The best adventure games on Steam are those that can transport players into a rich world and take them on a journey unlike any other.

Immersion and worldbuilding are huge components of any decent adventure game, and here, we’ll be taking a look at some of the games that manage to pull this off.

If you love escaping reality to be taken on an epic quest, check out our recommendations for the best adventure games on Steam.

11. Monster Hunter World

World
Genre:Action, Adventure, RPG
Developers:CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Release Date:August 9, 2018
Find at:Steam
Multiplayer:Online Co-op
Average Playtime:48 hours

Monster Hunter is a franchise that is not for everyone. Early games in the series do very little to acclimatize new players, and a lot of people dislike the lack of a health bar for each enemy.

However, those that stick with the game and master the combat will be met with one of the deepest and most intense adventure games out there.

Monster Hunter is a series of boss battles. You will explore various regions, but these are simply zones you must navigate through and around in order to take down a unique enemy monster.

As Monster Hunter continues to evolve, so does its gameplay. Vaulting and climbing on top of monsters in order to deal additional damage has now become commonplace across the whole franchise.

Additionally, you no longer have to trek through each numbered zone to find a monster. You can ride atop your canine companion, making exploration much faster.

All of this being said, the real joy in Monster Hunter comes from taking down the titular monsters themselves.

Each beast you will encounter is not only uniquely designed but has its own weak points, abilities, and movement.

Doing battle with an aquatic monster underwater is a completely different experience to taking down a dragon with wings, and it is up to you to figure out how best to combat each creature.

Luckily, there are plenty of different items and weapons for you to choose from. Those who favor rapid slashes will feel right at home with a pair of dual blades, while those who prefer dishing out meaty hits will feel more comfortable with a katana.

Monster Hunter is all about taking out enemies how you want to, crafting gear you think looks cool, and stepping into battle once again.

Best enjoyed with a group of friends, Monster Hunter World is an adventure you can’t afford to miss out on.

10. Neon White

Neon white
Genre:First Person Shooter, 3D Platformer, Parkour
Developers:Angel Matrix
Release Date:June 16, 2022
Find at:Steam
Multiplayer:N/A
Average Playtime:11 hours

Neon White is a game built from the ground up to cater to speedrunners. Not only does the game award players with trophies depending on their final level time, but it actively guides you toward more optimal routes as you progress.

This isn’t to say that the game holds your hand by any means. Neon White is all about freedom of movement, and it will be up to you to figure out the most optimal route to shave off as much time as you can.

Neon White’s story revolves around its deceased protagonist, White. White is now forced to take out a string of demons that have invaded heaven, lest he is sent down to Hell. Due to his amnesia, White doesn’t have any other option than to agree to these terms.

The gameplay in Neon White involves racing through levels and slaying demons. Players can collect cards which are then spent to perform certain actions. These actions range from a short dash, a ground pound, to firing off a projectile.

Careful management of one’s cards will be the difference between a gold and platinum relic.

Many people have criticized the dialogue writing in Neon White, but we couldn’t disagree more. The game was written with the sole purpose of being a cheesy cringefest with references to Twitch emotes, anime, and pop culture.

As per the game’s tagline, Neon White is a game “for freaks by freaks.” Naturally, the chaotic dialogue would play a part in solidifying the craziness of this title.

Each character feels unique, and the dating simulator aspects of the game encourage you to talk with your ensemble cast, give them gifts, and learn more about them (and, in turn, yourself).

If you want to experience high-octane anime speedrunning content that never lets off the accelerator, Neon White is the game for you.

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

shredder
Genre:Beat ’em Up, Side Scroller, Action, Adventure
Developers:Tribute Games Inc.
Release Date:June 16, 2022
Find at:Steam
Multiplayer:Online Co-op, Shared Screen Co-op
Average Playtime:2 hours

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time is an arcade beat-em-up classic. Best enjoyed with a group of friends, nothing can beat this fast-paced, chaotic brawl. Until now, that is.

Taking inspiration from the side-scrolling TMNT games of the past, Shredder’s Revenge modernizes the old-school arcade beat-em-up.

