For many players, exploration is one of the most enjoyable aspects across genres, from open-world action RPGs to soulslikes. Alongside a captivating story, the thrill of discovering new locations or hidden rewards is hard to overstate. It often serves as a key motivation to keep playing and uncovering what else a game has to offer, fueling the excitement for hours on end.
8 Best Open-World Games Where Exploring Freely Is More Rewarding Than The Main Story
These open-world games do offer a main story campaign to complete, but their settings are so immersive that exploration almost always takes priority.
Several gaming series and studios have become strongly associated with rich, rewarding exploration that fans expect in every new installment. Below is a look at the upcoming games most likely to make exploration their standout feature. While some have only been briefly teased so far, they’re still expected to deliver satisfying worlds to explore based on their series’ history or previous entries.
The Witcher 4
Explore New Corners of the Witcher’s Universe
The Witcher 4
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
CD Projekt Red has already revealed the studio’s concept vision for The Witcher 4. While it’s not an exact representation of the gameplay, it offers a glimpse of what to expect from this open-world RPG, which will feature Ciri as the lead for the first time. As expected, The Witcher 4 appears to follow in The Witcher 3’s footsteps, offering a vast and diverse world worth exploring.
Even after all these years, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains a blueprint for similar games, with its world full of discoveries and points of interest that constantly draw players off the main path. The Witcher 4 aims to capture that same sense of wonder while elevating visuals, world design, and NPC reactivity to new heights. Dynamic events, unexpected encounters, and countless stories promise to make the journey through its lands feel unforgettable.
The Duskbloods
New Original World by Hidetaka Miyazaki
The Duskbloods
- Released
- 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action
The next game from Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware is expected to deliver everything fans love about the studio’s creations, with combat and exploration once again standing out as core strengths. Although The Duskbloods is described as a multiplayer-focused experience, it will likely place a stronger emphasis on exploration than Elden Ring Nightreign, giving players the freedom to roam its new Victorian-era world without time pressure.
Upcoming Soulslike Games With Ridiculous Mechanics
From late 2025 onward, these upcoming soulslike games promise to shake up the genre with innovative mechanics.
Interestingly, The Duskbloods have already teased unique traversal abilities for its characters, potentially introducing fresh ways to explore and allowing the developers to make the world even more layered and vertical. Easily one of the most intriguing titles announced for 2026 so far, the only drawback is that The Duskbloods is currently teased as a Switch 2 exclusive, with a strong chance it may never release on other platforms.
Crimson Desert
Vast Continent of Pywel Holds Its Mysteries
Crimson Desert
- Released
- March 19, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World, Exploration
From the looks of it, Crimson Desert seems to draw heavy inspiration from The Witcher 3, much like many open-world games that followed. This ambitious title is shaping up to be the next major medieval-style action RPG that players rarely get these days, offering hundreds of hours of gameplay. Exploring the vast continent of Pywel, with its diverse biomes and bustling cities, promises to be thrilling, especially given the glimpses of unique, non-traditional locations shown so far.
Crimson Desert focuses on freedom, exploration, and fast-paced action, with its world packed with activities, collectibles, and stories to uncover. Fierce bosses lurk in every corner, offering tough combat challenges and valuable rewards for Kliff and his companions.
The Elder Scrolls 6
Will It Top Skyrim’s Freedom to Explore?
The Elder Scrolls 6
- Released
- 2026
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
It may be too early to imagine what The Elder Scrolls 6 will look like, especially since its setting hasn’t been confirmed yet. Still, it’s safe to assume the game will take cues from Skyrim, which remains hugely popular and continues to outshine even Bethesda’s more recent releases like Starfield.
Upcoming Role-Playing Games People Are Excited For
While plenty of RPGs have been announced for 2026 and beyond, these upcoming role-playing games are especially exciting.
Freedom and seamless exploration should be at the heart of TES 6, and there’s no doubt the studio understands what fans expect from a game they’ve been waiting for this long. Hopefully, Bethesda will carry over everything players love about Skyrim or even improve upon it, and take fan feedback from other titles into account to avoid repeating past mistakes.
Gothic Remake
Experience the Beloved Compact World Anew
Gothic 1 Remake
- Released
- 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
The original Gothic is cherished for its compact, living world — and that’s exactly what the upcoming Remake should aim to capture above all else. Every distinct location in Gothic’s world holds a special place in fans’ hearts, and with the Remake promising to stay as faithful to the original as possible, the chance to rediscover these familiar places anew is genuinely exciting.
It would also be refreshing to see an RPG with a smaller, more focused world that avoids unnecessary bloat, emphasizing the quality of its iconic areas, memorable characters, and non-linear quests. Gothic Remake feels like a welcome return to the genre’s golden days, one that could stand out even more amid today’s open-world standards.
Lords of the Fallen 2
Dual Worlds Mechanics Return With a Twist
Lords of the Fallen II
- Released
- 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Soulslike, Action RPG, Adventure
Lords of the Fallen (2023) already features one of the strongest exploration elements among non-FromSoftware soulslikes, and since this aspect was widely praised, it’s likely the sequel will expand on it even further. The developers have confirmed that the dual world mechanics from the first game will return in Lords of the Fallen 2, this time with a twist — two realms, Umbral and Axion, bleeding into each other.
This setup opens the door to exciting new possibilities for unique exploration rarely seen elsewhere. If Lords of the Fallen 2 maintains the interconnected world design reminiscent of Dark Souls and pushes the dual-world concept even further, with more reasons to switch between realms in search of pathways, puzzles, and hidden treasures, exploration fans are in for a real treat.
Exodus
Mass Effect Fans Should Be Pleased
Exodus (Archetype Entertainment)
- Released
- 2027
WHERE TO PLAY
Exodus stands out from the mostly medieval-fantasy titles on this list as an ambitious upcoming sci-fi game that aims to rival the Mass Effect series, introducing a fresh universe and original lore. Rather than being a sandbox-style space exploration game, Exodus appears to follow the approach of Mass Effect Andromeda, featuring large open areas designed for exploration with a strong narrative focus. Space exploration will still play a major role, with players likely traveling to and exploring multiple unique planets in search of a new home for humanity.
Alongside Exodus, the next Mass Effect game is also in development, though BioWare has only shared brief teasers so far. It’s too early to say whether the new entry will resemble Andromeda, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, or lean closer to the original trilogy, but it’s almost certain to deliver a strong exploration component and new worlds to discover.
7 Open-World Games With More Than One Explorable Map
These open-world games feature not just one, but multiple separate maps for players to freely explore.