8 Best Open-World Games For Challenging Exploration, Ranked

Summary

• The Forest presents survival challenges on a dangerous island where resource management is vital.
• Subnautica strands players on a dangerous aquatic planet filled with exploration risks and unseen dangers.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 offers vast exploration but lacks extremely challenging enemies, focusing more on the vast and detailed map.

As opposed to titles in other genres, open-world games allow players tremendous freedom regarding how they want to play, the path they want to create for themselves and their companions, and the challenges they want to face along the way.

Some open-world titles opt for a more linear narrative, whereas others allow for a ton of exploration, which gives players the chance to interact with various NPCs, take on several side quests, and discover more of the virtual world around them. Exploration can be challenging enough by itself, so the decision to make it difficult on top of that is a big risk that often pays off, but not always. Here are some of the best open-world games with challenging exploration.

8

The Forest

A Man Must Survive On A Dangerous Island

• Eric LeBlanc must find his lost son
• Resource management is key

The concept of a man looking for his lost son on a distant island has been covered since the days of Jurassic Park 3, and even before then. However, The Forest manages to present players with a very interesting premise of survival on an island full of cannibalistic monsters and various other threats.

To survive, Eric LeBlanc will have to come up with ingenious ways to craft different items, find bases for shelter, and keep his eyes open at all times. Given how many dangers the island holds, The Forest is an excellent open-world game with challenging exploration.

7

Subnautica

Planet 4546B Is Dangerous, To Say The Least

• Players are stranded on an inhospitable oceanic planet
• Survival is uncertain

Every Sci-Fi fan has, at some point, thought about how scary it would be to find themselves on an inhospitable planet with no form of human contact and no way to get off the surface. This is exactly the premise that Subnautica presents to players, which is terrifying, to say the least.

Players will have to find different ways to survive on the dangerous aquatic planet while staying away from many of the dangers that are lurking on the ocean floor. Exploration is necessary, but also very risky.

6

Ghost Of Tsushima

Some Mongol Groups Are Very Challenging

• A combination of peaceful and challenging exploration
• Mongolian camps hold very dangerous enemies

Ghost of Tsushima is one of those samurai-themed open-world games that delivers the best experience to players when set to the hardest difficulty. This game follows the story of Jin Sakai during the Mongolian invasion of his beloved homeland, the island of Tsushima.

As players explore the vast world crafted for them, they will often encounter various Mongolian camps full of challenging enemies that will probably kill them more than once. Granted, exploration also makes for very peaceful moments where Jin is surrounded by large, open fields, but when players encounter a group of enemies, catlike reflexes and patience are key.

5

Fallout 4

Mutants, Giant Bugs, And Deathclaws Are An Ongoing Threat

• The Boston Commonwealth is very dangerous
• Deathclaws and super-mutants await at every turn

When it comes to Fallout 4‘s premise, there’s no deception or room for confusion. Within the first hour of the game, players will be well aware that they’re about to explore a wasteland caused by a nuclear holocaust, which, naturally, holds many dangers.

Throughout the game, players will have to face super-mutants, giant bugs, and even lethal Deathclaws, which are not only very intimidating, but also extremely powerful and hard to kill unless players are wearing a Power Armor. And even then, some legendary enemies will still pose a challenge. All in all, exploring the Boston Commonwealth is never a walk in the park, but with the right perks, it can be made more manageable.

4

The Witcher 3

Sometimes Exploration Can Lead Geralt Directly To Death’s Door

• Using decoctions can help make the game easier
• Players can choose to have their enemies level up with them

Similarly to other titles in this genre, The Witcher 3 only poses a significant challenge during exploration when set to the highest difficulty, “Death March!”. This difficulty level not only makes enemies much stronger and more lethal, but also removes many of the perks that players would usually get from meditating throughout the day.

Depending on how much of a challenge they want to face, players can choose to have their enemies level up with them or remain at their predetermined level. Although The Witcher 3 can be very challenging, using the right weapons and the best decoctions can go a long way in making the experience a lot simpler.

3

Elden Ring

Sites Of Grace Are The Only Breather Players Will Get

• Challenging from beginning to end
• Exploration is often justly rewarded

Although the Dark Souls franchise had already catapulted FromSoftware to stardom many years before Elden Ring was even an idea, this open-world title captivated many more players and introduced them to the challenging universe of Soulslikes.

Anyone who’s ever played a FromSoftware game knows that they’re challenging from beginning to end. This is something that some players love and others dislike, so it’s a matter of personal preference. With that being the case, there’s no denying that Elden Ring offers challenging exploration that is often rewarded with thousands of Runes, and valuable items.

2

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

The Kingdom Of Hyrule Is Enormous

• Various recipes that can help Link in his journey
• There are many friends and foes on the map

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a Nintendo game, so by no means should players expect to find the same kind of grim atmosphere that they would encounter in games like Elden Ring. However, that is not a bad thing, as this title does its own thing and presents players with a vast open world that is full of life and challenges.

In Breath of the Wild, exploration is tough, but if players take their time and learn some of the best cooking recipes in the Kingdom of Hyrule, their chances of survival will be much greater.

1

Red Dead Redemption 2

The Map Is Huge, Making Exploration Fun, Yet Challenging

• The map is vast and hard to cover without fast travel
• Players can sometimes accidentally wander into towns where they’re wanted

Red Dead Redemption 2 has many things going for it. However, having extremely challenging exploration due to difficult enemies is not one of them. That said, exploration is still difficult due to how big the map of the United States is. At the beginning of the game, players will not have the option to fast travel, which means that they’ll have to explore uncharted territory and various counties without knowing what they might find.

Sure, O’Driscoll gang ambushes can be hard to manage sometimes, but the real challenge comes from riding on horseback for long periods, and sometimes even trusting strangers who aren’t really in danger, but simply want to rob Arthur instead. The level of detail present in Red Dead Redemption 2 is something very hard to come by these days, and that includes the different possible endings depending on Arthur’s Honor level. This is why it deserves the top spot on the list.