10 Games Where Exploration Feels More Personal Than the Main Narrative

For me, exploring is one of the most exciting things a game can give me. It doesn't matter whether it's an open-world game with a vast landscape to explore or a small game that lets you search a single room. Everything can be thrilling if made right.

The gaming industry doesn't lack games that offer worlds to explore, but few actually have a world that overshadows the main narrative of the game itself. Whether these exploration systems were created to do that or not, I don't know, but it is surely exciting when I get an opportunity to go around the game for hours and hours without completing any quests.

10 Outer Wilds

A Solar System Awaits Your Curiosity

Outer Wilds puts you in a small solar system and into a 22-minute loop that constantly resets, forcing you to start again from your ship while preserving knowledge from past excursions. The game does have a main narrative, but it won't push you towards it. Instead, you'll get light direction as to where the story goes, but you will need to explore and solve puzzles yourself to find it.

For me, the main driver behind the awesome exploration experience in this game is that you are the one who is piecing together half-understood clues while trying to understand the logic of the world around you. Discoveries can sometimes be hard, but they really do feel like genuine eureka moments.

9 Red Dead Redemption 2

Much More Than the Life of a Gunslinger

Where do I even start when talking about Red Dead Redemption 2? The game's reputation for both an excellent storyline and exploration precedes it wherever it is mentioned. However, I could argue that the exploration part is a bit more personal than the game's narrative for a few reasons, such as unique NPC reactions, dozens of secrets and mysteries to uncover, and the giant world whose borders are bigger than you think.

Even after 300 hours and two playthroughs, I'm still discovering new animals, odd items, unique NPC encounters, and hidden locations. Any game with such rich open-world content will have it overshadow the main storyline, whether the developers intended that or not.

8 Elden Ring

From Goes Open

In Elden Ring, your map won't be filled with marks and quests that tempt you to chase them mindlessly. Instead, the game prioritized player freedom and organic exploration by putting you on a large, open map and letting you take care of yourself. Explore, fight enemies, grow stronger, and eventually tackle a main story quest.

Environmental details are out of this world, and every time you discover something hidden, you are pushed to explore more. What is especially interesting to me is that to find certain secrets in this game, you have to perform an emote/gesture with your character at the right place. Still, be aware that some exploring in Elden Ring can get you into a fight you weren't expecting.

7 Ghost of Tsushima

Nature Speaks to You

When roaming around Tsushima Island in Ghost of Tsushima, you'll be drawn to so many gorgeous and detailed environmental elements that you'll soon realize why exploration in this game is superior to the story. Part of nature itself, like winds, foxes, and birds, guide you to interesting discoveries and hidden locations, bringing to life a real explorer atmosphere.

A lot of optional quests, lore, and upgrades sit outside the main path of the game, so you won't regret going the long way. Shrines, haiku spots, enemy camps, and other special locations scattered across the map are inviting you to engage with them at your own pace, which means there probably won't be two playthroughs that are the same.

6 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Be Careful About The Choices You Make

The Witcher 3 has one of the most compelling stories out there, so when you see it on a list talking about games where exploration surpasses the main story, you know you have serious exploring to do. The main thing about the game's open world is that you can run into all kinds of different things without knowing what you can expect from them. Surely, some side quests can be slow and some more exciting, but the thing is, you don't know which is which until you actually engage with them. Just like in real life.

The secondary content of the open world lets you craft your own Geralt through the choices you make, because eventually they will have consequences of their own. This makes the game extra exciting for everyone who likes to take things slow and create their own adventure.

5 Subnautica

Exploring the Ocean is Always Exciting

Exploration in Subnautica is tightly intertwined with the thrill of what you might discover, so for many, this is a guaranteed recipe for success. In short, the game takes you to an alien planet where you explore its ocean by collecting rare materials and upgrading your vehicles to go deeper. Of course, there is a main story that is the driver of the game, but it really comes second to the sheer opportunity to explore the mysterious ocean.

For me, games that make you explore the depths of the ocean have always been scary, but Subnautica balances this by piquing my curiosity with its different biomes and creatures. The lack of a map means you need to find your own landmarks to orient yourself in the vast ocean, making the exploration even more personal.

4 Hollow Knight

Wherever You Go, Adventure Awaits

Hollow Knight is a 2D platformer with more content to discover than you can possibly imagine. What I absolutely love is that the game's narrative is intentionally fragmented, which puts you in the shoes of an "archeologist" who needs to piece it all together. This means a ton of room for exploration, because regardless of the direction you're headed to, you'll hit something: whether it's loot or an unplanned boss.

The game's world is vast, interconnected, and largely unexplained, which makes exploration extra fun. I could say that the story itself isn't told but unearthed by you, the player, creating a personal experience where your interpretation is key.

3 Death Stranding

The Open World is Your Canvas

Since Death Stranding's narrative is pretty simple, take a package from point A to point B, the real feature that steals the show here is exploring the post-apocalyptic landscapes of the US. You often get a feeling that you just want to stop and soak in all the things around you and take multiple roads at the same time, just to see what's hiding in that direction.

Since you'll be traveling on foot most of the time, the routes you pick across unknown landscapes will matter even more, as you can't just rush back to try out alternative paths. Also, one of the core mechanics of your journey will be building infrastructure to help you move around, such as zip lines, bridges, and safe houses. I would call this your own, personal version of the environment through which you travel.

2 Fallout: New Vegas

The Post-Apocalyptic World is Very Fun For Exploring

The post-apocalyptic Fallout: New Vegas has a structured main narrative centered on four competing factions and the question of who should control the Hoover Dam. And even though the story is captivating, the open world around it is even more exciting and clearly shows that the game's writers gave their best to make it so.

There are plenty of details that weren't required but are still worth finding to enrich the story, such as a collapsed overpass, a pre-war school, or a raider camp with enough environmental details to tell a whole story. Add to that the fact that the game is filled with features that make its role-playing feel natural, and you have another deep and personal experience in front of you.

1 No Man's Sky

Where Will You Go First?

Ever heard of the number 18 quintillion? Well, now you have, and that's approximately the number of planets available in the universe of No Man's Sky. The game has a main narrative called Artemis Path, which takes you on a dramatic adventure through the universe. However, it can't compete with the 18 quintillion planets waiting to be explored.

What makes this living, evolving universe personal is that, first and foremost, you can visit any procedurally generated planet you want in any order you like. They will have their own flora and fauna, as well as resources and enemies. Also, one of my personal favorites is that you can name the star systems you discover, tying them to your own adventure!