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[Hemingwayoffbase]

It sounds like a specific request, but over the years I find that exploring and solving mysteries/puzzles are my favorite parts of games. Combat is also fun, but it’s best when it makes the exploration more dangerous/rewarding.

The modern Fallout games are great at this, but I’ve played them all to death. The Souls games are also amazing at exploring areas, but again, I’ve played them all multiple times.

Any other good suggestions for games where you explore a dangerous space and find interesting items?

(Also, nothing rogue-like, please. Procedural generation is basically the exact opposite of the experience I’m looking for.)

 

[Krappadizzle]

The Depths are super fun to explore in my opinion. The whole game is just exploring really.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

Breath of the Wild
Tears of the Kingdom

 

[Guilty_AI]

Crosscode has some really good exploration

Another option is DUSK, technically an action oriented boomer shooter but the level design and enviroment are cream of the crop stuff, with plenty of secrets and hidden areas.

Since you like RPGs, Baldurs Gate 3 is reeeeally good at this.

Other stuff i haven't played but get praised for this kind of stuff -> The Forgotten City, Subnautica, Outer Wilds.

 

[intbal]

Scorn?

I only played a few minutes and I didn't like the aesthetic of it.
But I think "exploration, puzzles, and mysteries" are basically the entirety of the game.

 

[Guerilla Munch]

The Witness, if you don't require any combat. The entire island is one gigantic puzzle and the design is borderline genius.

 

[Punished Miku]

999 is a good one.

 

[wipeout364]

Call of Duty multiplayer. I guarantee you will be constantly surprised by what’s around the corner.

 

[intbal]

There's also the OG:

 

[Rob_27]

Minecraft

 

[NuclearDiarrhea]

Bioshock and Prey (2017)

 

[gela94]

Elden Ring, you will get obsessed with uncovering what the heck is going on

 

[Danjin44]

Elden Ring easily!

 

[Guilty_AI]

Elden Ring easily!

OP said he played them to death so you need something else

 

[Robb]

Portal
Call of the Sea
Ghost Trick
Zelda
Professor Layton
The Witness
Talos Principle
Disco Elysium
L.A. Noir
Bioshock
Zero Escape
Etc.

Just from the top of my head. Kind of a wide spread I guess, some are more puzzle heavy than others.

 

[Danjin44]

OP said he played them to death so you need something else

Then Xenoblade games…I personally love exploring in that game.

 

[Dazraell]

The Forgotten City is really good at solving the mystery and has a very interesting way of approaching it. The game is not focused around combat though

 

[March Climber]

 

[The Rain King]

Firewatch.

 

[Miles708]

Fez?

 

[Husky]

Outer Wilds is exactly what you're looking for. Make sure to get the expansion pack before you start. If you aren't blown away, you're defective. It has some of the most amazing vistas of any video game, with a brilliant mystery to be solved in every location.

 

[TheAtomicPile]

Super Metroid or the Metroid Prime games are more contained than Fallout or Souls, but they definitely encourage exploration in dangerous places and useful items are often the reward.

 

[Field]

Pentiment. Great location and mystery story to explore. Just keep in mind that gameplay is simple/light.

 

[Boralf]

Outer Wilds
Subnautica
Prey?

 

[SuperBabyMethod]

Classic Tomb Raider

 

[Krappadizzle]

Fez?

Hell of a choice. Amazing music too.

 

[Fredrik]

Super Metroid
Metroid Dread
Zelda Breath of the Wild
Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Elden Ring
Skyrim
Oblivion
Hollow Knight
Ori and the Blind Forest
Ori and the Will of the Wisps

 

[WoJ]

Most people won't agree with this and I understand why. And I get this isn't necessarily what the OP is asking for, but one reason I loved the first Mass Effect game was exploring the Uncharted Worlds. At the time I hadn't played anything like that and was blown away at all these different planets with little events taking place. I didn't care at all about cut and paste environments or anything like that. I was totally sucked in.

Metroid Prime was another game that totally sucked me in with its exploration and how the game evolved based on that.

 

[Beer Baelly]

Indiana Jones and the fate of Xbox

 

[adamsapple]

 

[Fredrik]

A few smaller odd ones you might have missed:
Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom
Wonder Boy The Dragon’s Trap
Zelda Link’s Awakening
Legend of Grimrock
The Witness
Fantasian
Scorn
Fez

 

[Caio]

Too easy, Elden Ring.

 

[Boralf]

Too easy, Elden Ring.

As easy as reading the op?

 

[Little Chicken]

The Depths are super fun to explore in my opinion. The whole game is just exploring really.

You don't really find anything interesting though.

 

[Little Chicken]

Outer Wilds is exactly what you're looking for. Make sure to get the expansion pack before you start. If you aren't blown away, you're defective. It has some of the most amazing vistas of any video game, with a brilliant mystery to be solved in every location.

I think this would be perfect for OP.

 

[Gojiira]

‘modern’ Fallout lol…

Try Thief, Thief 2. Or something like Rime, The Witness, Talos Principle

 

[Krappadizzle]

You don't really find anything interesting though.

Ok.

 

[Caio]

As easy as reading the op?

I was quick, and missed this "The modern Fallout games are great at this, but I’ve played them all to death. The Souls games are also amazing at exploring areas, but again, I’ve played them all multiple times."

But please, don't act like the clever guy, please

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

I was going to post Fallout 3 but you probably done it, there is Skyrim also, but I assume you done it too.
For me, both are really the top of open world pure exploration.

 

[XXL]

 

[rofif]

Prey 2017

 

[XXL]

Prey 2017

This is a good choice as well.

 

[Wildebeest]

Supraland.

 

[Buggy Loop]

It sounds like a specific request, but over the years I find that exploring and solving mysteries/puzzles are my favorite parts of games. Combat is also fun, but it’s best when it makes the exploration more dangerous/rewarding.

The modern Fallout games are great at this, but I’ve played them all to death. The Souls games are also amazing at exploring areas, but again, I’ve played them all multiple times.

Any other good suggestions for games where you explore a dangerous space and find interesting items?

(Also, nothing rogue-like, please. Procedural generation is basically the exact opposite of the experience I’m looking for.)

I have a recommendation for you but in the future, as the early access is already a 10/10 experience but it's not done.

Death Trash

It's a post apocalyptic bio nightmare that is a wink to the classic fallout, but with action. RPG and stat building as important as Fallout and items are key to survival. They're found everywhere you will look into, from dead enemies, or if you pickpocket them, from lockers, from plants, crystals, machinery, robots, etc. You can literally puke on the ground and pick it up. Ammo is hard to come by depending on difficulty. Crafting is important for that.



Of course raw exploration, I cannot recommend enough Outer Wilds (not outer worlds!)

Or you know, Dragon's Dogma 2 in a month

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Xenogears

 

[Griffon]

If you haven't played Zelda Breath of the Wild yet, now is the time.

 

[Rockman33]

Elden ring and breath of the wild are the ones that stick out to me the most. Got completely lost in them night after night.

 

[Josemayuste]

Zelda Breath of the wild & Tears of the kingdom
Prey 2017
Lies of P
Outer Wilds

 

[MagiusNecros]

Classic Tomb Raider as mentioned above

Blade of Darkness

Soul Reaver

Darksiders 2

Zelda BotW/TotK but honestly this felt like Zelda: Fallout to me

Eternal Darkness

Control

Signalis

Classic Horror games like RE1 or Fatal Frame series are primarily games that revolve around puzzles to progress.

 

[SammyNerve]

I always loved the exploration/reward in The Witcher 3.