Debuted 18 years ago Assassin's Creed series are currently among the longest-running and most popular open world franchise in gaming, with 14 mainline games, dozens of major DLC expansions, and several spin-offs. Set in historical backgrounds with fictional elements, Assassin's Creed games have traditionally featured some of the largest and most detailed explorable maps in the open-world genre, along with lengthy stories to keep players invested for up to 100 hours.
As the series fully adopted RPG mechanics as of 2017 AC Originsalmost every subsequent entry has been bigger and longer than any previous title. Starting today, Assassin's Creed Odyssey (46 hours for the main story only, 86 hours on average), and Valhalla (61 hours for the main story only, 99 hours on average) ranks among the longest-running franchise titles with the largest maps. However, there are still some exceptional ones open world titles that are even longer than any other Assassin's Creed game so far, including AC Shadows, Odysseus, and Valhalla.
To compare games on this list, we refer to HowLongToBeat data, with emphasis on Main+Extra stats, which is how most people play games, rather than full completion time, which can require over 200 hours for some games. Also, only the base game is compared without any DLC.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Main + side missions and activities: 102 hours on average
A really sprawling open-world RPG series, Xenoblade Chronicles games represent some of the greatest in the genre. Every main game in the series, which Xenoblade Chronicles 2 or Xenoblade Chronicles Xoffers over 100 hours of content, with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 not only being the highest rated entry to date, but also among the longest in the Nintendo franchise to date.
Even for its main story alone, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 outshines each Assassin's Creed games so far, clocking in at approximately 62 hours on average. Add the game's rich side content to the mix – which is also crucial to the story – and players can expect over 100 hours of adventure and exploration. This does Xenoblade Chronicles play some of the most attractive RPG games available on Switch, as players are guaranteed to enjoy them for months.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Main + side missions and activities: 103 hours on average
A legendary game that undoubtedly influenced Assassin's Creed series in its action-RPG shift, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is truly colossal in its scope and ambition. With a long and cinematic main story approximately 52 hours to complete, packed with characters, events, cutscenes and dialogue, The Witcher 3 is a true marvel of open-world narrative adventure.
Not only that, every side story in The Witcher 3 is unique and memorable, with few (if any) boring fetch quests or general quests. Completing everything in this game is an exciting journey rather than busy, so get started The Witcher 3players can expect to experience over 100 hours of engaging stories alongside Geralt.
Main subject + side quests and activities: 110 hours on average
One of the most iconic open world RPGs ever made, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is also one of the largest, full of freedom, exploration and exciting stories at every turn. Although it is possible to beat the main campaign relatively quickly (in about 35 hours), by doing so players will experience only a fraction of what the full game has to offer.
Like many games by Bethesda, Skyrim is at its best when exploring its rich possibilities, joining different factions, completing their quests and exploring countless dungeons, caves and ruins. There are enough unique handcrafted quests and activities in Skyrim to keep players invested for around 110 hours — and much more if players are truly drawn to this world.
Fallout 76
Main + side quests and activities: 115 hours on average (solo)
Fallout 76 is the largest Fall-out game ever, and while it's built like an MMO in some aspects, it's perfectly suited for solo players who prefer not to engage with its multiplayer side. Given the traditional structure of all others Fall-out game, Fallout 76 offers a main story, side quests and activities, as well as additional stories added over time through updates as the game continues to evolve.
When approaching Fallout 76 as a traditional open-world game, players can expect to spend over 115 hours in its world, complete unique quests and missions and treat it almost as Fallout 4without getting too involved in the game's “endless activities” like robust crafting and settlement building.
The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Main + side missions and activities: 116 hours on average
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is much less narratively driven than either of those Assassin's Creed games, instead emphasizing freedom and out-of-the-box thinking above all else. Gameplay takes center stage here through various game mechanics and abilities, and countless puzzles and activities to tackle.
Breath of the Wild was already colossal in its scope, but The tears of the kingdom is much larger. The main path of the game takes 59 hours on average, while doing everything the game has to offer (not counting trophies) requires approximately 116 hours. Together with The tears of the kingdom signature hedging mechanics, players can easily experiment with these tools and the world for hundreds of hours.
Kenshi
Average playthrough: 140 hours
Kenshi
- Released
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December 6, 2018
Kenshi is a rare example of an open world experience without a fixed narrative, where players start from scratch and shape their own story through actions and interactions with this world and its inhabitants. Players can recruit allies and build their own settlements, choosing from different options to thrive in the game's harsh environment.
Not only is every playthrough off Kenshi unique and unlike the previous one, it is also a demanding and lengthy adventure about 85 to 140 hours (and even over 200 hours in some cases) to complete. Of course, that assumes players won't meet their end much sooner by succumbing to various factors in this unforgiving environment.
