Updated on August 14, 2026, by Mark Sammut: I’ve added two more games: BOTW and Outer Wilds.
Open-world games cover such a vast spectrum of genres and themes that comparing projects can be kind of pointless. Just Cause 2, My Time at Sandrock, Kingdoms of Amalur, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Conan Exiles, and Cyberpunk 2077 are all open-world games, but they share very little in common as they provide widely different experiences. That said, exploration tends to be incorporated, if not emphasized, by nearly all of these titles, and linear games like Mafia are very much the exception.
Exploration takes many forms, and so do its pleasures. In some cases, the joy comes from discovery, as you stumble upon side quests, lore, and loot. In other cases, exploration supplements immersion, and living within the world is more than enough to make each journey worthwhile. Finally, rare instances like Marvel’s Spider-Man and Forspoken reward exploration through their movement mechanics. Very few open-world games are worth playing just for their exploration, but some of them live and die by it.
This list is by no means comprehensive, and it is not a “best of” discussion either. As plenty of open-world games have fantastic exploration, the following honorable mentions are great if you are just looking to venture out into the unknown:
- Elden Ring
- Kenshi
- Subnautica
- Death Stranding
- Xenoblade Chronicles X
- Elex 2
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
- Crimson Desert
- Every Elder Scrolls game, but especially Morrowind
1
Gothic Remake
Start At The Bottom And Explore Your Way Up The Food Chain
2026 has produced its share of memorable open-world games, and Crimson Desert certainly offers players a massive map to explore with plenty to discover freely; however, the exploration is relatively straightforward thanks to the generous marker system. In comparison, the Gothic remake is a far better option for those who simply want to make their own way through a fantasy world much smaller than Pywel.
Similar to the 2001 cult classic, Gothic emphasizes that you are a nobody at the bottom of the food chain in the Mining Colony they find themselves in, referring to both their social and physical standing. If you wander off the beaten path too early, you will run face-first into a Shadowbeast or a pack of Snappers that will instantly kill you. Exploration isn’t restricted by invisible walls; it’s gated by your knowledge of the ecosystem and your ability to survive it.
Gothic forces you to consider your surroundings during exploration to ensure you find a safe route, and the game doesn’t automatically give you a mini-map for guidance.
I went with the remake since more people are likely to play it in 2026, but the original also qualifies.
2
Outward
Travel, Get Lost, Fight, And Live As An Adventurer
Although not the most famous open-world game ever, Outward excels as a hands-off adventure RPG that simply lets you head out into the unknown and discover. From uneven combat to a lackluster late game, Outward is far from perfect and has plenty of room for improvement, which we will hopefully get in the form of a sequel when that finally drops.
Exploration is arguably the only reason to play this open-world game, as it is the one area in which Outward truly shines. Rather than just following a marker, you need to exercise actual navigation by taking in visual landmarks and cross-referencing them with your physical map. Mindless travel is a recipe for disaster. This hardcore mentality extends to the backpack, which is not treated as a bottomless pit but rather as a physical entity with a measurable weight.
3
Outer Wilds
A Relaxing Doom Day Adventure
Let’s go for a slightly different type of open-world game. Outer Wilds is entirely driven by exploration, and you decide where to go and when to go there. Stuck in a 22-minute time loop that ends with a sun going supernova, players travel to unique planets in search of information regarding an ancient civilization and in search of a solution to their current predicament.
While aided somewhat by a rumor mill, Outer Wilds generally leaves players to their own devices, allowing them to truly map their journey. The game is structured like a Metroidvania, albeit with information replacing powers. You visit planets, learn, and then head to the next place that makes the most sense. Despite the “end of the galaxy” premise, Outer Wilds is quite a relaxing game that doesn’t rush you at any point.
4
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Modern Exploration Open-World Standard Setter
Some games are so “obvious” that I almost don’t want to include them… I mean, who needs to be told that Breath of the Wild has great exploration? Still, let’s talk about it.
