The 20 Best Games Like BOTW

Once a player has finished exploring the forests and plateaus in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, they might suddenly be struck with some sort of Hyrule hangover. After all, are there even any games like BOTW? I mean, besides Tears of the Kingdom, of course.

While not many open-world projects are as celebrated as Breath of the Wild, there are plenty of titles with large worlds, awesome monsters, and nooks and crannies just waiting to be explored. So, let's take a tour through a few projects with massive maps, swords, explorative adventures, or all of the above. The following titles may not be Breath of the Wild, but they will certainly scratch the same itch.

No Zelda games.

Updated April 8, 2026 by Mark Sammut: Well, it has been a while since I updated this article! So, I've streamlined the recommendations, updated the images, and added two new games: Crimson Desert and Donkey Kong Bananza.

1 Crimson Desert

A 2026 Open-World Game That Matches Breath of the Wild's Ambition and Scale

While it might not go down as the best open-world game of 2026, Crimson Desert will almost certainly be remembered as the most ambitious. Putting aside a rough first few hours that do not capture the magic of the rest of the experience, Pearl Abyss's game throws everything and the kitchen sink at players, delivering a vast world that feels like it goes on forever. Even dozens of hours in, new mechanics are still being revealed, both in terms of the combat's skill tree and just general gameplay features that add a fresh dynamic or wrinkle to proceedings.

Compared to Breath of the Wild, Crimson Desert seems to be more story-driven; at least, there are way, way more cutscenes, dialogue sections, and NPCs. Yet, it is just as freeing. Although providing guidance through quest markers, the game encourages players to go where they want and explore, all the while interacting with the aspects that they enjoy the most. Similar to BOTW, Crimson Desert doesn't really force players to interact with everything it has to offer, instead letting them decide their favorite poison.

2 Kena: Bridge Of Spirits

One Of The Prettiest Games On The Switch 2

An impressive (and rare) modern AA project, Ember Lab's Kena: Bridge of Spirits combines elements from quite a few different games, creating a familiar whole that, while not especially original, is very enjoyable. Set in a genuinely gorgeous fantasy world, the story follows Kena, a spirit guide who is tasked with leading the recently departed to the afterlife. However, a Rot begins to spread across a mountain, and she takes up the responsibility of investigating and reversing it. Despite not being all that similar to Hyrule, Kena's setting is lush with natural beauty, and it is also getting destroyed by a rather ambiguous general corruption.

While not open-world, Kena still emphasizes exploration to an extent, with most areas hiding quite a few secrets off the beaten path. That said, the campaign is linear and certainly nowhere near as open-ended as BOTW. When it comes to combat, Kena is harder than a modern Zelda game, with Ember Lab seemingly taking inspiration from Soulslikes. Kena has access to a magical staff, which is used for both melee and ranged combat. The former has the typical light and strong attacks, along with a small handful of further options. Kena can also use a shield and a bow, with the latter arguably being the best part of the gameplay loop. She even has a few special abilities that complement her core moveset well.

On March 26, Kena released on the Switch 2.

3 Donkey Kong Bananza

Once Again, Nintendo Takes A Classic Franchise Into Open-World Territory

Honestly, I went back and forth on whether to recommend Donkey Kong Bananza, as it doesn't play anything like Zelda BOTW. Nintendo EPD's 2025 magnum opus is, technically, also an open-world game, but it approaches the concept from a different angle. Rather than exploring a vast, endless Hyrule, Bananza is all about verticality, with DK (and Pauline) smashing their way through the ground to eventually reach new layers that are basically mini-worlds in and of themselves. Some minor combat aside, the game is essentially a beat 'em up where nearly everything can be smashed, and even the platforming segments mainly revolve around this concept.

If you are looking for another BOTW, DK Bananza might not be for you. However, if you are looking for another creative Nintendo experience that mostly drops players in a sandbox and tells them to have fun, this is pretty much the perfect option. It has a certain simplicity that is oddly endearing and addictive, sort of how BOTW's best moments are often caused by directionless exploration.

4 Elden Ring

Similar Open-World Design Mentality

FromSoftware's Elden Ring and Breath of the Wild are vastly different in several key areas. While Nintendo's game certainly has its dark undertones, Elden Ring is a Lovecraftian nightmare in comparison. Set within the Lands Between, the game's world is an unforgiving place filled with terrifying monstrosities that are aggressive, relentless, and, in some cases, massive. Elden Ring's combat expands on Dark Souls' systems, coming with a wide range of build options so that players can approach scenarios in their preferred way. Melee, ranged, magic, and even stealth are all viable forms for approaching battles.

For all their unique elements, these two fantastic games do share one very important thing: they approach open-world design in similar ways. Elden Ring and Breath of the Wild drop players on a vast map and simply let them explore. Although the former does provide more direction than the latter, the Tarnished are free to roam as they see fit, and there is a lot to discover in the Lands Between.

Shadow of the Erdtree is also great, and the expansion is very substantial.

