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Experts Tell Us the Best Exploration Games

This article showcases our top picks for the Best Exploration Games. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below). We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article This list is in no particular order.

Betrayal at House on the Hill

This product was recommended by Sara Peter from Restless Meanderer

The board game Betrayal at House on the Hill is a fantastic adventure and exploration game. Tile by tile players explore and build a haunted house encountering different actions, items, and characters as they go. Halfway through the game players incite what is called the haunt. In each haunt, one player becomes a traitor and all players turn on them. With 50 different haunt scenarios, combined with the redesigned haunted house that is created each time the game is played, the possibilities are endless.

TIME Stories Board Game

This product was recommended by Sara Peter from Restless Meanderer

In TIME Stories, players are transported to a different world to complete very specific missions. A bit of role-playing, strategy, and a lot of communication, this exploration game leads players to discover tons of new rooms, new characters, and new items to help them complete their mission. But be careful, if you take too many turns you run out of time and you fail the mission!

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

This product was recommended by Robert Banks from MrStocks

This game has always had elements of exploration as we hurtle across the various historical open worlds with only a hood and a hidden blade for company. In the last few years, the maps of the game have become true adventures in their own right. The step into action RPG territory bought intriguing question marks onto our maps to uncover. In assassin’s creed Valhalla, mere golden blue dots tease a discovery in the wilderness. This means that while Avon could continue their crusade against the King of Wessex, it’s always far more fun to head in the direction of a shiny dot miles away from everything.

No Man’s Sky

This product was recommended by Gui Lopes from Pyre

No Man’s Sky is a game with a journey worthy of a movie. After suffering from one of the worst releases of the decade, the team did not give up on its game and continued improving until it became one of the best adventure games of the moment. One of the highlights of No Man’s Sky is its procedural planet generation technology. The universe you will play in will have millions of planets and none of them will be the same. Each planet will have a unique beauty, with flora and fauna that perhaps no other player will ever see. But don’t just think that the game is just going from planet to planet exploring. The entire universe is explorable! And right at the beginning of your game you’ll gain access to your spaceship and will be able to learn more about the universe. Although the universe of No Man’s Sky is almost infinite, this doesn’t stop you from playing with your friends and carrying out missions together. Or even you can go into an Exploration Hub and find other players to have this multiplayer experience. If you’ve never explored No Man’s Sky or played it right after its release, give it another try. The game has become everything it was promised and much more.

Resident Evil Origins Collection

This product was recommended by Majid Subzwari from SubZero Comics

While some consider the Resident Evil series to be mainly horror-based, fans of the series know that the series emphasizes exploration. One must explore places like the Spencer Mansion in order to find the proper tools that allow you to survive and escape.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

This product was recommended by Stephen Curry from CocoSign

If you haven’t experienced Skyrim, the Special Edition brings an adventure you certainly don’t want to miss. This special edition has the acclaimed game and add-ons with all-new features, including remastered art and effects, dynamic depth of field, volumetric god rays, screen-space reflections, and more. It brings new quests, characters, dialogue, environments, weapons, armor, and more. You will also enjoy the full power of PC mods to consoles without limiting what you can experience.

Far Cry New Dawn

This product was recommended by Cindy Corpis from SearchPeopleFree

If you’ve played Far Cry 5, you’ll be aware that the finale leaves you wanting more. After the game, you discover that the world is on the verge of collapsing due to the end of the world, and you are stuck with the adversary until the credits roll. Now, if you want to know what occurs after the credits roll and what happened to Hope County after the nuclear disaster, Far Cry New Dawn is the game for you. Players will discover new landmasses to explore as Hope County is crushed and warped by the nuclear catastrophe. Survivors have begun to rebuild the planet, but a new bandit danger has stopped Hope County from really being free of tyrant control. Players will be called upon to help clear outposts and prevent a new bandit group commanded by twin sisters from destroying Hope County and the innocent inhabitants that live there.

Subnautica

This product was recommended by Demi Yilmaz from Colonist

It’s hard to top the thrilling adventures that Subnautica offers as far as underwater exploration is concerned. The game starts off with the player’s spaceship crashing onto an alien planet, leaving a diverse and breathtaking open world for you to explore. Much of the game takes place underwater and you’re left to collect resources, build your base and discover the planet’s secrets as every quest leads you closer and closer to the big reveal. Arguably, it’s not just the stunning visuals, biodiverse landscapes, or the mesmerizing soundtrack that puts Subnautica above others in its genre — it’s the well-developed and heartwrenching storyline that leaves you wishing the game never ended.

Far Cry 5

This product was recommended by Ryan Nieman from Solitaire

The fifth main title in the Far Cry series, Far Cry 5 takes place in the fictional US area called Hope County. The narrative pits the players against Joseph Seed, a cult leader terrorizing Hope County with little resistance. Like the previous installments, Far Cry 5 is an action-adventure first-person shooter set in an open-world environment which can be explored either on foot or through vehicles. However, the campaign mode can be experienced both as a single player and through a cooperative multiplayer mode, giving players greater options. The game places greater emphasis on close-quarters combat and is the first in the series to allow players to customize their character’s appearance.

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt

This product was recommended by Eden Cheng from PeopleFinderFree

Despite the fact that Witcher 3’s gameplay has been broken up into a series of miniature open-world regions, the developer CD Project Red did an excellent job of filling them with enough detail and character that each one feels like one cohesive world. It doesn’t matter if you are exploring the cobbled streets of Novigrad, traveling on a quest to track beasts across the plains of Velen, or roaming through ancient woodlands, the Witcher 3’s open-world environment feels authentic and fantastical in every sense of the word. Plus, your exploration through these savage locales is constantly rewarded with new characters, beasts, quests, and encounters. This makes it an exploration game that you don’t ever feel the need to fast travel across for fear of missing out on a new and exciting adventure.

Final Fantasy XV

This product was recommended by Geninna Ariton from Trendhim

Featuring an open world environment and action-based battle system, Final Fantasy XV takes place in the fictional world of Eos. The player is free to explore and roam about via a car, an airship, or a famed Chocobo.

Far Cry 3

This product was recommended by Aviad Faruz from FARUZO

Far Cry 3 is a first-person shooter set in an open environment on an island unlike any other. A place where slaves are trafficked by fiercely armed warlords. It is designed to allow players to strike a balance between exploring and progressing through the game. You will, however, have free time to explore as you choose, and making use of everything Rook Island has to offer can tremendously assist you in your objectives. Additionally, Far Cry 3 proves that first-person shooters can provide more than just killing people in hallways in terms of exploration and world construction.

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Written by Zak Parker

Journalist, writer, musician, professional procrastinator. I'll add more here later.

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