Summary
The open-world genre of gaming has had a sharp rise in prominence over the last decade. Games likeSkyrim,Grand Theft Auto 5,andMinecraftwereall released in the early 2010s and helped to pave the way foropen-world gamesto be pushed into the forefront of the gaming industry. It’s easy to see why this genre is so popular, given that players love losing themselves in these massive landscapes.
Along with fetch quests, NPC interactions, and looting, one common theme of the open-world genre is combat, as most games task players with overcoming some type of enemy force. Though conquering evil is all well and good, it can get tiresome. Sometimes gamers just want to play at their own pace, without the threat of raiders, zombies, aliens, or whatever else popping up looking for a fight. Thankfully, there are a handful of open-world games that solely offer puzzle-solving, social interaction, or simple exploration.
Updated on May 31, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat:Combat-heavy games usually come with stressful moments and sometimes cause outrageous reactions when players cannot cope with the difficulty. While getting better is one way to overcome such difficulties, quitting combat-oriented games is another option.
Games are not summarized in combat-focused experiences. Players don’t have to always wield a weapon and kill other humans or creatures. Indeed, there are more than enough combat-free games that come with a cozy and relaxing environment, letting players enjoy things at their own pace.
1Hobo: Tough Life
Living The Life Of A Homeless Man In A Crowded City
How’s life for someone who has nowhere to sleep?Hobo: Tough Lifeis here to tell the story of homeless people living in a fictional country located in Eastern Europe. The game is a survival experience where the player needs to survive the cold, hunger, and poverty every day.
It’s an RPG where players can do quests for multiple people around the city and get paid. They can also interact with other homeless people, create a gang for themselves, and run to become the king of beggers.Hobo: Tough Lifeis a difficult and unique experience that does come with an engaging gameplay loop where combat has no place.
With that said, there is also little combat inHobo: Tough Life. Earlier in the game. Players may get interrupted by burglars in back alleys who will beat up the player if they don’t give them their valuable stuff. However, this can be easily. It takes a long time for the player to earn combat skills, but it can be totally avoided, as combat has never been the main focus of this game, and it only can be used in rare scenarios.
2Astrometica
Scan, Scavenge, And Craft In Space
While still in Early Access,Astrometicais a pretty polished experience that makes progress in development based on player feedback. In theory, the game’s core gameplay is quite similar to that ofSubnautica, but there is no combat, and it’s not deep inside the ocean.
Instead, the players are located in deep space, where they can use their spaceship to visit different locations and planets, find abandoned ships and destroyed stations and scavenge valuable items, and eventually use their tech to mine, craft, and build new bases.
As a combat-free survival experience,Planet Crafteris all about finding resources, building habitable colonies, and terraforming a distant planet into a new home for humans. Playable both in solo and co-op modes, players are tasked with gathering a wide variety of resources to build and craft many different facilities.
Planet Craftercomes with an endless gameplay loop, where the players can continueterraforming the new planetas long as they desire. There is no real end to creativity. Players can use the modular base-building system to build anything they want, but they should also stay alive as survival elements are not merciful.
While there are a lot of open-world racing games out there, it might be a bit difficult to find simulation games where players are free to roam around the map while also enjoying the difficulties of a popular but challenging profession.
Euro Truck SimulatorandAmerican Truck Simulatorboth deliver joyful experiences for those who love to spend day and night on the roads, challenging themselves with a variety of cargo types, and trying to establish a big delivery company by hiring new drivers and upgrading the available trucks.
Both games have received a lot of expansions so far, adding more and more regions to the game and expanding the number of destinations to visit. Aside from the settings, though,American Truck Simulatorcomes with American truck brands, whileEuro Truck Simulatorlimits itself tomanufacturers in Europe.
Coming from the developers ofJourney,Sky: Children of Lightis a one-of-a-kind MMO experience without violence or combat. The game focuses on delivering a relaxing, cozy experience to players, by encouraging them to explore a beautiful world, complete non-combat quests, solve puzzles, and hang out with other players.
Sky: Children of Lightis filled with stories that must be discovered in fragments, which echo past events. Players who love the narrative style ofJourneywill find themselves in heaven when playingSky: Children of Light.
Explore The World And Solve A Variety Of Different Puzzles
Similar toSky: Children of Light,Islands of Insightis also an MMO experience with an expansive world to explore. This game, however, is strictly focused on puzzle-solving. Players face a wide variety of puzzles in the game’s universe, each with different rules and unique solutions.
It is a rich experience to play with friends, especially for those who are bored of just dropping into shooter games or combat-heavy titles.Islands of Insightfeatures a relaxing setting that players can have fun just to explore and hang out with friends, let alone work with each other to solve puzzles too.
Firewatchis a story-driven experience for the ages that shows the beauty of indie gaming. Players take on the role of a fire lookout who interacts with his supervisor using a walkie-talkie, uncovering some tantalizing mysteries in the process as they make progress. The game features a striking art style that uses minimalistic visuals to leave a lasting impression on players.
After completing the game, players can explore the open world in a free-roam mode that lets them relax and take in the sights. With no combat to speak of, it’s easy to see whyFirewatchis the perfect game for players to kick back and relax as they explore vast stretches of an open world that’s strikingly beautiful in its own way.
The Talos Principleis a game that took many people by surprise, with the non-linear approach to exploration coupled with some smart puzzle design letting players enjoy a philosophical title that explores what it means to be human. Fans were glad to hear that Croteam would capitalize on this title’s success with a game that let them enjoy more of the same.
The Talos Principle 2is what most people would expect, with players getting all the time in the world to catch a breather and take in the wonderful sights that greet them in the game’s sandbox before getting around to solving a tricky puzzle. The sequel is a must-play for fans of the first game and people who like unique puzzle games with something interesting brewing in the background.
Assassin’s Creedis a series that any fan of open-world games is quite familiar with. The games are known for a heavy focus on stealth and combat in every game, so it’s nice to see that Ubisoft catered to people who loved the historical locations present in the world and wanted to educate themselves about the setting without being pressured by forced combat scenarios.
Odyssey,Origins, andValhallaare just some of the entries of the franchisetofeature a Discovery Tour mode that lets players fast-travel wherever they want and learn about the world without worrying about encountering any enemies. All foes are removed in this game mode, making for a relaxing experience that players will love if the interesting worlds of theAssassin’s Creedgamesstrike their fancy.
There aren’t many games that actually place focus on things that matter, like animal welfare. So,Alba: A Wildlife Adventurefeels like a breath of fresh air, focusing on the activism of the main character and her friends as they attempt to help a natural habitat thrive instead of being harmed by rampant tourism.
The cute aesthetic ofAlba: A Wildlife Adventurecoupled with its positive message and soothing gameplay makes it worth checking out for any fan of unique sandbox games. More people should check this game out, especially if they’re aware of the evils of mankind and how their quest for dominance has led to the endangerment and loss of many exotic, unique species that deserve to live just as much as anyone else.
