Last Updated on June 3, 2024 by Jhonni Jets
Adventure games offer players the chance to escape into immersive worlds and epic storylines. What truly sets these games apart, however, is their emphasis on exploration, puzzles and discovery. Rather than focusing primarily on combat or skills, adventure games challenge you to think critically and leverage your wits. The best titles in the genre transport players to distant lands and engage them in quests that stimulate the mind. This article highlights 10 adventure games guaranteed to provide thrilling journeys through imaginative settings.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch, Wii U)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild completely redefined what an open-world adventure game can be when it released in 2017. Drop players anywhere in the sprawling Kingdom of Hyrule and they’ll find visual wonders around every corner. Nearly every structure, nook and cranny holds untold mysteries just waiting to be uncovered. Beyond its beauty, Breath of the Wild excels with its physics-based gameplay and emphasis on player choice and experimentation. You’ll spend dozens of hours exploring ruined temples, solving environmental puzzles and crafting new strategies to take down towering mechanical beasts. Its seamless blend of adventure, action and discovery make Breath of the Wild one gaming’s crowning achievements.
2. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)
Released in 2018 to widespread acclaim, Red Dead Redemption 2 pulls players into the most finely detailed open world ever crafted. As outlaw Arthur Morgan, your journeys through the rugged American frontier and lawless towns will feel startlingly authentic thanks to the game’s incredible artistic design and writing. Sidequests like hunting bounties or tracking down bandit camps provide a near endless stream of exciting but low-stakes activities to pursue. Meanwhile, the thought-provoking story delves into complex themes of morality and changing social values as the Wild West era draws to a close. At every turn, Red Dead Redemption 2 aims to stimulate the senses and transport players to the late 19th century in style, substance and scope like no other game.
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Switch, Xbox One, PS4)
As one of the most influential open-world RPGs of all time, Skyrim delivers an epic sense of wonder and adventure around every corner of its sprawling landscape. From sweeping mountains and snow-capped peaks to dense forests and bustling cities, Skyrim entices players to constantly venture off the beaten path. There they’ll find hidden ruins, forgotten dungeons and more sidequests than any one playthrough could complete. Its lived-in world, robust character progression and countless ways to customize playstyles have kept players engaged for over a decade. Even a casual stroll through Skyrim is rarely without some rewarding combat encounter, mysterious locale or fortuitous item discovery to further immerse you in its fantasy realm. The game’s seamless blend of nonlinear exploration and tight combat remain unmatched among adventure RPGs.
4. Ghost of Tsushima (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5)
Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima transports players to 13th century Japan during the first Mongol invasion. As a lone samurai, you fight to liberate the island of Tsushima through epic showdowns with terrifying warlords. But it’s the game’s recreation of feudal Japan that truly transports players. Its open fields and forests are dripping with atmosphere, while towns feel lived in and authentic down to the smallest details. Side activities like haiku composition and fox shrines take full advantage of the environment. Meanwhile, stealth and combat systems encourage adapting different playstyles on the fly. Ghost of Tsushima marries breathtaking scenery, thoughtful writing and refined gameplay to deliver one of gaming’s most transportive historical settings to date.
5. Tomb Raider (PlayStation, Saturn, MS-DOS, Windows, Mac)
The original Tomb Raider launched in 1996 and effectively kicked off the modern action-adventure genre. As Lara Croft, players were thrown into exotic ancient tombs and ruins across the globe. Puzzle solving and platforming skills were tested amid booby traps and relentless enemies. But truly groundbreaking was Tomb Raider’s sense of freedom – each new level invited open-ended exploration without clear paths or objectives. Finding hidden secrets and piecing together the game’s mythology made every outing feel like a true adventure. Over 25 years later, Tomb Raider’s stylish blend of action, puzzles and discovery has influenced dozens of subsequent franchises and remains a formative gaming experience.
6. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows)
Released in 2009, Batman: Arkham Asylum set a new standard for licensed superhero games. Its tight combat system, stealth mechanics and overall polish completely transformed what players expected from an action-adventure title. But beyond thrilling brawls and predator sequences, Arkham Asylum shines as one of gaming’s greatest detective experiences. Piecing together clues, hacking terminals and leveraging the Dark Knight’s gadgets to solve environmental puzzles felt straight out of a comic book. Exploring the creepy confines of Arkham Asylum, with its countless hiding inmates and doctor files to uncover, remains a thoroughly engrossing adventure even over a decade later.
7. Portal (Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
Valve’s Portal wasn’t just a breakthrough in puzzle design – it delivered a laser-focused, highly refined experience that’s rarely matched in gaming. Players are equipped with only a portal device capable of connecting two flat surfaces. From there, it’s a race against time to unravel ingenious environmental puzzles across Aperture Science’s abandoned facility. What makes Portal so uniquely engaging is how it challenges you to think in the third dimension and experiment fearlessly. Figuring out each mind-bending conundrum brings a sharp sense of satisfaction largely absent from other genres. Portal’s tight 8-10 hour runtime leaves you wanting more, which is a testament to just how elegantly it pulls the player into its weird sci-fi world through brilliantly crafted puzzles.
8. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PlayStation 3)
The Uncharted series established Naughty Dog as masters of the cinematic action-adventure genre. Among Thieves raised the bar with its thrilling gameplay, vibrant set pieces and fully realized foreign locations. As treasure hunter Nathan Drake, the game plunges you into exciting jungle and urban environments packed with enemy encounters, platforming challenges and, of course, devious puzzles. But what makes Among Thieves such a blast is how effortlessly it juggles serious action with slapstick comedy and playful banter between its likable characters. Some of gaming’s finest, most artfully crafted sequences unfold as you’re constantly swept up in Drake’s globe-trotting quest for riches. Even subsequent Uncharted games fail to match this installment’s perfect synthesis of blockbuster action and pulp fiction storytelling.
9. Assassin’s Creed II (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
The original Assassin’s Creed laid much of the groundwork, but Assassin’s Creed II is where Ubisoft’s long-running franchise truly came into its own. Transporting players to a lovingly recreated 15th century Italy, ACII offers one of the most believable open worlds in gaming. Scaling architecture, leaping across rooftops and blending into crowded streets felt exhilarating thanks to refined parkour mechanics. Meanwhile, the compelling story delves into Renaissance intrigue and family drama against the backdrop of real historical figures and events. Its cities remain some of gaming’s most intricately crafted interactive environments, filled with side activities and secrets worth unraveling. To this day, Assassin’s Creed II sets the standard for historical tourism in interactive fiction.
10. Grim Fandango Remastered (Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Windows Phone)
Originally released in 1998 for Windows, Grim Fandango stands out among classic adventure games for its noirish art direction, jazz score and pulpy storytelling. Players guide travel agent Manny Calavera through the surreal Land of the Dead, solving puzzles and negotiating deals to save lost souls. What makes Grim Fandango so memorable, even after all these years, is its emphasis on story and character over mechanical complexity. Interacting with the game’s cast of charming eccentrics makes every progression rewardingly hilarious and heartfelt. With remastered visuals and controls, Grim Fandango Remastered remains the pinnacle of adventure games as an interactive storytelling experience.
While virtual worlds and gameplay continue to evolve rapidly each year, the adventure genre maintains a dedicated following by blending discovery, puzzle-solving and engaging narratives into transportive interactive experiences. The 10 games highlighted here offer some of the finest examples of how adventure games can stimulate both minds and senses alike through astonishing visuals, tight design and imaginative settings and characters. With its emphasis on exploration over quick action or reflexes, the adventure genre promises many more thrilling journeys to come.