5 Open-World RPGs Better Than Their Biggest Competitors, Ranked

Open-world RPGs are all about giving players the freedom to not only to explore, but also to develop their characters and get themselves in trouble as much as they want. It’s true that some games do a better job at this than others, even when they share similar mechanics.

After all, we all know that having a huge world is an advantage only when it’s not empty. Moreover, it’s hard to deny that some RPGs offer considerably more freedom on paper than they actually deliver in practice. Whatever the case, some games simply set the bar too high for their competitors and outshine them in nearly every metric.

5

Hogwarts Legacy Is Better Than Forspoken

A Magical World Worth Exploring

To make a long story short, Hogwarts Legacy follows a fifth-year student who joins Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with an unusual ability to use ancient magic. Of course, the protagonist soon becomes involved in a conflict and has to learn how to control their power. Forspoken follows Frey Holland, a young woman from New York who is transported to the magical world of Athia.

Both games feature open-world exploration and spell-based combat, but Hogwarts Legacy is hands down the more immersive game of the two. You can attend classes, discover secret passages, rescue magical creatures, solve puzzles, find collectibles, and so on. On the other hand, Forspoken focuses mostly on traversal and combat, and generally, most of the optional content revolves around fighting enemies, improving your stats, and finding treasure locations. Sure, Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t deliver the most complex experience, but it has great variety when it comes to interacting with the game world.

However, I wouldn’t trash Forspoken too much. I would definitely praise its movement system, for example, as it is impressive and allows you to traverse huge distances very quickly, even performing some cool parkour moves en route. However, Hogwarts Legacy also has an advantage when it comes to character customization. The Room of Requirement allows players to decorate their own space, grow magical plants, and brew potions. So if you like having more control over your surroundings, you’ll definitely like Hogwarts Legacy more.

More Freedom Beyond The Main Adventure

Both Skyrim and Dragon’s Dogma allow players to explore fantasy lands, fight mythical creatures, and develop their characters through combat specializations. However, Skyrim surpasses its competitor when it comes to the sheer variety of identities and activities that players can take advantage of. You can join the Thieves Guild and pursue a life of crime or become an assassin with the Dark Brotherhood, and even study magic at the College of Winterhold.

All of these have their own characters, objectives, quests, and rewards, which basically means that you can spend hours on end pursuing goals unrelated to fighting Alduin. Dragon’s Dogma doesn’t really offer any opportunities to get involved with different factions, and its side quests are more limited than you might expect.

Moreover, the two games are quite different when it comes to character progression. In Skyrim, you can improve individual skills just by using them, which lets you gradually become more powerful while playing. In Dragon’s Dogma, it’s the Vocation system that determines which weapons and abilities you can use. Sure, maybe Dragon’s Dogma is better when it comes to moment-to-moment combat, but Skyrim simply offers an unmatched amount of flexibility when it comes to its open world, and there’s a lot more freedom to decide what kind of character you want to be.

3

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Is Better Than Fallout 4

Better Storytelling Makes Every Decision Count

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt follows the famous Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter searching for his adopted daughter. She is being pursued by the Wild Hunt, and Geralt has traveled across war-torn kingdoms and dangerous wilderness to find her again. Fallout 4 also revolves around a missing family member. Players step into the shoes of the Sole Survivor in a post-apocalyptic version of Boston to search for their kidnapped son, Shaun.

As you can tell, both games feature compelling premises, but The Witcher 3 delivers a far more sophisticated narrative experience, especially in its side quests and moral dilemmas. Take the Bloody Baron quest line, where Geralt has to investigate a missing woman and her daughter. He soon discovers a history of domestic abuse, alcoholism, and supernatural consequences, and even though the quest explores some pretty harsh subjects, the characters are not reduced to simple heroes and villains.

Fallout 4 also offers meaningful choices, particularly through the world’s competing factions. That said, many of the side quests are more ordinary and follow more straightforward objectives, such as clearing hostile locations or retrieving items. It’s also important to mention that Geralt has a very well-established personality, history, and relationships, which allows the conversations to build on his already existing character. This is something that Fallout 4 lacks. Yes, the Sole Survivor is more customizable, but you will never experience personal interactions with them to the same degree.

2

Cyberpunk 2077 Is Better Than Starfield

A Smaller World With More Personality

Cyberpunk 2077 arguably has a much better open world than Starfield. This is mostly due to its design. It is way smaller than Starfield‘s galaxy, but its environment is extremely detailed. If you’ve ever played Cyberpunk, you know that each district has its own architecture, criminal activity, atmosphere, and locations to discover.

On the other hand, Starfield has hundreds of planets, but because of its procedurally placed points of interest, you can encounter the same buildings or enemies way more than once, which makes everything feel very repetitive after a certain point. At the end of the day, having a huge world only makes sense if you don’t run out of things to do in it.

Meanwhile, Cyberpunk has an interesting approach to side quests. It aims to introduce memorable characters and personal conflicts that help players really get invested in the world. Starfield also features faction quest lines, but they are definitely not as emotionally significant. They focus mostly on completing missions for organizations and resolving much larger conflicts.

1

Elden Ring Is Better Than Dragon’s Dogma 2

More Memorable Discoveries Around Every Corner

There is no denying that the Lands Between in Elden Ring are enormous. There are huge castles, swamps, hidden dungeons, and even entire underground cities filled with enemies, bosses, and equipment. Take Stormveil Castle, for example. This is a massive fortress with interconnected corridors, rooftops, and secret passages that can keep you entertained for days on end.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 also features caves, ruins, and other locations, but its optional areas never reach the architectural complexity that we see in Elden Ring. Additionally, not only does Elden Ring offer great opportunities for exploration, but it also frequently gives players rewards that can change their approach to combat.

For example, you might discover a new weapon with a unique skill or an Ash of War that allows you to customize your equipment. While Dragon’s Dogma 2 also rewards exploration with weapons and armor, for instance, its Vocation system restricts which equipment and abilities each class can use. In that case, Elden Ring definitely has more flexibility and allows players to play with a lot of experimental builds.