Open-World RPGs with the best exploration

Exploring is fun, especially when you have an entire large map shrouded in mystery, remote regions that hold who knows what, and hard-to-reach places that look so enticing from a distance. Open-world games are almost driven by player exploration, combining moment-to-moment rewards and discoveries with an overarching goal of traveling far into the unknown, into the unknown corners of a virtual world.

For open-world RPGs, perfecting free-form exploration is no easy task. Given how progress in such games is often driven by growing stat numbers and ever-stronger gear and upgrades, developers need to make sure players don't get too strong too soon. This means that rewards from exploration are always relevant to provide curiosity and the temptation to become even stronger when the next region is reached. Today, we're looking at open-world RPGs that perfected exploration through exciting discoveries and potent rewards to stay engaging for a long time.

For this list, different RPG elements are important, so games with a more linear progression, like Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & The tears of the kingdom, Ghost of Yoteior similar action-adventure titles, are excluded.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

A legendary plane

A game that almost established the classic open-world map design as modern players know it, with points of interest and points of interest to capture one's attention every minute or so, even after a decade, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt still looks and plays great. It is truly a remarkable achievement to make the world so large and diverse yet dense and hand-crafted, with every inch filled with detail and care. From White Orchard to Skellige, Kaer Morhen, Velen and, of course, bustling Novigrad, the continent of The Witcher 3 is a joy to explore, as everything players can find has been carefully placed in exactly the right places.

The most curious players who venture into the furthest corners of Witcher 3's the world would definitely discover places of power to get extra skill points; each cave or abandoned village may have a treasure chest of powerful new gear; occasionally, players can even start a new exciting quest by stumbling upon a broken wagon or lost property; and the most inaccessible areas would definitely be rewarded with the rarest blueprints or materials.

A legacy that is impossible to deny

Another long-time staple of open-world RPGs with a near-perfect exploration aspect, Skyrim just can't be overlooked on a list like this. The fifth entry in the beloved Elder scrolls fantasy franchise delivers just the perfect scale of a world, with a compelling density and an excellent balance between untamed wilderness and settlements, complete with nine explorable cities. Traveling across this world always feels like a real journey through a believable world, rather than just wandering from one point of interest to the next.

Players can discover almost anything while exploring the province of Skyrim, even outside of the countless ruins, caves, and bandit lairs common in every other open-world game. Navigate the map in Skyrim are as exciting as they are rewarding, with well-hidden treasure chests or maps, mines with resources like ore or valuables like gems, and even valuable skill books. It's also worth mentioning how natural the world and every minor location within it feels, which probably contributes to the game's enduring popularity.

Fire Ring

Defying the formula

A few years ago, Fire Rings take on the exploration made thousands of players fall in love with the open world genre all over again. There is much to admire in the world and to explore Fire Ringbut above all, the game deliberately ignores almost every modern staple of the genre to forge its own path instead, true to FromSoftware's unique strengths. With little to no hand-holding, minimal map markers or guidance, players are left to their own devices to master this beautiful, but ever-dangerous, environment. Some even recommend playing the game with a journal and a pen in hand.

But every step in Lands Between bears fruit. Players collect runes and loot from enemies to grow stronger and raise their stats, but it's the sheer generosity of rewards in these lands that can surpass almost anything that came before. Hundreds of unique weapons, abilities or spells are waiting to be discovered and used. At times, Fire Ring players can even discover a whole new world by heading deep underground or suddenly be teleported to a whole new area, where they have to adapt to new challenges on the fly.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Catching the tailwind

Assassin's Creed Odyssey was the first in the series to fully embrace RPG mechanics such as branching dialogue, more robust character development, and distinct battle builds enhanced by classic tier-based loot. Even if AC Odyssey may not be as deep in its RPG aspects as Fire Ring or Skyrimit represents a bold step forward for the series, along with one of the best worlds to explore in the franchise to date.

Ancient Greece is the perfect backdrop for an open world this vast and vibrant, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey using it fully. With the game's freeform structure, where players are free to ride, ride a horse or sail wherever they want, it's up to each player to decide what happens next. The game's dynamic mission system and hunting mercenaries ensure that players always have new challenges and rewards, while a journey to the most dangerous corners of the world guarantees the most valuable rewards and the strongest items with legendary properties. Lives up to its name, AC Odyssey is one of the nicest and most stress-free adventures that prioritize fun.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Immersive and organic

Unlike many other open world RPGs set in the Middle Ages, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is about authenticity. This could prove to be a double-edged sword for some players who grew accustomed to powerful equipment and game-changing artifacts and abilities as rewards from exploration. Of course there is no such thing in Liberation 2but that doesn't mean it isn't fun or rewarding to explore the breathtakingly detailed and realistic landscapes, forests, swamps and settlements.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 takes a different approach by shifting the focus to realism, making sure that even the smallest upgrades or improvements feel meaningful in its world. Finding something truly powerful is as rare as it is valuable, providing that fleeting feeling rarely found anywhere else, where players are constantly bombarded with a never-ending stream of rewards that only keep getting better. With its immersive and organic exploration and engaging random encounters, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a special open-world RPG that is both deep and unmistakably unique.

Dragon's Dogma 2

Certainly its own thing

Another open world RPG that isn't afraid to do things its own way, Dragon's Dogma 2 feels and plays very differently from all the others. For starters, the game offers almost no teleport-style mechanics for fast travel, doubling down on how exploration and travel are central to the experience. Players can only use trolleys, ferries, or cable cars for fixed routes, and it's not uncommon to encounter challenges when traveling that way, especially during the night, which is pitch black and difficult in Dragon's Dogma 2. There are also almost no markers or convenient guidance, which makes the world mysterious for a long time.

The overall challenge of the game, with tough enemies and colossal bosses, makes it an even more exciting exploration, as the rewards discovered in its world are often worth the effort. While some of the novelty can be washed away in the later stages of the game, like Dragon's Dogma 2's big world is a little short on biomes or regions that feel really distinct, open-world RPG fans would certainly enjoy the ride – if they can live with the sequel's unique rules.

Fallout 4

No better place for newcomers to start

Reinforced by Fall-out Season 2, the franchise is relevant again, attracting veterans and newcomers alike. Starting today, there is arguably no better place to start Fallout 4 (sorry, New Vegasbut you really need a remake or at least a re-release already). A symbol of everything that makes Bethesda's open world RPGs so beloved, Fallout 4 simply throws players into its vast, hand-crafted world, with one simple goal – to go and see what's out there.

Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, players should be ready to find and collect all kinds of junk, but Fallout 4 offers its own twist on that thanks to robust crafting and building mechanics. Not only can almost anything players find and take be of some use, but dedicated players can also transform the world to their liking. The game is also literally chock full of exciting, layered locations to discover, with many requiring a fair amount of effort to reach or get to, and it's not about finding better items there and walking away stronger, but about learning the deepest secrets buried in such places, such as Fall-out The lore is truly fascinating.