Explore A Galaxy
Star Wars: The Old Republic
- Allows players to explore the Star Wars universe.
- Includes multiple planets to explore.
Likely to appeal to any Star Wars fan, Star Wars: The Old Republic is an MMO that has been running since 2011. Developed by BioWare (though currently in the hands of Broadsword Online Games), the company previously responsible for the acclaimed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, this game features lore-rich world-building that lends to its immersive atmosphere. In the game, players may use their ship to fly around the galaxy, their various missions taking them from planet to planet, each one with its own unique and interesting design.
The game's environments are also often exceptionally beautiful, giving players plenty of motivation to explore and take in the detailed environments around them.
5 Eve Online
Near-Endless Exploration
EVE Online
- Has a giant persistent world.
- Features near-endless exploration.
Eve Online is a huge science fiction game set in the distant future - it takes place in a persistent world, meaning the environment is constantly changing around the players. There are thousands of solar systems and wormholes to get lost in, so it would be difficult to run out of new places to discover.
The game also features playstyles that are designed specifically for players who want to explore the massive universe, giving exploration-inclined players a vital role in Eve Online's social landscape and economy.
4 Black Desert Online
Discover Hidden Secrets
Black Desert Online
- In-depth customization to allow full immersion.
- Takes place in an original high fantasy setting.
With its large map and fantasy setting, Black Desert Online is an MMO with a huge amount of content to explore and more on the way. It currently features multiple different regions, each one featuring cities, NPCs, and buyable houses.
Black Desert Online expects players to explore its world as much as possible, with fast travel being limited and integrated immersively - this means that the entire world is carefully designed to be as interesting as possible, with secrets, treasure, and quests hidden all over the map.
3 World Of Warcraft
An Influential Classic
World of Warcraft
- Incredibly influential to the MMO genre.
- Has been running since 2004.
First developed over two decades ago, World of Warcraft is a pillar of the MMO genre - it has been steadily expanding since its initial release, growing in size and content and, despite its age, its scenery remains timeless due to its vibrant and interesting designs.
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These MMOs were the blueprints for what players can expect in today's market, providing great entertainment even from decades ago.
Despite how large the maps are, with the game spanning multiple continents, they never feel empty; each one is packed full of content and quests. Boasting enough expansions to keep players busy for years and showing no sign of stopping anytime soon, World of Warcraft is a must-play for MMO fans who enjoy exploration.
2 Guild Wars 2
Made To Be Explored
Guild Wars 2
- Maps are carefully designed for exploration.
- There are huge amounts of content.
Guild Wars 2 feels as though it was designed with exploration in mind - players are rewarded for exploring the map and expected to jump and climb as they traverse the world, with some areas needing to be accessed in unique ways that require players to solve puzzles. The map is extremely large, with a diverse range of regions that vary in climate and visual style; each area is full to the brim with quests, dungeons, and puzzles, making it hard to ever get bored.
Overall, the game provides an amazing experience for all kinds of players but is particularly geared towards those who enjoy MMOs with exploration mechanics.
1 The Elder Scrolls: Online
Revisit The World Of Tamriel
The Elder Scrolls Online
- Released
- April 4, 2014
- Developer(s)
- ZeniMax Online Studios
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
- Set in The Elder Scroll's iconic Tamriel.
- Heavily focused on single-player exploration.
By far, one of The Elder Scrolls: Online's greatest strengths is its exploration - from its breathtaking locations to its engagement with the lore of The Elder Scrolls series, players have hours of exploration ahead of them. Featuring iconic locations such as Skyrim, Cyrodiil, and VVardenfel, Tamriel feels like a busy, living world full of rich lore and interesting NPCs to interact with.
The game is accessible both to longtime fans of The Elder Scrolls and to people who are just searching for an interesting new MMO experience.
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