Most Brutal Open-World RPG of All Time, Ranked

For a challenging and brutal open world RPG experience, games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Ring of Fireand Outwards are some of the best options to jump into. These games are not for the faint of heart, and they don't hold your hand or deliver the best rewards and strongest power fantasies on a silver platter. Not directly, at least. They force you to work hard to make something of yourself, and death and failure are usually a pretty crucial part of a regular game loop.

If you're one of those players who loves the sound of it and wants something other than pure brutality when dropped into a new game, then the following open world RPG is right up your alley. They require lots of patience, have steep learning curves, but ultimately feel incredibly rewarding to complete despite a rocky start. We're going to rank them roughly by how brutal they are when you first start them up.

6

7 days to die

Every blood moon, things get a little harder

7 days to die drops you into a brutal environment: you're naked, scared, with barely any resources to your name. Your first mission is to scour a dangerous world of undead enemies for supplies, and to prepare for the eventual arrival of the Blood Moon, which will have a horde of enemies running your way whether you like it or not.

The game has tons of tools it gives you as you find more items and craft more things. In the beginning, however, these tools are quite weak, and you will always be limited when it comes to bullets, food, bandages and other necessary items for survival. The more efficient you are during your downtime between Blood Moons at creating the perfect haven and gathering the necessary resources, the less brutal the game will feel. One thing's for sure: you'll be constantly in a slight state of stress as you try to prepare for the next time the horde arrives, or to ensure you're safe during the night and from other environmental hazards.

5

Fire Ring

A FromSoftware Soulslike Special

FromSoftware has delivered countless grueling games, and Fire Ringwhile largely considered one, if not the easiest, it is still a brutal experience for the uninitiated. If this is your first Soulslike, the first lesson you learn is that death and defeat are inevitable aspects of learning how the game works and how each enemy moves and functions. It is because this is not told directly. The game's tutorial gives you a basic walkthrough of controls, but the depth of the build and enemy variety ensures you're always forced to adapt and stay on your toes.

The managers are one aspect of this, for sure. They are often much bigger than you, can crush you in just a few swings or combos, but if you learn their movement patterns and know when to dodge and hit perfectly, you can overcome them. Then you have the enemies scattered around the world, and the lack of clear direction or mission markers. You simply have to observe and pay attention, see how certain enemies behave and what weapons work best on them. It's a lot of trial and error, but so very rewarding for those who persevere through the stickiest parts.

4

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Henry's unapologetically real and difficult journey

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is back in the spotlight thanks to a fantastic sequel in 2025. Both are great candidates to be considered very brutal open-world RPGs, mainly because of where and how you start. You're basically nobody like Henry, and you have to manage several small systems in the game to progress and survive. That includes learning to read (it is the Middle Ages after all), learning to fight properly with a sword, which is a mix of nailing your timing, managing your stamina properly, and mastering directional attacks.

It's probably one of the most detailed sword combat systems ever seen in a video game, one that will have players gritting their teeth, especially at the beginning. On top of that, you have to keep Henry well fed and rested, so it almost borders on being a medieval life simulation or even a survival game to some extent. If you lack patience and expect rewards to be handed to you on a silver platter, you will definitely feel the growing pains in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

3

Gothic games

Nothing is given for free, everything is earned through hard work

The Gothic games are definitely showing their age, which is part of why they feel brutal today. Even with a remake on the way, it's likely to follow in the tradition of delivering a fairly unforgiving experience right out of the gates. As with all games here, your story begins as a complete nobody that nobody respects or cares about. You need to build up a reputation with factions to gain any recognition.

The enemies are incredibly dangerous at first, with only wolves able to kill you in a hit or two. It's not a game where you're going to run around challenging anyone before you're ready. Through trainers and constant battles, you will eventually improve your skills and progress, but it's a long, tough road before you can venture out without fear. Both games are, as mentioned, also old, so some rubbish is to be expected. That, and the lack of all the nice features that many modern games have, from quest markers to those hyper-interactive maps. Exploration will force you to pay attention and find your own way, while being wary of the world around you that isn't scaled to your current level.

2

Outwards

Survive, plan and execute – or suffer

Outwards is well known as one of the more niche, brutal fantasy RPGs out there. It's perfect for anyone who's tired of feeling like an overpowered chosen one the moment they load into a game, but if you're not expecting this tonal shift and the depth of gameplay elements that combine survival and strategy into one, you're going to be hard pressed. As in KCDyou start as a talentless nobody who needs to train and build himself up to learn combat skills.

The world of Aurai is extremely dangerous, and without fast travel, it's best to plan every trip you take. That includes packing the right supplies, being ready to camp when you need to rest, rehydrate or recover, and knowing when to quit a losing battle. Combat requires the same degree of careful planning as well, and with nothing directly at the players' disposal, you'll spend a lot of time mastering the game's systems and learning how to at least survive in this brutal, yet magical world.

1

Kenshi

You have to be okay with losing and losing again

If you think you haven't been properly beaten and defeated by a game lately, I recommend giving it a try Kenshi. As soon as you enter the world, you risk being attacked, imprisoned and beaten by absolutely everything around you, from animals to criminal factions. Your first few hours of this game can easily be spent in a slave camp, which may make you rethink your life choices to pick up this game. Even if you break out through sheer patience and hard work, you're still a total nobody with anything to your name. To get better, you kind of just have to accept it, and toughen up by repeatedly getting knocked down and bloodied by enemies in the middle of the desert.

Your hunger also needs to be managed, and it will take you a while to recover every time you get hurt from a fight gone wrong. There will be many of them when you start. Eventually you might manage to create your own base, but never fully lull yourself into a sense of security, as a group of bandits can still show up in numbers and destroy your little haven if you get complacent. Having more than one character is a must in this game at the beginning, so keep at it, even when it feels downright hopeless to see your favorite protagonist get beaten down over and over again.