The Best Open-World Games With Inspiring Hero Journeys

Some open-world games struggle to tell a compelling character-focused narrative. With so much freedom on offer, it can be difficult for players to focus on the main story, and just as difficult for developers to make the main story worth focusing on.

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Best Open-World Games Where The Story Unfolds At Your Pace

These excellent open-world games give players the space to explore, allowing the story to unfold at their own pace.

Some games excel at this. Many of the most compelling narratives in recent gaming history have come from open-world games, from the tragic decline of Arthur Morgan and the Van Der Linde gang in Red Dead Redemption 2 to the complex power struggle in Fallout: New Vegas. These games take a more inspiring approach, however, depicting characters who come into their own as heroes bigger than themselves.

Becoming A Legend

The iconic The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim casts fans as the Dragonborn, a figure of legend who has inherited the incredible power to absorb the souls of slain dragons and channel them into mystical Shouts. This mythical power catapults the Dragonborn into the spotlight in a region wracked by war and calamity.

The player gets to guide their custom Dragonborn on the path to destiny, making allegiances, ending the war, and eventually taking their place in the annals of Skyrim legend. This carries the player’s character quite a way from the infamous execution that almost claims them at the beginning of the game.

7

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

A Time Of Heroes

Like the rest of the franchise, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey takes players to a real-life historical era; in this case, the Peloponnesian War. As one of two playable characters, players must embark on a quest across Ancient Greece as they unravel a sinister plot concerning their chosen assassin’s family.

In true Assassin’s Creed fashion, the plot escalates pretty sharply as the franchise’s supernatural elements make themselves known. Throughout it all, the Eagle Bearer’s journey from humble mercenary to legendary hero anchors the experience.

6

Cyberpunk 2077

Stories Of Night City

The sprawling open world of Night City is a hive of corruption, poverty, and strife. Regardless of which origin players choose for their version of V in Cyberpunk 2077, they will, by necessity, develop a very loose relationship with the laws and morality of their surroundings.

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When players start up a second playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077, it doesn’t have to play out the same way as the first time.

As V struggles to recover from a heist gone horribly wrong and an implant that’s slowly killing them, they’ll be forced to make connections with multiple people throughout the city, and in doing so, make deep, serious bonds, some of which can even become romantic. Watching V transition from a bitter, desperate criminal to someone with deep personal connections is a remarkably touching story that can play out in a myriad of different ways.

5

Yakuza: Like A Dragon

Chaos In Yokohama

Yakuza: Like A Dragon, the seventh main entry in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, represents a major departure from the previous games, both in its shift to turn-based RPG combat and its introduction of a new main protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga. This charming, optimistic middle-aged Yakuza member finds himself knocked to the bottom rung of society after shouldering the blame for a murder he didn’t commit, then finding his clan collapsed when he gets out of jail.

In his quest to uncover the truth of what happened while he was in prison, Ichiban makes friends and learns about the contentious circumstances surrounding his new home in Yokohama. Ichiban’s enthusiastic charm and genuine attempts to change his city for the better make him a deeply lovable character to follow, and his journey to expose the corruption at Yokohama’s heart makes him a true hero.

4

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Big Shoes To Fill

Systems

Released

November 12, 2020

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

The illustrious Marvel’s Spider-Man differed somewhat from traditional depictions of iconic wall-crawler Peter Parker by showing a Spider-Man just past his prime, who was already well-established as an experienced and seasoned superhero. The spin-off that followed, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, introduced Miles Morales as a new Spider-Man, coming into his own in Peter Parker’s illustrious shadow.

As his new home in Harlem is threatened by rampaging criminal gangs and sinister, militaristic tech companies alike, Miles must master his newfound spider powers and make sacrifices in order to become the hero his neighborhood needs. His journey is as intense as it is inspiring, and firmly sets him apart from Peter Parker while showing why he is just as worthy of wearing the spider-suit.

3

Horizon Zero Dawn

Saving The Future

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Horizon Zero Dawn

Systems

Released

February 28, 2017

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Horizon Zero Dawn features a truly mysterious post-apocalypse, overrun with vegetation and strange mechanical creatures. The main character, Aloy, is a member of one of several primitive tribes that have repopulated the world, but she’s been ostracized and exiled for unknown reasons.

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Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered: Every Mount, Ranked

On top of being able to override most machines in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Aloy can also turn a handful of them into mounts for faster traversal.

When sinister cultists attack, Aloy must rise to save her tribe, and the world itself, from their machinations, discovering the origins of the apocalypse and her own life in the process. Along the way, she develops from an outcast to a truly mythical hero renowned across the land.

2

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Resurrecting A Hero

Systems

Released

March 3, 2017

Developer(s)

Nintendo EPD

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild starts with Link’s failure. After Calamity Ganon’s forces overwhelm the hero and his allies, the world is plunged into 100 years of devastation. Link awakens, broken and amnesiac, into a shattered world.

Over the course of the game, Link must prove himself once more as the hero he is destined to be. As he journeys to liberate the land from Calamity Ganon’s influence, he regains his memories and aids people in need throughout Hyrule, once again rising to the level of legendary hero and saving Hyrule as he was destined to.

1

Ghost Of Tsushima

A Hero’s Sacrifice

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Ghost of Tsushima

Systems

Released

July 17, 2020

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Ghost of Tsushima stars Jin Sakai, one of the sole surviving samurai after a vicious battle with occupying Mongol forces. In his quest to repel the invaders, Jin gradually forsakes his samurai code, turning to dishonorable tactics and heinous crimes to get the upper hand in the conflict.

The narrative of the game is propelled by the decisions Jin makes in his bloody quest. As he crosses more and more lines, however, he also forges bonds and friendships with people across the island of Tsushima and learns that there are things more important than rigorously following a code of honor. Jin loses much in his journey to become the Ghost of Tsushima, but he gains a lot as well.

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8 Best Open-World Games To Try If You Are Not Into The Genre

Even those who inherently dislike open-world games should consider playing the following titles.