Freedom is an important part of many video games, as players don't want to feel as though they are being restricted or forced down a specific path. Instead, they want to be able to choose their own adventure in the world. Many of the best games out there offer this heightened level of player freedom, and there are plenty more games releasing soon that are looking to give players all the liberty they could ever want.
Upcoming Games All About Exploration
Prepare for an exciting journey filled with discovery in these upcoming games.
There are new adventures in classic fantasy worlds, and modern cities that have no limits on where to go or what to do, but the common thread is always giving players the tools they need to explore and engage with the world on their own terms. For fans who really love being able to play their games how they choose, there are plenty of upcoming titles to add to their wishlist and get excited about.
Light No Fire
A Whole Planet For You To Explore
Light No Fire
- Developer(s)
- Hello Games
WHERE TO PLAY
Light No Fire is practically the embodiment of player freedom, gifting players with a planet-sized landscape to explore and giving them everything they need to have the adventure of a lifetime. Players can journey out on foot with a group of friends, or glide high into the clouds on dragonback to take in their surroundings, all without ever feeling compelled to take a pre-determined path or walk a specific road.
Along the way, players will bump into cities full of NPCs and structures from times long ago, and potentially even a few other travelers who are sharing the same open-ended experience. The lack of boundaries in the world will make every session feel like a completely new story waiting to be told, and even if players want to stop and rest a while, the world will always be waiting for them when they return.
Gothic: Remake
Returning To The Dark And Brutal World
Gothic 1 Remake
- Released
- 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
Gothic: Remake r eimagines the cult classic RPG with modern visuals and refined gameplay systems while preserving the freedom that made the original so iconic. Players once again find themselves trapped in a brutal world where every alliance, action, and conversation carries consequences, and the fate of the kingdom very much lies in their hands.
Say Hello To The Next 5 Big Open-World Games
For fans of open-world gaming, these titles on the horizon are ones to watch for.
The freedom comes from the player's ability to decide exactly how their story plays out. They can choose to side with factions or walk a path of their own, or even go as far as to manipulate their way to the top, each giving a distinctive experience that carries through to the end of the game and ensures that no two playthroughs will ever be the same.
Clockwork Revolution
Steampunk Meets Time Travel
Clockwork Revolution
- Developer(s)
- inXile entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
Clockwork Revolution is a first-person RPG that puts the power of time in the player's hands. Set in the steampunk city of Avalon, players wield a time manipulation device capable of changing key historical moments, meaning that actions can ripple forward and transform the city’s present in unpredictable ways.
This mechanic gives an unparalleled level of narrative freedom, letting players rewrite events, alter social hierarchies, and reshape the political balance of the entire city. The game encourages experimentation and heavily leans into the timeline alterations, allowing players to decide whether to save or exploit the city’s citizens without ever feeling compelled to make one decision over another.
The Blood Of Dawnwalker
Human By Day, Bloodsucker By Night
The Blood of Dawnwalker
- Developer(s)
- Rebel Wolves
WHERE TO PLAY
The Blood of the Dawnwalker is an RPG focused on personal choices and their consequences in a dark and bloody fantasy world. Players step into the boots of a cursed dawnwalker, balancing vampiric power and morality in a world ruled by ancient bloodlines and forbidden magic. They will need to wrestle with the two sides of their character, one clinging to humanity and the other hiding in the shadows.
There is a lot of freedom afforded to the player in virtually every aspect of the game. Combat can take on a variety of styles depending on how the player wants to approach certain fights, and the story ebbs and flows with each choice made and every character interacted with. Quests aren't even segregated into main and side activities, and are instead presented on equal terms, allowing the player to prioritize the tasks they feel are more critical. The Blood of Dawnwalker promises to be a reactive journey that doesn't set players on a linear path, but invites them to carve one themselves.
Crimson Desert
The Next Big Fantasy Epic
Crimson Desert
- Released
- March 19, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Pearl Abyss
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World, Exploration
Crimson Desert offers freedom on both a narrative and gameplay level, setting a new standard for what is possible in an open-world RPG. Players follow Kliff's deeply personal journey as he attempts to recover from the loss of his family, but despite a clear narrative path, there is still plenty of room to branch out into other stories across the world.
A lot of agency is afforded to the player, both in terms of how they approach quests and how they explore the world. With such a large landscape to discover, all the boundaries are removed, allowing players to glide through the skies and explore every single corner of the map to truly feel immersed in this breathtaking fantasy adventure.
Grand Theft Auto 6
The Biggest City Sandbox There Is
Grand Theft Auto 6
- Released
- November 19, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto 6 is true next-gen open-world that brings with it a level of graphical fidelity that has never been seen before in the gaming world. Aesthetics aside, the game comes with all the same liberties that players have come to expect from the franchise, letting them follow the narrative across the city or venture out into the surrounding wilderness to find things to do with no direction at all.
Best Open-World Games That Gradually Open Up, Ranked
In these games, the player's world slowly expands as they progress the story and build their character.
GTA has always prided itself on being the pinnacle of open-world freedom, but this entry is looking to go above and beyond to deliver the most groundbreaking video game experience ever made. There will be streets full of stores and people to meet, activities littered across the landscape, and a level of scale that will blow everything else out of the water when it finally releases after many years of eager anticipation.
Fable
Exploring Albion All Over Again
Fable
- Released
- 2026
- Developer(s)
- Playground Games
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
- Engine
- unreal engine 4, forza tech
- Franchise
- Fable
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Adventure
Fable is a series that hasn't been heard from in many years, but this reboot aims to revive the series and bring back that same iconic feel that made the originals so well-loved. Players once again set out on an adventure across Albion, with the world and story molding to every single decision they make, no matter how big or small.
Combining humor with some dark fantasy themes, the revival is looking to stand apart from the crowd by making players feel as though the world itself is living and breathing with them. It doesn't matter if they are kind or cruel, if they want to be a hero or a criminal; every approach has a place, and every choice has a meaning that will impact their journey.
Ananta
Breaking All The Rules At Once
Ananta
- Developer(s)
- Naked Rain
WHERE TO PLAY
Ananta is an unreal blend of GTA and Spider-Man, and just about any other source of inspiration that could possibly fit into a single open-world game. Players enter an anime-style urban landscape as an elite agent, traveling across the city to fight against supernatural enemies, corporation thugs, and even a few sentient toilets running through the streets.
The name of the game is fun, and players won't have to play for long to find it. Just in the traversal alone, players can run, drive, swing, and sail through the streets, moving between locations in a matter of moments in whatever way they find the most enjoyable. There is so much to do and see, and players will be constantly laughing and smiling both at the comedic characters and story, but also at the lack of limits placed on the entire gameplay experience.
Best Open-World Games More Beautiful Than Real Life
With this selection of open-world games, players are going to be immersed in worlds that are far more beautiful than real life.