8 Open-World Games Born From Kickstarter Campaigns

Kickstarter is an amazing development in crowdfunding, giving indie studios an avenue that simply wasn't available before. Everyone wins here: we get more games to play, and studios get a chance to fulfill their dreams.

We're in a bit of an indie boom at the moment, and many of the brilliant games coming out right now are funded by Kickstarter. Open-world games are a bit harder for indie studios to create as they require a lot of resources, but some developers have successfully taken the risk. Here are some open-world games that got their head start thanks to Kickstarter and the generosity of their backers.

8 We Happy Few

A Dystopian Survival in London

We Happy Few offers a view into an alternate history of 1960s London. The characters are eerily happy, and everything is just a little too controlled. You follow the stories of three characters who try to escape the city, making your way through the procedurally generated districts.

It's the stories that shine in We Happy Few. All three player characters are compelling, as are their reasons for rebelling against their so-called perfect society. The drug that everyone takes that induces an artificial happiness gives the world a disturbing, uncanny valley feel, and makes the survival elements of the game feel genuine.

7 The Long Dark

A True Wilderness Survival

Another survival game, The Long Dark one reminded me a lot of the book Hatchet. You play as a pilot who ends up stranded in the far northern wilderness with a doctor companion. This is survival in its purest form, where you have to fight against the cold, starvation, and simple human fatigue. Finding your way through the wilderness to find the resources you need while keeping track of sunlight and the time is of utmost importance.

I really enjoyed this game, but my favorite way of playing was its survival mode. This places you in a true open-world survival scenario, where the threat of permadeath is always overhead.

6 Starsand Island

Exploration and Coziness

Starsand Island is a farm sim that goes all in on the cute. It's charming, it's very pretty, and it's set on an archeological that's easy to traverse. Like all farm sims, you get a wide variety of crops and flowers to grow, animals to raise, and tools and machinery to improve your homestead.

What makes Starsand Island stand out is its open world. You get multiple properties to expand that are scattered across the island, all of which can be expanded and upgraded. I loved this as it let me explore different themes and architectural styles for each property, rather than relying on multiple saves or periodically demolishing my home. Exploration in Starsand Island is also top notch, with gorgeous environments and a variety of options to get around.

5 Coral Island

Expanding Beyond Shores

Like Starsand Island, Coral Island is an open-world cozy game set on an island that saw its beginnings on Kickstarter. It places more emphasis on the island and ocean than Starsand Island, with ocean conservation and coral preservation one of its gameplay mechanics. It also brings in fantasy, giving it a unique whimsy.

Coral Island's open world extends beyond its shores, and gives you the chance to explore the underwater civilization of the merpeople who live nearby. It's a wonderfully warm game that's perfect for playing to uplift your mood or to get lost in, especially if you find yourself tiring of the usual farm sim formula.

4 My Time at Sandrock

Rebuild a Town

Both My Time at Portia and My Time at Sandrock were funded through Kickstarter campaigns, and Pathea delivered on its promise to its backers both times. Pathea's next game, My Time at Evershine, is also looking to be something special and is also on Kickstarter.

My Time at Sandrock puts a spin on the traditional farming sim. You play as a Builder in a small outpost town in the middle of a desert that's based around a rapidly dwindling water source. Hazards such as sandstorms threaten the future of Sandrock, and the main storyline is centered on the environmental upliftment of the town, with some unexpected twists along the way. The cast is lively and I found myself laughing at so many of the pop culture references and witty dialogue. As Sandrock is built on the ruins of a destroyed civilization, you also get to explore forgotten work offices and malls, a task that has far more charm than it implies.

3 Loftia

An Open-World Cozy MMO

Loftia is set in a solarpunk world comprised of floating islands. This is a semi-open-world MMO with massive districts to explore and develop alongside your friends. It was wildly successful on Kickstarter, and has exceeded all its fundraising goals. All we have to do now is wait for its upcoming release, which is on-track for Fall 2026.

With a solarpunk theme, Loftia is similar to My Time at Sandrock in that it's all about environmental practices and sustainable development. Loftia looks to be a wholesome MMO, and the emphasis on building a real community with other players feels like the very best parts of games like Animal Crossing.

2 Tales of Seikyu

When JRPGs and Farm Sims Meet

Tales of Seikyu is a bit of an odd game as it's first and foremost a cozy farming sim, but it has some big deviations that can't be ignored. It has an epic plot with more intense combat than the usual cozy game mines, and has some JRPG moments. You play in a Japanese-inspired world as a farmer, with the twist that you're a shapeshifter. As a yokai, you interact with humans and other yokai residents of the community.

Despite its blend of genres, it's surprisingly good at both, and fans of both cozy farming sims and JRPGs will likely enjoy this one, and could be a light introduction into either genre while finding something you like.

1 Kingdom Come: Deliverance

The Start of a New Franchise

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is one of the best examples of what Kickstarter can do. Through it, Warhorse got the funding it needed to create an open-world RPG set in medieval Bohemia, a location that's rarely explored in fiction. The result is an open-world RPG with a staggering level of depth and realism that captures the experience of living during this turbulent period.

With a genuinely good storyline and compelling characters, Kingdom Come: Deliverance doesn't quite hit the highs of its successor, but it's what made Kingdom Come: Deliverance II possible. Giving opportunities to create new IPs like this is Kickstarter at its best. Warhorse also has other games in development, and seeing a developer get its feet off the ground because of crowdfunding is inspiring.