Summary
Open-world gameshave long captivated players with their freedom, offering diverse methods of traversal across sprawling environments. As technology and the genre have evolved,new ways to explore have emerged, includingflight without traditional transport, which is arguably themost thrilling way to navigatevast worlds. Many standout open-world titles nowlet their players fly naturally, explained through varied means like superhero-like abilities, magical artifacts, scientific gear, special suits, or even rideable flying mounts.
Though still relatively uncommon in the genre, non-vehicle flight elevates the experience—both literally and figuratively. It provides players with fast,exciting ways to reach their destinationswhile, more importantly, offering a breathtaking new perspective on the game’s beautiful landscapes, revealing intricate environmental details from above.
For this list, we’ll rank modern open-world titles (released no earlier than 2015) with stunning graphics, focusing solely ongames that let players flyusing skills, abilities, special gear, or exotic mounts, thus excludingconventional vehicles like planes or helicopters, which are far more common in the genre. Rankings arebased purely on flight mechanics, and not any other aspects of a game.
Palworld’srunaway success owes much to its creature-collecting charm, captivating fans ofPokémon-style games. Beyond the creatures players can gather for various tasks, thegame introduces flying Palslike Nitewing, Vanwyrm, Beakon, Ragnahawk, Frostallion, and Jetragon. These act as handy flying mounts, offering sustained, nearly unrestricted flight limited only by occasional stamina depletion. Fortunately, stamina recharges quickly; players simply let their Pals rest briefly to catch their breath before taking to the skies again.
WhilePalworld’sflight mechanics show promise, the game remains in early access with a relatively small development team. As a result, flying isn’t as refined or thrilling as it is in some other open-world titles, at least for the time being.
Even years after its release,Batman: Arkham Knightremains one of the finest Batman games ever crafted and apinnacle for Rocksteady Studios. The open world of Arkham City is vast and stunning, offering players multiple ways to explore, from roaring through the streets in the Batmobile to soaring with impressive gliding mechanics.
Though Batman’s cape-based gliding doesn’t fully qualify as flight, players can unlock upgrades to boost aerial control, distance, and speed. Better yet, combining the cape with the grappling hook and leveraging the environment can extend airtime significantly. Once mastered, this traversal method comes remarkably close to vehicle-free flight, becoming the go-to way to navigate the city.
Greek mythology offers a rich wellspring for gaming inspiration. It boasts a roster of mythical monsters and artifacts that bestow godlike powers on its heroes. InImmortals Fenyx Rising, players acquire several such tools throughout their journey, with the wings standing out as the most valuable. Thismythology-infused open world from Ubisoftprioritizes exploration, making aerial abilities a cornerstone of the experience, so getting the wings quickly to be able to fly is a must.
Crafted by Daedalus, these wings allow Fenyx to glide and briefly take flight after building momentum, with stamina upgrades extending their potential. Players can unlock various improvements, and thus more airtime, by defeating the servants of Typhon the Titan. Before long, they’ll soar with skill enough to rival Icarus himself.
Players who haven’t touchedNo Man’s Skyin a while might find this surprising, since the game has always featured plenty of flight strictly through spaceship mechanics. Yet, post-2021 updates have significantly shaken things up. Among various new features and gameplay options, these updates introduced rideable flying mounts that players can tame.
These aerial creatures provide near-unrestricted flight across planetary surfaces, distinct from spaceship travel. They enable organic, low-altitude soaring over procedurally generated worlds. With avariety of tamable creatures boasting impossible designs, players gain a fresh and unique way to navigate a galaxy of unmatched scale.
TheJust Causeseries is renowned for its massive open worlds, making varied traversal options a necessity for player convenience. The addition of a wingsuit paired with a grappling hook proves brilliant. It lets protagonist Rico Rodriguez glide skillfully across the landscape, using momentum and the environment to his advantage.
The wingsuit debuted inJust Cause 3, but its sequel,Just Cause 4,elevates the chaotic sandbox experience further. It introduces even more unique tricks to Rico’s toolkit. Players can still turn to traditional aircraft when needed, or even use their gear to hijack vehicles mid-air. Now, you don’t get to see something like this in gaming too often.
The post-apocalypticHorizonworld brims with machines of all sorts. Most resemble dinosaurs, posing a constant threat to the surviving human tribes. Fortunately, protagonist Aloy wields a staff to override their programming and turn them to her advantage. Some become mounts, carrying her across the treacherous landscape. The sequel builds on this concept by introducing aerial mounts, though players must advance well into the story to unlock this feature.
InHorizon Forbidden West, Aloy can hack a Pterosaur-like machine called a Sunwing. Riding this creature offers a stunning bird’s-eye view of the primitive world below, although itsimplementation could benefit from more creativity. Nevertheless, from such heights, even the massive T-Rex-inspired Thunderjaw appears insignificant.
Anthemmay not have fully realized its potential, hampered by a shallow story, repetitive missions, and a general lack of content and polish, but it shines in key areas. The world stands out first: a vast, breathtaking expanse filled with lush vegetation, vibrant colors, and enigmatic ancient ruins. The second highlight is the Javelin exosuits, which players don before venturing out from Fort Tarsis to explore.
InAnthem, these Javelin exosuits come equipped with flight capabilities, letting players glide effortlessly over the alien open world. Flight anchors both exploration and traversal as a core mechanic. With features like stunning air dashes, the option to cool suits and prolong air time by diving swiftly or skimming waterfalls, and striking visual design,Anthemremains a standout in this regard. It’s a compelling example that invites other games todraw inspiration from its conceptand top-notch execution.
Hogwarts Legacyranks among the most versatile open-world games with flight mechanics to date. This open-world RPG invites players to explore Hogwarts and its surrounding areas through fluid aerial traversal, offering more than just one method to take flight. Instead, players can pick their preferred tool for seamless soaring: atrusty broomstick or one of several magical creatures.
True to theHarry Potteruniverse, this world teems with magical beings that rule the skies. The most iconic are Hippogriffs, striking creatures blending eagle and horse traits, with various types available to ride. Other options include Sepulcheria, Thestrals, and Graphorns. Though not as nimble as broomsticks, these majestic avian-equestrian mounts bring a grander flair to flight. Better still, they can carry players across Hogwarts and its sprawling countryside with ease. What more could a Potterhead want?
