10 Open-World Games Where Side Quests Are Better Than the Main Story, Ranked

Open-world games are some of the best in the world. If you’ve played them, you know they’re at their best when they make exploration feel worthwhile for us, the players. One of the most important parts of an open-world game is the optional quests. This is often where developers tell smaller, and sometimes much more memorable stories.

From telling stories of side characters to showing us more about the world, the side quests in an open-world game can make us forget about the main objective entirely. Today, we’re looking at 10 open-world games where the side quests frequently outshine the main story, ranked from great to exceptional.

10 Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy has an enjoyable main campaign, but the optional character stories have a lot more personality. For example, the entire arc of discovering and pursuing forbidden magic is easily one of the game’s strongest quests. The side quests with Poppy Sweeting are also a really fun time with magical creatures.

The game also has a ton of other side activities, including Merlin Trials, collectibles, treasure hunts, and smaller assignments from teachers. The main story isn’t bad by any means, but the detours around Hogwarts and the world are much more memorable.

9 Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is remembered mainly for the pirate fantasy, and much of that reputation comes from everything happening outside Edward Kenway’s central storyline.

Naval exploration, treasure hunting, Templar hunts, assassinations, and exploration make the Caribbean truly feel like a world. Sailing between Havana, Nassau, and Kingston was a lot more entertaining than the main story at times, especially when we found the odd side quest or two in corners of the world.

8 Dragon’s Dogma 2

Dragon’s Dogma 2 isn’t on this list because it has great side quests like some of the other entries on this list. Instead, its optional content is exceptional because of how naturally it goes with exploration.

A random road can lead to a cave, a monster, a ruined settlement, or an NPC who needs assistance. The game’s combat system makes all of these encounters interesting, because you just roaming around the world can suddenly become something more.

The main story is not bad, but exploring Vermund and Battahl is where Dragon’s Dogma 2 truly comes alive.

7 Elden Ring

Elden Ring has a very different approach to side quests. There are a ton of NPCs in the game, but their quests aren’t so simple. In fact, you can easily miss entire sections if you don’t carefully explore the world.

In the typical Soulslike way, it feels more satisfying to do them because of it. Characters such as Ranni, Millicent, and Alexander have storylines that span multiple regions and can eventually lead to boss fights and additional lore. And because of their obscurity, they are heavily connected to exploration.

6 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Few games make ignoring the main quest as easy as Skyrim. As the Dragonborn, you might technically have a world-ending dragon problem, but there is always another reason to postpone dealing with it.

For example, the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild storylines are some of the best in the entire series. And if you want some of the weirder stuff, the Daedric quests regularly deliver strange characters, dark humor, and bizarre situations. The game’s faction system can feel like an entirely separate RPG.

5 Fallout: New Vegas

The main story of Fallout: New Vegas follows the NCR, Legion, and Mr. House. And while it is good, many of the game’s best moments happen away from the primary path.

You can find new communities, competing factions, personal tragedies, and some ridiculous problems in the game’s side content. And more importantly, you have several ways to resolve these situations. Your decisions can reflect your character’s morality, alliances, and beliefs, and lead to consequences beyond the one quest.

4 Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 excels at turning ordinary medieval problems into larger adventures. You might think you’re just helping a stranger, investigating a crime, or getting involved in a village dispute, but it can turn into a surprisingly lengthy story.

Its grounded setting also makes the quests feel different from conventional fantasy RPG missions. There are no dragons or magical artifacts to create drama. It’s all about social conflicts, investigations, bandits, and political tensions.

3 Red Dead Redemption 2

The main story of Red Dead Redemption 2 is iconic, but the world becomes even more impressive when Arthur Morgan steps away from the Van der Linde gang’s immediate problems.

You can find plenty of tragic stories or unexpectedly funny encounters out in the world. And these moments complement the game’s slower pace and make the world feel populated by people who have lives independent of Arthur.

2 Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 has a big and truly captivating main quest, but the full potential of Night City is in the side quests.

Characters like Panam, Judy, River, Kerry, and Johnny Silverhand have quests that explore themes like identity, loyalty, relationships, mortality, and power. And many of them also give you the chance to decide exactly how the story goes.

The Phantom Liberty expansion makes this even better by giving us even more NPCs to discover.

1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the benchmark for open-world side quests because they rarely feel optional in terms of quality.

Perils, potions, monster contracts, and an elusive reunion… It’s time to return to the Continent and face the Wild Hunt once more. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt – Remastered is here, as a free upgrade bringing countless improvements to Geralt of Rivia’s adventure across visuals, performance, gameplay, and more! Available now to all owners of the game on GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store, https://t.co/3lNm1kfN8b, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. ⚔️ https://t.co/eNwJxVFOGG

— The Witcher (@thewitcher) September 29, 2026

One second you’re accepting a standard contract. The next thing you know, you’ve found a tragic character, a difficult moral decision, or an unexpected chain of events. You can also play Gwent, enter fistfights, participate in horse races, investigate monsters, pursue romances, and stumble into stories that have nothing to do with finding Ciri.

Which of these games are your favorite? Let us know in the comments!