For many games, it isn't quite enough to have a satisfying main story as it is to have meaningful post-game content to match it. This is certainly something important to open-world games since the likes of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3 revolutionized the format, but this can apply to a host of genres.
Unsurprisingly, many great RPGs - like the dynamic world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt- earn their reputation by having such qualities, but action-adventure titles like Red Dead Redemption IIand shooters like Destiny 2achieve similar feats. Some of these games also boast DLC expansions that bolster this, but there are a variety of ways that they keep players engaged with post-game content.
10 Red Dead Redemption II
Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption II is another modern open-world marvel that deserves all of its plaudits from gameplay to storytelling. There aren't many Wild West-themed games out there compared to fantasy and sci-fi, but that doesn't stop this epic from going above and beyond.
Content-wise, Red Dead Redemption II is an impressively meaty main story for not being an RPG, and given the sprawling open world, it heavily encourages players to immerse themselves in the scope of the western frontier. Events and encounters can happen dynamically while exploring, promising that Arthur Morgan will often have something interesting to do or discover. That includes the game's many side missions that vary colorfully in tone.
9 Batman: Arkham Knight
Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham trilogy comprises some of the best modern superhero games, reinventing the iconic DC character for the medium in the process. And in addition to being one of the most engaging true-to-character renditions of Batman by paying homage to the revered The Animated Series universe, Arkham Knight has plenty of content outside of the climactic trilogy-closing story.
There are more Riddler Trophies than ever before, but even outside the myriad of what are essentially collectibles, there's a host of side missions that bring out some of the most colorful members of the Dark Knight's esteemed rogues' gallery. And while the likes of the Deathstroke and Firefly missions are underwhelmed, there are far more - like the Man-Bat and Professor Pyg missions - that exceptionally immerse and flesh out this neon-gothic world. Plus, the Season of Infamy DLC added more memorable ones like Mr. Freeze and Killer Croc.
8 Elden Ring
FromSoftware's most recent Souls-like effort quickly proved to be one of the modern era's most immersive open-world fantasy RPGs. Elden Ring masterfully painted the Souls-like formulas of Dark Souls and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice onto an open-world canvas, and it didn't suffer from content bloat in the process.
The game features all the fascinating and cryptic dark-fantasy storytelling and nail-biting combat longtime fans would come to expect, as well as a plethora of meaningful things to do. Even after Elden Ring's extensive story, players can still arguably find something exciting to discover in any direction. Odds are, especially for a first-time player, that previously undiscovered side quests will be started, in addition to the hidden zones and the bosses that come with them.
7 Monster Hunter: World
Capcom's action-RPG Monster Hunter series has evolved into a global mainstream juggernaut, in part, thanks to the acclaim of World. The game was the first mainline title to make its grand return to mainline consoles outside of Nintendo in several years, and it featured all the streamlined features to make it a hit without watering the experience down. Monster Hunter: World's gameplay loop is simple on paper; taking on quests, hunting monsters, crafting better gear, repeat.
However, because of how exhilarating the combat is, the diversity of monster species, and available equipment, it proves to be deeply engrossing both in and out of the main questline. After the story, players can continue tackling increasingly tough endgame boss monsters alone or with friends, which is amplified further by the equally-lauded Iceborne DLC.
6 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Almost eight years later, CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains a shining example of content-rich game design in open worlds. It's one thing to stuff an open world with busywork to simply say there are hundreds of hours worth of things to do, but on top of an emotionally compelling main story bringing Geralt of Rivia's story to a close, it has even more noteworthy role-playing side quests.
For those that enjoy collectibles, there are certainly plenty of treasure-hunting excursions to go on, but there are countless side quests that do well to tell equally intriguing stories that flesh out the worldbuilding and personalities of the Continent. The Witcher 3 is a game that genuinely contains hundreds of hours of story content, and it's made all the better with the standalone-sized Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine DLC expansions.
5 Destiny 2
Famed for the team's work on the Halo series, Bungie has since made its mark with the ongoing Destiny series, with the second and current mainline entry actively being expanded upon. Being a game-as-a-service model title, Destiny 2 is a game that essentially lives and dies on its post- or end-game content.
The game was well-received partly thanks to its marked improvement in the story campaign department over its predecessor, but the plethora of PvE content (player vs. environment), PvP modes (player vs. player), and several post-launch DLC expansions are what give it longevity. For PvE, Destiny 2 features many team-based Strike missions and 6-man Raids with varying degrees of challenge. And, as fans of first-person shooters would hope, players can enter the Crucible for a variety of competitive match types.
4 Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver
Gold and Silver on the Game Boy Color were released to great acclaim, being praised for being exceptional sequels and some of the greatest games in the mainline Pokémon series. The remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver claimed that status by retaining the improvements they made on their predecessors while giving it the then-modern sensibilities of the fourth generation.
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver reimagined the Johto region in the charming 16-bit art style of the Nintendo DS, but even more so by remaking the Kanto region as post-game content. The GBC games are still famous to this day for this, as the concept of adding an entire previous region to explore opens up new possibilities. HeartGold and SoulSilver recapture this while adding Pokémon through the Sinnoh region to discover, and the new Battle Frontier for some post-game competition.
3 God Of War: Ragnarök
Santa Monica Studio's God of War: Ragnarök was the long-awaited sequel to the 2018 soft reboot that gave Kratos a compelling and cinematic new storytelling approach. That doesn't mean it left out the satisfying action, though, as its new combat system was tightly focused and arguably even more cathartic combining for an experience that's likely to become one of PlayStation's best exclusives.
And despite not being an RPG, God of War: Ragnarök has an impressively lengthy main narrative and side story content, filling its Norse-inspired world without even needing an open-world format. After the main story, players can take Kratos on side adventures littered across the nine realms that add to the worldbuilding, and gripping combat challenges like the Muspelheim Trials.
2 NieR:Automata
Game designer Yoko Taro's NieR franchise rose to great prominence thanks to the success of his and PlatinumGames' NieR:Automata. Paired with the latter studio's knack for thrilling and high-octane combat systems, the game was praised for being an engrossingly somber and existential sci-fi experience.
And in terms of game content, NieR:Automata is a unique example in how it presents its "post-game" content as crucial to the overall story. There's an expectedly great amount of depth when it comes to side quests, but the game namely takes off after the credits initially roll. Once players finish the "first" main story, players can experience new portions of the story through different characters and creatively implemented gameplay styles.
1 Borderlands 3
The "looter-shooter" subgenre was greatly popularized by Gearbox Software's Borderlands series, meshing action RPG and first-person shooter gameplay mechanics with a raunchy Mad Max-like dystopian world. Borderlands 3 retains and polishes the tried-and-true formula that's proven to be so addicting.
The games safely have fun and bombastic main stories that can be enjoyed solo or with friends, but the heart of Borderlands 3's substantive content lies in the endgame in raids and high-end side quests. Thanks to this third entry's even further refined shooting gameplay and emphasis on a Diablo-like loot system for upgrading gear, taking on the game's toughest challenges that come at the story's end is consistently entertaining for dozens of hours on end.
Source:gamerant.com