22 NEW Exploration Games Of 2025 To Get Lost In

Are you looking for some new games filled with a sense of exploration? Get ready to lose some hours wandering around in these upcoming games released throughout 2025. These won’t be ranked in any particular order since they range from quite a few genres. But they are some of our most anticipated titles coming this year.

#22 Ark 2

In this sequel to ARK: Survival Evolved, explore a planet teeming with invasive prehistoric species while trying to survive. You play Vin Diesel’s character, Santiago, as he does everything in his power to protect his daughter, Meeka, from harm. Described as a survival sandbox game, the world is your oyster.

Find parts for your weapons and customize them in one of a million different ways. You can then use your weapons to fight back against the other inhabitants of the world. New to ARK 2 is the ability to camouflage your appearance and your scent in order to avoid predators.

The setting is also very beautiful. Lush forests, numerous waterfalls, and towering rock features are yours to explore. Basically, there is going to be a ton to do in this game, and it will be pretty hard to get bored with it.

#21 Ferocious

Believe it or not, we actually have two games on this list that play out in a similar way via a similar setting. Specifically, that you’re a person who happens to be stuck on an island full of dinosaurs! Fun times.

In Ferocious, you end up on said island after a shipwreck and learn that there are far more things going on here than you realized, including people trying to do various things on the island with the dinosaurs.

What are the mercenaries upon this island up to? Is there anything you can do to stop them without putting yourself at risk? You’ll have to load up and find out!

#20 Dune: Awakening

Have you ever wanted to see how you would survive on the planet of Arrakis? To see what it was like for certain characters of the legendary book series and whether you could do what they did? In Dune: Awakening, you’ll have that opportunity. The game puts you as a lone wanderer of the sands. Who you are is up to you. But what’s also up to you is how you decide to proceed in this world.

The game is an open-world MMO, and you’ll need to use its vastness to your advantage as you make your way, find people to help you, and decide what your fate will be.

#19 Gothic 1

Now, here’s a title that puts a twist on exploration because you’re not going to be in a vast world per se, but your character will be stuck in a mine and have the ability to affect how the story goes. Yeah, it’s not what you expected, right?

The Gothic 1 Remake is the return of the beloved RPG from two decades back, and they’ve revamped it in numerous ways to make it feel fresh and yet true to the original.

Once again, you’ll be a mysterious prisoner who has the fate of the realm in their hands. But how will you handle the trials to come? You’ll have to play to find out!

#18 The Lost Wild

There are plenty of games that have you facing dinosaurs as threats. But in The Lost Wild, you’ll be met with a slight change in their “style.” Specifically, you’ll have to deal with dinosaurs that act like natural animals instead of the aggressive-style foes you’ve faced in other games.

That’s not to say that the dinosaurs won’t attack you because they will if you give them the chance. But you can also just avoid them and not give them the chance to strike.

While you avoid them, you’ll need to learn the truth about where you are and seek out how everything is happening. But whether you survive all this is up to you.

#17 Light No Fire

While we’re going to show you plenty of games on this list, many of you will likely wonder how many of them you can truly “get lost in.” The good news is that a game like Light No Fire will allow you true freedom to roam the game’s world how you desire.

The reason for that is that the gameplay loop doesn’t revolve around a single person trying to do a key task to advance a story. Instead, you’ll be given free rein to do what you want, when you want. The world is Earth-sized, and that means you can set up somewhere and do whatever you want within.

#16 Dying Light: The Beast

The first two games in the series gave you large cityscapes to take part in and see just how far you could push things in one direction or another, including bringing the city down from within if you so wanted. In Dying Light: The Beast, though, you’ll be given a slightly different kind of place to explore.

Specifically, the Castor Woods. You’ll play the franchise’s original protag, Kyle Crane, who has escaped after years of torturous experiments and must now use his newfound powers to protect those trying to live in the woods while taking out those who wish to harm them. Oh, and get revenge on those who tortured him.

So, yeah, Kyle will be busy.

#15 Terminator: Survivors

The phrase “judgment day is inevitable” has never felt more important to say than in the world right now. However, before our own dystopia eventually emerges, you must head to the one where Skynet wrecked everything via Terminator: Survivors.

You’ll play an all-new character who is tasked with leading a group of people and keeping them safe through an emphatically unsafe world. To keep going, you’ll have to brave through destroyed landscapes and do your best to avoid getting caught by the Terminators!

Along the way, you’ll learn the truth about all that’s happened to this world, and you have to decide how you want to proceed. Or if death may be better for you all.

#14 Hollow Knight: Silksong

Wait, are we really talking about Hollow Knight: Silksong? Why would we do that? Gamers have been waiting for a true update for this title for YEARS, and the best they’ve gotten is Team Cherry saying, “Yes, it’s real,” and that it’s still in development! Why twist the knife in further with this list entry?

Fine! Be that way. Don’t say we didn’t warn you, though! In the game that will EVENTUALLY come out, you’ll play an entirely new knight and take on an all-new world full of wonders, monsters, and terrors. Exploration is a cornerstone of the Metroidvania subgenre, and if this game ever comes out…you’ll get to see that in full.

#13 WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers

Finding out you’re getting to explore the Ming Dynasty of Ancient China would be enough to lure many people to the table. After all, China is a big place, and the time period would ensure that you get to see things in “hollowed antiquity.”

However, with WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, you’ll see things in a more fantastical light. You play a pirate warrior who has lost her memory and is compelled to figure out the truth behind not only her memory loss but the outcropping of monsters that continue to be born in this land.

What mysterious forces are toying with life in such a way? You’ll need to fight your way through them to find out.

