Open-world games are a dime a dozen, and there are plenty of phenomenal options available for those with the time and patience, from Marvel’s Spider-Man to Far Cry. With their sprawling worlds and engrossing narratives, it is easy to lose tens if not hundreds of hours in an open-world title, especially if it’s an RPG. That can be fun, but sometimes it’s nice to wrap up a story in just under 20 or even 10 hours while still getting the thrill of exploring a vast world teeming with possibilities and secrets.
Surprisingly, while it may sound a little far-fetched, there are a handful of games that cater to that exact desire. From RPGs with huge worlds to smaller titles with densely detailed handcrafted spaces, these open-world games will give players everything the bloated Assassin’s Creed games do, but in a much shorter runtime. For those with not nearly enough time to play the 100+ hour open-world games dominating the industry, there is, fortunately, still hope.
Tchia
Tchia is a remarkable open-world title packed full of charm, genuinely novel gameplay mechanics, and a story that’ll make you laugh and potentially even cry. Set across a large map set on a gorgeous tropical island inspired by New Caledonia, you play the titular Tchia as she attempts to rescue the island in a narrative peppered with playful characters, a plethora of twists, and a genuinely inspiring message at its heart. However, what makes Tchia such a thoroughly enjoyable open world is its approach to traversal.
There are numerous ways players can leap, bound, and sail across the island, from using Tchia’s raft to taking control of both inanimate objects and a surprisingly vast array of animals to cover great distances. It’s a novel twist to a formula that somehow remains fresh despite treading familiar ground, in large part thanks to just how heartwarmingly endearing Tchia and everything it has to offer are. The best part is that it’ll only take you about 8 hours to beat its main story, or roughly 15 if you want to do absolutely everything.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon may be one of the shortest open-world games ever made, coming in at just over four hours to beat its main story. That’s largely because it was released as a standalone expansion to Far Cry 3 and thus was never really intended to be a fully-fledged game. That being said, it is still an incredible time, one that utilizes the very best aspects of its predecessor to deliver an outrageously ridiculous and endlessly enjoyable campaign that is worth playing at least once.
Exploring its detailed neon-soaked world is fun, as is its arsenal of sci-fi weapons. Blood Dragon never takes itself seriously, and that’s often when Far Cry is at its best. For long-time fans, there’s plenty to enjoy here, but even those who just want a fun and slightly off-kilter open-world game to enjoy over a weekend will find more than enough to get stuck into with Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Sure, it isn’t the greatest open-world game ever made, but it is a lot of fun and certainly one of the shortest.
The Knightling
The Knightling, much like Tchia, is an immensely colorful, charming, and engrossing open-world game that puts a premium on mechanical innovation and enjoyable gameplay. Each region of The Knighling’s small yet densely detailed and incredibly varied open-world sports a new traversal mechanic and optional side objectives, as well as entirely unique environmental design, which both help to keep things fresh and expand upon the core platforming mechanics that serve as the game’s immensely fun foundations.
Players start off by sliding and gliding across Clesseia with their trusty shield before eventually pulling off incredible tricks to clear huge swathes of land. For those less platforming-inclined, The Knightling provides plenty of combat encounters, side quests to complete, puzzles to solve, and a short but sweet narrative to complete, twists and turns aplenty. It’ll take around 10 to 12 hours to do absolutely everything the game has to offer, which makes it the perfect game to clear in one day or play casually over a weekend.
Homefront: The Revolution
Homefront: The Revolution is, in my opinion, a seriously underrated title and one of the best open-world FPS games available. It perfectly balances tense, survival, and stealth gameplay with Far Cry-esque open-world exploration and gunplay to create an unparalleled atmosphere I’ve seen no other game deliver. It’s ostensibly Terminator’s future world meets Far Cry, a compelling, stronghold-clearing affair that sees you going from a lone wolf to overcoming all the odds across its numerous open-world regions.
At the start of each area, players have absolutely nothing and must fight tooth and nail against the overwhelming occupying force to take even one base back. However, the more of the map players clear, the more resistance soldiers will turn up and fight back, both visually transforming the map and making exploration safer and easier. It’s a novel mechanic, one that evolves throughout the game as each region presents a new gameplay challenge, and that never overstays its welcome across the roughly 12-hour campaign. This is the perfect short open-world game, and one more people need to play.
Caravan Sandwitch
Caravan Sandwitch is a delightful, clever, and utterly stunning open-world sci-fi adventure in which players explore a hauntingly beautiful, desolate planet, solving puzzles, uncovering secrets, and encountering a host of fascinating characters. Exploration really is at the heart of Caravan Sandwitch, with most of the game seeing players driving across Moebius-esque landscapes in their yellow truck before disembarking and scaling concrete megastructures and venturing into dense forests.
