The biggest Open World games you can play in 20 minutes

The problem with open world games is that if they don't populate those worlds enough, they can feel completely lifeless. On the flip side of this, it can result in a lot of hard work to complete. Rather generic collectibles, uninspired fetch quests and so on. Open world titles can seem exhausting at times. As a result of all this, these massive 100+ hour games can be very intimidating.

It can feel like you have to clear your schedule and get ready for an entire weekend to make significant progress. However, this is not necessarily the case. The open-world format of these titles can make them a good fit for small sessions, if you only have 20 minutes to play.

Ghost of Yotei

Each mission is a suitable piece of a delicious whole

Ghost of YoteiSucker Punch's follow-up to the acclaimed Ghost of Tsushimais a classic revenge story in many ways. Fueled by the brutal killing of her parents, Atsu's unerring pursuit of the Yotei Six threatens to consume her as she searches for them. However, many players found that they weren't as focused on the hunt as the main character, as there are so many collectibles and sights to search for, not to mention the many side quests.

The game's bounty missions and stories are numerous and, above all, fun and worth engaging in. If a player only has twenty minutes to play at the end of a long day, they can simply check what quest cards they currently have available to activate in the map menu. This should be plenty of time to complete a story, and the stories they tell are usually self-contained, end nicely, and often touch the heart. There are surprising insights into the most seemingly insignificant NPCs hidden in these quests.

Monster Hunter Wilds

How about a speed chase?

Series veterans diving into Monster Hunter Wilds surely knew what they were letting themselves in for. The gameplay revolves around tackling enemies, collecting materials from them to upgrade the hunter's equipment, and then using your improved weapons and armor to tackle stronger, more threatening enemies. Monster Hunter fans are also familiar with the so-called “desire sensor”, the belief that the game knows the last drop they need to complete an armor set and will refuse to give it to them.

As such, it may be necessary to fight the same monster dozens of times before you get everything you need. Many unsuccessful attempts in a row can be incredibly frustrating, so instead, if you only have 20 minutes to play, why not go on a single hunt? It can even be a nice palette cleanser to end a gaming session for the night. If you have a buddy along for the ride, you can catch up along the way, which takes some of the tension out of the whole affair. Even if you're not hunting, 20 minutes can be perfect for organizing your drawers, preparing your items and gear for the next session, or crafting new armor sets.

No Man's Sky

A wealth of content to experience as you wish

No Man's Skygamers will remember for a long time, had a very unfortunate launch in 2016. However, over the years it has been updated and improved so much that it is almost unrecognizable. The player count may not be what it used to be, but there's nothing quite like its mix of interstellar exploration and freedom to scale a game session to the amount of time a player currently has to play. There's always something new to see in the procedurally generated universe (and beyond). No Man's Sky.

You can settle for an hour long session of planet hopping, or you can get your fill of a quick play session by traveling over to the nearest one. Or maybe make some customization adjustments to get a head start on longer trips. Just twenty minutes with the shipbuilder can be a whisper.

Fire Ring

Short practice sessions can go a long way

As the industry knows all too well, the Soulsborne games are not to be taken lightly. Each presents a steep challenge in a dark fantasy world, punctuated by some crafty boss battles. Fire Ring is certainly no exception there, but there is one important factor that sets it apart from other FromSoftware titles: The Lands Between is an open world. According to How Long To Beat, it offers a main quest of around 60 hours, and a completion will take around 135 hours.

The Tarnished's quest to recover the pieces of the Ring of Elden will therefore be a long one, especially for those trying to defeat all the enemies and collect every scrap of knowledge that FromSoftware has offered throughout. However, there is no need to rush. Just like chasing a rare drop in Monster Hunter Wildstwenty minutes is enough for a try or two on a boss, or to collect materials to load up a bit for a subsequent attempt. By doing so, it is possible to relieve frustration, cool down and take a break.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

One shrine at a time

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildThe open world directions gave Nintendo the chance to create the most ambitious version of Hyrule to date. It also meant that it was necessary to fill it with a large variety of enemy outposts, shrines and the obligatory collectathon. 900 Korok Seeds and nearly 140 shrines represent staggering feats, and again, ones that are perhaps best handled in short sessions. With about half an hour left to play, fans can head straight to the shrine marked on the map and see what's what.

With a longer trial as one of the Divine Beasts, it might be better to wait until you can really immerse yourself, but activities like finding some Korok seeds or gathering and cooking some ingredients for the next expedition are ways to really accomplish something before you have to quickly shut down again. The convenient sleep feature in the Switch family is also useful here.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Just a biquest or two

Marvel's Spider-Man and its sequels are two of the most successful licensed titles in recent memory. The critical thing about the games is that they capture that “New York City as a playground” feel that's a requirement for a successful Spider-Man game, but amidst all the web-swinging, it needs to be able to compete with other open worlds in the collectibles stakes. To do that, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 fully embraces the concept of District Completion, turning its large map into a daunting multi-part checklist of photo ops, memories, nests and other sidelines. Sidequests are fortunately quite varied and generally quite short, as are the various challenges on offer.

As with other titles on this list, it lends itself well to the time you currently have available, whether you decide to hunt down every pesky little Spider-Bot (quite a tall order) or just want to tackle a Symbiote Nest or two before work. Just swinging around the city for a short while and seeing what dynamic events pop up can be very relaxing. We don't know if Insomniac will make the next Spider-Man title, but they've taken the character far.

Grand Theft Auto Online

Build your reputation the way you want

As players eagerly await the monumental launch of Grand Theft Auto 6the last game still has an awful lot of content to offer. Grand Theft Auto Online has grown exponentially since it arrived in October 2013 (to the point of mass server issues when everyone tried to log in at once), with new activities to participate in, new vehicles to customize as players see fit, and increasingly elaborate ways to earn absurd amounts of money.

It is a game where you can pass the hours without doing anything special (especially fun if friends are in a lobby together and everyone is talking away), but where the diligent can focus on collecting money in the most efficient ways and spend it in the most extravagant way. A few runs or a heist are just a couple of ways to spend twenty minutes in the game, and they all contribute to the growth of your criminal empire in their own ways.