Open-World RPGs That Are Best Played Without Fast Travel

Fast travel is one of the best mechanics that has been implemented in games over the past couple of decades. Thanks to the feature, players can save time by not having to backtrack all the time. For some players who don’t have a lot of time to spend on games, fast travel is a great feature.

However, there are some open-world games where it is better not to use fast travel, as it can help with discovery or because it is just fun to play with the game’s traversal mechanics. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a great open-world RPG, but fast travel is a must, and some other omissions include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Red Dead Redemption 2, which are not RPGs but still important all the same. That said, let’s get to the games that did make the cut.

Elden Ring

Face Your Fears Head On

There’s not much in terms of fetch quests in Elden Ring, so the idea of having to fast-travel back and forth between places is almost funny. There are NPCs that can point players in the right direction for interesting loot or encounters, but it’s not the same thing as normal RPG quests.

The world is big but also dense, meaning there is practically something to find around every corner, and fast traveling would prevent players from exploring every nook and cranny. Plus, if players plan to play with two others online, then fast traveling is even more pointless. Overall, what makes exploration fun in Elden Ring is the horse, Torrent, who can double jump, and that makes traversal a bouncing good time.

Final Fantasy 15

Driving With The Boys

Final Fantasy 15 did a rare thing that most RPGs tend not to do: it gave players a car. Granted, it breaks down right away, but players can repair it after a quick initial quest. This snazzy car cannot go off-roading too much, but there are Chocobos to ride that will get through rougher terrain.

Between rare encounters, magic deposits, and looking for quest items, players will find it easier to hop off Chocobos rather than fast-travel around. Also, fast travel loads can be rough, meaning that it’s almost better to go anywhere, even on foot.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

A Denser Fantasy

While it may be odd to nominate another Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a different open-world structure that is worth discussing. Instead of giving players one giant seamless open world to explore like in Final Fantasy 15, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has dense biomes that are packed with content. In every biome, players can get a Chocobo that will act a bit differently from others in the game.

For example, there are Chocobos that can fly, climb walls, surf, and more. This makes getting them in each new zone special, as they can help access remote areas to get the best loot or to finish quests. Using fast travel to get between biomes is fine enough, but fast traveling within them would detract from exploring every bit, and leveling up is an important factor to consider, too.

Horizon Forbidden West

Hunting For Parts

Horizon Forbidden West has a much bigger world than the original game, and there’s also more to do. Aloy gets her hacking ability to manipulate the various robot dinosaurs and animals quickly, which can then either become allies for combat or mounts to get around. Players also get a grappling hook and a glider, which help with traversal too.

When it comes to the enemies, it’s always good to be constantly on the hunt for parts as a way to upgrade Aloy’s gear, and it’s easier to find rare hunts when not skipping around. Overall, it feels more immersive to live and breathe in this post-apocalyptic world and to always be on the hunt for prey or looking for lost parts of civilization, as there is beauty in destruction.

Palworld

A Pal’s Work Is Never Done

Palworld is still in Early Access, but the developer, Pocketpair, already has an impressive world set up for players to explore. Because the game is essentially Pokemon mixed with Minecraft, it seems like an obvious note to mention that it’s much easier to find rare Pals, the monsters, if players don’t fast travel.

More so than the other games mentioned, Palworld has a wealth of mounts to get around, from land runners to swimmers to flyers. With the right Pal team, it can be a breeze to get around to look for rare and interesting creatures to add to the collection from the land, sea, or sky.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Working Toward My Skell

Xenoblade Chronicles X has one of the most terrifying worlds to explore, next to Elden Ring. That’s because every area in the game is populated by monsters easily twenty levels above what players can usually handle. Because all levels of creatures mingle, this can help immerse players in the dangers of trying to colonize a new planet for Earth.

For a good twenty hours of the game, players will have to run around on foot and are encouraged to use fast travel because the world is so big. However, once players get their Skell license, fast travel should be put aside. A Skell is this game’s version of a mech, which can fly or turn into a car-like vehicle, making it much easier and safer to explore because they have a better chance at taking down those high-level creatures.

Sand Land

A Sandy Trot

Sand Land takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where water is scarce, but a demon and human alliance are trying to find a legendary water source to end the conflict. As Beelzebub, the Prince of demons, players can attack enemies in action combat, which is fine enough. The biggest gimmick the game has is the vehicles, which are for traversal and fighting purposes.

Players can find tanks or mechs, for example, and there are various cars and creatures to mount to get around too. True to the name, Sand Land is filled with a lot of big areas with seemingly nothing but the hot yellow powder, but every once in a while, structures will appear. Thanks to the wide array of transportation options, players shouldn’t feel taxed by manually driving or running around.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

From Up High

Immortals Fenyx Rising was Ubisoft’s attempt to make a combined spiritual successor to Kid Icarus and The Legend of Zelda. As a created hero, players will be dropped into a Greek mythological world, which is large but also a bit denser. Players will rarely be able to walk more than ten seconds before discovering something new from challenges like races to puzzles that could involve moving boxes.

It’s a wealth of activities, true to the traditional Ubisoft open-world formula, which is a big reason why not using fast travel is helpful if players want to be completionists. Beyond activities, players can get that same sense of inertia that they got from playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as players can climb most surfaces and glide around, which looks cool and is fun to play.