Best Open-World Games If You Want To Protect Nature

One of the main draws to open-world games is the opportunity to explore and discover. Whether they're set on a huge scale or intimate and detailed affairs, the map of an open world game usually affords players a setting where setting off in a random direction is rewarded. It's easy to fall in love with a good open world setting, especially if it's a lush, natural setting that showcases an idyllic environment.

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But nature is delicate, and it's often due to a very precarious balance of factors that has created such a picturesque land. This balance can often be upset by opportunists or forces of darkness, and in some games, the player is charged with pushing back those who would harm the natural world. For those so immersed in their open world that they'd do anything to save it, these open-world titles let players protect nature from malign forces, with some even allowing for the restoration of devastated lands back to their natural beauty.

6 Yonder: Cloud Catcher Chronicles

Unwind In A Relaxing & Idyllic Open World

For gamers looking to take a slower approach to the open-world genre, Yonder is an excellent title. There is very little grind to be had here, but there is a wistful and story-book-style world of dazzling colors to explore. While this title is predominately focused on relaxation, there is a force that threatens the natural balance of Gemea, the game's setting.

Found flying across the continent are little Sprites, each with a unique ability to assist the player in clearing away the Murk. Dispelling the Murk, an aptly named cloud of fog that settles over Gemea, requires players to get several Sprites together at once.

5 BioMutant

Protect The Tree Of Life In This Unique Setting

This visually stunning game is unique in terms of both gameplay and presentation. It leaves much in the hands of the player where the story and character builds are concerned. It's easy to grow attached to the critters that populate BioMutant's world, and that only makes the impending plague headed for the Tree of Life that much more severe.

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While the gameplay is incredibly experimental, its narrative does essentially boil down to a light side/dark side path, with the light side especially focused on maintaining harmony with nature as the protagonist works towards restoring the Tree of Life.

4 Slime Rancher 2

The Tarr Are A Dire Threat In This Slimy Creature Collector

Similar to some other open-world titles that entice gamers to protect nature, Slime Rancher 2 encourages players to take things at their own speed, exploring and building to their heart's content. The moments of intensity in this title, however, emerge from the nefarious Tarr, corrupted slimes who threaten the very gooey ecosystem of the world.

So, breaking up the tranquility of the players' search for rare slimes, nature must be protected, and Tarr must be removed. To a layperson, this might seem like a fairly low-stakes interpretation of protecting nature, but protecting this world from can be incredibly satisfying due to the time and effort that is required for players to do so.

3 Wildmender

A Druid Must Restore A Barren Desert To Life

• Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
• Released: November 8, 2022
• Developer: Muse Games
• Genre: Open-world, adventure

Cozy gamers and all-round nature enjoyers may have hit the jackpot with this game. Wildmender is everything that a slow-paced open-world title should be. This game has players restoring a lifeless desert, channeling water to hydrate unique, beautiful plants to shape a ruined world into something new.

Restoring the desert - and ensuring that it stays restored - is the central focus of Wildmender, a Druidically inclined exploration game, where players feel all the more invested in what they're protecting because they were there when the first seeds were planted.

2 Skyrim

Many Quests Are Entrenched In Nature

Nature has many aspects in the world of Tamriel, from the totemic animals of ancient Nordic religions to Hircine's Wild Hunt and everything in between. One of the first quests Skyrim players encounter when they enter Whiterun has them not just embrace an aspect of nature but actively fight to protect it from degradation.

Saving the Eldergleam is one of the most cathartic and satisfying quests in early-game, and the reward is a beautiful, unique weapon that can serve as a badge of honor for players, acting as a sign that they fervently protected Kynareth's natural wonders from corruption.

1 Tales Of Maj’Eyal

Fight Against Arcane Users To Preserve Nature

One of the best open world roguelikes has an entire spellcasting system predicated on natural order and balance. Players who wish to protect nature can quite literally build their entire character around this concept in Tales of Maj'Eyal.

In this game, natural magics are actively clashing against the more arcane expressions of spellcasting. Mages and alchemists abuse the natural world for their magic, while druids, antimages, and telepaths work in alignment with the natural world for theirs. Players can feel nature thanking them when they 'deal' with magic users, and while the story of this ToME does a good job at keeping the conflict between magic and anti-magic fairly even sided, being a fervent protector of nature in the face of arcane spellcasters is a very cathartic experience.