At the time of Horizon Zero Dawn’s release, it provided you with a vast, post-apocalyptic, open world, where exploration was made pivotal to the immersive gameplay experience it provided. Piloting Aloy as she discovered her past while simultaneously battling cybernetic dinosaurs was truly an unforgettable experience.

While Horizon Zero Dawn, unfortunately, meets its end after about thirty-ish hours, this list of open-world games will provide you with a slew of existential issues, larger-than-life monstrosities, and an expansive open-world, much akin to Horizon Zero Dawn.

Updated May 19, 2022, By Luke Ackroyd: Horizon zero dawn is a fantastic game full of exploration, epic action, and story, but it has been out for a little while now. Luckily, there are a lot of games similar to Horizon Zero Dawn out there that can scratch that same itch. From more recent releases to older classics, HZD shares a lot of similarities with many great games. We’ve added some more games to this list with that in mind. So if you’ve finished your latest playthrough and are looking for something new, maybe give one of these games a try next.

14 Horizon Forbidden West

Although Aloy hasn’t got her own tv series just yet, you can continue her story by jumping into Horizon Forbidden West. This sequel game will give you more of what you enjoyed from the first installment of the series. The game has more epic fights with deadly machines, including some fun new enemies to face. You’ll get a new fascinating story to dive into and plenty of exploration.

The sequel game is set in the uncharted area found to the west of the Daunt. This land was mentioned in the first game, and now you can finally set foot there and uncover its mysteries.

13 Elden Ring

Elden Ring is an incredible but very difficult open-world epic fantasy. Although you will not have the mechanical science fiction aspects of Horizon Zero Dawn, there are still plenty of similarities between the two. They are both stunning games, with lots of incredible set pieces and locations to enjoy.

From epic monsters to plenty of captivating narratives to discover along your journey, there is a lot of content in Elden Ring for you to sink hours into. In Elden Ring, you venture into the Lands Between in the hopes of finding the shards of the Elden Ring and restoring the crumbling realm around you.

12 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has become a modern classic open-world game. Both Geralt and Aloy are fascinating protagonists, both incredibly skilled and capable of taking on mighty quests. Geralt’s foes are more monstrous than mechanical and will provide just as much of a challenge as the ones you are used to in Horizon Zero Dawn.

Like Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3 is a game you can replay repeatedly and still have a lot of fun. You’ll have plenty of action to enjoy, locations to explore, and challenging moral dilemmas to confront. The Witcher 3 is full of gripping storytelling that will keep you hooked from beginning to end.

11 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is a beautifully scenic open-world game. You could spend hours just admiring the views in this fantastic game. But, eventually, you’ll want to get stuck into the main epic quest. You will soon explore the realm and save the day. This time, Link has awoken from a deep sleep and is tasked with figuring out what has happened to the kingdom of Hyrule.

Like Aloy, Link has his own trusty bow and arrow, allowing you to make incredible trick shots against your enemies. Additionally, just like in Horizon Zero Dawn, there are even ancient machines for you to take down in style.

10 Far Cry Primal

What most people loved about Horizon Zero Dawn was the fact that it meshed together futuristic technological advancement with aspects of pre-historic civilization and creatures. Far Cry Primal strips away the technology and puts you in control of Takkar.

As Takkar progresses through the world, he must best other tribesmen in combat as well as prehistorical mammals such as wooly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. Far Cry Primal also explores the journey of self-discovery as Takkar reassembles a lost tribe to fight back against those who destroyed them.

9 Mad Max

Mad Max is an awesome open-world, road warrior exploration game where you need to get by with as little resources as possible. Like Horizon Zero Dawn, the world is in shambles and Max must do what he can to survive.

Mad Max is reminiscent of Horizon Zero Dawn due to its cast of eccentric characters and the existential crisis that plagues the world. It is also criminally underrated and extremely fun, offering you more than 20 hours of post-apocalyptic, open-world experience.

8 Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is a game filled to the brim with drama, cybernetic enhancements, polarizing characters, and a narrative surrounded by an under-arching existential dilemma. As V, you navigate Night City trying to piece together why your subconscious is being tampered with by ex-mobster Johnny Silverhand.

