We've also added a couple more entries that inherently have combat but offer modes that remove it. To help players find what they're looking for, we've added a few key details to each entry, such as where to play them and how long they take to beat.

Updated on July 22, 2021, by Jack Pursey: The open-world genre continues to thrive today, with developers all over the world trying to make the next Minecraft or Grand Theft Auto. Consequently, it can be tricky for players to find exactly what they want, as the genre is so crowded that many games fall through the cracks. 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. 15 Great Games Like The Sims Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Avakin Life BitLife Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator Dream House Days Family House Farming Simulator 20 Graveyard Keeper IMVU My Time at Portia Planet Zoo Two Point Hospital Stardew Valley Virtual Families Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles. Though conquering evil is all well and good, it can get tiresome. RELATED: The Biggest Open World Games Based On The Size Of Their MapsĪlong 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.

Games like Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto V, and Minecraftwere all released in the early 2010s, paving the way for open-world games to be pushed into the forefront of the gaming industry. The open-world genre of gaming has had a sharp rise in prominence over the last decade.