Some open-world RPGs put the story first, or at least at a high point for players to follow the main quest. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt A good example is the one where Geralt wanders aimlessly around the forest as if the city would be in grave danger.
10 open-world RPGs with great stories, ranked
Looking for peak storytelling? Look no further than these open-world RPGs with plots guaranteed to resonate with you.
Final fantasy 7 rebirth Another good example, though, is that the game has the benefit of returning to the PS1 Final Fantasy 7 Fans want to see how the new, tweaked story plays out. After all, these other open-world RPGs may have good stories, but they make players try to explore the environment rather than for one reason or another. With each example, it will be clear.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
get started
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5) Medium (7) Hard (10)
The first game that dared you to lose
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was one of the first open world games that gave players the keys to the kingdom and told them to have fun. The story wasn't that pressing, although it started with an exciting prison break involving a dragon, but once that was over, players could roam wherever they wanted.
This low-key approach to the story made their character more fun to explore and level up, making it much easier to return to later story missions. This openness is a big reason why it is still valuable today.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Expanding your Viking empire
Assassin's Creed Valhalla It's all about the Vikings conquering England and expanding their lands. If players follow strict story missions, they won't have an impressive settlement to use against their enemies. Exploring the side areas and leveling up both their compound and their character is what the game wants.
It makes sense in the story to gather resources and become more powerful instead of sidelining the main missions to get to the end. Otherwise, the players are going to have a rough trip.
Border 4
All about guns
Limit 4's The story is about the Vault Hunters arriving on a new planet, Kairos, which has been cut off from the rest of the galaxy for centuries. Stopping an evil empire is pretty cliché, along with helping the rebels take it down.
border areaAs a series, has always been about one thing: loot. The world is designed in a way that encourages players to do side activities and explore to find rare guns. The story isn't bad, but the loot and co-op are definitely reasons Gearbox knows players are buying the game.
Like the Dragon: Eternal Wealth
Hard to ignore those waves, bro
Like the Dragon: Eternal Wealth A great story, and a pressure one too. After the initial bit in Japan, things pick up in Honolulu when the protagonist, Ichiban, wakes up with no memory of how he got there. That's a priority, along with trying to find his mother and stopping the gathering cult.
8 Open-World RPGs That Secretly Play Better Without Any Fast Travel
These worlds are so great, you want to embrace them by walking or using some other means of traversal.
Players may feel compelled to continue the story, but side activities are thrown in their faces to signal that they should slow down. The more side content they do, the more they level up or earn cash to get better gear. Like the Dragon: Eternal Wealth There is no difficulty level, and it is very challenging, meaning that grinding is necessary to continue the story.
Diablo 4
All about character building
Diablo 4 Another is a game that puts loot ahead of its story, though it's more engaging than the story itself. Border 4. Diablo OG is one of the Looter franchises, which survives because fans love to create their characters alone or with friends online. Without addictive gameplay, there aren't many fans who stick around just for the deep lore.
in Diablo 4Players can customize their character, choose a class, and then they're dropped into a top-down open-world. When playing solo, it's even more important to level up and side content to make it through the story missions, as they can be intense for low-level builds without a partner or two.
Final Fantasy 15
On a bro-ad trip
Final Fantasy 15 Very different from the rest final fantasy In many ways the series, one is how it unfolds. Noctis and his three amigos are traveling in his convertible when it breaks down, and they have to push it to a garage to fix it. The whole point of this trip is to see the sights and get stronger so that Noctis and his gang can stop the Empire.
This means training through soldier drops, monster mobs, bounties, and tomb raids. The process of leveling up is built into the story, encouraging players to take their time to reach the next main objective.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Rebuilding Civilization
Xenoblade Chronicles X Values exploration above all else because that is the purpose of the game in the first place. As recruits for New LA, a human colony that is trying to establish itself on an alien planet, players need to go and set up beacons, which can serve as both quick travel points and ways to survey land and get materials.
Eventually, a dense plot begins to develop as the alien natives begin to fight back, but the story overall is a slow rollout, as if the game is telling you not to worry about it. Xenoblade Chronicles X Also incredibly challenging, so grinding is required.
Kingdom of Amalur: Count
All about action
in The Kingdoms of Amalur: EnumerationThe player wakes up after the bond of fate is broken and dies. While it may seem interesting to open that thread and find out how they came back to life, it's ultimately not important.
The best open-world RPGs with deep character creation and total freedom
Play your way with your characters in these open-world RPGs.
It's an open-world RPG where the developers knew they were putting their fighting foot forward. While the main gameplay loop is fighting monsters, exploring, and doing quests to build their power, the story is only a small part of why. The Kingdoms of Amalur: Enumeration A great and seriously underrated game.
Sand land
Have a Sandy adventure
Sand land It's about monsters and humans working together to find a mythical water source in a post-apocalyptic world of sand, hence the name. It's necessary to follow the story for a few hours to unlock the main reason why this game stands out: the tank.
Once players arrive and establish a link in the first major city, they are encouraged to go out and explore. The game is never difficult without doing side content, but the low-key story ensures players latch onto the game's unique gameplay hook of fighting battles large and small with tank combat and later mechs.
Starfield
Bethesda's Space Epic
Like Bethesda's other great RPGs, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, of Starfield The story comes second to the core gameplay loop: space exploration. As a mining explorer in search of ancient MacGuffins, Starfield It's about making the most out of the universe.
Players can fine-tune their character with different skills, gear, and they can even tweak their spaceship. It is the ultimate space fantasy game with a core plot and significant gameplay loop. Man has no sky. For anyone who dreams of going to space, Starfield A good game to check out.
7 open-world RPGs everyone will be talking about in 2026
For better or worse, these upcoming open-world RPGs will be heavily discussed.