If the “futuristic” aspect of Horizon Zero Dawn is what was most appealing about the game, then Cyberpunk 2077 delivers a similar experience in bunches. Although its release date drama pushed players away from the game initially, the similarities between Cyberpunk 2077 and Horizon Zero Dawn are unfaltering.

7 Death Stranding

Death Stranding is, first and foremost, an exploration game. As Sam Porter Bridges, you traverse across the world delivering packages in the height of an apocalyptic disaster known as Death Stranding. As you explore the world and meet new characters, further details about the past are uncovered.

What makes Death Stranding most like Horizon Zero Dawn are the intricate relationships between characters as they come to grips with the existential dilemmas they are facing and the fate of humanity as a whole.

6 Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

If the cinematic vision of Horizon Zero Dawn is what was most appealing about the game, then Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is the perfect game to follow it up with. In 4k, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales looks absolutely stunning, especially with the ray-tracing features enabled by the PlayStation 5.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales takes place in modern-day New York, where exploration and fighting enemies play a pivotal role in character progression. Overall, Miles Morales tells an impactful, cinematic, coming-of-age story, whilst utilizing open-world exploration and progression.

5 Immortals Fenyx Rising

In Immortals Fenyx Rising you take control of Fenyx, an unlikely hero who must rise to the occasion to save the immortals of Greek mythology who have been stripped of their godly powers. Much like Horizon Zero Dawn, Immortals Fenyx Rising tells the tale of redemption and examines the relationship between creators and their creations.

Immortals Fenyx Rising has some incredible world-building moments, such as the refreshing re-imagining of the worldly embodiments of Greek gods. The third-person combat is also reminiscent of Horizon Zero Dawn, where you utilize a plethora of weapons such as bows, axes, and swords to defeat foes.

4 God Of War

God of War explores the story of a young Atreus, accompanying his father to scatter his mother’s ashes whilst learning about the world and his existence. The story of God of War is timeless and explores the father/son dynamic in a touching, heartfelt way. Kratos must confront his past, and Atreus comes to learn that although relatively “immortal,” his father can be defeated both emotionally and physically.

Much like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War is a story about seeking truth, parental relationships, and confronting the past. God of War provides a story-driven, open-world gameplay experience that explores family dynamics and relationships in an astute manner.

3 Monster Hunter World

Monster Hunter World is an open-world experience where you create a custom character, pick a weapon class, and venture into the world to defeat enormous, pre-historic-looking creatures to harvest them for materials, experience points, and loot. Horizon Zero Dawn is memorable due in large part to the ability to hunt the huge, mechanical, dinosaur-looking creatures that inhabit the open world.

In Monster Hunter World, you solely hunt creatures similarly statured to those in Horizon Zero Dawn. However, instead of being forced to experience these epic moments alone, you can instead opt to do it cooperatively in Monster Hunter World, ultimately enabling endless hours of fun.

2 Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV explores the relationship between humans and technology, much like Horizon Zero Dawn. Furthermore, Final Fantasy XV delves into issues such as the duty that comes with inheritance and the fragile relationship between industrialism and the environment.

Final Fantasy XV also sports a sprawling open world, shrouded in mystery and populated by a bevy of enemies, both living and mechanical. The combat mechanics are also incredibly fun - Final Fantasy XV does away with the conventional turn-based combat and opts for a more real-time approach where you actively control Noctis, and his allies, in battle.

1 Xenoblade Chronicles

Xenoblade Chronicles is the perfect game to dive into for avid fans of Horizon Zero Dawn. The game focuses itself on an unlikely hero, Shulk, as he and his friends defend Bionis from the Mechon threat. Xenoblade Chronicles is eerily similar to Horizon Zero Dawn in terms of the overarching plot centered on the debate of humans vs. machines.

Xenoblade Chronicles’ narrative, paired with its fun but hard-to-master action-based combat system, makes it the perfect game for fans of Horizon Zero Dawn. Not to mention, it also provides you with hundreds of hours of fun grinding, exploring, and completing quests in a world teeming with organic life and machines.

NEXT: Popular Gaming Franchises That Should Go Open-World