Sandboxes designed with a “go anywhere at any time” mentality predate 2017, but Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda revamp brought that concept to its ultimate conclusion. Once Link looks across Hyrule’s horizon and towards the post-apocalyptic castle, he can do whatever he wants. Head straight for Calamity Ganon? Perhaps dumb but very possible. Spend 100 hours exploring every centimeter of this massive map? Yes please.
From combat to puzzles, BOTW has plenty of things going on, but pretty much everything revolves around exploration. You explore not to follow markers but because a distant peak or strange smoke caught your eye. As long as you have the stamina, food, or clothes, you can go pretty much anywhere, and that level of freedom is absolutely intoxicating.
5
Space Engineers
A Whole Galaxy To Explore
Space Engineers is an open-world survival game that challenges players to thrive and survive in the harsh environment of space. As survival games go, this is a tough one, as simply staying alive in the early stages of the game can be tough, mainly due to the need to ensure that oxygen and power needs are covered before the player’s limited supply runs out.
Exploration in Space Engineers can be truly rewarding. Several valuable, key resources can only be found and mined in space, on asteroids, or on specific planets in the solar system. So, it really does pay to explore this game, as it is the only way to actually acquire these rare resources.
Click on the game with the higher OpenCritic rating.
6
7 Days To Die
Explore Hundreds Of POIs
Exploring the open-world map isn’t just fun in 7 Days To Die; it is something that every player has to do at some stage. There are multiple resources and materials obtainable only by looting POIs. Once a player has cleaned out all of the POIs in their local area, they need to explore more of the map to find more.
Getting ready to explore in 7 Days To Die means gearing up and having at least a basic combat build in place. Outside of the starting biome, the environment becomes much more dangerous. For example, the vultures that will hone in on the player whilst exploring the desert biome, and the wolves that will stalk them in the snow biome.
7
Once Human
Fantastically Detailed World Map
This horror survival game, with its Lovecraftian theme, mixes gameplay features from several genres into a whole that, surprisingly, works very well. The gunplay is solid, the story arc is intriguing, and the base building is rewarding. But where this game really shines is in the quality of the map design.
Exploring the map in Once Human is hugely rewarding, simply from a visual point of view. The game world is simply stunning and incredibly detailed. But exploring in Once Human isn’t simply about enjoying new vistas. There are hidden locations on the map, such as caves, and also rare resource nodes that a player can stumble on when exploring.
8
ELITE Dangerous
Explore A 1:1 Scale Galaxy
As open-world games go, few have such a wealth of space to explore as ELITE Dangerous. This game has over 400 billion star systems for a player to explore. However, with the galaxy built at an astronomically correct 1:1 scale, exploration in ELITE Dangerous requires a significant investment of time.
It is not unknown for ELITE Dangerous explorers to embark on expeditions that take weeks or even months to complete. On the plus side, exploring in ELITE Dangerous is a lucrative activity, as exploration data can be sold for credits when the player returns to inhabited space.
9
Red Dead Redemption 2
Adventure And Exploration In One Package
Some games reward players who explore well, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is such a release. Sure, the world is incredibly detailed and is worth exploring for this alone; however, exploration rewards players in more ways in this game.
Heading out into the wilderness in Red Dead Redemption 2 can lead to intriguing discoveries, such as artwork carved into rocks, learning the game’s lore through letters found in abandoned buildings, and collecting hidden cigarette cards. Overall, spending some time wandering around the wilderness in Red Dead Redemption 2 can be very rewarding in multiple ways.
10
No Man’s Sky
Explore And Survive In The Ultimate Sandbox
No Man’s Sky gameplay revolves almost entirely around exploration. This is a game built from the ground up to provide a universeto be discovered. Every solar system, planet, moon, plant, and animal can be discovered, with the first player to make each discovery having the option of naming them.
The game has regular community events in the form of expeditions that, once again, are entirely based on exploration and discovery. These are short story arcs with rewards unlocked at each stage. These expeditions often act as a curated journey of discovery, guiding the player to interesting locations and new game lore.
