Big adventure games: open worlds to lose yourself in

Guided worlds and free worlds

Big adventures differ most in how much they steer you. At one end, Hogwarts Legacy and Horizon Forbidden West offer a clear main story with plenty of optional activities. At the other, Elden Ring, Tears of the Kingdom and Skyrim drop you into the world and largely let you choose.

Free worlds can be thrilling, but they can also leave you wondering what to do. Guided worlds keep momentum, but can feel like working through a list. If you have struggled to stick with an open world before, try a guided one first, or set yourself a simple goal, such as "reach that tower", each session.

Ghost of Tsushima sits in between: it has a strong story but shows the way with the wind rather than a mini-map, which keeps your eyes on the world.

Handling difficulty in demanding open worlds

Elden Ring is famous for its difficulty, and so are other games inspired by it. But big worlds can soften a hard game: if a boss is too tough, you can usually go somewhere else, level up and return.

Elden Ring also lets you summon spirit helpers or other players for many fights. Most other picks here have difficulty settings you can change at any time. Changing them is not cheating; it is how the designers expect many people to play.

If you want an adventure without combat stress, Subnautica and No Man's Sky put survival and exploration first. Our games like Elden Ring page covers the more demanding end in detail.

Time, storage and the practicalities of a 100-hour game

Open-world games are big in more ways than one. Many need tens of gigabytes of storage, and updates can be large too. Check your free space before buying, especially on a console with a smaller drive.

They are also long. A big adventure is something to settle into over weeks, so pick one you are excited about rather than one you feel you ought to play. If you have several on the go, see our backlog guide for ways to choose.

Many of these games run on several platforms. Where Switch 2 is listed, there is a Switch 2 version or edition on Nintendo's UK site; these often add improved performance compared with the original Switch release.

Adventures for younger explorers

Several big adventures carry high ratings: Skyrim, Ghost of Tsushima and the others rated PEGI 18 are for adults. Younger players have good options too. Pokémon Legends: Z-A is PEGI 7, Subnautica is PEGI 7, and Tears of the Kingdom, Hogwarts Legacy, No Man's Sky and Terraria are PEGI 12.

Minecraft (PEGI 7) is also a big adventure for many children, especially in survival mode. For a broader family list, see play with kids.

Always check PEGI's consumer advice for the specific version, as some editions include additional content or online features.

Where to go after your first open world

Most people who love one open world are really responding to one particular quality: freedom, a sense of place, a strong story or a satisfying growth loop. Working out which helps you choose the next.

• Loved the freedom? Try Elden Ring, Skyrim or Tears of the Kingdom.
• Loved the atmosphere? Try Ghost of Tsushima or Subnautica.
• Loved building and growing? Try No Man's Sky or Terraria.

Our games-like pages for Zelda, Skyrim and Minecraft break this down further.

One last tip: give a new open world a fair start. The first few hours of a big adventure are often its slowest, spent learning systems and unlocking basic tools. If it has not clicked after an evening or two of play, that is a reasonable moment to decide whether to continue.

Building and surviving: adventures you shape yourself

Some of the biggest adventures are less about exploring a designer's world than about making your own mark on one. Survival and building games give you a base to return to, which makes a huge world feel like home.

• No Man's Sky lets you build bases on planets you discover, and share them with other players.
• Subnautica asks you to build an underwater base to survive, then push deeper from it.
• Terraria mixes building with boss fights in a 2D world, and supports co-op.
• Minecraft, from our family list, is the best-known example of all, in survival or creative mode.

These games suit players who like setting their own goals. If you prefer a strong story pulling you forward, the guided adventures above will feel more satisfying. If you prefer to decide what matters, start here. Many people find that a building game becomes a long-running hobby they return to between story games.