7 Best Open-World Games To Relax With
Those big quests can be done later. These great open-world games let players take their time and enjoy the sights and sounds at their own pace.
Open-world games keep getting better and better, giving players more and more detailed settings to explore as much as they want. But the story gets bigger as the map gets bigger, and sometimes there are too many major quests and side quests.
There are, thankfully, a few games that reward the player for taking a step back and enjoying the apparently small things in their open-world settings. Games like Horizon: Forbidden West and Ghost of Tsushima focus a lot on their stories, but they also encourage the player to explore the world outside of the main character’s story.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom may have given its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, some much-needed changes and improvements, but nothing can beat the sheer wonder of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild when it came out in 2017.
As they discover the wild land of Hyrule, players still find parts of the game that don’t get enough attention. Fans can skip the main story and just enjoy the sights and sounds of the beautiful land because they can do basically anything they want. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit by a fire and listen to the beautiful music while it rains.
Red Dead Redemption 2
This is a game with a lot of new ideas, especially in how it is made. Red Dead Redemption 2’s open world is so big that outside of the main story, players can play a whole different game. For example, hunting can take a lot of time. Because you have to choose the right tool and the best place to take a shot.
If you get off track in this game, you might end up in a very unique position that you wouldn’t have been in if you had stuck to the main story of planning heists or helping the Van Der Linde Gang do crazy things. Even though there are limits to what players can do at any given time, discovering the American Frontier is a whole different experience.
Ghost Of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima is an art, whether you are in the middle of a battle or just taking in the beautiful scenery. In Ghost of Tsushima, every place the player goes is different. Whether it’s a green forest or a field of dancing Chinese silver grass. The realistic wind effects add to the atmosphere and make the views even more memorable.
Jin’s attacks have a flow and rhythm even in fight, which helps players turn off their brains. It becomes second nature, just like other parts of the game, like writing haikus. Which give you a chance to stop and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon, which is about Aloy’s travels, has quickly become one of PlayStation’s most popular RPGs, and for good reason. And Horizon: Forbidden West, its most recent book, takes Aloy to a post-apocalyptic Western United States. Where she has to save the world from a coming disaster. There is, of course, a lot of pressure on her, but players can help ease some of that by exploring the world of Horizon: Forbidden West as much as they want.
As time goes on, it’s clear that some places are cut off. But by the end of the game. Players are free to explore the Forbidden West and the Burning Shores. Where they can hunt machines for parts and improve their skills. Or, players can just sit and watch the sun rise and set from some of the most beautiful spots on the map. Thanks to Guerrilla Games’s Decima engine and how it renders the world.
Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Even though Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim came out more than ten years ago. Players are still finding secrets in the fantasy world. Even though Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim doesn’t have the biggest map in the series, Bethesda’s attention to detail, from the rolling scenery to the memorable characters, more than makes up for it.
Skyrim is like a lot of other open-world games in that it has a lot of side quests to get lost in. But unlike other games, this one doesn’t punish players for ignoring side content. This means they can focus on the story without worrying that they’re losing out on something.
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
Ubisoft kept the series’ focus on travel in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, which took place during the Peloponnesian War. There is a major story to follow, but the detailed historical setting of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey makes it easy for players to get lost in the beauty of Ancient Greece and the Mediterranean.
There is also a mode for players who want to go on an educational journey. Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece lets players explore the world without fighting or following a story. So they can learn about places and other historical sites. It can be bought separately or as a part of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and you can get to it from Drive Mad game’s main screen.
Cyberpunk 2077
Even within Night City, Cyberpunk 2077 has a large map with many different places with different styles. There are clubs and businesses to check out in areas like Watson, Westbrook, Pacifica, and Santo Domingo. There are also apartment buildings in these areas. Even outside of the city, the deserts of the Badlands are a big, open world. And North Oak has secret gems like the Chram Denya Jinja.
Cyberpunk 2077 players could easily just drive around Night City and the area around it without doing any quests to take their minds off of things. They could also stop at a few local spots to take it all in. These parts are what make the game so fun to play over and over again.