#12 The Relic: First Guardian

The world you once lived in was bright, beautiful, and full of potential. Then, the relic that helped secure the peace of your people was destroyed, and the land became consumed by darkness and death. Nothing is as it was before. In The Relic: First Guardian, you’ll play the last of your kind, and you must travel the world to find the missing pieces of the relic and rebuild it so that the world can be beautiful once again.

You’ll have plenty of freedom within the game, including being able to choose how you want to fight the many enemies you come across. Just remember, the goal is to save your world. Don’t screw it up!

#11 Bunker Survival

Since most people feel that nuclear destruction is how much of humanity will end, it’s unsurprising that people have made games based on those who survived in certain shelters. Bunker Survival is one such game, as you’ll play a survivor of such an event, and you’re determined to survive it, even if that means that you must do it all on your own!

You’ll wander this wasteland of a world and take on anything and everything that you come across. All the while, you’ll take whatever resources you can to help ensure your survival. Don’t take anything for granted here, as death can be just a moment away if you underestimate something.

#10 Earth From Another Sun

There’s always going to be a story set in space where Earth is “up against it,” and it’s up to one person to help save the day. However, in Earth From Another Sun, you won’t be alone in trying to save the planet and the human race. Instead, you’ll be one commander amongst many in this large-scale title, and your goal will be to fight off the alien threats who are trying to take over the planet.

You’ll be given all the weapons and soldiers possible to complete this task. So, set up your base, get your army ready for action, take to the land or the stars to get the advantage you need, and do what must be done.

#9 Hell Is Us

While there are many ways to make an open world or semi-open world title, one of the backbones of the genre is to guide people to certain areas, so you know what to do when to do it, and how far you are from your destination. In Hell Is Us, you won’t get that at all.

You’ll be put into a world that is consumed in a civil war and is undergoing a supernatural threat. As you explore, you’ll have to react to whatever you encounter, all the while not knowing what will be behind the next corner.

With a large world to take on and entities wanting to take you out, your “final destination” might just be surviving it all.

#8 ExeKiller

Why are there always dystopian worlds that were caused by nuclear holocaust? Well, it paints a simple yet understandable visual, so that certainly helps. In ExeKiller, you are a bounty that goes by that name, and you serve the corporations who, unsurprisingly, have taken over after the world fell.

You do your work diligently until you slowly realize that what your bosses have been telling you isn’t exactly the truth. So, you set out on a quest to find the truth and take down those who are manipulating the system. Your choices will affect how the story goes, and as such, you can get different endings to your quest.

#7 Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

Scale is something that helps ensure that a world is truly worth exploring, and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is indeed a title that’ll have plenty of scale. Don’t get us wrong, the first title was big, but the developers admitted that they couldn’t do everything they wanted with it. The sequel has no such issues, so if you wish to just get on your horse and travel around the land to see what it offers, you can do that.

Or, you can partake in the main quest and help the main character, Henry, because a rebel warrior and get revenge on those who destroyed his home and family.

#6 Fable

Admittedly, there’s still very little we know about the upcoming Fable reboot. However, if the previous mainline entries are any indication, you’ll have plenty to do within this fantasy realm. Like the other titles, you’ll get to create your own character and then set off on an adventure that you’ll shape through your choices and actions.

Past trailers revealed that familiar characters will appear, for better and for worse, and that means you’ll want to do all you can to get more powerful so you can fight off the threats to come.

Only time will tell how grand this “fairytale” will get.

#5 Assassin’s Creed Shadows

While Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been mired in controversy at almost every level, it’s important to separate that from the gameplay elements because there will be a large land to explore in the game. Specifically, you’ll get to see Feudal Japan during a key period of its history. As either Yasuke or Naoe, you’ll travel across the land, helping others and attempting to end the corruption that has soured the land.

Who you choose for each mission will determine how you go about it, the ways you can complete it, and how you’ll fight. With plenty of side quests littered about Japan, you’ll have numerous things to do on your journey.

#4 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Here’s an upcoming title to get lost in. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is from a team that wanted to create a unique RPG experience while also paying tribute to the great JRPG titles they grew up on.

To that end, they’ve crafted an adventure across a true fantasy-style world that you can explore in various ways, including hitching a ride on a unique creature to help you explore every nook and cranny that it has to offer.

Oh, and did we mention you’re going on this quest to save the world? Might as well explore it while you save it!

#3 Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

What happens when one of the top operatives in the world is sent into enemy territory and must take out both his former mentor and their special forces unit? Well, you get a game where you’ll go over a lot of territory.

Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater is the prequel title to the entire saga involving Solid Snake. You’ll play his “father,” Naked Snake, back in the days of the Cold War.

When an incident turns the world on its head, Naked Snake will fight enemy generals, his mentor in The Boss, and the Cobra Unit to try and stop the world from going to war.

You’ll explore the region, grab what you can, and use it to survive the fights to come.

#2 Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

How do we know that there will be plenty of exploration to do in Death Stranding 2? Well, we don’t. After all, this is a Hideo Kojima game, and anytime you expect him to do something “straightforward,” he does exactly the opposite.

But given what we endured in the first game, which was basically a package delivery simulator mixed with sci-fi elements and horror, we can guess there will be at least a little more of the same in the sequel.

Even if it’s not all that the first game was, you’ll still be in a vast world dealing with all sorts of insane stuff. Again, it’s a Hideo Kojima title.

#1 Grand Theft Auto VI

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Grand Theft Auto VI will be a “title to get lost in” and is at the top of the list. Based on everything we know about the game, which isn’t much, honestly, and how the last entry in this series was, exploration is one of the backbones of the entire title.

This time around, you’ll be in a modern version of Vice City, which means that you’ll see Florida in an equally “modern light.” That alone means there’s plenty to do. Plus, if there’s an online component, that means there will be even MORE to do.