5 Immortals Fenyx Rising

BOTW Combined With The Ubisoft Formula

Naturally, Breath of the Wild's success rippled throughout the industry, encouraging a few developers to take inspiration from Nintendo's masterpiece. Ubisoft's Immortals Fenyx Rising was arguably the most unabashedly BOTW-esque project to spawn from this movement, especially since it was quite a high-profile release by modern standards. Ubisoft also does not explore new IPs all that often, so this 2020 title still came as a breath of fresh air despite its similarities to Link's 2017 Hyrule adventure. While someone's mileage may vary depending on their tolerance for the publisher's tropes, Immortals Fenyx Rising has plenty of positives that make it an easy recommendation for not only fans of BOTW but also anyone searching for an open-world game in general.

Inspired by Greek mythology and presented as a hero's journey narrated by Prometheus to Zeus, players take control of the eponymous Fenyx, a Greek soldier who must free the gods who have been corrupted by Typhon. The Golden Isle serves as the story's main setting, and it is divided into clearly defined regions that are tied to specific deities. Fast-paced and stylish, the combat is fairly typical for a hack-and-slash title, and the system improves once Fenyx unlocks all his godly powers.

6 Genshin Impact

Far More Than Just A BOTW Copy

In hindsight, early rumblings that Genshin Impact was just a Breath of the Wild clone were largely off-base. MiHoYo's action RPG has been nothing short of a resounding success since its 2020 launch, and it is still going as strong. The publisher regularly releases major and minor updates to keep the player base engaged, and the game has amassed a dedicated community filled with people who are enamored by everything that takes place within Teyvat. Now, Genshin Impact takes a few pages from BOTW's playbook, mainly its art style and a handful of traversal mechanics, but they are fairly superficial similarities; overall, the two games play completely differently.

Despite being a free-to-play title, Genshin Impact is a single-player RPG that focuses on real-time squad combat rather than a conventional MMO. As a gacha game, players will be spending a lot of time trying to pull new characters and weapons as they try to piece together their ideal party. Within battles, players can swap between four characters with the click of a button, and the available roster's members are diverse enough to encourage team setup experimentation. The world, Teyvat, is constantly expanding as new regions become playable, and the map is now massive.

miHoYo's other free-to-play games (Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero) are also very good, but they are not similar to BOTW. That said, they are well-worth downloads if someone is craving a turn-based RPG (Honkai) or a mission-based action RPG (ZZZ).

7 Palworld

Crafting, Survival, & Pokemon?

Similar to BOTW, Palworld offers an open-world experience that takes inspiration from multiple areas but still succeeds in being a unique, one-of-a-kind package. Before its early access debut, Pocket Pair's project seemed too good to be true. Blending survival elements with monster collection, third-person shooting, base building, and exploration, the game appeared destined to stretch itself too thin; however, those fears proved to be largely unfounded. Even in its current incomplete state, Palworld is already fantastic, with most of its ideas gelling to create a surprisingly consistent whole.

While their core gameplay loops are quite different, Palworld and BOTW both excel in allowing players the freedom to move at their own speeds. They present goals that can be worked towards without forcing them upon players, leading to a campaign that is always about the journey and not the destination. Crafting is also a big part of Palworld, especially during a playthrough's early hours.

8 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

Liberating Exploration

Breath of the Wild's unfettered exploration allows players to experience some truly magical moments. In 2017, this feeling was something that most gamers hadn't experienced since the release of Skyrim.

To this day, Skyrim still stands tall as one of the best open-world RPGs around. Bethesda hit a gold mine with this title, and it hasn't stopped mining since. Although there is far more emphasis on story in the 2011 RPG than Breath of the Wild, Skyrim shines the brightest when treated as a sandbox for players to immerse themselves in.

9 Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora

Stunning Fantasy World

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora garnered a slightly mixed critical reception at launch, which has become something of a trend for Ubisoft's open-world releases in the 2020s. The publisher is known for adhering to a fairly strict formula, and fatigue is very much a real thing; conversely, entries that tried something new like Far Cry 6 did not quite manage to stick the landing, leading to divisive reactions. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is, for better or worse, an open-world Ubisoft game. In fact, many have described it as basically Far Cry but set in an alien world, which is reductive but also does not sound like a terrible idea.

Unsurprisingly, Pandora is the game's main selling point, and Massive Entertainment pulled all the stops to ensure that James Cameron's world is translated beautifully into video game form. The setting feels genuinely alive, with the environment reacting to the Na'vi similar to the movies. The first-person combat is satisfying, especially once players unlock a few skills, but it is nothing like Breath of the Wild's action. Nevertheless, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's world is immersive and a blast to explore.

10 Sonic Frontiers

A Semi-Successful Open-World Evolution

Sega's iconic Blue Blur has made his open-world debut, and as tends to be the case with every 3D Sonic the Hedgehog release, Sonic Frontiers is divisive. On the one hand, the title suffers from pop-in on most consoles and uses a combat system that gets old quickly; conversely, the game's world can be a lot of fun to explore, and its story is pretty good by the franchise's standards.

Sonic the Hedgehog's transition to open-world has not been as seamless as The Legend of Zelda's, but Sonic Frontiers is far from a horrible effort as well. If nothing else, long-time fans of Sega's license can look forward to spending time with some of gaming's most beloved personalities.