Summary

  • Open-world games can be overwhelming, but titles like Far Cry 3 offer clear waypoints to guide players.
  • Fallout 3 eases players into the world with a simple tutorial, setting up the core story drive.
  • Games like Slime Rancher provide small-scale, low-stakes exploration paired with creative freedom for all players.

Open-world games have become increasingly popular over the years. Perhaps it's for the freedom they offer players, or the inherent agency. While these games have a lot to offer, they can also be overwhelming to newcomers.

Related
8 Best Open-World Games That Offer Freedom In Playstyle

These great open-world video games offer players peerless freedom in playstyle, allowing a variety of ways to carve a path through their unique world.

Games such as Kenshi, which offer massive sandbox environments that champion player agency, tend to be double-edged swords; the unparalleled freedom allows for a great deal of possibilities and emergent gameplay, but it can sometimes leave new players floundering. However, there are a variety of open-world titles, big and small, that are able to offer accessible experiences with intuitive controls and clear goals.

8 Far Cry 3

Clear Waypoints That Direct The Player

Your Rating

FPS
Open-World
Systems
Platform(s)
PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
Released
November 29, 2012
Developer(s)
Ubisoft Montreal

The notorious radio towers of Far Cry 3 may have been tedious at times, even lazy in their design. However, there's something to be said about the accessibility of this feature; open-world games can often be daunting, especially in the AAA scene, easily leaving newcomers floundering. With big, often bloated open-world areas to explore, it can be difficult to find a clear direction.

Related
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.

3

Far Cry 3 solved this issue with its radio towers, encouraging players to seek them out and directing them around the map. This keeps the pace of the game by giving players clear direction and goals, allowing players to stumble into enemy encounters and face emergent challenges along the way.

7 Fallout 3

Simple Combat And A Strong Introduction

Your Rating

Action RPG
Systems
Platform(s)
PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Released
October 28, 2008
Developer(s)
Bethesda Game Studios

Not every Fallout game offers the most accessible of experiences, and while Fallout: New Vegas may be a fan favorite, there's an argument to be made that Fallout 3's introductory sequence eases the player into the world like no other entry in the franchise.

Fallout 3's opening tutorial teaches the ropes and simultaneously introduces the player to the world, all while setting up the core drive of the story. This means that by the time the player has left the iconic vault, they're well-equipped with the skills and knowledge that they need to reach the next step. Combined with Bethesda's waypoint system that constantly directs players toward the next point of interest, Fallout 3 rarely leaves players wondering what to do.

6 Terraria

Low-Stakes Exploration And Creative Freedom

Your Rating

Action
Adventure
Sandbox
Systems
Top Critic Rating: 79/100 Critics Recommend: 76%
Released
May 16, 2011
Developer(s)
Re-Logic
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

As a procedural open-world game, Terraria may not be what some fans are looking for. However, its nature as a 2D side-scroller makes it a surprisingly accessible, yet deep, experience. There's plenty to explore, craft, and build in Terraria, and its variety of bosses and town-building elements allow it to stand out from other survival-craft games.

The intuitive controls and low-stakes gameplay frees Terraria up to focus on free-form exploration and expressive creativity. The relaxing atmosphere, facilitated by charming pixel art and a fitting soundtrack, also helps to ease players into the experience.

5 Slime Rancher

A Wildly Colorful And Cozy Open World

Your Rating

Adventure
Simulation
Systems
Top Critic Rating: 76/100
Released
August 1, 2017
Developer(s)
Monomi Park
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

With a small but wildly colorful open-world to explore, intuitive controls, and utterly tactile gameplay that's a joy to interact with, Slime Rancher is a decidedly cozy experience. The low stakes and general lack of challenge opens the game up to all kinds of player, allowing users to fully appreciate the sense of discovery it has to offer.