Open-world games are made for players who love to take their time. They don’t rush anyone or point straight to the end. Instead, they drop players into worlds that keep growing the more they explore. These are games built for people who want to see how far a world can go when it’s filled with hidden stories, living environments, and endless freedom.
Longest Open-World Games
Even the most sophisticated gamer will be bewildered by the sheer scale of these games. These are the open-world games that take the longest to beat.
Every one of these open-world games encourages players to explore, experiment, and gain mastery. As such, before long most players will realize they’ve already spent over 100 hours playing them. These open-world games keep players hooked right from the introduction to the very end.
For this list, the focus is on the completionist times, which are sourced from How Long To Beat.
Valheim
Completionist Time: 145 Hours
Valheim
- Released
- February 2, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- r
- Developer(s)
- Iron Gate AB
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
Valheim places the player in a vast, procedural world inspired by Norse myth. The game gives them a simple goal at first: survive, find resources, and defeat the world’s bosses. The world itself encourages long, open-ended projects, so players must plan ahead. They have to gather wood and stone, then use those materials to build tools and shelters.
Valheim’s progression depends on defeating some pretty tough bosses, and beating one of them unlocks higher-tier materials and new biomes. Preparing for those fights might take some time because players do so by exploring to find special resources, building better armor and weapons, and often constructing a dedicated base area for resupply. Players who want a “complete” feel should aim to see each biome, build a major settlement, craft full armor and weapon sets, and defeat all bosses on higher difficulty. That kind of thorough play should take around 145 hours.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Completionist Time: 175 Hours
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
The Witcher 3 remains one of the most influential RPGs ever made, redefining how storytelling and world-building can work together in a game. It’s a world full of moral choices and deep side content that can take over 100 hours to complete. The world rewards reading dialogue and exploring for missable locations. That creates additional time demands because some optional quests contain narrative beats comparable to the main story.
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For completionists, The Witcher 3 stretches to 175 hours. This is because players will spend time collecting gear sets, mastering Gwent, and exploring all hidden areas. There are also monster hunt contracts, which are basically mini-campaigns in which players have to investigate clues, track monsters, and then fight them. Don’t forget that the game’s crafting and upgrade systems encourage experimentation. Players have to test builds, re-roll their gear, and hunt for specific diagram drops. That effort raises both side content and completionist totals.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Completionist Time: 193 Hours
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
The coolest thing about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is how it lets players solve problems however they choose, whether it’s to climb mountains, glide into hidden valleys, or experiment with physics to overcome puzzles.
Finishing the main story alone takes around 50 hours, enough to see Link’s journey from his awakening on the Great Plateau to the battle with Calamity Ganon. Adding more exploration and optional content stretches the playtime to 98 hours, but going for a completionist run requires players to sink in almost 100 hours on top of that.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Completionist Time: 251 Hours
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 stands among the largest RPGs ever made, so it’s not surprising that the story alone takes around 68 hours to complete. The story moves through numerous plot beats, but progression also depends on exploration and completing side content.
For those who can commit 250+ hours to fully complete Xenoblade Chronicles X, they will spend some of that time upgrading multiple Skells, maxing out character builds, capturing resource nodes, and finishing all subplots and faction tasks. Post-game content also asks players to revisit some areas, so get ready to do some backtracking.
Kenshi
Completionist Time: 273 Hours
Kenshi
- Released
- December 6, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- nr
- Developer(s)
- Lo-Fi Games
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Open-World, Survival
Kenshi isn’t a typical RPG. While survival is quite hard, it gives players the freedom to experiment and define their experience. There’s no set storyline or hero’s journey. Instead, it lets the player build a life from nothing in a harsh, lawless world where being weak has consequences. Those focusing on the main story (or the closest thing to it) often spend roughly 70 hours developing a character, exploring regions, and building a functioning base. This time often covers early training, gathering materials, and learning the game’s systems.
When the scope widens to include side content, the playtime rises to about 138 hours. That includes recruiting companions, crafting advanced equipment, trading, and exploring distant factions and settlements. The game’s real beauty appears here, as every decision — from who to ally with to who to rob and where to settle — creates its own evolving story. Time in Kenshi moves slowly, as a full completionist run demands roughly 273 hours, but its freedom ensures no two journeys feel the same.
Sea Dogs: To Each His Own
Completionist Time: 166 Hours
Sea Dogs: To Each His Own
- Released
- December 6, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- BlackMark Studio
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, RPG
This is a detailed pirate simulator about navigation, trade, and naval warfare. The world is driven by systems that react to the player’s choices, from how they manage their crew to which nation they serve or betray. A player following the main story would probably spend around 86 hours navigating the central plot, balancing sea battles, trade routes, and reputation management.
Players will spend most of their time in Sea Dogs: To Each His Own acquiring the best ships, completing all faction arcs, and finding hidden locations. The game’s pacing is a bit slow, so full completion should take somewhere in the region of 166 hours.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Completionist Time: 136 Hours
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- Released
- February 13, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Warhorse Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Kingdom Come: Deliverance takes a grounded approach to medieval life, removing fantasy and magic in favor of realism. The main plot can be completed in dozens of hours when that is the only focus, but the game’s insistence on realistic, time-consuming systems like travel times, lifelike NPC schedules, and complex quest triggers extends the clock.
Side quests usually involve thorough exploration of locations, completing faction reputations, and investing time in skills like lockpicking, speech, and combat training. In fact, some quests require specific skill thresholds or sequences that increase playtime. Finishing every quest, mastering all combat forms, upgrading all gear, and exploring every settlement should take about 136 hours.
Elden Ring
Completionist Time: 135 Hours
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
Elden Ring delivers one of the richest open-world experiences in gaming history. It merges FromSoftware’s brutal combat with a sprawling, interconnected world full of danger and mystery. A run through the main story takes roughly 58 hours, enough to complete key legacy dungeons and defeat the major enemies hidden therein.
Those aiming for a completionist playthrough can expect around 135 hours of playtime, finishing all questlines, unlocking every ending, defeating hidden bosses, and collecting all legendary gear in the process. Elden Ring’s design is great for players who love exploration and have patience, as it offers one of the deepest and most satisfying journeys an open-world game can deliver.
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