Masterpiece Open-World RPGs expressly built to be played twice

Given how many new and exciting games are launched each month, along with our endless backlogs that already contain dozens of titles, there's rarely a worry of not having something to play next. As such, playing through any game twice really has to be worth it, and not every open world RPG offers enough reasons to do so.

Some games are, though expressly built to be played multiple times. They are known for their unparalleled flexibility and ability to reveal new layers with each subsequent run. Every one of them Open world RPG below is long, absorbing, and branching — often to the point that you won't experience their best parts in a single playthrough, no matter how meticulous a player you are. Only by seeing some of the options and possibilities can you fully understand the depth of these truths masterpiece that you should play at least twice.

Fallout: New Vegas

Maybe still Obsidian's Magnum Opus

Also with several newer ones Fall-out installments available today, Fallout: New Vegas remains perhaps the most beloved game in the series. It perfectly encapsulates the unique spirit of the franchise and its roots in RPG freedom. New Vegas is a veritable role-playing paradise, taking into account almost everything you can think of when building your character or approaching almost every mission.

While later entries significantly streamlined character development towards action, New Vegas still relies entirely on SPECIAL This makes your character feel completely unique each time, defined by their own strengths and weaknesses. You can be a charismatic con artist, a silent and deadly sniper, a vicious barbarian, a lucky thief, a cannibal psycho, or even a complete idiot, literally.

The Mojave wasteland is also perfectly suited to these rich RPG possibilities. It's full of reactive NPCs, ready-made factions with their own agendas, hidden missions, and far-reaching consequences. Whether you're chasing as many missions as possible or simply experiencing the world through the barrel of your gun, Fallout: New Vegas provides a rewarding journey with huge potential for replayability.

New Vegas is a truly massive game, especially its Ultimate Edition package, which easily offers over 100 hours of gameplay. While such a colossal scale can make a second full playthrough daunting right after the first, the game deserves more than the occasional revisit.

Disco Elysium

Political and psychological like nothing else

Disco Elysium may not be a true open world RPG. Its setting is limited to the small, densely packed neighborhood of Martinaise in the city of Revachol, with distinct areas explored gradually rather than across a vast expanse of landscape. But when it comes to playing your own way, it has very few competitors.

Incredibly politically and psychologically charged, and almost completely devoid of traditional battles, Disco Elysium was specifically written and designed to account for as many complex choices and outcomes as possible. This results in a deeply personal narrative flow filled with mutually exclusive branches. Beware, though: the game is mostly reading and skill-checking, so it may not suit some looking for a more dynamic time.

Several clever design choices make the game truly special. Disco Elysium uses the amnesiac protagonist to great effect, as the predetermined “hero” has no memory of his identity or the outside world. This allows you to shape his personality with remarkable freedom, engaging in fascinating dialogues with your inner self at every turn as you indulge or resist your most primitive urges, while surrounding NPCs react accordingly. This layer alone is unique enough to place Disco Elysium in a league of its own.

Another distinguishing feature is that there is no real solution to the game's main quest, combined with smooth time passage. You can only solve certain parts of the story in each playthrough. All of this creates a fragmented story with time-sensitive missions and events that must be played at least twice just to experience their full extent – something like the upcoming Blood of the Dawnwalker seemingly aiming to replicate on a larger scale.

NieR: Automata

Reaching the credits for the first time is just the beginning

NieR: Automata is a completely different breed of open world RPG. You play as predetermined characters with far fewer options to tailor your own building or combat playstyle, aside from a few optional missions and side character destinies, which may even lead some to consider it a linear game. Its true hook lies in its structure, which is far more convoluted than a simple end-to-end path.

After completing the game for the first time (Path A), you quickly discover that it is hardly a traditional ending, with many questions left unanswered. Instead, NieR: Automata sending you to round two with a new playable character. Some may see little incentive to replay the entire campaign as 9S rather than 2B, although the gameplay for both feels markedly different. But to stop here would be a big mistake.

Pretty soon, NieR: Automata begins to deliver surprise after surprise, with some twists as unexpected and shocking as they come. Of course, one can debate whether the game's three main paths should even be considered separate playthroughs, rather than parts of a larger “full” story. No matter where you stand on it, reach the end point for the first time in NieR: Automata is just the beginning. Its structure remains truly unique in the medium, with very few titles even attempting anything similar.

Kenshi

Pure RPG sandbox at its hardest

Kenshi is yet another open-world RPG that takes a completely different approach to the genre. It offers no branching stories or character-driven quests – in fact, it has no predetermined story at all. Instead, the game is a unique blend of genres and inspirations that results in something completely new and emerging, a title that you can replay literally endlessly.

First come first served. Kenshi is a really tough, unforgiving, often unclear and unfair experience. Newcomers should expect to struggle to understand the essentials just to survive in its post-apocalyptic world for more than a few days. It is a true sandbox in its purest form; a “thousands ways to die” simulator, if you will. Losing through different results here is part of the charm, to do Dark souls games feel like a walk in the park.

With all that said, Kenshi is not mandatory for a second or third playthrough like the other titles here. It's more of a necessity to keep learning, fail and try again. When its sandbox structure really clicks, you get a general understanding of what to expect, but it will still surprise you countless times.

With such an endless amount of possibilities, from your playable character (or squad) to flexible base building and the overall direction of your playthrough, Kenshi is one of those so-called endless games that you can have installed all the time and experience something completely different when you feel like returning to its brutal and unscripted world.

Cyberpunk 2077

Surpasses Even The Witcher Games

Cyberpunk 2077 need a little introduction today. It's one of the most played open-world single-player RPGs on a daily basis, enjoying huge increases in popularity even without new content injections. As Cyberpunk 2077 saw over 100 thousand concurrent players after the recent Edgerunners Season 2 trailer, fans are already asking CDPR to consider a second expansion similar to it Phantom freedom.

Of course, such huge popularity comes directly from the game's high replayability and admirable variety in branching missions, possible alliances and allies, combat playstyles and a thriving modding community. Playing through CP2077 just once means experiencing only a fraction of what is on offer.

Unlike The Witcher 3in Cyberpunk 2077 you can create your own character. V's gender and one of three possible life paths provide enough differences to give each run a very distinct flavor. Which missions you choose and how you tackle them, which relationships to invest in, how you treat Johnny Silverhand, and which ending to chase—all are part of the charm of a second playthrough.

Adding its Ultimate Edition attraction, Phantom freedom is yet another example of massive narrative branches, making the expansion an essential experience that must be played twice. Depending on who you decide to trust, Solomon Reed or Song So Mi, a large portion of the DLC plays out completely differently, and trust me, you don't want to miss either way.