Open world game 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 continue to grow the more they explore. These are games built for people who want to see how far a world can go when filled with hidden stories, habitats, and endless freedom.
Each of these open-ended games encourages players to explore, experiment, and master. As such, most players will soon realize that they have already spent over 100 hours playing them. These open world games keep players hooked from the introduction to the end.
For this list, the focus is on finish times, which come from How Long To Beat.
Valheim
Completionist Time: 145 hours
Valheim places the player in a large, procedural world inspired by Norse myth. The game gives them a simple goal at first: survive, find resources and defeat the world bosses. The world itself encourages long, open-ended projects, so players must plan ahead. They must gather wood and stone and then use these materials to build tools and shelter.
Valheims progression depends on defeating some pretty tough bosses, and beating one of them unlocks higher-level materials and new biomes. Preparing for these fights can take some time as players do so by exploring to find special resources, building better armor and weapons, and often building a dedicated base area for resupply. Players who want a “complete” feel should aim to see every biome, build a large settlement, create full armor and weapon sets, and defeat all higher difficulty bosses. That kind of thorough play should take around 145 hours.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Completionist Time: 175 hours
The Witcher 3 remains one of the most influential role-playing games ever made, redefining how storytelling and world-building can work together in a game. It's a world full of moral choices and deep content that can take over 100 hours to complete. The world rewards reading dialogue and exploring places you miss. It creates additional time requirements as some optional missions contain narrative paces comparable to the main story.
For completion, The Witcher 3 extends to 175 hours. This is because players will spend time collecting gear sets, mastering Gwent and exploring all the hidden areas. There are also monster hunting contracts, which are basically mini-campaigns where players have to investigate clues, track down monsters, and then fight them. Don't forget that the game's design and upgrade system encourages experimentation. Players must test builds, reroll their gear, and hunt for specific chart drops. That effort raises both page content and completion totals.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Completionist Time: 193 hours
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, slide into hidden valleys, or experiment with physics to overcome puzzles.
Just finishing the main story takes about 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 extends the game time to 98 hours, but going on an expansion requires players to sink nearly 100 hours beyond that.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Completionist Time: 251 hours
Xenoblade Chronicles X is among the greatest RPGs ever made, so it's not surprising that the story alone takes around 68 hours to complete. The story moves through many plot beats, but progression also depends on exploring and completing side content.
For those who can get involved 250+ hours to complete Xenoblade Chronicles Xwill they spend some of that time upgrading multiple Skells, maxing out character builds, capturing resource nodes, and finishing all subplots and faction quests. Post-game content also asks players to revisit certain areas, so get ready to do some backtracking.
Kenshi
Completion time: 273 hours
Kenshi
- Released
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December 6, 2018
Kenshi is not a typical RPG. Although it is quite difficult to survive, it gives players the freedom to experiment and define their experience. There is no set plot 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 who focus on the main story (or the closest thing to it) often spend around 70 hours developing a character, exploring regions and building a working base. This time often includes early training, gathering materials, and learning the game's systems.
When the scope is expanded to include side content, the play time rises to around 138 hours. It includes recruiting companions, crafting advanced equipment, trading, and exploring distant factions and settlements. The real beauty of the game emerges here, as each decision – from who to ally with to who to rob and where to settle – creates its own unfolding story. Time in Kenshi moves slowly, as a full completion run roughly requires 273 hoursbut its freedom ensures that no two trips feel the same.
Sea dogs: To each
Completion time: 166 hours
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 storyline would likely spend around 86 hours navigating the central plot, balancing naval battles, trade routes and reputation management.
Players will spend most of their time in Sea dogs: To each get the best ships, complete all faction arcs and find hidden locations. The pace of the game is a little slow, so full completion should take somewhere close to 166 hours.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Completionist Time: 136 hours
Kingdom Come: Deliverance takes a grounded approach to medieval life, ditching fantasy and magic in favor of realism. The main plot can be completed in dozens of hours when it's the sole focus, but the game's insistence on realistic, time-consuming systems like travel times, realistic NPC schedules, and complex quest triggers drags out the clock.
Side quests usually involve thorough exploration of locations, completing faction reputation, and investing time in skills like lockpicking, speech, and combat training. In fact, some quests require specific skill thresholds or sequences that increase game time. Completing each mission, mastering all combat forms, upgrading all equipment, and exploring each settlement should take approx 136 hours.
Fire Ring
Completion time: 135 hours
Fire Ring delivers one of the richest open world experiences in gaming history. It combines 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 ancient dungeons and defeat the large enemies hidden within.
Those aiming for a supplement can expect around 135 hours of play time, complete all quests, unlock every ending, defeat hidden bosses and collect all legendary gear in the process. Fire RingThe design is perfect for players who love to explore and have patience, as it offers one of the deepest and most satisfying journeys an open world game can deliver.
