By It’s not always rainbows and sunshine in real life. Some days, you just want to forget it all and escape to a different world.
I go through this feeling almost every day. So I reserve at least a couple of hours to escape from the real world, and the best solution for me is to get immersed in a virtual world.
In this list, I share with you the best games for escapism. These are games that I often jump into to forget all my real-world problems for a while and just get lost in a massive open world.
There is a wide range of games in this list, from job simulator games to racing games and more. So you will surely find something that’s suitable for you.
1. Elite Dangerous
Elite Dangerous has been my comfort game for a while now, and it never fails to put me in a good mood.
Elite Dangerous is a space simulation game where you get to explore a one-to-one scale map of the Milky Way, designed according to data from NASA.
In the game, you get to pilot more than 40 different ships to take part in various types of activities. You can explore, do trading, fight pirates, and even engage in PVP with other players.
My favorite activity in Elite is mining. It’s so relaxing and calm to just be immersed in that vast, open universe. I even made an entire YouTube channel dedicated to Elite Dangerous content.
2. American Truck Simulator
American Truck Simulator, or ATS, is my second-favorite game to get lost in. This game needs no introduction, but if you’re unfamiliar, ATS is a truck driving game that features a huge open world map based on different states of America.
There’s no other feeling like driving a big rig while hauling tonnes of cargo across the US. The open roads feel realistic and calm to drive while listening to a podcast or music.
I started playing ATS many years ago using a mouse and keyboard. Then upgraded to a controller. And now I have my own sim rig setup with the Logitech G29 wheel.
You will get the best experience from this game using a steering wheel, but you can enjoy the game using a controller or keyboard as well. And, if you prefer European roads, you can play Euro Truck Simulator as well.
3. Death Stranding
Death Stranding often gets referred to as a walking simulator, but to me, this game means much more than just a game about delivering packages.
Whenever I play Death Stranding, I feel so immersed in its world and completely forget about my problems. Yes, it’s a weird game with a confusing story, but in a good way.
Even when making the most simplest delivery missions, the game requires you to be present at all times. You can’t just speedrun through the missions on auto-pilot. You could fall, get shot at, or get in contact with a spooky BT at any time. So you have to stay focused at all times.
This is why I always feel more engaged with the game whenever I play Death Stranding. I also enjoy Death Stranding 2, but I prefer the loneliness and the emptiness of DS1.
4. Cyberpunk 2077
So far, I’ve played Cyberpunk 2077 four times from start to finish, including the DLC. And it never disappoints.
When I feel like blasting some bad guys with a powerful gun, I jump into a quick session in Cyberpunk 2077. This game does a perfect job of creating a realistic, futuristic experience.
The Night City of Cyberpunk 2077 is not as relaxing as the open worlds in other games. It’s much more chaotic, and I guess that’s what the future will be like. But the game does a perfect job of offering a bleak yet realistic world to let our innermost demons out for a while and just go crazy.
5. Forza Horizon 5 or 6
I love driving around the map in Forza Horizon 5 in a classic Benz car or a slow muscle car. Just driving on an open road while listening to the sound of the engine always makes me feel calm and relaxed.
Forza has the perfect open-world map for exploration, and it rewards it well by giving you things like XP rewards and barn finds. Plus, it lets you go around the map in different styles, whether it’s speeding, drifting, or even going off-road.
Forza 6 is also quite popular these days. I would love to explore that beautiful Japan map in a classic JDM car. I’m just waiting for the right Steam sale to grab the game.
6. The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3 is the ideal game to get lost in the role of Geralt. In this game, you get to be a badass monster hunter while exploring a huge map full of quests and mysteries.
Whenever I play Witcher 3, I try to be like Geralt and think like him. I would approach missions and areas by thinking “what would Geralt do”. This helps me forget about my problems for a bit and be a badass hunter for a while.
I also got addicted to Gwent while playing The Witcher 3. Just be careful, this game has the tendency to consume your life for a while.
7. Skyrim
Skyrim is the ultimate role-playing game for gamers looking to escape, not because of its map or the story, but because of mods.
Skyrim is one of the most popular games in the modding community. There are entire DLC-sized mods released for the game that completely overhaul combat, visuals, and even character models, allowing you to make Skyrim into anything you want.
Mods allow you to change and customize the world of Skyrim into something you enjoy. For example, now there are mods that add companions with AI chatbots that will talk to you while you explore.
Even if you’re not into mods, Skyrim is an iconic game that you can enjoy even in the vanilla state. While the visuals feel outdated, you will be fully immersed in its world.
8. STALKER GAMMA
STALKER GAMMA is actually a community mod that transforms the classic STALKER game into a survival simulator game.
The world of GAMMA is brutal. One bullet to your knee could kill you if you don’t treat it with the right kind of medicine. You can’t buy guns or armor right off vendors; you have to loot them and repair them.
This is a game for the fans of hardcore shooter/survival games. Even though it feels tough at first, I found GAMMA to be one of the most engaging games I’ve ever played.
You can get the game for free by joining the GAMMA Discord channel and following the installation instructions. Or you can buy an original STALKER game from GOG.com to install GAMMA directly from the GOG launcher.
9. Gray Zone Warfare
When I get bored with STALKER GAMMA, I would jump straight into Gray Zone Warfare. GZW is an extraction shooter that has separate PVE and PVP game modes.
I always play the PVE mode in GZW, where I can freely explore the world to hunt bad guys and loot stuff. GZW has one massive map where you encounter enemies of different factions and difficulties.
GZW is designed to be an immersive military simulator. When you get injured, you have to apply the right meds. You even have to load your magazines manually. In fact, when entering the map, you get to ride a chopper to your location. It’s that realistic!
10. Fallout 76
Fallout 76 received a lot of hate at launch, for good reason, but it’s in a much better state right now. After so many updates and free expansions, Fallout 76 feels like a polished game.
In Fallout 76, you get to explore a post-apocalyptic Appalachia full of monsters and creatures. You get to work with the same base-building, crafting, and combat systems from Fallout 4, but better and improved.
Fallout 76 is a semi-MMO game where you also get to play alongside other players, participate in live events, and even do missions together.
The post-apocalyptic world in Fallout 76 looks bleak and desolate, but it’s one of the happy places that I can always go back to.
11. Wuthering Waves
I only recently started playing Wuthering Waves after its Cyberpunk collaboration event, but I’m already addicted to the game.
Wuthering Waves features a massive open world full of various activities, loot, and tons of characters to play with. Everywhere you go, you will have something to do in this game. It also has highly engaging combat with a skill system that will test your limits.
Wuthering Waves is a gacha game, which means there is some pay-to-win stuff and gambling in it. But you can easily enjoy this game as a free-to-play player as well.
12. Dune: Awakening
Dune Awakening went through several phases in the past few months. It was first released as a PVP-focused MMO, and then the developers made PVP optional. Now, they are introducing a single-player mode with PVP completely removed from the game.
Dune Awakening is an open-world survival crafting game. It features a decent story with lots of survival mechanics that allows you to craft your own weapons, gear, and build a base to survive the deep desert.
I love the empty desert world of Dune Awakening. It has a certain vibe to it that makes me feel alone and free, in a good way. Even if you’re not a fan of the Dune universe, I highly recommend trying this game.
