Some open-world games have combat that's so good, players can forget about the exploration aspect. For example, Soulslike fans come to games like Elden Ring for the satisfying, challenging, and rewarding combat that no other genre can provide. Ghost of Tsushima is another great example, with a world that is drop-dead gorgeous but also fun to play in with loads of bloody samurai action.
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These games all delivered spectacularly on the action and RPG front, and they also feature incredible open-world environments.
While those two examples have cool worlds, exploring them is not the main aspect that makes them great. The following open-world games are great because of the many forms of exploration options, easily surpassing their combat systems. That doesn’t mean they have bad combat, either; it just means that wandering through the world is what players will remember most fondly after the credits roll.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
It Was Never About Combat
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
Everything surrounding the combat system in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is good, but actually fighting enemies is not the thing that most fans like about the game. Instead, it's the freedom they receive almost instantly, where they can explore city streets, far-off ruins, or deep, dank caverns.
There are locations everywhere, including giant boss-like encounters that can grant players new dragon powers. Every second of the game could lead to another discovery, and it's still fun to spend endless hours in the land of Skyrim.
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
Sailing With A Song
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
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Open-World
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag has combat similar to the previous AC titles, where players wait for enemies to attack and then counter their advances for a cool kill. It's efficient, but the best thing about being a pirate isn’t killing people; it’s being able to command a giant galleon ship all their own, and that's what makes it truly feel like an adventure. Well, that and the pirate crew singing sea shanties.
The Caribbean islands players can sail to are filled with plenty to discover, from settlements to rare animals to hunt, plus the underwater ruins that lead to sunken treasure never cease to be awe-inspiring.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Kojima’s Hidden Secrets Are Everywhere
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Released
- June 26, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
Players are going to see a lot of Mexico and Australia as they play Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and deliver packages to the many underground bunkers that populate these two countries. Exploring and finding the best routes is half the battle, as it’s not always a straight line between destinations.
Players can open the map, create waypoints to avoid hazards like rivers or steep cliffs, and then embark on foot, in a vehicle, or by setting up a chain of ziplines. 3D-printed equipment can help, so even though there is some third-person shooting when things get hairy, this is primarily a courier game with an intense story.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
A Literally Broken System
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is heralded as one of the best action-adventure games (and one of the best Zelda games) of all time, but there is one glaring flaw: breakable weapons. Getting into fights can be fun, but with weapons that are constantly falling to pieces, it’s more frustrating than anything. Thankfully, the exploratory freedom and openness are even greater than The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.
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Players are free to climb most surfaces in the world, from trees to mountains, and then once they reach the top, they can glide back down. With monster settlements, towns, Shrines, Koroks, and so much more to find, this world can entertain players for hundreds of hours.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Punch, Grab, Repeat
Donkey Kong Bananza
- Released
- July 17, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Donkey Kong Bananza is an action platformer with a heavy emphasis on collecting things. Donkey Kong’s fists can pummel enemies just as steadily as he can smash through rocks and make tunnels, as destructibility is the number one gimmick in this game. That’s what makes it so fun to explore.
Players can make their own routes to various treasures like Banandium, which can lead to DK unlocking new skills. Each biome is different, giving players several mini-open-world environments to explore, from frozen tundra to tropical beaches.
Hogwarts Legacy
Live Out Your Hogwarts Dreams
Hogwarts Legacy
- Released
- February 10, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Software
Hogwarts Legacy begins with an exploration of some seaside cliffs, which is a beautiful area, but fans of Harry Potter will understandably be itching to get to Hogwarts as soon as possible. That’s presumably why most purchase the game in the first place, and not for the serviceable magic system. They want to live out their fantasies as a wizard attending school.
Thankfully, it won't take long to arrive there. Once they're sorted into a house, they can explore the school and its castle grounds as much as they want, looking for Easter Eggs and little secrets hidden throughout. Hogwarts Legacy certainly isn’t the first game to let players explore Hogwarts, but there’s never been a Harry Potter game with as much detail as this.
Fallout 4
The Destruction Of History
Fallout 4
- Released
- November 10, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Fallout 4 is not the prettiest open-world to explore, but it does have a lot to see. It will ring that familiar bell for players who live in the Boston area and see locations inspired by real places, from big harbors to stadiums. That’s one appealing part of any post-apocalyptic game that takes place on Earth.
Players hopefully never have to experience apocalyptic dread in real life, and so instead, they can have a good time with escapism in a video game, exploring dilapidated versions of historical monuments. The gunplay is better than most Fallout games, but that is not the focus here and probably never will be for the series in general.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Skell Or Bust
Xenoblade Chronicles X
- Released
- December 4, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Animated Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Monolith Soft, Nintendo SPD
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
Xenoblade Chronicles X is an MMO-style open-world RPG where the player's party will attack monsters automatically if they're commanded to. Building up combos can be satisfying, but it’s not the showiest combat system on the planet. However, the scale of this alien planet, which humans are colonizing as a new Earth, is unbelievable, as there are monsters the size of Godzilla that tower over players.
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Both combat and exploration improve once players unlock their mech, called a Skell, which allows them to drive or fly around to see new heights, literally. Any game that adds flight to check out more of the environment always gets a win from open-world fans.
Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)
Empty, But Compelling
Shadow of the Colossus
- Released
- February 6, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bluepoint Games, JapanStudio, Team Ico
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
Shadow of the Colossus is not a traditional open-world game, as it isn’t blanketed with NPCs or quests of any kind. Instead, the world is empty. The game takes place in a forbidden zone filled with ruins and giants known as Colossi. Players explore the world looking for these titans to fight in unforgettable boss battles with serviceable combat, all in the hope that by killing them, they will revive a girl.
It’s a mysterious story set in a haunting world that will effectively make players feel out of place. That said, this mystery has compelled fans to explore for years in all versions of the game, from the PS2 to the PS3 to the current PS4 remake. It's all in the hopes of finding little secrets that can help flesh out the lore, something that the internet has been sleuthing over for two decades.
Grounded 2
Ants In Your Pants
Grounded 2
- Released
- July 29, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen / Violence, Blood
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
Grounded 2 makes exploring fun because it makes the ordinary extraordinary, much like Fallout 4. Grounded 2 takes place in a new backyard in which the kids from the first game are shrunk down again. Players can wallop beetles, ants, ladybugs, and more with homemade weapons. It’s a bit janky, like the combat in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, but the crafting part of it is fun.
Rediscovering the world as a tiny person is such an imaginative idea that it's surprising more developers haven't explored it. The very idea that players can swim through a tiny puddle like it's a lake or that a dandelion tuft can be used to glide around is mind-blowing, and Grounded 2 offers that kind of wonder in spades.
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