With a fresh coat of paint and tons of new gameplay mechanics, Shredder’s Revenge is a great multiplier co-op game brought to us by the team responsible for Streets of Rage 4.

Each turtle comes with their own unique weapons, skills, and abilities, and it will be up to you to discover which character suits your playstyle the most.

There are tons of intense combos that players will have to master as they take on the evil Foot Clan with up to 6 players at the same time.

Shredder’s Revenge is a love letter to fans of the old-school beat-em-up genre. The timeless pixel art style and radical background music will get any gamer pumped up and ready to fight with their friends over who gets the last slice of pizza!

8. Stray

stray
Genre:Adventure
Developers:BlueTwelve Studio
Release Date:July 19, 2022
Find at:Steam
Multiplayer:N/A
Average Playtime:5 hours

Stray is a brand new simulation game in which you play as a stray cat who falls into a walled city populated by machinery and mutant bacteria.

You must venture across this unfamiliar location in an attempt to return to the surface.

Joining you on your journey is the drone companion B-12, who is ready and available to offer tips and tricks whenever needed.

As simple as the premise is in Stray, the gameplay can be very fun with difficult platforming challenges.

The developers have to be praised for managing to capture the likeness of a cat so expertly. Every step you take, every jump you make, and every movement in between makes you feel like a cat.

However, if one complaint were to be lobbied at Stray, it would be the rather barebones content. This game does not take very long to complete, and doing so will not take much effort on your part.

It has to be said that if you didn’t play through Stray as a cat, it may not be garnering the same kind of attention it is currently.

That being said, you do play through Stray as a cat, and this was a decision made by the developers to make the game more enjoyable.

If you’ve ever wanted to play a realistic cat simulation adventure game, Stray is the game for you.

7. Grand Theft Auto V

gta
Genre:Action, Adventure, Open-World, Sandbox
Developers:Rockstar North
Release Date:April 14, 2015
Find at:Steam
Multiplayer:Online PvP, Online Co-op
Average Playtime:31 hours

Grand Theft Auto V is a lot different than your typical adventure game. When you think of adventure games, most people will picture a fantasy setting wherein you take on hulking ogres and firebreathing dragons.

Naturally, for something a lot more realistic, Grand Theft Auto V takes on you on an adventure through Los Santos.

Gunfights, car chases, and as much chaos as you can imagine are all par for the course in GTA games.

In GTA V, you will play through several different campaigns through the guise of three different characters.

Each story and personality is a joy to see unfold from the tamer to the utterly bombastic.

As we wait patiently for the inevitable GTA VI, GTA V still has a lot to offer.

6. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

Genre:RPG, MMO
Developers:Square Enix
Release Date:February 18, 2014
Find at:Steam
Multiplayer:Online PvP, Online Co-op
Average Playtime:106 hours

When it comes to pay-to-play MMORPGs, none can really hold a candle to World of Warcraft and FFXIV.

However, FFXIV has managed to pull ahead of its rival in recent years thanks to the continued development of the game as a whole and the steady deterioration of World of Warcraft.

A lot of people shy away from giving Final Fantasy XIV a chance due to the stigma it receives for its anime aesthetic.

However, those willing to embrace their inner otaku will be met with a beautifully realized game with mountains of content on offer.

Both World of Warcraft and FFXIV provide fans with an engaging story and tons of late-game Raids and Dungeons.

FFXIV, however, caters much more to its casual fanbase, and this is arguably what makes it so popular.

Constructing your perfect look is considered to be the real endgame for FFXIV, and this comes alongside designing the interior of your home.

Tons of people log onto FFXIV every day and do nothing more than socialize with guildmates, try out new looks, or participate in roleplay.

Furthermore, FFXIV’s unique system that allows one player to swap between any job they want gives the game infinite replayability.

If you feel like healing, switch to your White Mage. If you feel like tanking, swap to your Paladin. Or, if you don’t feel like doing anything at all, chill out in Limsa Lominsa and see what the community has on offer!

