Best Open-World Games That Offer Freedom In Playstyle
Open-world games are synonymous with player freedom, but only a handful of releases genuinely accommodate a wide assortment of playstyles. Masterpieces like Red Dead Redemption 2 let players mold Arthur’s personality and future to an extent, but the actual gameplay loop is largely the same regardless of whether someone opts for a low or high honor run. Limiting the options makes sense in a story-driven game like RDR2 or Like a Dragon, but certain open-world projects sell themselves on their character-build variety, to the point that two players can have widely different experiences depending on the playstyle they pick.
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Those main quests can wait! Players can take their time and enjoy the sights and sounds of these excellent open-world games at their leisure.
When executed well and combined with emergent gameplay, these games can be some of the most addictive and long-lasting, facilitating multiple playthroughs through their flexibility. During one run, you could opt to be a melee fighter who gets up close and personal; during another, you become a mage who fights from a distance. Let’s take a look at a few fantastic open-world games that try to cover as many playstyles as possible.
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 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.
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 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, 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
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
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.
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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 several 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
Kenshi
- Released
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December 6, 2018
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 can 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 can 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 world of Fallout: New Vegas and the NPCs that populate it are both dynamic and reactive, resulting in a world that feels alive. Players can 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 also to role-play in particular ways, as well.
Honorable Mentions
Let’s just quickly mention a few games that support different playstyles and also warrant a recommendation.
- Where Winds Meet – The classless system grants quite a bit of build variety, although you will generally slot into three types of character. Hybrid builds that combine weapons and martial arts that are not designed for each other are viable, but you need to put in the work to get them going. The game focuses exclusively on weapons-based combat, so you are going to generally be using either a sword or a spear, and there is no magic.
- Prey – A game designed to encourage player-driven solutions, and multiple build paths are available that can lean into combat, stealth, alien powers, or environmental exploitation.
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord – Players can choose to take on a wide assortment of roles, from traders to rulers or mercenaries.
- Project Zomboid – Sandbox survival with serious customization.
- Outward – You get to decide your build and then need to work toward mastering it, and the campaign revolves around travel and survival.
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – Most missions can be approached in multiple ways.
- Cyberpunk 2077 – Stealth netrunner vs melee berserker vs gun specialist; all widely different archetypes.
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