Whileopen world gamesare the current standard of today’s biggest titles, sometimes you just want a tight experience that doesn’t bog you down with tons of sidequests, icons to explore, and maps to unveil.
10 Best Open-World Games With Short Runtimes
These worlds are fun to explore, but you don’t have to get lost in them.
The criteria here are games that are brief in their runtime, or games that throw you straight into a high-octane campaign that doesn’t worry too much about side content.
We’re talking about those games that care about one thing: the now, not later. Today, we’re praising those games that know what they’re about and don’t shy away from throwing the action at you in full force.
Here are 10 games that don’t waste your time and give you all the thrill with none of the fill.
10The Order: 1886
Werewolves In London
The Order: 1886
The Order: 1886wascritiqued heavilywhen it came out because of how brief it was. Well, this is an all-killer and no filler list, and this is still one of the best games to give you just that.
With a story that can be completed in under 8 hours, this is a weekend thriller of a game for some people, and you will absolutely love every second of it if you go in with the right expectations.
It’s got some of the best graphics in gaming even compared to today, and the story is tight, well-written, and has some awesome twists and turns along the way.
The shooting mechanics are also tight, and there are some great firefights spaced throughout. If you want full-speed-ahead gaming, this is a great choice.
9Max Payne 3
The Last Of The Legend
Max Payne 3
Max Payne 3is a throwback, third-person action game that feels like a tightly scripted Quentin Tarantino flick.
It’s gritty, rough, and hard to watch at points, but damn is it a masterpiece. While it forgoes some of the weirdness the series had become famous for, it still delivers some awesome slow-motion gunplay, over-the-top set pieces, and brutal and gory kills.
It’s got a great story too, which serves as a swan song for one of gaming’s most complex and interesting anti-heroes.
It’s a brief experience, but it’s full speed ahead throughout. Not enough games likeMax Payne 3are made anymore, and that’s a shame,because these types of games were fantastic.
8Devil May Cry 5
Dante’s Back
Devil May Cry 5
Devil May Cry 5could’ve gone the way of God of War, becoming a gritty, serious, and semi-open world game.
Instead, it stuck to its guns and delivered yet another fast-paced, linear action game.
That’s a good thing, because few action games have ever had combat as good asDevil May Cry, and it flexes its muscles here in a big way.
You have three unique characters to play as, and a solid story that feels like a tribute to the series' past while setting up a solid path to the future.
If you like blasting and slicing up demons, terrible one-liners, and over-the-top gore and action,Devil May Cry 5is a confidently made game that will give you a focused experience that you can beat in a week.
7Ryse: Son Of Rome
Rise, Gladiator
Ryse: Son of Rome
Ryse: Son of Romewas supposed to be the next big thing for Xbox. It wasn’t that, but instead,we got a great action gamethat focused on set pieces, 300-style gore, and parry-based combat that would be copied quite a bit following its release.
The story plays out like something that would’ve been made in the early 2000s, and while it’s not spectacular, it’s got quite a few highs, and the over-the-top cinematic nature of the set pieces you’ll experience more than make up for any story shortcomings.
The combat is a real highlight here, as you’ve got hyper-realistic graphics, gorgeous blood effects, and some really impressive animations that help it all play out in a bloody, fun dance.
It was also criticized heavily for its length, and it’s kind of Xbox’s version ofThe Order: 1886in that way. If you’ve got a weekend to kill, throw this one in your rotation and you’ll have a good time. No endless side quests or sprawling maps here, just all fighting, all the time.
6Shadow Of The Colossus
A Brief, Brilliant Journey
Shadow of the Colossus (2018)
Whether it’s the remake or the original,Shadow of the Colossusis one of the most original games ever made. While the world may seem big, there is but one objective: defeat the Colossi.
There are a handful, but that’s the only thing you’ll be doing in the game. Luckily, each one is an absolutely epic battle that has inspired many games that came after it, such asDragon’s Dogma.
Each fight plays out like a puzzle, with you having to figure out the best way to overcome the odds which are considerably stacked against you.
