The Best Open-World Games Set In Rural Towns, Ranked

Most open-world games take place in high-fantasy worlds or sprawling cities. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes players through lush environments and well-designed villages and cities that feel authentic to European architecture. Then there is a game like Grand Theft Auto 5, which takes place in a big city the size of L.A. with a few outside areas to explore in the hills.

These are both good games, but some players may prefer the quieter side of living as they explore their surroundings. For anyone who likes rural life, the following games may be more appealing. They include Lake and The Good Life, just to name a couple, and they will be ranked based on their overall quality and how well they fit the rural theme.

10 Kona

Surviving A Winter Storm

Kona is a chilly (literally) indie game focusing on a private investigator, Carl Faubert, who is hired to look into the disappearance of an entire town in Canada, Nord-du-Québec, during the 1970s. Graphically, it looks something like a PS2 game akin to Indigo Prophecy, but that's not a bad thing.

There is some combat when dealing with wolves, but for the most part, players will have to search around this frozen town looking for clues and trying to stay warm in the process. It’s not specifically a horror game, but the vibes are certainly spooky in this Canadian ghost town.

9 State Of Decay 2

Living In The Apocalypse

State of Decay 2 is a much better experience today than its launch version and has come a long way in the post-apocalyptic zombie genre. Players can choose their party of survivors, each with random stats, in the campaign mode, and choose from a variety of areas like Trumbull Valley or Providence Ridge.

No matter which players choose, they will often be in the back country with perhaps a small town or two to explore. The goal is to survive amongst the zombie hordes, scavenging for supplies, building up bases, and attacking to drive the horde back whenever necessary.

8 Dredge

A Seaside Horror Adventure

Dredge has an easy-to-understand gameplay loop. It's a very chill fishing game at first, but it gets darker the more players engage. As a fisherman, all players seemingly have to worry about is going out to fish, bringing back a haul, selling those fish, and then using that cash to build a better boating and fishing experience.

The further out players go between different docking towns, the more the game’s horror elements will start to creep in. Fish mutate in unsettling ways, strange figures on abandoned islands give them quests, and dangerous leviathans emerge from the depths. It’s one of those games that is better the less players know about it, but overall, the vibes are very small-town, albeit bordering the vast ocean.

7 Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

A Simple But Riveting RPG

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is an action RPG at its core, but it doesn’t fully rely on players going out and hunting monsters as an epic warrior. Players can be an attack class, called a Life, or they can have mundane jobs too.

For example, players can cut down trees as a Woodcutter, then, as a Carpenter, they can craft items and furniture, all of which will level up their character. Their starting town is very humble, and everything players do will benefit both them and the town. For anyone looking to experience a cozy open-world action RPG, the balance is right in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.

6 The Good Life

Looking Into Murder

The Good Life follows a reporter, Naomi Hayward, who goes to the quiet country village of Rainy Woods to investigate some rumors. Early on, she discovers a murder and learns that people are turning into cats and dogs, including herself.

Every NPC runs on a tight schedule that players can set their watches to, so it’s up to them to uncover the many mysteries of the townsfolk while enjoying a romp through the countryside. They can talk to NPCs, hide in the bushes to take photos, dig through the garbage as a dog, play as a cat to sneak through tight areas, and so on.

5 Lake

Death Stranding, Without The Death

Death Stranding seemingly set the gold standard for delivery games in 2019, at least in terms of production value, and Lake is the game for anyone looking for similar vibes, just without the post-apocalypse. Even though the game has a simplistic art style, driving through the small town of Providence Oaks, Oregon, and exploring its forests will set players at ease as they deliver mail and packages around town.

Players can choose their route, and then deliver mail and packages to NPCs, all of whom can be talked to. There are side missions as well if players wish to grow closer to these NPCs. Overall, Lake is one of the most chill courier games around with very little conflict to worry about.

4 Deadly Premonition

A Small Town Murder

Deadly Premonition is another game about a small-town murder, and one that was heavily influenced by the TV show, Twin Peaks. An FBI agent, Francis York Morgan, goes to Greenvale to investigate one murder, but then discovers it is tied to past murders involving red seeds. How do they all connect?

Like The Good Life, every NPC has a schedule, and players can individually investigate them, or they can continue with the story. No matter what, the culprit will be caught and will always be the same. Deadly Premonition is just the type of game where interacting with the quirky characters is more fun than the survival horror and action elements.

3 My Time At Sandrock

Building Up Society

My Time at Sandrock is a cozy life-sim with a bit more crafting opportunities than Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. The goal is to turn the titular town into a prosperous village once again, which involves going out into the desert, mining for materials, and then crafting a better home for everyone, be it through buildings or crops.

Wood and water resources are low, so those are the hardest materials to come by. There is combat in the game too, and the action is satisfying, albeit simple. With plenty of charming individuals to befriend, including some that can lead to romances, My Time at Sandrock is the ideal game for players who like small-town vibes and also want to participate in making that small town a better place.

2 Far Cry 5

Sins Of The Father

Far Cry 5 takes place in Montana and begins with the U.S. Marshals Service investigating a cult led by a man named Joseph Seed, or "Father" as he is called by his followers. When the marshals either all die or get captured, it’s up to the player to help out this mountainous region and restore the peace, one recaptured cult base at a time.

There are towns to visit and rescue, but the area of Montana in which this takes place is more remote, covered in thick forests, majestic mountains, and beautiful lakes. It plays similarly to the rest of the Far Cry games, so expect lots of bombastic action and big explosions, despite the remote area.

1 South Park: The Stick Of Truth

A Quiet Mountain Town

South Park, in general, is one of the most rural towns in pop culture from the past few decades, and one that is well represented in South Park: The Stick of Truth. For the first time, players can fully explore the town they grew up watching, all perfectly rendered as if it were a massively long TV episode.

Players can choose their class and create their character to engage in active turn-based battles with familiar characters like Stan and Butters. The more abilities they unlock, the further they can explore South Park to uncover hundreds of Easter Eggs and evolve the ridiculous but hilarious plot, all while enjoying this mountainous region of Colorado.