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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →ELEX II is the clearest match for a science-fantasy open-world RPG, while Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is the standout for exploring an alien world. This ranking weighs how freely each game lets you explore, how meaningful its role-playing systems are, how thoroughly it blends science fiction and fantasy, and the quality of its world, story, and play. It is an editorial selection, not an objective all-time consensus.
How this ranking defines science-fantasy open-world RPGs
Science-fantasy combines speculative technology or science-fiction settings with fantasy elements and deliberately fantastical worldbuilding. For this list, a game also needs a world that supports substantial free exploration and role-playing systems that let players shape how they approach the experience. The boundaries are not universal: a science-fantasy RPG is not automatically an open-world RPG.
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The order below balances four factors: freedom to explore, integration of role-playing systems, strength of the science-fantasy blend, and the overall world, story, and play experience. That makes the top choice depend partly on what you value most: explicit genre fit or alien-world discovery.
Best science-fantasy open-world RPGs, ranked
1. ELEX II — clearest science-fantasy fit
ELEX II on Steam is the most direct recommendation if you want a game that explicitly identifies itself as science fantasy and open world. Set on Magalan, it combines a post-apocalyptic setting with fantastical worldbuilding, and its jetpack supports free movement through large environments. The Steam listing names Piranha Bytes as developer, THQ Nordic as publisher, and March 1, 2022 as the release date.
#1 Best Overall
- 192-page full color hardcover packed with tools and guidance to help gamemasters run immersive campaigns.
- Includes expert advice for new and experienced GMs tailored to the Warhammer The Old World roleplaying system.
- Features campaign-building tools like Grim Portents, Contacts, and Dark Threads to create dynamic narratives.
- Expanded setting details for Talagaad with guidance for adapting adventures to other regions and stories.
- Contains bestiary, magic items, downtime events, and corruption paths to enrich gameplay and surprise players.
Its greatest strength for this ranking is how clearly it meets the brief: the genre label, open-world structure, and jetpack-enabled exploration are all part of the game’s stated identity. It ranks first for that combination rather than for any claim of universal superiority. Choose it when you want the most literal answer to “science-fantasy open-world RPG.”
2. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition — best for alien-world exploration
GamesRadar’s review of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition describes it as an expanded remaster set on Mira and highlights its open-world mechanics. Its alien setting makes exploration the central reason to choose it: the appeal is the scale and variety of discovering a strange world, rather than an explicit “science fantasy” label.
Rank #2
- Explore the grim and thrilling World of Legend with this 192-page full-color hardback RPG book for Warhammer: the Old World, ideal for players and collectors alike.
- Create iconic characters using six Origins and 30 Careers, from cunning Rat Catchers to noble Knight-Exiles, with full rules for advancement, Skills, Talents, and Lores.
- Fast-paced, easy-to-learn d10 dice pool system delivers high-lethality gameplay true to the Old World, offering combat, adventure, and peril for every session.
- Customize your hero with trappings, Assets, Endeavours, magical spells, and improvised spellcasting, plus divine Favours, prayers, and miracles from ten gods.
- Perfect for players seeking epic adventures, survival, and glory; this book contains everything needed to explore the Old World, complementing the Gamemaster’s Guide.
It sits just behind ELEX II because the available evidence establishes its strength as an open-world alien adventure, but not the same direct genre identification. If strange landscapes and the feeling of charting an unfamiliar planet matter more to you than a game’s stated genre label, it may be the better fit for your tastes.
The Tool Desk
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TechRadar’s review of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 calls it a science-fantasy RPG and praises its environments. It is a worthwhile boundary case for readers drawn to the genre’s imaginative settings, but the available material does not establish a fully open-world structure. Because this ranking requires substantial free exploration, it does not place the game in the main list.
Rank #3
- ENTER THE WORLD OF SKYRIM: Experience the legendary open-world RPG as a tabletop adventure, exploring Tamriel through branching quests, iconic factions, and rich Elder Scrolls lore.
- COOPERATIVE OR SOLO PLAY: Designed for 1–4 players, allowing you to adventure solo or team up to face dragons, uncover conspiracies, and shape the fate of Skyrim together.
- OPEN-ENDED QUEST SYSTEM: Choose how you approach each mission—diplomacy, stealth, or combat—as your decisions permanently impact the story and the world around you.
- DEEP CHARACTER PROGRESSION: Build unique heroes with evolving skills, gear, and abilities inspired by the video game’s iconic progression systems.
- HIGH REPLAYABILITY: Modular scenarios, multiple quest paths, and varied character builds ensure every campaign feels fresh and every journey through Skyrim is different.
Which game should you choose?
| If you want… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The most explicit science-fantasy open-world fit | ELEX II | Its Steam listing describes both a science-fantasy world and an open-world RPG, with jetpack-enabled exploration. |
| An expansive alien world to explore | Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition | It is set on Mira, and GamesRadar highlights its open-world mechanics. |
| Science-fantasy environments without a confirmed fully open world | Xenoblade Chronicles 3 | TechRadar identifies it as science fantasy and praises its environments, but that does not establish the open-world requirement used here. |
Check the edition and platform before buying
Game listings can differ by platform, edition, and physical or digital format. Check the specific store listing for the version you want; a game’s recommendation here does not establish that every edition or format is available in your region.
For a wider view of mainstream open-world RPG picks, see GamesRadar’s open-world RPG guide. Its selection is not a genre-specific ranking of science-fantasy games, so it is best used as a broader comparison rather than validation of this order.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Welcome to the new world: taking on the role of a Hunter, players are tasked with going on a research expedition to a newly discovered continent known only as “new world”.
- Living and breathing ecosystem: utilize the surrounding environment and wildlife to your advantage;Subgenre:Action role-playing game (RPG)
- Online drop-in multiplayer: when the battle is too daunting to take on single-handedly, hail up to three other hunters to assist during quests by sending up a sos flare to a worldwide server.
- Hunt to craft new Gear: defeat monsters and collect loot from fallen foes to craft equipment and weapons styled after the monsters that have been slain.
- SEAMLESS gameplay: players and monsters can move from One map area to another freely and without loading screens whilst gameplay also dynamically transitions between night and day.
Rank #4
- The outer worlds is a new single-player first-person sci-fi rpg from obsidian entertainment and private division
- In the outer worlds, you awake from hibernation on a colonist ship that was lost in transit to halcyon, the furthest colony from earth located at the edge of the galaxy, only to find yourself in the midst of a deep conspiracy threatening to destroy it. As you explore the furthest reaches of space and encounter various factions, all-vying for power, the character you decide to become will determine how this player-driven story unfolds. In the corporate equation for the colony, you are the unplanned variable
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