Open-worlds have become a cornerstone of modern gaming, with many new titles now advertising alarge open-worldwith tons of hours of content as a way to shift units. The appeal of an open world isn’t too difficult to understand, as not only do many players enjoy the sense of freedom, but they also appreciate that the subgenre tends to begood value for money with the numerous quests and activities available.
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However, open-world gaming isn’t without its issues. Not only do many titles favor quantity over quality, but they also frequently inundate players with gameplay mechanics and lore to learn, something that more casual players aren’t a fan of. To help out casual gamers who are looking foran open-worldgame that is of great quality but not too complicated to play, here are 10 great choices.
Updated on July 29, 2025, by Jack Pursey:Thanks to the sharp rise in prominence of the open-world genre, there are bucket loads of causal open-world games for fans of the genre to sink their teeth into. Moreover, causal open-world games are constantly increasing their length and amount of content, letting players delve into a game’s universe for hundreds of hours. So, to shine a spotlight on some more excellent, casual open-world games, we’ve expanded this list by a further five entries.
15Stardew Valley
• Release Date:17 May 2025
• Available Platforms:Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Android
ConcernedApe’sStardew Valleyburst onto the open-world scene in 2016 and has provided one of the most encapsulating open-world experiences since Mojang Studios’Minecraftfirst hit stores.The farming, life simulator begins in a similar way to many games in the genre, with the player inheriting a plot of land that they are free to cultivate and build upon in any way that they choose.
Farming is far from the only thing that players can do inStardewValley, however,as the game offers tons other activities like fishing, mining, and growing social relationships.
• Release Date:24 June 2025
• Available Platforms:PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
Burnout Paradisewas originally released on the 22nd of January 2008 and offered an open-world take on theBurnoutformula, which was a cornerstone of thestreet racing genreat the time. Ironically,Burnout Paradiseinadvertently led to the downfall of AAA street racing games, asdata showedthat players were preferring to drive around the open world and utilize the game’s social features rather than compete in street racing events.
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Burnout Paradise Remasteredwas released in 2018 and offered a fresh coat of paint to the divisive modern classic.
• Release Date:22 June 2025
• Available Platforms:Xbox 360
Xbox 360-exclusiveCrackdownwas one of the many games in the 2000s that tried to capture the magic of theGrand Theft Autoseries while offering its own spin on Rockstar Games' winning formula. Like the recentSaints Rowgames,Crackdowndifferentiates itself from theGTAfranchise with its over-the-top, explosive action that heavily favors fun over realism.
Crackdownwas well-received by fans and critics, exemplified by its83 critic score and 7.9 user score on Metacritic.
12No Man’s Sky
• Release Date:23 May 2025
• Available Platforms:PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Android, Microsoft Windows
In the five years since it originally hit stores,No Man’s Skyhas gone from being a disaster, to having one of modern gaming’s greatest redemption arcs, to being one of the best open-world survival games of the last decade. Suffice to say, it’s been a rollercoaster ride for Hello Games, though the future looks bright for the British studio.
No Man’s Skyhas become one of the survival genre’s most engrossing games and exploring its world finally feels like the exhilarating experience that fans expected when the game was first announced.
• Release Date:29 July 2025
• Available Platforms:PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Like the aforementionedCrackdown, theJust Causeseries has always been known for having little regard for realism.Just Cause 4doesn’t buck this trend, offering one of the most ridiculously over-the-top adventures yet.
The game is set in a fictional nation, on a map that is filled with numerous different biomes and has frequent hazardous weather conditions like thunderstorms and tornados. If that wasn’t enough, the game also introduces some of the most hilariously nonsensical guns in the franchise’s history, such as the Wind Gun and Lightning Gun that both allow players to create absolute mayhem.
10LEGO City Undercover
• Release Date:23 May 2025
• Available Platforms:PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Wii U, Microsoft Windows
If someone were to putLEGO Star Warsin a blender withGrand Theft Auto, it would probably look something likeLEGO City Undercover.The 2013 Wii U game, which is now available on numerous other systems, took the collectathon formula that Traveller’s Tales created withLEGO Star Wars: The Video Gameand applied it to a Los Santos-like world.
LEGO City Undercoverwas designed to utilizethe Wii U’s unique controller, which does harm the game’s multiple ports. However, TT Fusion’s open-world adventure is still great fun to play and offersaround 50 hoursof content for completionists.
9A Short Hike
• Release Date:31 July 2025
• Available Platforms:Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Macintosh operating systems
Thewinner of the Seumas McNally Grand Prizeat the Independent Games Festival Awards, Adam Robinson-Yu’sA Short Hikeis a fantastic indie open-world game that ditches combat in favor of exploration.
The PC and Nintendo Switch game requires players to jump, swim and glide their way around the map as they try to locate golden feathers required to scale Hawk Peak. Like any great open-world game, the main adventure is supplemented by numerous side activities. Players can go fishing, locate treasure, and compete in the unique sport beachstickball to pass the time.
8The Sims 3
• Release Date:02 June 2025
• Available Platforms:Microsoft Windows, OS X, Android, BlackBerry OS, Windows Phone, iOS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, N-Gage 2.0, Wii, Nintendo 3DS
The Simsseries initially hit stores in 2000 and was a pioneer in casual gaming. Electronic Arts’The Simsshowed that gaming wasn’t all about action and violence likeResident Evil 3: NemesisorMedal of Honor,which had both released the previous year, and that the form of media was ready to appeal to a far wider audience than it currently was.
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The Sims 3is still considered the series’s best entry today, as its open-world gameplay immediately elevated it from its predecessors. Freely exploring the map’s town added a whole new layer to the series and is still fun to do today.
7Immortals Fenyx Rising
• Release Date:14 July 2025
• Available Platforms:PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and Series S, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows
WhereasLEGO City Undercoveris a combination of theLEGOmovie tie-in games andGrand Theft Auto, Ubisoft’sImmortals Fenyx Risingis like a mixture ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildandAssassin’s Creed Odyssey.The link between the game andOdysseyis more than just in the playstyle and development teams, as the idea behind the game was formed whena glitch duringOdyssey’sdevelopmentmade all of the characters look likecyclopes.
Immortals Fenyx Risingisn’t able tohold a candle to the quality of Nintendo’sBreath of the Wild,hence why it’s been giving the unfortunate nickname of Breath of the Mild among the community. However, it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable open-world game worth considering for those who either want an experience like Link’s latest adventure or don’t have a Switch.
6Eastshade
• Release Date:08 August 2025
• Available Platforms:PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Macintosh operating systems, Xbox One
Although the term “casual” is subjective, there won’t be too many people arguing against the idea thatEastshadeis the most casual game on this list.Eastshadestarts somewhat dramatically, as the player washes up on a beach after being involved in a boat crash, but it soon finds a far more gentle and meditative pace.
Eastshadelets players explorethe game’s beautiful islandand paint the world around them by simply capturing what they’re looking at with a mechanic similar to a photo mode.
