The Best Exploration Games

Update, : SkyIsland added at rank #44.
1

Outer Wilds (2019)

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94
Review score
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Xbox One Nintendo Switch Playstation 5 Xbox Series X PC Windows Playstation 4

Named Game of the Year 2019 by Giant Bomb, Polygon, Eurogamer, and The Guardian, Outer Wilds is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning open world mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop.


  • exploration
  • mystery
  • discovery
  • puzzle
  • space
  • open-world
  • sci-fi
  • first-person
  • adventure
  • story
  • instrument

2

A Short Hike (2019)

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99
Review score
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PC Windows Linux Xbox One Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch Mac OS

Hike, climb, and soar through the peaceful mountainside landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park as you make your way to the summit.


  • park
  • relaxing
  • exploration
  • cute
  • adventure
  • flight
  • open-world
  • walking-simulator
  • inventory
  • parkour
  • funny
  • nature
  • platform
  • vertical
  • short

3

Unsighted (2021)

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86
Review score
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PC Windows Nintendo Switch Xbox One Playstation 4 Android

UNSIGHTED invites you into a post-apocalyptic world where you have a ticking clock before your own expiration. With Metroidvania-like gameplay, fully interconnected world, and an interesting story that allows for tough choices, the game provides a balanced mix of exploration, combat, and character progression. With additional modes like co-op and rogue-lite, UNSIGHTED guarantees a high replay value. A game that creatively brings several game designs together to make a fun and polished game.


Pros:
  • Balanced mix of gameplay elements
  • Interesting story with tough choices
  • High replayability with additional modes
  • Polished sound and graphics
  • Responsive controls
Cons:
  • Writing could be better
  • Characters feel one-dimensional
  • Dialogue interrupts gameplay

  • pixel
  • exploration
  • boss
  • top-down
  • robots
  • metroidvania
  • dungeon
  • combat
  • puzzle
  • war
  • post-apocalyptic
  • souls
  • platform
  • rpg
  • crafting

4

Sable (2021)

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79
Review score
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PC Windows Xbox One Xbox Series X Playstation 5 Playstation 4 Android

Sable is an open world RPG with no combat, set in a Moebius-inspired desert. You play as Sable, about to embark on a rite of passage known as The Gliding - exploring the deserts, doing odd jobs for strangers and earning badges to turn into new masks.


Pros:
  • Unique open world setting inspired by Jean "Moebius" Giraud
  • Customizable bike and character
  • Heartfelt story of self-discovery
  • Relaxing atmosphere with stunning visuals and music
  • Many memorable moments
Cons:
  • Occasional audio bugs & stuttering
  • Limited scale world compared to larger games
  • Flattening palette in certain interiors at night

  • exploration
  • open-world
  • self-discovery
  • puzzle
  • platform
  • sci-fi
  • relaxing
  • narrative
  • adventure
  • stylized
  • comic
  • lore
  • discovery
  • book
  • combat

5

F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch (2021)

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78
Review score
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Playstation 5 Playstation 4 PC Windows Nintendo Switch

F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is an incredible adventure game set in a gorgeous, vast dieselpunk world. You take on the role of Rayton, a disgruntled former resistance soldier, to reclaim your mechanical fist and fight your way through the hierarchy of the city. Explore rich, interconnected environments packed with secrets and traverse through snowy mountain tops to bustling neon cities. Unlock weapons and abilities to progress further, use precision-based platforming segments and master combo-based combat system with three different weapons to be successful.

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Pros:
  • Interconnected World
  • Diverse Gameplay
  • Deep Combat System
  • Rich Visuals & Soundscape
  • Challenging yet Rewarding
Cons:
  • Some May Find Bosses Difficult
  • There's a Lot of Travelling

  • metroidvania
  • platform
  • exploration
  • combo
  • boss
  • combat
  • fight
  • boss-fight
  • mech
  • war
  • narrative
  • steampunk
  • side-scrolling
  • challenging
  • robots

6

Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth- (2021)

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85
Review score
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Playstation 4 Playstation 5 Xbox One Xbox Series X Nintendo Switch PC Windows

A 2D Metroidvania-style game developed under the supervision of Ryo Mizuno, depicting the story of Deedlit and the events leading up to Record of Lodoss War: Diadem of the Covenant. Use a variety of weapons and spirit powers to unravel the mystery of the labyrinth.


  • anime
  • boss
  • exploration
  • novel
  • pixel
  • fantasy
  • "
  • 2d
  • action-exploration
  • boss-fight
  • metroidvania
  • rpg
  • beat-em-up
  • platform
  • puzzle

7

Alba: a Wildlife Adventure (2020)

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82
Review score
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IOS iPhone PC Windows Playstation 4 Playstation 5 Xbox One Nintendo Switch Xbox Series X Mac OS Xbox Series X/s

Even the smallest person can make a big difference. Join Alba, as she sets out to save her beautiful island and its wildlife. And possibly start a revolution.


  • exploration
  • open-world
  • adventure
  • relaxing
  • cartoony
  • nature
  • collector
  • creature
  • cute
  • colourful
  • family-friendly
  • construction
  • economy
  • 3d
  • table

8

The Gunk (2021)

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78
Review score
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Xbox Series X PC Windows Xbox One

The Gunk is a story-driven, fully 3D action-adventure game that follows Rani and Becks, two scavengers exploring an alien planet to uncover its mysteries. With a captivating story and engaging gameplay loop of collecting resources and upgrading tools, The Gunk is an immersive experience full of surprises.


Pros:
  • Loveable characters
  • Captivating story
  • Engaging resource collecting loop
  • Transforming areas by freeing them from corruption
  • Smartly designed puzzles
  • Interconnecting paths in levels
  • Great art design
  • Excellent soundtrack
Cons:
  • Movement can be cumbersome at times
  • Minor technical issues

  • platform
  • exploration
  • action-adventure
  • puzzle
  • adventure
  • combat
  • narrative
  • third-person
  • crafting
  • relaxing
  • metroidvania
  • mystery
  • resource
  • 3d
  • sci-fi

9

Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan (2021)

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80
Review score
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PC Windows Nintendo Switch Xbox One Playstation 4

Save whimsical creatures with the power of kindness in order to recolor a black-and-white world in Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan, a wholesome 2.5D Adventure-RPG!


  • platform
  • battle
  • exploration
  • turn-based
  • puzzle
  • rpg
  • adventure
  • combat
  • colourful
  • family-friendly
  • cartoony
  • waker
  • taming
  • rhythm
  • narrative

10

Grow: Song of The Evertree (2021)

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87
Review score
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Xbox One PC Windows Nintendo Switch Playstation 4

Grow: Song of the Evertree is an awe-inducing experience firmly planted between an adventure game and a sweet casual farm game. The game is beautiful with opportunities to explore the world around you and keep it casual with the gameplay, whilst feeding you the story. You get to customize your character and go on a journey to save the Evertree and nurture the world back to health from the Withering. You even get your very own sweet dragon companion!


Pros:
  • Beautiful art style & music
  • Customizable character
  • Relaxed gameplay
  • Dragon companion
  • Non-binary characters supported
  • No punishment or rush for doing things wrong
Cons:
  • Slow going
  • Not strictly accessible in terms of customization options

  • farming
  • city-building
  • simulation
  • wholesome
  • exploration
  • sandbox
  • open-world
  • relaxing
  • cute
  • agriculture
  • management
  • colourful
  • life
  • world-crafting
  • adventure

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