By Elena Chapella Published Jul 26, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT Elena is a Contributing Writer at DualShockers specializing in horror games, survival horror, open-world RPGs, fantasy, and historical fiction. She began covering games professionally in 2024, with her early gaming focus tied to Baldur’s Gate 3 before her interest in horror coverage grew through games like Silent Hill 2 Remake and Silent Hill f . Before joining DualShockers, Elena worked as an award-winning journalist for local news stations and newspapers in central Indiana, including FOX59/CBS4Indy , and has also contributed to CBR . She holds a B.A. in Journalism and Telecommunications , has a Career Specialist Permit to teach Journalism , and won the Society of Professional Journalists’ Best Column Award in 2019. Outside of games writing, Elena is also a high school teacher, where she teaches job readiness, financial literacy, and college preparation. Sign in to your DualShockers account When people complain about open world games, they often complain about unnecessary padding — bloating the world with excessive (often repetitive) side content that serves nothing to the game itself other than to extend its runtime. Sure, it keeps completionists busy, but it's not unreasonable to want something a little more to chew on. Not all open world games suffer from excessive padding, thankfully. In fact, there are plenty that are perfectly condensed and streamlined. Sure, you could technically skip the side content, but there are players who want to actually enjoy the full open world, without missing anything actually important, just without having to do too much busywork (radiant quests don't count, that's established). The extra content should enhance the main quest, not bog it down and pad the time. In these games, side content only adds to the experience, and that's if you even choose to do it — and while you can still spend a lot of time on these games, it's not due to excessive padding. 10 DREDGE Natural Progression is Linear, Yet Open Dredge Adventure Released March 31, 2023 ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco Developer(s) Black Salt Games Publisher(s) Team17 Engine Unity Genre(s) Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse DREDGE is one of those games where you honestly forget that it's even an open world game; it's just the reality of being out in the open ocean, being vast and borderline endless is par for the course. You're a fisherman, you're in the ocean where there's plenty of fish. The solution is simple, and the ambience is impeccable. If you're not a horror fan, you'll still have a great time with this game as it's more of a lighter, cozier, spooky vibe rather than being outright scary (you could also just put the game in Peaceful Mode and the game would just be moody). Not to mention, even if you're the kind of player that tends to solely play the main quest, the game will naturally lead you everywhere on the map. Anything additional would just be to fill out the fish (and aberration) encyclopedia, and you'll have a deep desire to want to do that on your own. It's seriously that fun to play. DREDGE is easily one of, if not the most addictive horror games I've played to date — there is truly something special about the inventory management that just sucks you in. 9 Baldur's Gate 3 What You Engage With is Your Choice Baldur's Gate 3 RPG 10 /10 Released August 3, 2023 ESRB Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence Developer(s) Larian Studios Publisher(s) Larian Studios Engine Divinity 4.0 Genre(s) RPG Powered by Expand Collapse Baldur's Gate 3 is a unique kind of open world: you can fully traverse through Acts 1 and 2 while being confined to a different map to fully traverse in for Act 3. You're basically dealing with two mini-open-worlds, and this is only the beginning when it comes to what you can do within said worlds. The ways you can approach this game are as endless as your roleplaying opportunities , in true D&D fashion, but it's all completely optional to even touch on. The thing is, though, every single quest (even the smallest ones) are deeply intertwined with the world and even with the main plot — the writers truly did not spare any details. Yet, even if you're not detail-oriented, there is plenty to be seen in the broad strokes. Even if you were to blast through the main quest and the companion quests, you'll still get a full, enriching experience, one where you'll naturally find yourself wanting to engage with the world more; seriously, engage in this world, it's practically a new game every single time. And on repeat playthroughs, you'll notice just how many seeds were planted from the very beginning. 8 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Skip Literally Anything and Everything The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Action Adventure 8 /10 Released March 3, 2017 ESRB E for Everyone: Fantasy Violence, Use of Alcohol, Mild Suggestive Themes Developer(s) Nintendo EPD Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine Havok Genre(s) Action , Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse The Legend of Zelda has been open world since its very first game, but the adventures were always relatively linear and the maps incredibly condensed. That all changed with Breath of the Wild , with a massive world rich with all kinds of life and experiences. Or you could just float down from the Great Plateau in your underwear, march right up to the iconic Hyrule Castle armed with some rusty swords and a dream, and take down Ganon within minutes — everything is beyond exceptional, and exceptionally optional. When the game was designed with your adventure in mind, it was genuinely built to handle as open or as straight-forward of an adventure as you desire. Unlike Tears of the Kingdom , which is just full of a bunch of empty busywork, Breath of the Wild has just enough in the world, spaced out and apart perfectly enough (with even more happening on the road) to keep you engaged and connected. It's a Zelda game first, but Zelda has always had open world foundations. This game just perfected the formula. 