The story is simple but powerful, and has one of the most shocking twists.
This game knows exactly what it is and does not waste your time with trivial side activities, as the urgency to save your loved one is fully in the back of your mind as you fight through these seemingly insurmountable battles.
5Marvel’s Avengers
The Main Story Is A Fast-Paced, Solid Time
Marvel’s Avengers
Alright, pitchforks down. I’m talking aboutMarvel’s Avengers' single-player campaign only here.
It’s a short experience that gives you the greatest hits of all your favorite Avengers for the most part, and actually tells a pretty solid Marvel story in the process.
I wish they only focused on making a single player here, because that’s where this game excels most.
It’s got some awesome set-pieces—like Iron Man flying down from space while hard rock blasts in the background—and doesn’t waste your time with side content.
Now, that side content is abundant elsewhere in other modes, but when it comes to the campaign? You can tear through it in a week without issue, and I promise you’ll have a pretty solid time doing so.
4Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
A Young Jedi Emerges
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderis an awesome addition to the Star Wars universe and a great soulslike that you can rip through in about 20 hours or so.
You play as Cal Kestis, a survivor of the horrific Order 66, and you’re fighting to keep the Jedi order alive while establishing a life for yourself.
It’s a thrilling game, with some amazing boss fights, gorgeous graphics, and top-of-the-line voice acting.
You’ll be wielding your lightsaber with multiple different stances, exploring alien worlds, and getting into all kinds of battles, but most importantly, there is not a ton of side content to knock you off track.
This feels very much like Star Wars: A New Hope—just an awesome action romp that plants seeds for something greater to come in the future,which it absolutely did in the considerably better, but more bloated,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
3Mafia: Definitive Edition
A Perfect Mafia Tale
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Mafia: Definitive Editionmay seem like a GTA clone on the outside, but really, it’s just a great, story-focused game that happens to take place in the city of Chicago.
It’s got every hallmark of the great Mafia movies of the past, while featuring fantastic voice acting, great graphics, and some high-octane shootouts.
8 Best Games Where You’re In The Mob, Ranked
Whether it’s smuggling, thieving, or murdering, these games throw players into the world of the original American gangsters.
Your journey as Tommy starts low stakes, and slowly grows and grows until the epic finale, which to me, finishes off a story that hits every note it needed to.
It’s not the longest game, but it’s paced so well that you’ll feel like you just finished a great TV show when you finish it, rather than a sprawling, 10-part book series.
2Mass Effect 2
You’re Gonna Need A Team
Mass Effect 2
Fextralife Wiki
While the third game is my favorite in the series,Mass Effect 2is easily the most focused.
It forgoes the exploration introduced the originalMass Effectand instead focuses on your battle against the Collectors, which takes place over tons of intricately crafted missions that feature some outstanding RPG gameplay and some of the best characters that gaming has to offer.
While there is side content here, it’s mostly in the form of your companions' loyalty missions, which are all awesome little side stories that add a ton to the lore of the series and the characters in general.
you may tear through this one pretty quickly, and the fast-paced combat that ups the ante from the first game considerably is great fun.
Everybody Is Kung Fu Fighting
Sifuis a tribute to old Kung Fu films in that it’s short, sweet, and full of kick-ass action. It’s a simple revenge story that has some interesting layers to it if you dig deep, but you’re here for the action, and boy, you’re gonna get it.
Sifuhas some of the best melee combat any game has ever seen, turning you into a veritable John Wick when it comes to destroying henchmen with your fists, staffs, or anything you may find lying on the ground.
The unique pull here is, each time you die in the game, you age, and while that lets you get up and keep fighting, at a certain point, you age too far and have to restart everything from the beginning.
Each time you get older, you get stronger but have less health, so it’s a unique mechanic that has some interesting consequences.
On its own, it’s a very short game with just a handful of levels, but the intense boss fights, the little secrets you’re able to find, and the overall joy from the combat is just endless fun, and you won’t ever get bogged down with side content here.
