Visiting and exploring new, carefully made locations is one of the best parts about playing video games.

Sometimes these places arehazy, grey dystopiasortowering, bustling cities, rendered in glorious detail.

This entry (and a couple others) comes with a caveat.

Split image showing various vistas in Red Dead Redemption 2, Abzu, and Ghost of Tsushima

The development team no doubt laboured at length to recreate the period with detail and beauty in mind.

The warm dining halls, piled with food, have intricate wood-carved designs covering the beams and trusses.

Outside, foxes, deer, and wild pigs roam among the flowering plant life.

Sam stands on the side of a mountain in Death Stranding

With a little stealth, you’re free to take it all in without being noticed.

They also have the same art director and composer, if you were wondering.

These twins are fantasy adventures that make an excellent double feature of sweet, wistful exploration.

Eivor is on horseback, outside the ruins of a castle on a hill Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

Beyond that, the games soundtrack (Miles Davisandthe Flaming Lips?)

and soothing, fully-voiced narrative are excellent.

As a whole, studying marine biology and swimming amongst the oceans depths has never been so light-hearted.

A split image of the Diver under the sea in Abzu and the Traveler looking out over the desert in Journey

That, or climbing the Lanaryu mountain range to roast pork and bake apples by the campfire.

Each design choice seems to have been made with a chill experience in mind.

Each safari is filled with Pokemon vibrating with personality and charm.

Mirai from Beyond Blue swimming in the ocean with whales and fish

NEXT:Games With Amazing Photo Modes

The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild No HUD showing Link on top of a hill

Arthur Morgan and his horse looking out from a mountainside in Red Dead Redemption 2

Looking out over a panorama of the incredibly colourful Tsushima Island in Ghost of Tsushima

claire flying in a short hike

New Pokemon Snap two Bulbasaur on cliff by water

Triple-A Games

Red Dead Redemption 2