Summary
Open-world games are among the biggest and longest titles out there, but sometimes, even that isn’t enough. When a good open-world game hooks its players, moving on to something else can be surprisingly difficult. Luckily, one of the genre’s hallmarks is itssheer volume of content: major AAA open-world titles often offer dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of gameplay that go well beyond the main story and side quests.
More often than not, reaching the end credits doesn’t mean players are finished. Many continue exploring, collecting, and completingeverything the world has to offer, whether it’sElden Ring,The Witcher 3, or another fan favorite, even without diving into New Game+ mode. With that in mind, this topic aims to highlight open-world games with truly standout post-story content, offering something truly memorable or transformative, likespecial activities that unlockafter the main story is complete.
InRed Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar not only delivered a powerful and lengthy story of Arthur Morgan that continues to leave a lasting impression on fans, but also came up with an elegant solution for players to remain immersed in the Wild Westafter the dramatic finale. The game’s epilogue shifts the perspective to John Marston, not only providing a seamless narrative bridge to the originalRed Dead Redemptionbut also extending the experience for those wanting more time in the world.
The epilogue itself is substantial, offering up to ten hours of main story missions for John. Beyond that, players are free to tackle any remaining side quests or bounties, with some content like exclusive missions and bounties available only to Marston. Thisincludes access to the previously unreachable region of New Austin, which adds a fresh area to explore after the main story. Without leaning on any live-service mechanics,RDR2stands as a notable example of a single-player game that introduces a meaningful, transformative layer of content after the main story is over.
The Division 2surprised many fans of the original with its generous amount of content right from the start, especially in how it handled the endgame. Once the main campaign wraps up, the game introduces the elite Black Tusk faction, who sweep in to retake control of the map. This twist adds a transformative post-story layer that refreshes the gameplay with new enemies to defeat.
Beyond the newly unlocked elite missions from the base game,The Division 2’s post-story content includes a wide variety of activities: Expeditions, Raids, Bounties, Classified Assignments, and Manhunt missions, as well as additional modes like Summit, Descent,PvP Skirmish, and the Dark Zones. The game also features regular battle passes with fresh challenges and rewards, not to mention the sizableWarlords of New Yorkexpansion.
By fully embracing its ever-evolving nature,The Division 2has not only surpassed its predecessor in almost every way but has received one of the longest active supports among Ubisoft projects to date.With Year 7 and theBattle for BrooklynDLC on the horizon, players can expect even more new features, activities, and rewards in the months ahead.
Assassin’s Creed Shadowsis the next major installment in Ubisoft’s flagship series, built to keep fans engaged for hundreds of hours. Set in the open world of Feudal Japan, nearly all optional content centers around assassination contracts. After completing the roughly 30-hour main story, players can dive into dozens of side missions, continuing to explore the richly detailed world while earning powerful loot, weapons, and armor.
AC Shadowsalso brings back the endless contracts system fromAssassin’s Creed Odyssey, now enhanced with a seasonal twist — mission objectives, castles, and fortresses across regions refresh over time,while the entire map changes visually. The game further extends its post-story engagement with theseasonal Animus Shadows Projects Battle Pass, offering new weekly challenges and objectives for unique rewards. Looking ahead, the firstClaws of Avajiexpansion promises at least ten additional hours of new content, kicking off a long-term post-launch support plan.
Alternatively,Assassin’s Creed Valhallaremains another standout in the series when it comes to post-story content. Set across multiple distinct worlds, including mythical realms,Valhallaoffers animmense world packed with objectives and collectibles. But there’s more: the game features endless contracts for materials to upgrade a vast arsenal, various challenge modes like Valkyrie Arena with exclusive rewards, the procedural River Raids mode, and the roguelike adventureForgotten Saga, all contributing to one of the most absorbing entries in the franchise.
As is tradition for the series,Diablo 4is all about the endgame, with its story campaign largely serving as an extended tutorial before the real action begins. Players who don’t reach the level cap of 60 only scratch the surface, as the game introduces many of its core systems and activities later on. With its vast, seamless open world, regular seasonal updates, andbattle passes packed with unique rewards,Diablo 4is built to keep players engaged for months, even without switching between characters. Not to forget a sizableVessel of Hatredexpansion with a new character class, menacing bosses, and unexplored regions.
Given the game’s complexity, it’s difficult to capture the full scope of its post-story content without delving deep into details. From pushing into higher difficulties and tackling Nightmare Dungeons, World Bosses, and Helltide invasions, to chasing bounties through the Tree of Whispers, diving into the randomized Pit of Artificers, or engaging in PvP in the Fields of Hatred,Diablo 4offers a deep and ever-evolving endgame. WithSeason 8: Belial’s Return on the way, fans can expect even more bosses, powerful loot, and new challenges to sink their teeth into.
Overall,Days Gonefits into a traditional open-world mold, allowing players to continue exploring as Deacon St. John after the story concludes, clearing the vast Oregon map of any remaining side activities or hidden content. However, one feature sets the game apart: zombie hordes. Teased heavily before release, these massive groups of mutant Freakers don’t fully come into play until late in the game, emphasizing just how intense and demanding the encounters can be. As such, players are encouraged to face the hordes post-game, once Deacon is equipped with fully upgraded survival skills, weapons, and gear.
Some Freaker hordes inDays Goneare so enormous and relentless that taking them down requires serious planning, preparation, and strategy.Days Gone Remasteredraises the stakes even further by increasing horde population sizes andintroducing the new Horde Assault survival modefor players to really put their skills and endurance to the test. While the original game featured hordes with up to 500 Freakers, Horde Assault pushes that number up to 800, delivering one of the most intense survival challenges the game has to offer.
WhileFallout 4doesn’t break new ground in terms of post-story content, mainly offering players the freedom to continue exploring the map or take on high-difficulty DLCs likeNuka-WorldandFar Harbor,it does implement one killer feature that keeps players coming back: itsdeep and flexible crafting and settlement-building systems. These mechanics allow players to reshape the Wasteland however they see fit, building and upgrading settlements with few restrictions and making use of every scrap collected throughout their journey.
Alternatively,Skyrimremains one of Bethesda’s most iconic titles, whereplayers can literally live a second life, in part because of its endless replayability. Players can easily ignore the main story altogether or return to the game long after finishing it, discovering new adventures, immersive side stories, or simply enjoying the world’s atmosphere with unparalleled freedom.
