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As an early 2000s kid slowly reaching the point where I just can’t devote much attention to the saturated genre of open world games, I often tend to be grateful to the rare commodity of titles that I can replay.
Games that are either replayable in their sandbox sense of gameplay or just simply for the memorable storytelling they offer in your first-ever playthrough.
Well, luckily for you, I’ve compiled both these types because today, I’ll be discussing with you my personalized list of huge open-world games that you wouldn’t mind replaying just to regain a sense of comfort or a burst of feel-good serotonin.
10 Elden Ring
The Most Replayable Soulsborne Title
I wanted to get the obvious pick of the bunch out of the way, and this isn’t meant to undermine its legacy or anything. Elden Ring is possibly the most replayable title from FromSoftware’s catalog, just shy of Bloodborne for me.
A chunk of that replayability stems from how you can choose to engage with the Lands Between a second or third time through it.
Feeling brave? Skip past Stormveil Castle and venture through the entire Liurnia of the Lakes region, and then come back. Missed an NPC questline? Why not make a mental goal to do all of them this time?
I know there isn’t much for everyone, but if you’re like me, who did their first playthrough back on launch, then consider hopping back in for a fresh playthrough or an NG+ run. And if you’re on PC and have a buddy or two, that seamless Co-op Mod adds an incredible amount of replay value.
9 Borderlands 2
Handsome Jack's Scoopful of Mayhem
While technically, you may consider it a semi-open world, make no mistake that Borderlands 2 is one of those games that I found myself returning to, whether alone or with my friends.
Not only because of the series’ jolly co-op being an incentive, Borderlands 2 is a looter shooter that has near-endless replay value from its various Vault Hunters to use and the countless guns to hunt.
Combine that with a hefty assortment of DLCs and a whole D&D-inspired one that would lay the seeds for Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, and I’m sure you’ll love revisiting this game just like my friends and I do almost every so often.
8 Marvel's Spider-Man
Be Greater, Again
While the sequel left a bit of a hollow feeling and sour taste past the honeymoon period for me on launch, the original Marvel’s Spider-Man by Insomniac still holds up leagues better.
Even more so, I personally had the pleasure of replaying it a couple of years back for my NG+ run on Ultimate difficulty while also tackling the entirety of the City that Never Sleeps DLCs.
For a second playthrough or just an occasional revisit, it’s a fantastic choice since the main story has a fairly short runtime, and the gameplay never ceases to lose momentum outside the MJ and Miles stealth sequences.
7 Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar's Magnum Opus
Sometimes, I tend to forget that, underneath that outdated A-to-B gameplay design from Rockstar I woefully despise, is an open-world title that shook the industry with its production quality—and it’s still doing so all these years later.
Revisiting Red Dead Redemption 2 may be a bit sluggish at first glance, especially with the initial two chapters having a snail’s pace. Still, once you get past that hurdle, it’s an incredible feeling to be reunited with Arthur, but equally heartbreaking knowing his story that’s about to unfold.
From being able to notice intricate details that tear apart the Van Der Linde gang to various random events or side stories that you possibly missed on your first playthrough, RDR2 is a game that easily warrants a replay. Just make sure to do that on PC because they unfortunately never updated the PS4 port with a next-gen update.
6 Yakuza: Like A Dragon
A Hero's Endearing Rise
As a fan of the series, I’ll never get tired of getting reminded of the deep personal sentiment I have with Yakuza: Like a Dragon. And it’s one of the few games in the franchise I’ve revisited a couple of times since launch.
The turn-based combat sparked a new shift for the series that paid off in full force, especially as it evolved later in Infinite Wealth. And the cherry on top is the series’ most emotional rollercoaster story yet, with Ichiban Kasuga’s wholesome journey of rising again from rock bottom.
His entire character, just from one game, stuck with me deeper than Kiryu’s entire saga, and I can never forget how impactful it would be to me all these years later. So in both gameplay and story metrics, this is easily an open-world JRPG that you can’t help but replay just for the sheer fun of it.
5 Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
The Most Replayable ARPG
To the minority who thinks one single playthrough should be enough for a game like Dragon’s Dogma—have you even played the game at all to be saying that?
Capcom’s glorious ARPG demands that you first learn every bit of its complex and tantalizing mechanics in your first playthrough, as well as get acquainted with each of the various Vocations and their playstyles. Take your time with your first playthrough and fully grasp everything it has to offer.
And then once you’re ready, jump back in for an NG+ run later down the line because the best way to tackle the DLC content, such as the Biiterblack Isle, is by optimally leveling on a second run instead of mindlessly grinding on your vanilla playthrough. At least that’s how I intend it.
4 Cyberpunk 2077
Night City Never Dies
With the resurgence brought by update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty, Cyberpunk 2077 became one of the most immersive modern RPGs on the block, especially for me, who has over 300 hours in it and counting.
From the hundreds of mods that I’ve worryingly stacked into it, or my personalized Vs that I’ve adopted different playstyles and starting paths for, it’s a game that I’ve been coming back to replay every so often.
And to someone like me who values world-building and immersion as one of his guilt-pleasure traits in media, Night City is just rich in every regard for the latter. Even when I’m not feeling like continuing the main story for the replay itself, I just drive around the world while completing any side gigs or jobs along the way.
3 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
A Treasure Trove of Replayability
Look, I won’t understate it, nor will I let my nostalgia exaggerate it much, but Skyrim is one of the founding pillars of a game that warrants constant replays. Maybe those re-releases aren’t bad after all?
The game has one of the largest and most active modding communities in the industry, which makes you think a thousand hours of playtime is normal for someone.
The progression is open-ended, so you can tackle anything at your whim without getting restricted or held back, and the icing on the cake is the organic exploration that we all adore in the Elder Scrolls series. It’s also a game that you can just find an eerie sense of comfort or solace in, which, to me, is enough to replay it on a somewhat annual basis.
2 Fallout: New Vegas
Role-Play Freedom At Its Finest
With how newer gen RPGs tend to provide and value player freedom, you should never ever forget the foundation that Fallout: New Vegas laid out for them in that regard.
New Vegas is an open-world game that lets you define yourself to the full extent, morally and ideologically, while having both these traits impact the world itself, especially with the branching quests and the world’s NPCs.
While extensively modding Fallout: New Vegas can add tons of hours to your original playthrough with a replay, it’s still always a joy to do another playthrough where you can roleplay to your heart’s content as a Pacifist, Idealist or a straight-up gun-slinging Mercenary. Or you could go maniacal like me and join Caesar’s Legion for a playthrough; the replayability ideas are seemingly endless.
1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
One More Rodeo With Geralt
Open-world RPGs come and go, but an RPG like The Witcher 3 only comes once in a blue moon for me. Besides its compelling writing, the game itself is filled to the brim with exploration elements, whether it be taking on monster bounties or diving headfirst into its side content that’ll force you to constantly choose between two evils.
One of the reasons why I wouldn’t mind replaying The Witcher 3, besides choosing different decisions this time around, is just how vast the world is. I will never forget the time when, without mentioning the quest name and spoiling anything, I was given a task to hunt down a serial killer, and it was only during my third playthrough did I find out that the person I’d accused and killed in my last two playthroughs was not the actual killer, instead he was just planted there by the real killer to trick me.
Besides the main game, not many games compete with The Witcher 3 when it comes to DLCs, as both the Heart of Stone and Blood and Wine DLCs offer a masterclass of story and content, while offering multiple endings as well.
With an addictive exploration system, numerous unique boss fights, and one of the best stories ever written, if The Witcher 3 is not worthy of a replay or two for you, I don’t know what is.