7 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Side Content is Worldbuilding ... If You're Into That The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt RPG Action Adventure 9.5 /10 Released May 19, 2015 ESRB M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content Developer(s) CD Projekt Red Publisher(s) CD Projekt Red Engine REDengine 3 Genre(s) RPG , Action , Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse If you were to ask The Witcher fandom about if they believe The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has padding, you'll be met with the same thing as if you were to ask any question: a mixed bag of beliefs. It honestly comes down to what you believe padding to be, and I'm in the boat that believes The Witcher 3 doesn't really have any padding, since everything is connected to the world or adds to the worldbuilding in some way. Not to mention, the side quests have incredibly fascinating stories, so you'll be wanting to learn more on your own — all while you're organically learning more about the world at the same time. And of course, this world is absolutely mesmerizing to learn about; before you know it, you'll be knee-deep in lore during what seemed like a simple side quest. It's like you're being fed a meal that appears to be too big for your stomach, where you'll question if you'll even be able to finish it, but you'll be pleasantly surprised and satisfied. So when presented with this game, I only have one piece of advice: dig in. 6 Cyberpunk 2077 How Do You Live in the City of Dreams? Cyberpunk 2077 RPG Action 8.2 /10 Released December 10, 2020 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol Developer(s) CD Projekt Red Publisher(s) CD Projekt Red Engine REDengine 4 Genre(s) RPG , Action Powered by Expand Collapse There has yet to be a city in a video game that's as rich as Night City is in Cyberpunk 2077 , and every single side quest only adds to this richness. Night City is called "The City of Dreams," and it certainly feels like it ... if you let yourself live in it. Even if you were to streamline the main quest and deal with all your Gigs later, you'll be immersed in this world for many hours (30 on the quicker side) with an incredibly rich cast of characters. Thankfully, many quests will have you headed towards a lot of other (smaller) quests naturally, and you can choose to take those on for some extra money or street cred — the next thing you know you're crucifying a guy with Johnny. It's a world that loves you, and it's a world that hates you more, but you're thriving in spite of that hostility. It's a symbiotic and parasitic relationship, but it's not exclusive to Night City or even Johnny Silverhand. You'll notice how everything has a push and pull, how everything feeds off each other, and it makes an open world game unlike anything else. Yes, it's massive, but there isn't a single moment that doesn't go into the world or the plot within it. 5 Fallout: New Vegas Easily the Most Streamlined Fallout Fallout: New Vegas RPG 9 /10 Released October 19, 2010 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs Developer(s) Obsidian Entertainment Publisher(s) Bethesda Engine Gamebryo Genre(s) RPG Powered by Expand Collapse When comparing the Fallout games and how they handle padding, Fallout: New Vegas is easily the most condensed and streamlined of the bunch. Any "nothingness" is quite literally desert wasteland and, well, yeah, it's typically pretty empty naturally. And even then, if you have the Wild Wasteland perk, anything can happen in that desert. And while you're in the games various towns (since the main quest will take you to all the important locations), you'll end up crossed with another quest, especially if other factions are involved. Just think of Oliver running out of Nipton, celebrating that he won the lottery ... only to find out, when you walk in, that the lottery was being allowed to live. Each faction has their own stakes in the main quest, so even though the NPC count of the game is actually relatively low (since it's from 2010), it's still incredibly densely packed. Fallout: New Vegas was a genre-defining open world game , and that's because of the countless ways your choices and roleplay can influence your gameplay and outcomes, but the way the gameplay unfolds is sweet and to the point. 