The best games that reward exploration and curiosity

Key points

• In-depth exploration in these games offers hidden objects, lore, and rewarding backstories.
• Curiosity leads to discover secrets, side missions and new areas for an immersive experience.
• Approaching the gameplay with enthusiasm and a sense of exploration unlocks valuable rewards in vast open worlds.

One of the most exciting moments in playing is discovering something new. Whether players have already logged hundreds of hours or are relatively new to the world and its rules, discovering a secret passage or a new piece of lore keeps the game fun and encourages an even deeper investment in the story.

This list aims to highlight both popular picks and some indie titles that encourage curiosity while playing. These games contain hidden objects, secret areas, special rewards, and revealed backstories that make the work rewarding and beg players to look at the world in more detail. They all approach exploration in different ways, some leaning on hidden text as a means of storytelling, while others encourage extensive open world travel in maps with hidden locations.

8 Kentucky Route Zero

Curious exploration enriches the story

Kentucky Route Zero is a surreal story told in five acts. It is set along a rural highway in America and follows a truck driver who gets lost and the adventure that ensues. The art style is stunning and engaging, with beautiful renderings in both day and night.

Playing Kentucky Route Zero with curiosity is definitely the best approach. Investigating side paths and engaging in optional dialogue reveals extra information that enriches the gameplay experience, telling hidden stories and increasing the surrealism of the player's world.

7 Red Dead Redemption 2

Interacting with NPCs triggers side quests

Red Dead Redemption 2 it's a game with an extremely loyal following and is definitely one of the most popular choices on this list. However, its depth and amazing world-building ensure that even the most experienced players often learn something new. The Western open world map is vast, with various settlements to explore across the dozens of missions provided in the main story, in addition to all the side missions.

Continue the exploration Red Dead Redemption 2 rewards players in multiple ways: random encounters with dynamic NPCs add to the narrative, many of which trigger fun side quests. There are also many unique items hidden throughout the detailed environments, ensuring a wide variety of rewards for the curious cowboy.

6 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

Don't miss the historical and mythological details

Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe ancient Greek setting makes it a game that players won't help but be curious to explore in depth. The open world is huge and chock-full of historical monuments and mythological references making the gameplay extremely engaging, especially for fans of ancient history or who enjoy working on significant lore.

Within the stunning open world map, players can explore to find tons of hidden things: various locations unlock historical information, special items and new abilities that add further depth to an already exciting and detailed game.

5 No man's sky

Endless possibilities for new discoveries in this sandbox adventure

This sandbox game offers almost endless possibilities for players who approach it with enthusiasm and curiosity. The game features procedurally generated space exploration, where each new terrain offers unique biomes, species and locations to enjoy.

The opportunities for exploration in No man's sky keep coming, with no time for boredom, as each new planet offers the possibility of completely new experiences. As players travel, they can increase their knowledge, gather resources, and discover new interstellar information, all aided by regular game updates.

4 The Ghost of Tsushima

Stunning visual options enrich the gameplay

Ghost of Tsushima is a samurai action-adventure game set in feudal Japan in the midst of a Mongol invasion. The game definitely takes its graphics seriously, which adds tremendously to the gameplay. There are stunning naturalistic backdrops that draw inspiration from Japanese art, as well as the ability to play in “Kurosawa Mode,” which puts players right in the middle of a classic black-and-white Samurai film.

Deep exploration rewards players with hidden locations, armor upgrades, and the option for Jin Sakai, the game's protagonist, to compose haiku when visiting certain locations. Additionally, there is much to learn about Japanese culture and the country's previous history, providing a wonderful experience for history buffs.

3 Subnautica

New items and resources available through in-depth exploration

This underwater survival game is all about exploration. Players descend into an alien world filled with all manner of majestic creatures. The game is full of mysteries that encourage players to question the world around them in hopes of making new discoveries.

The rewards for playing Subnautica with a sense of curiosity are quite valuable, including creating blueprints and accessing new biomes with useful items that can significantly advance gameplay. Players will also be able to learn much more about the history of the mysterious alien sea as they explore the vast map.

2 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

A notoriously rich open-world environment full of details to discover

The latest iteration in The Legend of Zelda franchising, Breath of the wild presents Hyrule as a vast and interactive open world, full of secrets and stories. In their journey through the world, players must solve puzzles, fight enemies, and discover useful information found in the environment.

The design of Breath of the wild it definitely encourages exploration and fans will agree that it's one of the best games for constantly discovering new details that enrich the gaming experience. Curiosity is rewarded with hidden areas, rare items, and fascinating stories that explain the central story.

1 Outer wilderness

Brilliant mechanics encourage in-depth and curious exploration

Outer wilderness is focused on searching for answers in an unfamiliar environment, making it an ideal game for curious players who enjoy exploring strange landscapes. Players are new recruits in a space program exploring a mysterious solar system full of wonders and oddities.

The world of Outer wilderness is made even more fascinating by the use of a time loop that retains the player's knowledge but resets the world in a way that has baffled the minds of many players. This exciting mechanic encourages players to explore without fear of failure, and means there's plenty of room for experimentation in beautiful, brilliant environments that change over time.