Open world games come in many varieties. Many of them are survival games, but there are also role-playing games, trading simulators, and other genres that have adopted an open world approach to map design. Many of these games reward exploration of the world map in some way.

Exploration isn’t always about discovering new things. Sometimes it’s just about finding out what’s over the next hill or across the ocean. But not all open-world games reward exploration in the same way. In some games, exploration is central and a requirement to progress in the game. In others, tangible rewards wait to be unlocked by players who spend time exploring.

7 Aerospace engineers

A whole galaxy to explore

Aerospace engineers is an open world survival game that challenges players to survive in the harsh environment of space. For a survival game, this is a tough game, as simply staying alive can be difficult in the early stages of the game, primarily due to the need to meet the player’s oxygen and energy needs before the player’s limited supplies run out.

Discover in Aerospace engineers can be really rewarding. Some valuable, important resources can only be found and mined in space, on asteroids or on certain planets in the solar system. So it’s really worth exploring in this game because that’s the only way to actually acquire these rare resources.

6 7 Days To Die

Discover hundreds of POIs

Exploring the open world map is not only fun in 7 Days To Diethis is something every player must do at some point. There are numerous resources and materials that can only be obtained by looting POIs. Once a player has cleared all the POIs in their area, they must explore another part of the map to find more.

Get ready to explore in 7 Days To Die means gearing up and having at least basic combat equipment. Outside of the starting biome, the environment becomes much more dangerous. For example, the vultures that focus on the player while exploring the desert biome and the wolves that chase them in the snow biome.

5 Once human

Fantastically detailed world map

This Lovecraft-themed horror survival game blends gameplay elements from multiple genres into a whole that works surprisingly well. The gunplay is solid, the story arc is intriguing, and the base building is rewarding. But where this game really shines is the quality of the map design.

Exploring the map in Once Human is extremely rewarding from a visual perspective alone. The game world is simply stunning and incredibly detailed. Exploring in Once Human isn’t just about taking in new views, though. There are places hidden throughout the map, such as caves, and also rare resource nodes that a player can come across while exploring.

4 ELITE Dangerous

Explore a galaxy at 1:1 scale

Hardly any open-world game offers as much space to explore as ELITE Dangerous. In this game, the player can explore over 400 billion star systems. However, since the galaxy is built on an astronomically correct 1:1 scale, exploration in ELITE Dangerous requires a significant investment of time.

It is not unknown for ELITE Dangerous Explorers who embark on expeditions that last weeks or even months. On the positive side, exploring in ELITE Dangerous is a lucrative activity, as exploration data can be sold for credits when the player returns to inhabited space.

3 Red Dead Redemption 2

Adventure and exploration in one package

Some games reward players who explore well, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is one such game. Sure, the game world is incredibly detailed and that alone makes it worth exploring. However, exploration rewards players in more ways in this game.

Heading into the wilderness in Red Dead Redemption 2 can lead to the player making fascinating discoveries, such as artwork carved into rocks, learning the game’s story through letters found in abandoned buildings, and collecting hidden cigarette cards. Overall, it’s a good idea to spend some time wandering through the wilderness in Red Dead Redemption 2 can be very rewarding in many ways.

2 No Man’s Sky

Explore and survive

No Man’s Sky The gameplay revolves almost entirely around exploration. This game was designed from the ground up to provide a universe to be discovered. Every solar system, planet, moon, plant, and animal can be discovered, with the first player to make each discovery having the opportunity to name them.

The game features regular community events in the form of Expeditions, which are again based entirely on exploration and discovery. These are short storylines with rewards unlocked upon reaching each level. These Expeditions often act as a curated journey of discovery, taking the player to interesting locations and unlocking game stories.

1 Valheim

Set sail for new shores

Everyone Valheim The player must explore at least part of the game world, simply because each boss must be found and defeated in order to progress. Only the first boss is located near the starting area.

Players must build a boat and set sail to cover much of the map, find each boss, and unlock new resources and materials. Valheim conveys a real pioneering feeling as the player boards his small boat and braves the waves to discover distant shores.