Best Open-World Games That Focus On Skill Over RNG

Summary

• Open-world games vary in their use of RNG, with titles like Far Cry 5 emphasizing skill over luck.
• Games like Rain World and Battle Brothers prioritize player skill and strategy over RNG for survival.
• Elden Ring focuses on skill-based combat, rewarding patience and attention to detail over luck.

There are a great number of open-world games that make frequent use of RNG both in and out of combat. This is particularly noticeable in open-world games with random loot tables, often encouraging repetitive gameplay that can quickly become tiresome.

However, there remain plenty of open-world titles that use RNG sparingly. That said, there are also several open-world titles that, while full of RNG, remain decidedly skill-based experiences. These titles vary in their use of RNG, but all focus their efforts on providing opportunities for skill expression.

1

Far Cry 5

Expressive Action In An Open World

While perhaps not the most difficult of open-world games, Far Cry 5 – like many if not all of the games in its franchise – requires more skill than luck. This is thanks to its nature as a first-person shooter, ensuring players are always relying on their reflexes and aim over anything else.

However, Far Cry also allows players to approach combat encounters in multiple ways. This facilitates frequently dynamic gunfights that test player tactics almost as much as their skill with typical FPS game mechanics.

2

Kenshi

A Slow-Burning & Dangerous RPG

Kenshi is an open-world sandbox with an emphasis on detailed RPG character progression and player agency. In the game, players can exercise freedom in a multitude of ways, setting their own goals and achieving them however they see fit.

However, achieving these goals is rarely easy, as everything in Kenshi can take a great deal of both time and effort. What’s more, the world of Kenshi is remarkably dangerous, packed with unpredictable and utterly dynamic denizens and factions that frequently ask players to rely on themselves.

3

Rain World

Exploration Of A Dangerous Ecosystem

Rain World is an utterly precise experience, offering players a singular vision painted in mechanical detail. While its gameplay is relatively simple on the surface, Rain World‘s combination of exploration and survival is biting, and it can take time to get to grips with its unique learning curve.

In the game, players must navigate a dynamic ecosystem via simple 2D-platformer controls. However, Rain World places players at the near-bottom of the food chain. As a result, players must rely on their own skills, rather than RNG, to survive.

4

Blood West

A Dynamic Combination Of Stealth & Action

Blood West is an open-world FPS with an emphasis on stealth, taking inspiration from the immersive-sim genre by granting players a great deal of agency in how they approach combat. While freeing, this agency also requires players to make careful plans.

It’s no good just having a solid plan, though; players will also need to execute their plan with precision if they’re to overcome the often overwhelming odds. The inherent challenges of the FPS genre can also be present here, with players having to rely on solid aim and fast reflexes in order to survive.

5

Battle Brothers

A Brutal Sandbox RPG

Battle Brothers is a strategy game at heart, but set in an open world that supports its RPG systems. This title tasks players with running a mercenary company, fighting in gruesome turn-based battles, and completing various contracts for folks across the land.

There’s plenty of challenge in Battle Brothers, and while chance can play its cruel game plenty, those who exercise smart strategies and clever tactics are more likely to thrive. Furthermore, Battle Brothers supports a wide variety of playstyles for players to experiment with, allowing for a great deal of expression.

6

Elden Ring

A Skill-Based Gauntlet

Elden Ring is an impressive and ambitious open-world RPG developed by FromSoftware and shares plenty of DNA with their Dark Souls games. Players can expect to face plenty of challenges here, especially with the game’s myriad bosses.

And this challenge comes not from RNG, but from a skill-based combat system that requires time and effort to master. Painstakingly telegraphed attack patterns, in particular, help Elden Ring to focus on skill over luck, ensuring patience and attention to detail are rewarded above all else.

7

Caves Of Qud

An Expressive Roguelike RPG

Caves Of Qud is a relatively inaccessible but incredibly deep open-world RPG, providing a sharp edge with its roguelike structure. While RNG is abundant and an important factor in the game’s design, survival in Caves Of Qud often comes down to tact and resourcefulness.

Managing both resources and ability cooldowns is almost as important as careful planning and threat assessment, all of which are useful in preventing RNG from ending any given run. As a result, Caves Of Qud manages to blend both RNG and skill-based gameplay.