It is a testament to the nuanced and detailed world that at no point during the roughly nine-hour story does exploration grow tiresome, with numerous points of interest and varied biomes helping to keep things fresh. It also helps that the mystery at the heart of Caravan Sandwitch is immensely compelling, as is the phenomenal soundtrack. The main theme is especially great, and those who complete Caravan Sandwitch will likely be humming it long after the credits roll.
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Mafia: Definitive Edition is one of the best open-world games for sightseeing. It is a visual spectacle, a game that holds up immensely well even by today’s incredibly high standards, with stunning environmental design, incredible character models, and hyperrealistic animations. While it isn’t quite an open-world sandbox like the majority of other titles in the genre, there’s enough simulation happening in the open world to keep those interested in driving around and causing a little chaos entertaining between story moments.
However, Mafia: Definitive Edition really is a story-focused experience. It’s closer to L.A. Noire than it is to Grand Theft Auto, with the open world serving more as a backdrop through which to contextualize the narrative events and facilitate conversations between cinematic cutscenes. Fortunately, the tight level design, engaging gunplay, and overarching narrative are all excellent, and more than make up for any open-world shortcomings. At just 13 hours, Mafia: Definitive Edition is a perfect open-world game to beat in a weekend.
Sable
Sable is a thought-provoking and ultimately meaningful open-world game that is likely to have a profound impact on anyone who plays it, especially those navigating a transitional phase in their lives. It follows Sable’s quest for self-discovery as she ventures out into the stunning world beyond her small village in search of meaning and to choose her path in life, symbolized by unlockable masks.
What makes Sable such a phenomenal open-world game is that it’s very much player-guided. Upon unlocking the first mask, players can choose to end the game, having only seen a snippet of what it has to offer, should they believe it to be the right path for Sable. Alternatively, they can unlock every mask and choose at the end which path their version of Sable should take. However, should one choose to do absolutely everything (and it really is worth seeing every beautiful moment Sable has to offer), then it’ll still only take around 14 hours to beat.
Infamous: Second Son
By today’s standards, some of Infamous: Second Son’s open-world gameplay may feel a tad antiquated to some. However, it is hard to deny that this truly gorgeous open-world title is both immensely enjoyable and an excellent showcase of Sucker Punch’s immeasurable. Despite being from an entirely different developer, although still under the Sony umbrella, it’s hard not to see the similarities between Second Son and Marvel’s Spider-Man, as it feels like much of Insomniac’s masterpiece’s DNA is present in this game’s frenetic superhero shenanigans.
Infamous: Second Son doesn’t sport the largest open-world ever, but its densley packed full of incredible detail, making it a thoroughly enjoyable sandbox to explore utilizing its protagonist, Delsin’s suite of superhero powers. Building upon the antihero themes of its predecessors, Infamous: Second Son also weaves a fairly compelling narrative that’s only beaten by its successor, First Light. It’s a worthwhile open-world experience, one made all the sweeter by its relatively short runtime of just 15 hours.
Ghostwire: Tokyo
Ghostwire: Tokyo may be the most beautiful game I’ve ever played. Its stunning recreation of Tokyo is a genuine triumph and a phenomenal open-world sandbox worth the price of admission alone. It’s vast, dense, and packed full of meaningful things to do and secrets to find, not to mention a great way of embarking on a little virtual tourism. Sure, there are plenty of spooky moments to be found (a facet that gets easier to deal with across its 12-hour main story), but there’s also a lot of heart, funny moments, great side quests, and memorable locations to explore.
Ghostwire: Tokyo also has incredible combat elevated by immensely satisfying animations that bring to life its unique spin on first-person magic combat. Its varied roster of enemies all pose a challenge, as do its terrifying bosses, but the open-world provides enough side content to both give players a bit of a reprieve and help them garner experience to then later better overcome its hardest encounters. Ghostwire: Tokyo is a one-of-a-kind open-world game, an experience everyone should play once, and absolutely deserving of more praise and attention.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales was the perfect spin-off title, a game that gave the spotlight to the infinitely enjoyable and endlessly charismatic titular character while helping bridge the gap between the two mainline games. It’s packed full of incredibly memorable set pieces, a slew of fun new villains, and a story that, while not quite as strong as its predecessor, does Miles Morales justice.
It only takes around eight hours to beat Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ main story, which is less than half the time it takes to beat the first game. However, the game still manages to pack a plethora of engaging content, and its snow-covered rendition of New York manages to feel distinct enough from the first Marvel’s Spider-Man that one never feels like they’re treading old ground.
It helps that it isn’t really necessary to have played the first game to enjoy Miles Morales, making it a short and sweet entry point for those unwilling to commit to the first game’s longer runtime. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is every bit as fun an open-world game as its predecessor, and well worth checking out for superhero fans and lovers of all things open-world alike.
- Released
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November 12, 2020
- ESRB
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T For Teen due to Blood, Drug Reference, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Insomniac Games
- Publisher(s)
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Sony
- Engine
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Proprietary Insomniac Engine
- PC Release Date
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November 18, 2022
- PS5 Release Date
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November 12, 2020