4 Red Dead Redemption 2 Ignore it All for All You Care Red Dead Redemption 2 Action Adventure 10 /10 Released October 26, 2018 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol Developer(s) Rockstar Games Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Engine RAGE Genre(s) Action , Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse Red Dead Redemption 2 is often revered as the pinnacle of open world games, and I'm inclined to agree — the game is simply a masterpiece that has yet to be replicated. The story, and the side stories, are engaging and thoughtful, often told in parts to give you time to breathe in the world. Let me tell you, this is a world that you need to breathe in, soak in, take it in however you can. The main quest is already enough to get you interested, but the side quest stories are just as fascinating. This is a game you're meant to take slower (it's literally built into the gameplay), so the quests themselves tend to be a lot shorter than you think — you can fly through them if you actively try to rush, because there's really not that much padding. The only exception to this would really be Chapter 5 in Guarma, but that's literally a whole chapter of just the main plot. Or you could just ride your horse past all that and do whatever you want. There's no significant downside to the story if you ignore the side content, because you're also able to go back through them after you beat the game. All the side content does is breathe more life into the world, and keep you mighty entertained in the meantime. 3 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion More Than One Way to Handle a Quest The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Action RPG Open-World Adventure Released April 22, 2025 ESRB Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence Developer(s) Virtuos, Bethesda Publisher(s) Bethesda Engine Unreal Engine 5 Genre(s) Action , RPG , Open-World , Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse While Skyrim is easily the most iconic world from The Elder Scrolls , there's a reason why my fiancé calls it "Elder Scrolls Baby Mode." Simply put, quests are either pass or fail, with very little room for workarounds or nuance for how to handle the quest. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (and by extension, Oblivion Remastered ) is the complete opposite — there are so many ways you can handle something, and potentially pick yourself back up if you fail. For example, if you're trying to get into the Thieves' Guild, there's actually an initiation test where you have to race other NPCs trying to get into the guild and be the first to retrieve a diary. However, if another NPC manages to get it before you, it's not the end of the road just yet, you could actually steal the diary from them and race back as if you were the victor the whole time. This is just one example in one part of one quest; the whole game is this in-depth. There's more than one way to handle just about everything in this game, in a way that's very much reflective of reality. To put it bluntly, any padding in this game is, nine times out of ten, simply a case of you wasting your own time. 2 Batman: Arkham City A Perfectly Packaged World Batman: Arkham City Action Adventure Released October 18, 2011 ESRB T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence Developer(s) Rocksteady Studios Publisher(s) Warner Bros. Games Engine Unreal Engine 3 Genre(s) Action , Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse At first, the Batman Arkham games weren't open world, but that all changed when Batman: Arkham City dropped. And the best part about this little open world is that it's a perfect, medium size. It's not too, overly massive, but it's not unrealistically tiny for a Batman title — the result is a perfectly condensed world to stalk the shadows in. Combine this with absolutely killer combat, and you're in for probably one of the coolest Batman experiences even to date, wrapped up nice and neat like a nice little comic book. The main quest will take you through all the essential areas of the city, and any side content from then on tends to be more for intense Batman fans, especially if they like solving The Riddler's puzzles (thankfully, this game is before they get absolutely ridiculous). But, of course, you can't just pass by people in need ... you're The Batman! 1 Outer Wilds Just a Moment of Your Time Outer Wilds Adventure Released May 28, 2019 ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Fantasy Violence, Alcohol Reference Developer(s) Mobius Digital Publisher(s) Annapurna Interactive Engine Unity Genre(s) Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse When it comes to keeping an open world game condensed and to the point, Outer Wilds takes the cake by simply throwing you into the problem that you're expected to solve ... and you have 22 minutes to solve it before the literal universe ends. No pressure. The twist is that once it ends, it doesn't truly end — in a Groundhog Day-esque loop, you're able to take what you learned the past 22 minutes and apply it to how you approach this next loop. You repeat this, exploring more and more of the solar system before the timer runs out again, compounding your knowledge into literally saving the universe. The way this is done will have you absolutely star-struck, and it all gets worked out in a neat little bow. You're going to end up wishing that your memory will get wiped so that you'll play it again for the first time again, since repeat playthroughs don't hit quite the same (that being said, you can still find new stuff you likely missed in your rush the first time around). To this day, it remains an instant favourite to players everywhere , if that's any indication of the kind of quality and experience you're going to be tossed into, and it will waste absolutely none of your time. Close
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