Best Open-World Games That Offer Freedom In Playstyle

Open-world games such as Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto are known for their expansive environments and sandbox playgrounds that allow players to explore and mess around. While these open-world titles have been tremendously popular over the years, they offer little in the way of variance; many players are likely to have similar experiences.

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These open-world games offer uniquely cozy experiences, and while some do still offer some conflict, they’re punctuated with relaxing moments.

This is especially true of their main content, rather than any multiplayer experiences they offer. Furthermore, variance often comes in the form of emergent gameplay, rather than clear player choice. Naturally, choice comes into play more often in RPGs, with games such as Fallout and Skyrim offering a multitude of possible playstyles that affect how the player interacts with the world at large.

8

For The King

A Strategic Open-World Roguelike

For The King is a strategy RPG with a roguelike structure and a hex-based open world that players are free to explore. The game features a constant time pressure, random encounters, and a hefty dose of dungeon-crawling that manages to capture the spirit of tabletop RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons.

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These open worlds increase their immersion levels by introducing dynamic combat encounters to keep players on their toes.

Elevating the overall experience is the addition of online co-op and the wide variety of playable classes that facilitate multiple playstyles. Furthering this is the variety of items available in the game, all of which allow players to build their characters in specific ways.

7

Elden Ring

An Open World With Player-Driven Progression

Though its open world leaves a little to be desired in comparison to the detailed environments of the Dark Souls franchise, there remains much to be discovered in the nooks and crannies of Elden Ring’s lands. In true keeping with FromSoftware’s cornerstone ARPGs, however, Elden Ring features a tremendous amount of choice when it comes to playstyle.

Character classes offer great jumping-off points, while player choice is consistently supported by rock-steady RPG systems. A diverse variety of statistics to dump points into, an abundance of unique weapons and armor, not to mention a jumble of powerful spells; all of these aspects help to make each playthrough of Elden Ring unique, significantly boosting the game’s replay value.

Well-Crafted Narrative & Character Choices

Be it the detailed expanses of its open world, the narrative choices within, or the plethora of ways that it can be played, Skyrim is a tremendous RPG with true breadth. Players can enjoy Skyrim in a variety of ways, fleshing out their character over the course of a playthrough to be a heavily armored warrior, a nimble archer, or a powerful mage.

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These choices aren’t so concrete, however, as they’re built from a detailed skill system that’s packed with meaningful choices. Choice of style isn’t just present in mechanical choices, however, but in narrative, too. A player’s role-playing style can also have an effect on how Skyrim is played, be it the binary choices players are offered, or simply how they interact with the dynamic world.

5

Disco Elysium

A Unique Character Progression System

Though somewhat limited in scope, Disco Elysium’s small-scale open-world is elevated by painterly environments and tremendous attention to detail. The rich and diverse world of Disco Elysium, both in and out of the playable area, is arguably its greatest selling point, brought to life through evocative writing and superb voice acting.

The variety of options players are given when building their character can at first be overwhelming, but the unique and evocative combination of attributes and associated skills ensures each playthrough is unique. However, these RPG systems and the variety of playstyles are all in the service of role-playing, rather than combat.

4

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

A Truly Expressive Crafting System In An Expansive Open World

Systems

Released

May 12, 2023

Developer(s)

Nintendo

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Building off the wonderfully expressive and refreshing design of The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, Tears Of The Kingdom ups the ante with a truly distinctive crafting system. The game’s signature Ultrahand and Fuse abilities are tremendously flexible, offering a wild array of possibilities for players to explore and express their creativity.

These new and expressive abilities elevate the open, sandbox nature of the game’s world, providing even more freedom in playstyle than its predecessor. For fans of open-world adventures and unique crafting systems, Tears Of The Kingdom will likely be hard to beat.

3

Caves Of Qud

An Impossibly Varied Character Creator

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Caves Of Qud

Systems

Released

July 15, 2015

Developer(s)

Freehold Games

Caves Of Qud is an open-world roguelike RPG that excels with its otherworldly atmosphere and unique science-fantasy setting. Despite minimalist visuals, Caves Of Qud manages to be an immersive experience thanks to superb music, evocative writing, and a generous serving of player agency.

The character creator in Caves Of Qud is tremendously detailed and dramatically varied, facilitating a truly diverse set of possibilities. Classic RPG stats and a point-based perk system that offers a number of fun mutations and cybernetics ensure that each character in Caves Of Qud enters the world with their own strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, characters often evolve as they progress, and a player’s choices both here and in the gear they choose to favor can also have an impact on their playstyle.

2

Kenshi

A Sandbox RPG With True Player Agency

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Kenshi

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Released

December 6, 2018

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Offering near-unrivaled player agency, Kenshi is a true sandbox supported by sturdy RPG systems and a strange open world to explore. Though players begin the game with just one character, and can choose to keep things that way, Kenshi also features a party system that allows players to gather numerous companions.

Kenshi gives players no direction, refusing to hold their hand, and this gives the game a refreshing angle; the total lack of a clear objective ensures players are able to experiment and truly play in the game’s sandbox, developing their own style as they go along. Combined with the stat-based character progression and variety of gear to find, Kenshi is able to facilitate a wide range of styles.

1

Fallout: New Vegas

An RPG That Combines Emergent Gameplay & Player Choice

Many, if not all, of the Fallout games are elevated by the freedom that they offer players. From the variety of ways that players can build their characters, to the narrative choices that they can make, every playthrough of a Fallout game, particularly in Fallout: New Vegas, can be tremendously unique.

The open world of Fallout: New Vegas and the NPCs that populate it are both dynamic and reactive, resulting in a world that feels alive. Players are able to interact with the world on a truly deep level, thanks to emergent gameplay and more mechanical additions such as the reputation and karma systems. Combined with the wide range of unique perks and RPG skills, players are not only able to build their character to fit a distinctive playstyle, but role-play in particular ways, as well.

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Best Open-World Games With Unique Gameplay

Some open-world games stand out from the crowd due to their unique gameplay. Here are the best examples that fans can check out.