Summary
Open-world RPGscan be incredible and immersive. Letting players loose insandbox worldsfull of detail, danger, and tough decisions makes players feel like anything is possible. Some games go further, letting players explore and conquer parts of the setting at their own pace and in their own way. In these games, it can truly feel like players are the masters of their own fates.
These RPGs encapsulate what makes games ‘open’and allow for player choice and freedom to take center stage. Be it wide-open landscapes, detailed fantasy worlds, or responsive character actions, these games put place agency at the forefront.
One of the most game-changing open worlds of all time,Skyriminvites players to explore the region in the north of Tamriel. The setting is magical and wild, with creatures of all kinds wandering the frost-capped mountains. Fans can hunt down the quest lines thatthey are most interested in, becoming a lethal assassin, a cunning thief or a recognized mage.
Random encounters with bandits, wolves, or dragons while on the road make the whole game feel more player-led. When players have escaped a dragon attack in the introduction, they are free to go wherever they choose across the cloudy map, tackling the game’s seemingly-endless dungeons and side quests in any order they choose.
InOuter Wilds, players are free to roam a solar system that is doomed to be destroyed by a supernova after 22 minutes of gameplay. When that time runs out, players will discover that they are stuck in atime loop, and must investigate what happened to the extinct species that inhabited the planets around their dying star within the time constraint.
The only progression that carries over between runs is the data that players collect, so they will be leading themselves on their journey, managing their oxygen and fuel supplies and choosing whichever planet interests them to explore, and attempt to discover a way to stop the sun’s destruction. Leading their own exploration lets players become a stronger focus in the narrative, and they are in complete control of where they go and who they meet on their adventure.
Stranded on a planet at the edge of the known universe,RimWorldsees players struggling to establish a new planetary colony. They can make allies or enemies, and build structures to make their followers more comfortable. Each follower must be fed, and their mental well-being must also be looked after.
Players have complete freedom to explore their new surroundings, and must develop technology to eventually escape the planet despite the wild creatures, pirate attacks, and the possibility of starvation and mental or social breakdowns that will plague them at every turn. As an RPG that offersunlimited optionsto the player, the possibilities feel expansive and all-encompassing.
Of all the games in theFalloutseries,New Vegasputs the most power in the hands of the player. Waking up after a near-fatal shot to the head in a rag-tag town of scavengers, the player can choose their direction and take to the wasteland in whatever way they please.
Varied dialogue options mean that players can roleplay as whatever kind of character they choose, and even the deadliest environments inNew Vegas, littered with Deathclaws, can be attempted by any player bold enough to try it. The central conflict in the story will have players decide on a faction to ally themselves with, letting their actions have real consequences, and giving players much more control from the outset.
The sprawling vistas ofRed Dead Redemption 2are captivating. Players will constantly be bombarded with picturesque landscapes as they decide who they want Arthur Morgan to be on his journey across the West. While not a typically thought of as an RPG, as soon as players are free toroam across the country,the game opens up a number of RPG mechanics that will affect each playthrough. Players can start to interact with strangers, choosing how kind or villainous to be and affecting the way that Arthur interacts with the world in the conversations that follow. The differences in characterization between a high-honor playthrough and a low-honor playthrough are obvious and shocking, and culminate in different endings. Players can choose to scavenge the wilderness fortrinkets and talismansthat will improve their statistics, or go on a robbery spree to get extra money at the expense of their reputation, while also leveling up their shooting skills by practicing them on innocent bystanders. They can even craft clothes at the Trapper and get haircuts at the Barber to customize their version of Arthur however they wish, while purchasing, upgrading, and customizing Arthur’s guns at a Gunsmith.
Players can go hunting or fishing, play card games or Five Finger Fillet, and can choose when to undertake the more grounded story missions, as well as when to help out the denizens of the West andhow kind to be to the people around them. Player choice and morality are central themes in the narrative, making the whole piece feel intelligent and purposeful.
With one of the most thoroughly realized settings in video gaming,Divinity: Original Sin 2puts the player in control of a number of stories. Alongside a character progression system that lets players become any kind of warrior they wish, and a whole host of backstory options, or ‘Origin’ characters, with detailed arcs, the isometric maps that stretch out for miles, filled with possibilities for the player, mean that fans are completely free.
With countless options of how to approach any scenario, and hundreds of unique characters who can be befriended, assisted, bartered with, or battled, players will lose themselves inLarian’smasterpiece.
Rising as the Tarnished in a dusty crypt, players ofElden Ringare immediately faced with decisions. The map stretches out before them, allowing them towander freely in any directionsearching for lore, Sites of Grace, equipment, or difficult bosses to fight against. While the main storyline directs players to defeat Shardbearers and become the new Elden Lord, players will find hundreds of optional areas, challenging dungeons, puzzles, and secrets all over the map to distract from that quest.
Whole areas of the map can be ignored when pushing through the main story, and those who explore are likely to indulge in the mesmerizing side quests, meet more of the lovable and eerie NPCs, and collect more weapons, armor, and summons.
For those players who want to lose themselves completely in an immersive world where anything is possible,Kenshigives them complete freedom. There is little to no linear storytelling, and the objective of play can beelusive at first. Players will have to survive in a hostile world that is ever-changing and evolving, with different political powers gaining and losing ground and important figures’ deaths affecting whole regions.
In the post-apocalypse, players can level up whichever skills they choose, and can forge their character accordingly. Putting together a party will eventually lead players to being able to establish outposts and towns of their own. With countless approaches to the game’s real-time strategy combat, and opportunities for roleplaying throughout,Kenshiis a one-of-a-kind game that any player can be engrossed by.
