Something like TOTK/BOTW/Horizon?
Preferably 3rd person too. Idk but I just don’t get the same feeling in FPS+Open world combo.
But if the game is good Idm 3rd person too
RDR2
I absolutely loved RDR2, but it’s definitely not for everyone. Half of the people I know stopped playing because of the slow nature of the game, but it felt meaningful and was a nice change of pace. Great game to get immersed in, if that’s your thing.
Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Daggerfall (😎)
Nothing wrong with that answer! Skyrim can even be played in 3rd person, and there are mods to make 3rd person combat more satisfying if you get it on PC.
I loved Death Stranding – it’s weird, beautiful, and the soundtrack is incredible (RIP Low Roar) but it’s kind of an acquired taste and you have to be cool with the “hiking simulator” aspect.
Might need to try Death Stranding. I’ve always thought its some weird game carrying around packs and never bothered lol.
Keep in mind that there are different schools of thought on what makes a good open world game.
I love exploration and discovery without much guidance, so point-of-interest markers and repetitive copy/paste events (as found in Horizon and Witcher games) bore me. Responsive controls and good user interface are also important to me, so Red Dead Redemption 2 was a miserable experience that drove me away, despite the great environments and character building. Some people consider those games masterpieces, though, so I have to assume their priorities are different from mine.
Subnautica is an outstanding example of what appeals to me. Beautiful world, unconfined exploration, excellent soundtrack, a story told through discoveries rather than exposition, multiple ways to accomplish things, and a departure from the usual “kill everything” approach to success. Fair warning: it is a first-person game.
Skyrim shares some of these strengths and can work pretty well in third person with mods like True Directional Movement and TK Dodge RE. Be aware that modding Skyrim is a deep rabbit hole that can quickly become a full time job. One way to solve this is using the Wabbajack tool to semi-automatically install a well-tested mod collection.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits looks like it shares some of its design with Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom, which is encouraging. I haven’t played it yet.
Modding Skyrim is a rabbit hole that leads straight into the Mines of Moria. And the Balrog has opened an adult bookstore.
Ironically skyrim is its own open world sandbox game
Loved Shin Megami Tensei V on the Switch. If you’re into Persona, other SMT games, or Pokemon, you might like it. It features turn-based combat with open world exploration and quests. I think it starts out a little slow so if you try it, maybe give it a chance for a few hours before giving up on it. I love how atmospheric it is too, very easy to get sucked into.
The best games which feature an open world and the best games for their open world are a very different list, imo.
For example, the Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk share a really awesome story-based rpg that happens to play in an open world but I don’t necessarily believe their open world is among the best in the industry.
I’d probably have to say that the Witcher 3 is my favorite game which features an open world and my favorite open world in any game has got to be Terraria. You could argue it’s a different class of game, but I feel that the tendency the game has to force you to explore and then introduce new stuff to the world that allows you to re-explore the same places is a really excellent take on the open world formula. Terraria really has very excellent exploration and reexploration which I think are the hallmarks of open world games. Not just inviting you to get to know the world, but changing it over time and asking you to get to know it again.
Elden Ring is such an easy choice. Just a fantastic open world that encourages exploration and discovery. I think you should give it a second shot OP.
While it is 1st person Kingdom Come Deliverance is amazing. One of the best open world RPGs I have played int he last 10 years.
I’m playing it at the moment. Today I smacked a poacher to death with my mace. Great game.
I loved Days Gone. The combat/story/exploration/rpg elements all really hit the sweet spot for me. The progression was really satisfying too, once you get to the point you’re taking on entire hordes
Truly an underrated game. It’s excellent.
Do you have a single fact to back that up?
The game got very mixed reviews on release. I even took a long time until I tried the game because people weren’t really recommending it.
Even the sequel was canceled.
But at the same time, I feel that more people are now understanding that reviews mean fuck all and until you try the game you won’t know if you like it.
I was just saying the Deus Ex thing.
What a shame
Sable and Tchia are both fantastic third person open world games.
I have Elden ring but I couldn’t get into it (Never played souls games). Tried to watch some youtube stuff and still didn’t get it, might have to give it a go again (tbf I have more time now)
It took a while to click for me. But my students urged me to give it a solid week of regular play before giving up.
Played this a few years ago on ps4, might have to give it a go on PC again
Red Dead Redemption 2 is my favourite open world game of all time, it just feels amazing to be in. Less popularly, for something similar to BOTW, you could also try Genshin Impact.
Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen is fun to play, although a bit more in the vein of classical RPG than what you’ve mentioned. Plus there’s a new DD game coming out soonish, so if you enjoy it you’ll have a new title to enjoy soon.
