Open-world games are generally accessible experiences, especially in the AAA scene. However, there remain a wide variety of open-world games that challenge the player frequently, and sometimes immediately.
Best Open-World Games That Reward Creative Thinking
Open-World games already give players a great deal of freedom, and players who think creatively will enjoy these games.
These titles feature dangerous environments, deadly enemies, and unforgiving gameplay loops that some may find frustrating. However, this difficulty allows these titles to offer rewarding and satisfying gameplay.
8 Elden Ring
An Expansive World With Dangerous Enemies
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
Elden Ring may not be as immediately unforgiving as the pseudo-open-world environments of the Dark Souls games, but it does provide ample challenge from the get-go. This is especially so in the game's more condensed areas, where combat is more frequent and less avoidable.
Best Open-World Games With Interconnected Worlds
From Kenshi to Elden Ring, here's what makes these open-world games with interconnected worlds so incredible to explore.
For players who haven't experienced a souls-like before, Elden Ring will provide an even more immediate challenge. However, gaining an understanding of the game and its myriad enemies and bosses can be immensely rewarding.
7 STALKER: Shadow Of Chernobyl
Dangerous Treks Across A Supernatural Landscape
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
- Released
- March 20, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- GSC Game World
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl is an exploration-focused shooter with an emphasis on hardcore survival. The game's interconnected regions offer extremely hazardous open-world exploration, dense with wandering mobs and supernatural anomalies.
Exploring can be dangerous in STALKER, but it's also tremendously immersive. This is thanks to a living, breathing world populated by a variety of creatures and factions. The emergent gameplay that comes from these wandering denizens results in a dynamic world that's consistently engaging - but difficult - to explore.
6 Rain World
An Interconnected World With A Brutal Ecosystem
Rain World
- Released
- March 28, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Tobacco Reference
- Developer(s)
- Videocult
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Exploring the interconnected regions of Rain World can be an overwhelming task. This is thanks to a deeply simulated ecosystem that dumps players rather close to the bottom of the food chain. To make matters worse, deadly rainfall provides a looming threat throughout.
In the game, players must secure both food and shelter, or risk getting caught out in the lethal rain. Starvation is also a real threat, as players will need food if they're to hibernate safely. Simply surviving out in the open is no easy task, either. However, attempting to overcome these overwhelming odds is what makes Rain World so rewarding to play.
5 Battle Brothers
An Open-World Sandbox RPG With Challenging Combat
Battle Brothers
- Released
- April 27, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Overhype Studios
- Genre(s)
- Indie Games, Tactical, RPG, Strategy, Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Battle Brothers is a combat-focused open-world game with an emphasis on RPG character progression and resource management. Players must concern themselves with food, medicine, gold, even ammunition, as they explore a low-fantasy world rife with danger. Battle Brothers motivates exploration by tasking players with maintaining their wealth through the completion of dangerous contracts.
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Leading a group of gritty mercenaries, players must take careful consideration both in and out of battle, ensuring their soldiers are armed appropriately and with the right perks. Combat can be brutally unforgiving, but its complex systems are rewarding to learn. Furthermore, the RPG character progression offers a great deal of customization that allows for myriad strategies.
4 Gloomwood
Exploration Of A Dark & Interconnected City
Gloomwood
- Released
- September 6, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Gloomwood is a stylish combination of immersive-sim and survival-horror gameplay, topped with a dark and rich atmosphere and free-form exploration. Exploring this dark Victorian city is a tense and immersive experience thanks to a helping of eldritch horror and an emphasis on stealth gameplay.
Though aggressive confrontation isn't always possible, and rarely efficient, Gloomwood does allow players to explore and approach obstacles in multiple ways. However, players are always limited by their resources, and mistakes can quickly be punished. Furthermore, in a nod to survival-horror classics, the game can only be saved at specific locations. This makes Gloomwood difficult at times, but working through its evocative environments is a consistently engaging and often rewarding experience.
3 Kenshi
An Entirely Open & Utterly Hostile World
Kenshi
- Released
- December 6, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- nr
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Open-World, Survival
- Platform(s)
- PC
Kenshi is an immediately inaccessible experience thanks to its truly hostile world and complete lack of player direction. However, the hostile world encourages methodical play, the lack of direction champions player agency, and those who withstand the initial hurdles will find a rewarding loop beneath the surface.
The open-world environments of Kenshi are tremendously hazardous to traverse, but this also leads to a great deal of emergent gameplay; wandering mobs, interplay between factions. Kenshi provides a world that lives and breathes by itself, regardless of the player's presence, and for some, this will be enough to make its challenges worth facing.
2 The Long Dark
Challenging Survival In Relaxing Environments
The Long Dark
- Released
- August 1, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Hinterland Studio
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
The Long Dark is a hardcore survival experience that takes place in a harsh and hostile wilderness. The game's stark and eerily quiet environments are brutally unforgiving, but provide a soothing beauty under the right circumstances.
Surviving the difficult conditions of The Long Dark can be rewarding in a similar way to most survival games, but this title provides a uniquely relaxing experience. This is thanks in large part to the isolated nature of the world, the understated art style, and immersive sound design.
1 Caves Of Qud
A Traditional Roguelike With A Unique Open World
Caves Of Qud
- Released
- July 15, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Fans of traditional roguelikes will more than likely get a kick out of Caves Of Qud, with its brutally unforgiving gameplay and emphasis on tactics, resource management, and RPG progression. However, it also features accessibility options that remove permanent death and allow a broader demographic to enjoy the experience.
The world of Qud is a unique and interesting place, brought to life through evocative writing and a careful blend of procedural and hand-crafted content. The alien atmosphere, exotic nature, and distinctive world-building make Qud a consistently engaging place to explore, and its myriad dangers provide ample gameplay as players tread between landmarks.
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