No RPG,and even some of the best platformers, is complete without a fantastic overworld. The classic top-down view has evolved over the years, but what makes an overworld fantastic hasn’t. Sometimes simplicity is really all a game needs, while other times, morphing a simple screen into a sprawling world manages to pay off big time.
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Some overworldsare filled to the brim with secrets, and others simply try to give players a bit of room to explore even when the game is a bit limited by the hardware of the time. Regardless of the era, video games have been pulling off some incredible overwords for decades, and there’s no sign of that stopping anytime soon.
10Final Fantasy 7
Something absolutely has to be said for the fantastic overworld from the originalFinal Fantasy 7. It may not look like much these days, but for the people who grew up with the title, it was one of the first times players could truly feel like they were exploring a huge world.
Filled with random encounters and plenty of iconic towns, the overworld manages to be unique even if it was simplistic. The addition ofthe many optional weapon bossesmade exploring all the more rewarding and the many methods of traversal, including a submarine, made sure there were plenty of hidden secrets to find.
9Tales Of Vesperia
The Tales series has plenty of fantastic overworlds,and some fantastic characters, butTales Of Vesperiamight be one of the best because it combines the best elements of classic overworld exploration with some modern twists. The world is beautiful, and it houses plenty of secrets to uncover, day and night.
Wandering around and exploring the world in the style of this game seems like it might be old, but it still feels just right. That’s without mentioning all the fantastic and interesting location designs for the games and the many beasts you can find lingering deeper into the game.
8Dragon Quest 11
It would almost feel wrong to not include theDragon Questseries considering how far it has come from its humble beginnings. The games typically featured relatively simple overworld exploration, but in Dragon Quest 11, that exploration is fantastic.
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It may be a lesser-loved RPG series to some, but the entire game oozes personality, and that personality extends to the vibrant world. In a world filled with worlds with intentionally dreary designs, Dragon Quest 11 serves as a feast for the eyes the entire time you explore the overworld.
7Xenoblade Chronicles X
The world inXenoblade Chronicles Xis astonishingly wide. Everywhere you look as you go on your journey, you’ll be treated to a feast of the eyes. The fact that the game was released for the Wii U may have kept a lot of people from experiencing this truly expansive world.
There’s so much to do and see that it can honestly be quite daunting for first-time players. Just take your time and explore whatever you feel like seeing while on your journey. Taking the time to take admire the view is an absolute must for this game.
6Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Realistically, you could point to anyPokemonoverworld and label it as one of the absolute best.Exploring the many Pokemon regionsthroughout the series is always an absolute joy, something that has kept the games relevant for years at this point.
As the series has shifted into the 3D realm, the overworlds you’re able to explore have only become more and more incredible. Seeing Pokemon out in the wild is incredible, and seeing all the strange things that can happen as you explore makes the world all the more impressive.
5Final Fantasy 6
While the early Final Fantasy efforts were definitely hindered by the hardware of the time, Final Fantasy 6 still managed to do something incredible with its overworld. Rather than anything exciting on a design front, it’s what the story brings to the overworld that makes it incredible.
Partway through the game, the world that you’ve been exploring is completely destroyed. Having to contend with your failure and the ruined world before you was a stroke of genius and the changes to the overworld design only drive that point home.
4Skies Of Arcadia
While a lot of RPGs eventually give you some kind of airship to speed up travel in the overworld, Skies Of Arcadia gets that out of the way really quick by making that a huge part of the entire game. Exploring the skies is exactly what RPG fans had been dreaming of for years.
While the visuals may be a bit dated now, the thought of flying through the sky to uncover the secrets of Skies Of Arcadia’s unique world is always enticing. It’s simple to get around in, and anyone who’s played it can probably remember exploring the world vividly.
3Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch
There’s just something so charming about the overworld ofNi No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch. This doesn’t seem to be a solitary opinion either. It seems that most players love to gush about how vibrant and beautiful the overworld for this classic is.
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It may be a simplistic overworld, but the stunning design style keeps it firmly planted in the back of gamers’ minds.When thinking about uniquely beautiful games, it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear most people bring up the Ni No Kuni games.
2Chrono Trigger
While overworlds had been done before and have been done since, only a few overworlds manage to have the kind of polish thatChrono Trigger’shas. The overworld is made up ofmultiple points in time, all feeling distinct, even when they are intended to be similar.
Some worlds feel hopeless at a glance, some feel hopeful, and others are blissfully unaware of the horrors that are soon to come. The worlds aren’t the biggest, but the varied eras of the worlds more than make up for that and are just one of the many key components that make Chrono Trigger an all-time classic.
1Skyrim
While maybe not the first thing that people think of when they reminisce about overworlds,Skyrim’soverworld might just be the greatest of all time. Rather than acting as a simple hub between dungeons, towns, and quests, the overworld is teaming with life.
As you travel from point to point, you’ll be able to uncover tons of secrets, battle creatures, and rogues, andeven collect a few bits of delicious-looking food. The fact that people are still gushing about the game and playing it religiously after more than a decade just goes to show the power that it has.
