Some open-world games give players the freedom to do anything they want in massive environments. Some include choice-making to fully let players take control of their own destiny. Few open-world games fully get this right.
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Two examples that came close were Baldur’s Gate 3 and Disco Elysium, but while their choice systems are unique, they’re not fully open-world games. For Dying Light 2 and Elden Ring, their choice options aren’t enough to make them stand out compared to their worlds. So, let’s take a look at what games made it into the finals and rank them according to how open their worlds are and the number of choices players can make.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Avowed
Mushroom Gods
Avowed puts players in charge of the Envoy, a literal envoy for the grander kingdom that controls everything, who is sent to the Living Lands to look into a disease called the Dream Scourge. Everyone in this area is concerned with the spreading of the disease, affected in one way or another, with the capital not believing the claims to be true. Players can side with their kingdom and be a bit harsher when it comes to siding with people, or they can have a more humane approach.
Players can customize their character, even going so far as to give them mushroom-like appendages, which are signs of godhood, which becomes clearer later on, tying things back to the Dream Scourge. Quests, as hinted at, can go one of several ways, with one early Avowed quest being “Dawntreader,” which could lead to mass sacrifice and seeing a cool robot in action, or standing up for what’s right and vanquishing an unhinged leader. There are factions all over the Living Lands, and which players side with can affect how others react. Also, magic plays a big role in the game, as spells can affect the environment like icing over a lake to create a shortcut, literally affecting the world, albeit not in a permanent manner.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Rags To Riches
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is like the Red Dead Redemption 2 of medieval open-world RPGs, as there is nothing fantastical about the characters or landscape, but its attention to detail in the Bohemian area of the 1400s is great. Kuttenberg is one of the biggest cities, and the mucked-up streets, poor citizens, and lavish albeit simple buildings are a treat for historians. The protagonist is Henry, who starts as a soldier, but players are not strictly set to obey the laws. There is a reputation factor around towns, and if players want to be a murderer or a pickpocket and they get caught, then word will spread around.
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On the more redeemable end, leveling up speech can open up new doorways that even blades cannot, skillfully using word martial arts to ring circles around opponents. Some quests are linear, while others have different outcomes from dealing with factions in towns, killers, and investigating camps. It’s a big world and a bit hard to get into, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is also deeply rewarding for those who have patience, from going from a lowly soldier into an incredibly well-respected knight or the best rogue in Bohemia.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Every Choice Is Dark
Like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has no character customization, but it does have vastly different outcomes for all of its major and side quests. As a Witcher, Geralt is searching the land for his daughter of sorts, Ciri, who is being chased by otherworldly beings known as the Wild Hunt. His quests take him through villages that look straight out of fairy tales, and the monsters he faces are some of the most gruesome in action RPGs, from big trolls to witches who show too much to tree-like entities. One major example ties into the Bloody Baron in numerous ways, like how to deal with his demonic child from beyond the grave, how to free his wife, and how to save the people of the village.
Everyone can be doomed in favor of rescuing others, and there are several quests all linked together. The branching paths are enormous, but even the smaller quests, like rescuing a man from behind lynched, can have positive effects. All in all, the outcomes players will choose are often dark, no matter what, subbing in one sacrifice for another, and it’s all about living with consequences and trying to think of the greater good or how best to give Geralt an edge in his quest for Ciri.
Cyberpunk 2077
It’s Hard In Night City
Cyberpunk 2077 is another game from CD Projekt Red, along with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but the two are vastly different. Cyberpunk 2077 is a futuristic game, taking place within Night City, the seemingly tech capital of the world, where anything is possible, or that’s the promise at least. Players can customize their character, V, and then start out as a Nomad, Corpo, or Street Kid. A Nomad will begin in the wasteland, coloring the arrival in Night City quite differently. A Corpo is someone within the corporation system who runs Night City, giving players a bit of a leg up, or a Street Kid will start on the streets, dreaming of something bigger.
The gameplay is open-ended, no matter how players start, because they can mod their character with cybernetics to improve various skills. If they want to hack enemies through walls, they can do that. If they want to avoid combat altogether, there are stealth skills to get through most situations. How players deal with the various factions in town will lead them to different outcomes and possibly bigger quests. Players can rat out street gangs to rank up with corporations or the rich, and vice versa. Once Johnny Silverhand gets involved, an AI based on a real person, he can complicate decisions more, but also lead to more engaging plot developments.
The Outer Worlds 2
Choice Through Mistakes
The Outer Worlds 2 is the RPG for choice on all levels. What it lacks in one giant world, it makes up for in the various systems it has in place, making no two campaigns similar. Players can create their interplanetary soldier, tasked with going to planets and dealing with local troubles. Corporations run this galaxy, but they’re not the only ones to worry about, as local politics can be a factor in how things play out, too. Like Cyberpunk 2077, gameplay in The Outer Worlds 2 is open-ended, meaning players can build their character in a myriad of ways, and each version will have its uses.
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For example, a broken door could be opened with strength or engineering skills, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Nearly everything players drop points into can affect the world in some way, be it through the door example or in conversations, since engineering skills can persuade NPCs. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about The Outer Worlds 2 is its flaws. If players keep performing a certain way, the game will take time to ask them if they want to take on an extra Perk called a Flaw, which has negative and positive effects. Players could sneak more quietly but alert enemies if they stand up, for example. Between gameplay choices and dialogue options, this is the ultimate RPG for anyone who wants to have a claim to their own space adventure.
Fallout: New Vegas
Good Or Evil, It’s Up To You
Fallout: New Vegas may be an older game by Obsidian Entertainment that doesn’t have as lavish gameplay systems as their more modern The Outer Worlds 2. That said, the karma mechanics are great, easily making Fallout: New Vegas stand out as one of the best, if not THE best, Fallout games. As a courier shot down and revived, players are tasked with finding their murderer. Technically, there is character customization, but just facial features, which aren’t too important. Stats are important as well, and getting new Perks every few levels can make the world of difference while exploring or in combat, from picking locks easier to exploding enemies into goo.
What is more important are player actions, as everything they do will be weighted with karma. If they rescue random NPCs from bandits, then that is seen as a net positive, while killing everyone they come across is obviously bad, and their evil reputation will spread. This could be beneficial as fear-stricken citizens could be more easily broken, or some of the bigger factions, like Caesar’s Legion, may value that type of no-holds-barred sort of depravity. There are a handful of other major factions and dozens of minor ones, like The Kings, a bunch of Elvis impersonators with the New Vegas strip. With all of these factions trying to get a leg up in the greater Nevada area, players can create different paths forward or be in it for themselves.
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