Best Open-World Games With Flying Mounts

Open-world games often implement some way of traveling beyond simply walking or running, especially when it comes to huge maps where getting from A to B can seem daunting and potentially even boring. As such, vehicles and animals have become equally popular ways to traverse the landscape, with some unique and iconic mounts being born in the process.

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While some open-world games allow the player to fly via equipment or skill, like Batman’s cape in the Arkham series or the flying suit in Anthem, others take a different approach. This list includes the best open-world games with flying mounts that players can tame, summon, ride, and fight alongside.

10

ARK: Survival Evolved

Survive A Prehistoric-Slash-Sci-Fi Island Where Dinosaurs Are Rideable

Released

August 29, 2017

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer

There is no denying that ARK: Survival Evolved has had its fair share of problems, with its remaster Survival Ascended getting even more slack in its early access stage. However, it has remained a solid favorite to many for its unique concept and mechanics, offering addictive gameplay.

ARK: Survival Evolved pits players against dangerous wildlife, environments, and other players. Alongside the typical survival features — crafting, resource management, base-building — players can tame dinosaurs and mythical creatures such as Wyverns and train them to gather materials and fight, as well as use them as mounts.

9

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Ride, Glide, And Swim On The Games’ Mascots

Systems

Released

November 18, 2022

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

It may be surprising to hear that the first Pokemon games were not initially a big success, but the slow and difficult start to the franchise has long since been forgotten. As well as branching into different media, the games have also developed, finally embracing the open-world genre.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are the first mainline Pokemon titles to do so, allowing players to explore in a new way and find new Pokemon. Naturally, new ways to travel were also introduced; the Dragon-type Koraidon (Scarlet) and Miraidon (Violet) can be ridden on land, in water, and in the air as a diverse way to explore every corner of the map.

8

Palworld

A Multiplayer Survival Game With Plenty Of Monsters To Tame

Open-World

Shooter

Survival

Released

January 19, 2024

Developer(s)

Pocket Pair, Inc.

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Publisher(s)

Pocket Pair, Inc.

Palworld has become somewhat notorious for its blatant similarities to the Pokemon games — namely the “Pal” designs and collecting mechanics — but it would be unfair to completely strip it of merit. At its core, Palworld is a survival game with crafting, base-building, and hunger management, drawing inspiration from other titles like ARK.

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The Pal taming system is one of the main appeals of the game, with the variety of captured creatures being available for combat and as mounts — with some amazing flying Pals available to cruise through the skies. Complete with gunplay and the option to go multiplayer, Palworld is a fun indie title to play with friends.

7

Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora

Gives New Life To The Beautiful Moon

Released

December 7, 2023

Compared to Ubisoft’s huge titles like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is much less talked about, but there’s no denying that it is a beautiful game. As a Na’vi, the player must confront the RDA as they invade Pandora, while grappling with their conflicted identity.

Because of how lush and stunning the environments are, exploration is a major draw of the game. Fortunately, players are able to ride an ikran (also known as a banshee) to soar across the expansive landscape. Once the ikran has been made available after the “Take Flight” quest, players can also unlock skills that improve the mount’s abilities.

6

No Man’s Sky

Explore Space And Discover Weird And Wonderful Species

Adventure

Action

Survival

Released

August 9, 2016

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op

Despite being disappointingly lackluster on its initial release, the space survival game No Man’s Sky has since improved dramatically, transforming the bare-bones content into a much more fleshed-out game with over 37 major updates having released since launch. Updates expanding on base-building, combat, and quests have made it a lot more enjoyable.

One of the mechanics that was added in v3.20 was the ability to tame pets and ride them. Like the rest of the planets, the animals are procedurally generated, so there is no knowing what weird alien creatures players will come across. Mounts’ usefulness is variable, but they are silly and fun to ride nonetheless.

5

Terraria

Explore A Diverse, Procedurally Generated World

Platform(s)

PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Vita, iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, 3DS, Stadia, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch

Released

May 16, 2011

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

As a sandbox game, Terraria throws players straight into a random 2D world with no direction, leaving them to experiment and explore as much or as little as they like. There is plenty to discover, from diverse biomes to strange enemies to special items, but it also allows simplistic base-building for players who don’t feel like going on a dangerous adventure.

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To make exploring a bit more interesting, players can summon a variety of unique mounts, provided they have the relevant item. Pre-Hardmode, players can ride the giant Bee, while flying mounts like Pigron and Rudolph are accessible in Hardmode.

A Cornerstone Of Open-World RPGs

Released

October 28, 2016

Developer(s)

Bethesda Game Studios

Publisher(s)

Bethesda Softworks

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Over a decade after the game’s initial release, gamers are still returning to Skyrim, whether it’s for the immersive fantasy world, the role-playing potential, or the numerous possible builds. Following the main questlines, exploring the wilderness, and living life as a merchant are all equally fun, but underscoring it all is the epic knowledge that the player is imbued with the blood of a dragon.

As part of the Dragonborn DLC (which is included in the Special Edition), players have the ability to ride a dragon by learning the “Bend Will” shout. While they can’t be controlled manually, players can fast-travel while mounted, and giving a dragon commands will direct it where to go. Ultimately, riding a dragon in full dragon-bone armor is very cool.

3

Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War

Become Part Of Tolkien’s Legendarium

Released

October 10, 2017

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Expand

When it comes to fantasy, Tolkien is undoubtedly one of the most legendary figures, leaving behind a huge legacy and one of the biggest testaments to world-building ever. Middle-earth: Shadow of War pays homage to both Tokien’s works and Peter Jackson’s interpretations in an open-world action game that is just as epic.

Between slaying orcs and embarking on a quest to defeat Sauron, players have plenty of opportunities to roam Middle-earth, encountering beasts along the way. Fellbeast-like Drakes can be broken to ride. With the “Dragon Song” skill, the player can summon a Drake to fly and breathe fire on anyone who dares stand in their way.

2

Hogwarts Legacy

An Immersive Rendition Of The Wizarding World

Released

February 10, 2023

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

The Harry Potter franchise is one of the most popular, with the book series being one of the best-selling series of all time. Hogwarts Legacy is another entry into the roster of licensed games, taking place at the iconic school of magic in the 1890s amid Ranrok’s goblin rebellion.

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Beyond the exciting plot about a student grappling with an ability to wield ancient magic, there are plenty of RPG elements to make the most of, like character customization and progression. Throughout the main questline, players will unlock mounts; the Thestral and the Hippogryff are two mythical beasts that players will have fun gliding around Hogwarts on.

1

Horizon Forbidden West

The Post-Apocalypse, A Deadly Plague, And Mechanical Dinosaurs

Systems

Released

February 18, 2022

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

The Horizon games are most memorable for their intriguing worlds and concepts, Forbidden West being no exception. On the one hand, there is a beautiful post-apocalyptic world where resources are scarce, and the people left are living similar to early humans. On the other hand, there is ancient technology, AI gods, mechanical dinosaurs, and a deadly plague threatening to end what remains of humanity.

Forbidden West built on Zero Dawn‘s “override” mechanic, adding more machines able to be ridden after taming. The Sunwing is a flying machine not dissimilar to a Pterosaur, which is accessible after completing “Cauldron GEMINI” during the fourteenth main quest, “Gemini.” The Sunwing is not as fortified as some of the other machines, but it’s much faster and has the unique perk of dropping players into hard-to-reach locations.

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