Open-world games like Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are some of the best out there. However, they are guided experiences, so far as players cannot have much say when it comes to telling Venom Snake’s or Link’s story, respectively. They can perform different actions and make alternative gameplay choices, but overall, their stories will be like every other player’s by the end.
These other open-world games, however, are different. They feature branching storylines or karma systems to make their characters, created or otherwise, stand out. Players cannot literally craft their own story in these examples, but they can pave their own path such that the story of their playthrough is always unique.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Turn-Based Stories
Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of choices from the start of the game all the way to the end. It all begins with character choices as players can pick a race, background, and then fully customize their experience. After that, everything is up to the players, from whom they choose to ally with, to who they want to fight. It’s a massive turn-based tactical RPG that is begging for players to create their own experience, and then try it all again with a whole new path.
Fallout: New Vegas
More Like Faction: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas starts with players getting shot in the middle of the desert, and then waking up next to a bed, groggy from the whole experience. Without any sort of gating, the entirety of the wastes will be open for players to explore. There’s a karma system that keeps track of decisions, and more so than in other Fallout games, there are factions to align with. Will players choose to be a savior in the desert, be ruthless, or become something in-between?
Avowed
Gods Among Mushrooms
Avowed
7/10
Released
February 18, 2025
Avowed is a first-person action RPG that has a character creator wherein players can input a wide amount of data, ranging from godly origins to special traits. Players assume the role of the Envoy, who is sent to a foreign land that is being plagued by a disease.
Players can align themselves with several factions and allies, all of whom have valid motivations and reasons for existing. Avowed’s companions will help players ground themselves in the world, advocating the best path forward, but they don’t need to listen to them, as everything is always up to character choices.
Hogwarts Legacy
Hocus Pocus
Hogwarts Legacy will give fans what they have wished for since the Harry Potter series began in 1997. Players will be sorted into a House (although they can manually choose if they want), which will dictate allies in class. The main story progresses linearly, but there are choices about whether players want to be academic, average, or downright nasty.
More so than the school, players are given access to the grounds around Hogwarts. There, they can explore, take quests from random NPCs, and zap monsters with magic. It’s not the most expansive set of choices, but there are enough for players to feel like they are getting to tell their narrative within the Harry Potter universe.
Cyberpunk 2077
Forge Your Cybernetic Path
Cyberpunk 2077 is a futuristic cyberpunk narrative wherein players can decide their rags-to-riches story. Their character model and background can be dictated, but no matter what, players will start in the dregs with lofty ambitions.
Night City is a big place with many opportunities, from main quests to side missions, plus there are the wastes outside the city. Players can even decide how cybernetic they want their body to be. Going for minimal parts will make the game harder, while going full cyborg will open up more doorways, literally and figuratively.
Final Fantasy 14
The Ultimate Life Sim
Final Fantasy 14 is an MMO set within the Final Fantasy universe, and the genre is a good way for anyone to express themselves in a myriad of ways. Besides character customization, including different races, players can opt into several classes called Jobs that expand over time.
Starting as a Gladiator will set players on a different path than a Thaumaturge, for example, and there are so many branching Jobs to follow. Final Fantasy 14 has a near-endless amount of choices and content that will keep players occupied until the end of time, or at least until the next MMO.
Rise Of The Ronin
The Life Of A Wanderer
Rise of the Ronin is set toward the tail end of the age of samurai, after Japan started to let up their borders and allow foreigners and new technology in. Players can feel conflicted as a samurai without a lord, a ronin, and choose to follow nobly down the righteous path or pave their own way through bloodshed and corruption. They can also choose to be less of a samurai and more of a ninja, relying on stealth to sneak past enemies or slay them from the shadows. As a wanderer, the beautiful Japanese countryside is waiting for players to forge their tale.
Dynasty Warriors 9
Forge Your Empire
Dynasty Warriors 9 has an astounding number of player choices as an open-world game, and it’s the first entry in the series to be this expansive. Players can choose to rise to power within several dynasties and conquer the land, one fort and kingdom at a time. They can stick with their chosen character and standard weapon or play with allied characters and also pick and master different weapons. It may not be the prettiest open-world to explore, but there’s no denying that the opportunities within will give players a good customizable narrative.
