Summary
Having an open-world city to explore is fun, but more games such asStar Wars: Outlawsare exploring the idea of planetary traversal. It’s one of the longest-running human fantasies of the last century: to explore the galaxy, including alien planets, where adventure is just one step ahead.
Several games have allowed players to trek across planets in a galaxy far, far away, and not-so-far-away. From RPGs to survival exploration, having an open world on another planet has led to games standing out in the sci-fi genre, with some even allowing the exploration of multiple planets.
Despite favorable reviews overall,Starlink: Battle For Atlaswas one of the last games made during a time when the “Toys To Life” gaming trend was declining.Starlinkallowed players to build their own ships and that custom ship could appear in-game.
Thankfully,Starlink: Battle For Atlasis still playable without the discontinued toys andprovides an addictive starfighting experiencewith multiple open-world maps on different planets.Starlinkis a throwback to classic space fighter games, and it even features exclusiveStar Foxcontent for the Nintendo Switch.
What separatesMass Effect: Andromedafrom the original trilogy is the different alien environments to explore in a new galaxy. Fans treatedMass Effect: Andromedaharshly when it was first released, but it has gained a following over the years due to its eye-catching worlds combined with fluid third-person combat.
However, the lack of anyiconic characters from theMass Effecttrilogyand unfortunate glitches led to a poor reputation forMass Effect: Andromeda. The story is akin toBattlestar: Galactica, focusing on colonizing a new home for the Federation, not just humans, which leads to exploring many different types of planets and meeting new species to expand theMass Effectuniverse.
Pandora from theBorderlandsfranchise has become an iconic location due to its cast of wild characters combined with a Mad Max-like apocalyptic punk setting.Borderlands 2brought the most freedom to explore Pandora with a wide variety of biomes on the planet that are fully explorable.
As a result,Borderlands 2never gets dull, since every new location on Pandora typically results in new enemy types, environments, and a ridiculous amount of weapons to find. While there are technically more planets inBorderlands 3, they are more linear than Pandora inBorderlands 2or even the moon inBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
MixingGroundhog Daywith space exploration,Outer Wildsputs the player on a time loopwith the ability to travel across seven mysterious planets. It may not be action-packed, butOuter Wildskeeps the player engaged with its mystery, visuals, and relaxing exploration.
Memorizing the events of the time loop inOuter Wildsis challenging and thrilling, similar toThe Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. However, simply wandering the strange planets is a thrill in itself, earning theOuter Wildsa multitude of praise from gamers and critics alike.
From the deep jungles of the Kinglor Forest to the Upper Plains,Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandorareplicates the now-iconic planet from the movies for players to explore solo or co-op as a new Na’vi. The gameplay is very similar toFar Cry, but of all the games to borrow from for anAvatargame,Far Cryfits the most.
Exploring Pandora as a Na’vi that was raised among humans grants players the chance to learn to be a Na’vi organically. From learning about the cultures of different tribeswith strong voice-acting across the boardto hunting the alien fauna to learning to ride an Ikkran, Pandora is just as beautiful as it is in the movies.
Destiny 2 has open-world patrol zones for players to explore and complete activities on, but it’s not necessarily an open-world single-player game. Yet, the live-service content allows for constant updates and new content across various planets and moons that provide plenty of excitement in missions and stories.
The world ofDestiny 2is so far into the future that it becomes a fusion of science fiction and fantasy. The lore and the addictive gameplay developed by Bungie help turnDestiny 2into an icon of modern gaming, proving to already be among the great franchises such asBorderlands,Mass Effect, andHalo.
While it was not the revolutionary title that some fans were hoping for,Starfielddid accomplish beingBethesda’s next big immersive RPG. It borrows many elements from Bethesda’sThe Elder ScrollsandFalloutfranchises, creating a sci-fi RPG in which the player can explore dozens of planets.
WithStarfield, there are many planets in the galaxy to explore, fight threats, and take on missions. They may not be as colorful and fantastical as the planets seen in other space-faring games, but Bethesda does make a universe that stands out from most RPGs and even sci-fi games.
Improved climbing, combat, customization, and Cal Kestis' story are just a few aspects to enjoy inStar Wars Jedi: Survivor. Most fans agreed that this sequel was superior in nearly every aspect toFallen Order, including multiple massive open worlds to explore as a Jedi, with a grander and darker story.
WhileStar Wars Jedi: Survivorstill has more linear locations that areexplorable in a Metroidvania-like fashion, there are also bigger planets like Jedha and Koboh. From the watery village of Rambler’s Reach to the High Republic structures, Koboh is massive with various secrets that provide new cosmetics for lightsabers and Cal himself or upgrades to help the hero in future battles.
WhenNo Man’s Skywas first released, it was deemed a broken mess that failed to live up to the intergalactic sandbox it was promised to be. That is no longer the case, because the developers at Hello Games worked hard to turnNo Man’s Skyaround, and it became what it was originally intended to be and more over the years.
Now,No Man’s Skyis a stunning survival and exploration game that gives the player thousands of planets and moons to adventure onto in real-time, each procedurally generated with unique flora and fauna. Hello Games continues toupdateNo Man’s Skywith multiple expansionsand updates and has seen players returning in large numbers, marking quite a comeback for the game.
With a classic RPG setup of the protagonist waking up and finding themselves on a hostile planet,The Outer Worldswas a surprise gem. Obsidian Entertainment took what they did withFallout: New Vegasand essentially made aStarfield-like game beforeStarfieldbut with fewer planets.
Every planet inThe Outer Worldsis vibrant and visually stunning, featuring quests where the player’s choices actually matter and a strong commentary on capitalism.The Outer Worldsfeels almost like a tribute to sci-fi comics of the 1960s where ships, characters, and the environment have a retro-futuristic aesthetic.
