Updated on June 26, 2026, by Mark Sammut: We’ve added a couple more open-world games that excel at exploration, including a remake that just dropped earlier this month.
Open-world games cover such a vast spectrum of genres and themes that comparing projects can be kind of pointless. Just Cause 2, My Time at Sandrock, Kingdoms of Amalur, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Conan Exiles, and Cyberpunk 2077 are all open-world games, but they share very little in common as they provide widely different experiences. That said, exploration tends to be incorporated, if not emphasized, by nearly all of these titles, and linear games like Mafia are very much the exception.
Exploration takes many forms, and so do its pleasures. In some cases, the joy comes from discovery, as you stumble upon side quests, lore, and loot. In other cases, exploration supplements immersion, and living within the world is more than enough to make each journey worthwhile. Finally, rare instances like Marvel’s Spider-Man and Forspoken reward exploration through their movement mechanics. Very few open-world games are worth playing just for their exploration, but some of them live and die by it.
This list is by no means comprehensive, and it is not a “best of” discussion either. As plenty of open-world games have fantastic exploration, the following honorable mentions are great if you are just looking to venture out into the unknown:
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom
- Outer Wilds
- Elden Ring
- Kenshi
- Subnautica
- Death Stranding
- Xenoblade Chronicles X
- Elex 2
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning
- Crimson Desert
1
Gothic Remake
Start At The Bottom And Explore Your Way Up The Food Chain
2026 has produced its share of memorable open-world games, and Crimson Desert certainly offers players a massive map to explore with plenty to discover freely; however, the exploration is relatively straightforward thanks to the generous marker system. In comparison, the Gothic remake is a far better option for those who simply want to make their own way through a fantasy world much smaller than Pywel.
The Definitive Open-World Games Tier List For 2026
Let’s appreciate some of the finest open-world games since 2015 by organizing them into tiers.
Similar to the 2001 cult classic, Gothic emphasizes that you are a nobody at the bottom of the food chain in the Mining Colony they find themselves in, referring to both their social and physical standing. If you wander off the beaten path too early, you will run face-first into a Shadowbeast or a pack of Snappers that will instantly kill you. Exploration isn’t restricted by invisible walls; it’s gated by your knowledge of the ecosystem and your ability to survive it.
Gothic forces you to consider your surroundings during exploration to ensure you find a safe route, and the game doesn’t automatically give you a mini-map for guidance.
I went with the remake since more people are likely to play it in 2026, but the original also qualifies.
2
Outward
Travel, Get Lost, Fight, And Live As An Adventurer
Although not the most famous open-world game ever, Outward excels as a hands-off adventure RPG that simply lets you head out into the unknown and discover. From uneven combat to a lackluster late game, Outward is far from perfect and has plenty of room for improvement, which we will hopefully get in the form of a sequel when that finally drops.
Exploration is arguably the only reason to play this open-world game, as it is the one area in which Outward truly shines. Rather than just following a market, you need to exercise actual navigation by taking in visual landmarks and cross-referencing them with your physical map. Mindless travel is a recipe for disaster. This hardcore mentality extends to the backpack, which is not treated as a bottomless pit but rather as a physical entity with a measurable weight.
3
Space Engineers
A Whole Galaxy To Explore
Space Engineers is an open-world survival game that challenges players to thrive and survive in the harsh environment of space. As survival games go, this is a tough one, as simply staying alive in the early stages of the game can be tough, mainly due to the need to ensure that oxygen and power needs are covered before the player’s limited supply runs out.
Exploration in Space Engineers can be truly rewarding. Several valuable, key resources can only be found and mined in space, on asteroids, or on specific planets in the solar system. So, it really does pay to explore this game, as it is the only way to actually acquire these rare resources.
Build your perfect top ten one reveal at a time.
Swap two picks?
Pick two spots to swap before locking in your final ranking.
Build your perfect top ten one reveal at a time.
Pick two spots to swap before locking in your final ranking.
4
7 Days To Die
Explore Hundreds Of POIs
Exploring the open-world map isn’t just fun in 7 Days To Die; it is something that every player has to do at some stage. There are multiple resources and materials obtainable only by looting POIs. Once a player has cleaned out all of the POIs in their local area, they need to explore more of the map to find more.
Getting ready to explore in 7 Days To Die means gearing up and having at least a basic combat build in place. Outside of the starting biome, the environment becomes much more dangerous. For example, the vultures that will hone in on the player whilst exploring the desert biome, and the wolves that will stalk them in the snow biome.
5
Once Human
Fantastically Detailed World Map
This horror survival game, with its Lovecraftian theme, mixes gameplay features from several genres into a whole that, surprisingly, works very well. The gunplay is solid, the story arc is intriguing, and the base building is rewarding. But where this game really shines is in the quality of the map design.
8 Open-World Games With Too Much Freedom
Go anywhere, do anything — these open-world titles don’t really care about how players approach them. They offer enough freedom to cater to anyone.
Exploring the map in Once Human is hugely rewarding, simply from a visual point of view. The game world is simply stunning and incredibly detailed. But exploring in Once Human isn’t simply about enjoying new vistas. There are hidden locations on the map, such as caves, and also rare resource nodes that a player can stumble on when exploring.
6
ELITE Dangerous
Explore A 1:1 Scale Galaxy
As open-world games go, few have such a wealth of space to explore as ELITE Dangerous. This game has over 400 billion star systems for a player to explore. However, with the galaxy built at an astronomically correct 1:1 scale, exploration in ELITE Dangerous requires a significant investment of time.
It is not unknown for ELITE Dangerous explorers to embark on expeditions that take weeks or even months to complete. On the plus side, exploring in ELITE Dangerous is a lucrative activity, as exploration data can be sold for credits when the player returns to inhabited space.
7
Red Dead Redemption 2
Adventure And Exploration In One Package
Some games reward players who explore well, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is such a release. Sure, the world is incredibly detailed and is worth exploring for this alone; however, exploration rewards players in more ways in this game.
Heading out into the wilderness in Red Dead Redemption 2 can lead to intriguing discoveries, such as artwork carved into rocks, learning the game’s lore through letters found in abandoned buildings, and collecting hidden cigarette cards. Overall, spending some time wandering around the wilderness in Red Dead Redemption 2 can be very rewarding in multiple ways.
8
No Man’s Sky
Explore And Survive In The Ultimate Sandbox
No Man’s Sky gameplay revolves almost entirely around exploration. This is a game built from the ground up to provide a universeto be discovered. Every solar system, planet, moon, plant, and animal can be discovered, with the first player to make each discovery having the option of naming them.
Open-World Adventure Games That Are 10/10 Masterpieces
You’ll be hard-pressed trying to find flaws in these open-world adventure masterpieces that are peak quality through and through.
The game has regular community events in the form of expeditions that, once again, are entirely based on exploration and discovery. These are short story arcs with rewards unlocked at each stage. These expeditions often act as a curated journey of discovery, guiding the player to interesting locations and new game lore.
9
Valheim
Set Sail For New Shores
Every Valheim player has to undertake at least some exploration of the game world. Simply because, to progress, each boss needs to be found and defeated. Only the first boss is near the starting area.
Players will need to build a boat and set sail to uncover much of the map in order to locate each boss, and also unlock new resources and materials. Valheim gives a real feeling of being a pioneer, as the player boards their small boat and braves the waves to discover distant shores. While not devoid of action, survival mechanics, and crafting, Valheim is driven entirely by its exploration, which is constantly rewarding.
10 Open-World Games That Are Quality Over Quantity, Ranked
Sick of open-world games that are loaded with vapid side content? These games put quality over quantity, while still offering huge worlds to explore.
