Best Open-World Games Set In High Fantasy Worlds

Video games offer fans the opportunity to escape into a fantastical world, completely unlike the one they know in real life. Open-world games are especially good at this, as their sprawling settings are rich with details and distractions to fully immerse players.

The open-world genre is full of variety. There are plenty of different game worlds for fans to explore, from the depths of space to a post-apocalyptic wasteland. But the open-world genre is especially good at delivering high fantasy adventures, set in worlds rich with magic, featuring grand heroes, mythical creatures, and high stakes, with no connection to the real world. Here are ten of the best open-world high fantasy adventures on offer.

9 Final Fantasy 14

Partying Up

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The Final Fantasy series has always been one of the biggest names in fantasy, and Final Fantasy 14 takes the franchise’s elaborate world design to a whole new level. This MMORPG allows Final Fantasy fans to explore the world of Hydaelyn, a vast and diverse fantasy realm rich with adventure and conflict.

As befits a Final Fantasy game, the adventures that players can undertake in FF14 have truly cosmic proportions. Fans will find themselves banding up to take down gods and titans in explosive high fantasy confrontations that they’ll likely remember for years afterward.

8 Sea of Thieves

Fantasy on the High Seas

At first blush, Sea of Thieves appears to be a somewhat typical pirate adventure, offering fans the chance to partner up, crew a galleon, and hit the high seas in search of plunder. But just beneath the surface lurks a vibrant fantasy world of magic, curses, and monsters.

As players seek to make a name for themselves on the eponymous Sea of Thieves, they’ll have to contend with undead pirate lords and sinister magic. Fearsome creatures like titanic megalodons stalk the seas as well, adding danger to every voyage. The setting itself is rich with magic; the Sea of Thieves is a mist-shrouded realm, separated from the rest of the world by an impenetrable mystical fog.

7 Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Tolkien Fantasy

Outside the world of video games, J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic Lord of the Rings is the biggest name in high fantasy. While many video games have tried to tap into this iconic franchise, Shadow of Mordor is among the best. This open-world stealth game features the original character Talion, who bonds with a mysterious spirit in order to wreak bloody vengeance upon the forces of Sauron’s grim army.

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This game debuted the iconic Nemesis system, giving several of the orc lieutenants Talion encounters rich personalities and traits that influence how they behave in combat. When one of them triumphs over Talion in combat, they’ll grow even stronger, becoming an even greater threat and a more tantalizing target for the vengeful warrior to bring down.

6 Valheim

In Odin’s Name

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OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

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Released

February 2, 2021

Developer(s)

Iron Gate AB

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Many cultures throughout the world have legends of heroes and monsters that serve as prime inspiration for high fantasy tales. Valheim takes its inspiration from Norse myths and legends, setting its brutal open-world survival quest in a world created by the Norse gods themselves.

The titular realm serves as a sort of purgatory, giving deceased warriors a chance to prove themselves fit for the halls of Valhalla. In order to impress Odin, players must survive brutal foes like trolls and serpents, and claim victory over titanic and mystical bosses. The game’s Norse inspirations are clear around every corner, and the mystic power players can harness in their travels makes this an excellent high fantasy adventure for Viking fans.

5 Dragon’s Dogma 2

A Realm of Mystery and Danger

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an unapologetically quintessential high fantasy game. Medieval fantasy tropes inform everything from the enemy design to the world to the way characters talk, making for a very traditional high fantasy experience.

The game’s design is elevated from its arguably cliche trappings by the intricate detail of the world it takes place. Secrets and surprises wait around every corner of the realm, and players have many choices to make as they navigate the title’s many side quests. There’s much more to Dragon’s Dogma 2 than meets the eye at first, making it a very substantial game for fans to sink their teeth into.

Northern Heroics

The infamous Skyrim remains the most recent entry in Bethesda’s venerable open-world fantasy franchise, and in spite of the criticism it’s earned from its copious rereleases and remasters, the game remains an excellent high-fantasy adventure. Taking place in the unforgiving Northern reaches of Tamriel, Skyrim‘s plot concerns the rise of ancient dragons, powerful and deadly creatures who pose a direct threat to the mortals of the region.

In their quest to halt the return of the dragons, the legendary Dragonborn will find themselves immersed in a vibrant fantasy world plunged into a bloody civil war. Numerous factions and legendary figures await the Dragonborn on their journey, and the rich open world allows fans to consort with powerful daedric spirits, master ancient arcane secrets, or even become a werewolf. In terms of the sheer volume of fantasy content, Skyrim is a very potent contender.

3 The Witcher 3

Toss A Coin

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, despite its status as the third in a series, is the game that catapulted the Witcher franchise into the spotlight. This intricate and engaging open-world adventure stars the iconic Geralt of Rivia in a quest to rescue his adopted daughter from the clutches of the Wild Hunt.

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The Witcher 3 is rich with folklore and legends, and there are imposing and powerful monsters around every corner. Players can also get caught up in numerous side quests, uncovering dark secrets and making key choices that will impact the fate of the realm. With the newly-announced Witcher 4 on the horizon, it’s a good time for fantasy fans to get on board this legendary franchise.

2 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Building a Better Hyrule

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OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Released

May 12, 2023

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Developer(s)

Nintendo

Like Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom presents an elaborate open-world version of the legendary kingdom of Hyrule, full of caves to delve into and shrines to conquer. Tears of the Kingdom has a number of improvements over its predecessor that make it the ideal game for fantasy fans with too much time on their hands.

The most iconic change in Tears of the Kingdom is the Ultrahand ability, which lets Link cobble together elaborate structures and vehicles to aid his exploration and combat. The map has also been expanded, with new realms in the skies above Hyrule and deep in the ground underneath it. With new monsters like Gleeoks and Horriblins to menace the people of Hyrule, Link has a lot to do on his quest to rescue Princess Zelda once again.

1 Elden Ring

Endless Adventure in the Lands Between

The iconic Elden Ring is a truly massive game. The Lands Between is rich with secret dungeons, bosses, and treasures for worthy Tarnished to discover on their quest to rebuild the Elden Ring and restore order to the realm. Towering dragons, legendary warriors, and divine forces beyond comprehension stand in their way.

In true FromSoftware fashion, Elden Ring offers players virtually no direct guidance on where to go or what to do. This means that players must confront this overwhelming fantasy world head-on in order to succeed, discovering side quests and boss encounters throughout the game’s vast world and expansive underground caverns. This is the ultimate high fantasy open-world challenge for experienced and dedicated gamers.

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