Summary
Open-world games havebecome increasingly popular in the modern gaming landscape, offering players expansive and immersive virtual environments to explore and interact with. These games typically offer a vast range of activities and non-linear storytelling, allowing players to enjoy a ton of freedom in these titles. The level of player agency this offers has made open-world gaming a dominant force in the gaming industry, with the majority of the popular IPs around being open-world games.
Some games in this genre take player freedom to new heights, allowing players to engage in activities that are typically off-limits in other titles. Some titles work in such a manner that players can kill pretty much every NPC character they come across. While this may not be the intended way to play the game, it offers a unique experience rarely found in other titles.
Updated June 18, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:For the longest time, open-world games have struggled with the idea of making titles that appeal to a huge demographic while ensuring that their games promote the notion of player freedom. It can be a huge struggle for these sandbox titles to cater to every action a player can take, which is why any game that makes efforts to ensure that a player’s action has a logical reaction should be applauded for succeeding in this goal.
This includes games that allow players to go bonkers and kill every living NPC in sight, often permanently, which is a Herculean task to code into a video game that is already complex enough as is.
Gothicis one of the most underrated RPGs players can get their hands on, with the dated presentation and ridiculous early-game difficulty making it a hard sell for players who may get frustrated by this game’s mechanics. However, once players get past the learning curve, they’ll enjoy a rewarding open-world RPG that turns players from weaklings to gods as they decimate everything in sight with a mixture of melee attacks and spells.
The main charm ofGothiclies in its complex NPC system which is still impressive to this day, with in-game characters following schedules and feeling like living, breathing facets of the world instead of simple lines of code. While some ruffians can beat the Nameless Hero down and steal his stuff time and time again, there’s nothing more satisfying than turning the tables and knocking out these NPCs before delivering a killing blow to ensure a permanent death, which is a fate that can befall every NPC in the game if the player wishes to go on this deranged quest.
Piranha Bytes games may be notorious for featuring numerous bugs and a lack of polish, but one thing that must be praised about these games is the amazing open-world design.Risenis no exception here, with Faranga Island being one of the most immersive environments ever crafted for an open-world RPG.
As one would expect from a game by this developer, player freedom is a major focus of the title and lets the protagonist do whatever they want as long as it abides by the game rules. This extends to letting players kill every NPC in sight, but keep in mind that the game’s challenging combat and the general lack of approval for a murderous person means that players will be up against it if they decide to kill everyone on the island.
3Elex
Another Pirahna Bytes Game That Gives Players Complete Freedom To Kill NPCs
The popularity of the Soulslike genre flared into existence with the release ofDark Souls. It was clear that a lot of games would be hopping on this trend, andElexwas no exception. This was the newest IP from the now-defunct Pirahna Bytes that strove to make improvements on the combat side of things while combining this system with the excellence they’ve shown in designing reactive open worlds.
Despite some issues when it comes to the gameplay side of things, the immersive world ofElexand its faction system is a blast to explore. Most of the NPCs can be killed after besting the final boss of the game, meaning that players who want to terrorize the inhabitants of Magalan after helping them out can channel their inner sadist, even ifthe difficult nature of the gamecan make such an act quite challenging to see to completion.
Obsidian’s games have always striven to give players as much freedom as they want in their role-playing titles, withNew Vegasbeing a great example of the same. However, even on a limited budget, the developers have done a great job developing open-world games that promote player freedom above everything else.
Such is the case withThe Outer Worlds, an excellent sci-fi RPG that does a great job of telling an epic story despite its restrictions. If players wish to take on the role of a murderous villain, then they can kill every NPC in the game without messing up too many things in the process, courtesy of the game’s many backup systems that account for NPC deaths.
TheGothicseries is one of the most unique dark fantasy RPGs players can check out. Set during a time of war between humans and orcs when prisoners are forced to mine as much ore as possible to fuel this conflict, players take on the role of a nameless hero who is thrown into the world and uncovers a dastardly plot as they attempt to fit in.
The second game is a massive improvement in every way, making the game’s mechanics more accessible without forcing players into a losing situation no matter where they go. While the player is pretty weak and can be killed or knocked out by anyone when they’re just starting, it doesn’t take too many levels and skills for players to go on a warpath and kill every NPC in sight if they wish.
Elden Ringis one of the best open-world games ever made, set in a dying world like most other FromSoftware games where tragedy has struck and it’s up to the player to piece the lore together to figure out what the game’s all about. Just like most other games made by the developer, NPCs are sparse in this title and feature interesting stories of their own that players can get invested in, if they wish.
However, if all players care about is finding important items and killing what little joy is left in this world, then they can slice and dice through all these peaceful NPCs, leaving no one alive. While it’s recommended to kill just a few NPCs to gain valuable items that can help players in their journey, not all of them should suffer from this treatment.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowindisone of the greatest open-world RPGs of all time, with this game putting Bethesda on the map as one of the biggest video game developers around. The game allowed for a degree of player freedom that was astounding at the time, with the game going so far as to let players kill every NPC in the game world without fail.
This level of freedom is part of what made the game so beloved among fans, as it allowed players to fully immerse themselves in the world and create their own stories and playstyles. To this day, even after the many advancementsThe Elder Scrollsand Bethesda as a whole have made, many fans still bring up this point as a great example of whyMorrowindis such an amazing title.
Way of the Samurai 3isa fairly unique game, as is the entire series. The campaign has several paths and varied outcomes, with a whopping total of 22 endings, meaning that players are actively encouraged to replay the game to see what would’ve happened if they opted for a different outcome.
This open-ended structure allows players to create their own stories and experiences, with no two playthroughs being the same. Players who may be getting tired of the usual approach present in open-world games should giveWay of the Samurai 3a shot.
When people talk about the greatest modern RPGs ever made, it’s onlya matter of time beforeFallout: New Vegasenters the conversation. This game combined the best aspects of both Bethesda’s modern nuances and the classic role-playing present in the earlier isometric titles, making for a one-of-a-kind experience that fans still love to this day.
In many ways, Bethesda should curse the fact thatNew Vegasexists, since their mainline offerings will always be compared to the incredible title developed by Obsidian Entertainment. For starters, bothFallout 3andFallout 4protect every critical NPC from dying, whileNew Vegasallows the player to kill every NPC in the game barring Yes Man and children.
Divinity: Original Sin 2blends intense combat with a massive scope in terms of world-building and quests. Player freedom is promoted heavily in this game, allowing players to engage with the world and its inhabitants in a variety of ways, including killing them outright.
While killing every NPC is not necessarily the intended way to play the game, it is possible, and some players have even created challenge runs to see how they can maximize their experience gain by killing as many people as possible. The only person critical to the plot that can’t be killed is Malady, makingDivinity: Original Sin 2’s insistence on player freedom quite impressive indeed.
