The gaming industry has seen a plethora of titles with rich, deep, and emotionally heavy stories. From the likes of The Last of Us to the remake of God of War, recent releases have really laid on the narrative structure. This can be particularly noticed in the RPG genre to a fault.
There’s nothing wrong with a story-focused RPG, that’s what makes so many of them legendary. But sometimes fans just want to explore things all on their own and carve out their own lives in a ginormous fictional world. Honestly, what’s wrong with having a realm of one’s own?
10 Saints Row Series
Saints Row, especially when aliens, zombies, and demons get involved, has been compared to playing as a superhero on god-mode without consequences. Although this third-person-shooter is more of an open-world action game, the amount of customization and flexibility definitely wins it some RPG points.
That being said, how can one possibly focus on a threat like an alien invasion in a world with little consequence? With loads of vehicles, guns, costumes, and other things to play with, it’s easy to get distracted.
9 Dead Island
Dead Island is far from the most polished game, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. Honestly, the best part of the game is simply looking for new ways to hack up the infected zombies that swarm the resort and surrounding territories.
The storyline is there, but there’s just something more satisfying with the sidequests for better weapons. Who wouldn’t want an electric barbed-wire-buzzsaw to hack through the horde?
8 Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild has one of the most marvelous stories to ever grace a Zelda title. But with all the incredible places to explore, things to do, weapons to wield, shrines to solve, and monsters to mash, Ganon and his domination of Hyrule kinda take a back seat at times.
BotW is one of those games with a “prepare to try” attitude. There are just so many ways to play with the physics, weapons, and environments that it simply allows for some freeing and at times goofy experiences.
7 Red Dead Redemption Series
While it might not look like a typical RPG, to say that the Red Dead Redemption games don’t fall into that category would be entirely untrue. The games are some of the most immersive on the Playstation, and one wouldn’t be remiss if they fell into the wild west experience.
While the stories are excellent, it can more fun to just take up the side missions and live out one’s western fantasy. Shoot a few desperados, play a little blackjack, and ride into the sunset.
6 Fallout 3 Onward
Once the Fallout series ventured into the first-person action RPG territory, things got a whole lot more interesting. Bethesda has produced a bumper crop of expansive RPGs in their time, but their post-nuclear-war series has definitely turned some heads.
From stomping around in a giant mech suit to simply exploring the wastelands of an eroded America picking off various mutants and Deathclaws, there’s no shortage of things to do and caps to collect.
5 Dragon Age: Inquisition
Bioware is practically infamous for their story-rich RPG titles, but this entry into their fantastical Dragon Age series is particularly enormous. Inquisition has perhaps one of the largest worlds with an almost absurd number of quests to undertake. An invasion of demons from another dimension is exciting on its own, but there’s so much more to do.
There are NPCs to aid, territories to claim, and even dragons to slay. With so much to sink one’s time into, it can be a bit overwhelming at times.
4 Stardew Valley
It may come as a shock to some, but there is indeed a story tucked underneath all the bits and bobs of this laid-back RPG. Trying to keep a cute little 16-bit town out of the clutches of an all-consuming megacorp is one thing, but it can wait while the player takes a break to go fishing.
Players can forage for resources, raid a mine full of monsters, or simply become a social butterfly with the town’s residents. Farm life isn’t the only route to take in this title.
3 Assassin’s Creed Origins (& Onward)
From Origins to Valhalla, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has expanded into a series of open-world action RPGs rather than a simple stealth game. It still follows the same AC formulae, but with a lot more freedom than that of Ezio’s days.
Be they Bayek, Kassandra, or Eivor, they have the power and the freedom to explore the various ancient worlds in which they dwell. Taking out Templars can occasionally just fall to the wayside.
2 The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
If there was an award for the most sidequests, The Witcher III has to be a top tier contender. There are literally hours of various bits and bobs to comb through in this expansive RPG. So it makes sense that the plot would only occasionally come to a player’s mind.
While following the main plot and learning the mystery of the Wild Hunt is great, living up to the Witcher occupation is just as fun. Just don’t go into battle unprepared.
1 Skyrim
With little exaggeration, Skyrim is a game where one can simply breeze through the tutorial mission, then basically do whatever the heck they want the rest of the time. Follow the story, don’t follow the story, be a hero of Tamriel or an agent of chaos bent on its destruction. It’s all up to the player.
Skyrim is quite possibly one of the most liberating experiences ever to be released on consoles. Why else would it get new editions and rereleases so that more could experience its glory?
NEXT: Ten Years Later, Skyrim Is Still One Of The Most Gorgeous Games Ever Made