5. Subnautica: Below Zero

subn
Genre:Survival Horror, Open World, Adventure
Developers:Unkown Worlds Entertainment
Release Date:May 14, 2021
Find at:Steam
Multiplayer:N/A
Average Playtime:20 hours

Subnautica is both a serene and peaceful simulation game in which you explore colorful ocean depths and a terrifying horror game where you must escape horrifying monsters.

In Subnautica, you play as a deep sea diver in the late 22nd century. Humanity has begun to colonize other planets, and your vessel has crash-landed onto the alien world of Aurora.

You must explore this unfamiliar location, gather supplies, and rebuild your ship in order to escape.

This simple premise gives way to a world of possibilities as you come to learn that some alien species are friendlier than others.

Subnautica is a beautifully illustrated game that surely wouldn’t be as popular as it is if not for the gorgeous underwater landscape it creates.

Hours can be spent avoiding one’s duties just to explore everything the ocean depths have to offer.

If you love an underwater adventure, Subnautica is the game for you.

4. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Genre:RPG, First-Person
Developers:Bethesda Game Studios
Release Date:October 27, 2016
Find at:Steam
Multiplayer:N/A
Average Playtime:34 hours

For how long Skyrim has been about, the fact that people still discuss it is a testament to how well the game holds up.

Skyrim has been released and rereleased on every system under the sun at this point, so there is no excuse for having not played it.

Skyrim’s world is incredibly large, and people with thousands of hours already invested into the game are still discovering hidden locations to this very day.

Players are free to tackle the main quest as they please, but the real joy comes from playing through the main side quests.

Each of these quests has multiple different endings depending on how you approach them, which garners several play through to see every unique outcome.

Speaking of which, another great thing about Skyrim is the plethora of different races and classes to choose from.

Playing through Skyrim as an Archer, for example, is entirely different from playing as a Mage.

If you choose to experience everything Skyrim has to offer as each different class, it is clear to see how this decades-old game still keeps people coming back for more. Skyrim’s content is seemingly endless!

As we patiently wait for the inevitable Elder Scrolls VI, rest assured that there is still plenty more to discover in the Elder Scrolls V.

3. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade

ffvii
Genre:Action RPG
Developers:Square Enix
Release Date:June 17, 2022
Find at:Steam
Multiplayer:N/A
Average Playtime:33 hours

Final Fantasy VII Remake is one of the greatest single-player titles of our generation.

There isn’t much to say about the original Final Fantasy VII that hasn’t been said already. The game revolutionized the JRPG genre both with regard to storytelling and turn-based gameplay.

Final Fantasy VII Remake seeks to modernize both of these aspects and does so effortlessly.

Starting with the story, Final Fantasy VII Remake seeks to both flesh out the personalities of mainstays like Tifa, Cloud, and Aerith, while also shining the light on lesser-utilized characters in the original like Jessie.

For better or worse, this attention to detail has resulted in the game being segmented into multiple releases. This first entry, unfortunately, only covers the first part of the original PlayStation title.

The gameplay is also different here. Traditional turn-based combat has been replaced by real-time action. However, magic and items can still be selected via menus and are done so in real-time (albeit significantly slowed down).

Final Fantasy VII reimagines everything great about the original and covers it in a fresh coat of anime-style paint.

2. God of War

Genre:Adventure, Action, RPG
Developers:Santa Monica Studio
Release Date:January 14, 2022
Find at:Steam
Multiplayer:N/A
Average Playtime:20 hours

The newest God of War is a stark departure from almost every other game in the franchise thus far.

Most people, when they think of God of War, will picture larger-than-life battles against Greek gods and titanic monsters.

They will also think of third-person, top-down, hack-and-slash gameplay filled to the brim with explosive combos and immersive QuickTime events.

What they will typically not imagine is a slow-paced narrative-driven over-the-shoulder RPG. However, those not fazed by the new direction the developers take with this game will be met with one of the most amazing action-packed stories.

In this installment of Kratos’ life, he has left Greece following the death of his wife. Now, Kratos must travel to the tallest mountain with his son to spread her ashes as per her dying wish.

For what was once a game about ripping things to shreds and, lest we forget, including a QuickTime event in which you would participate in a threesome, God of War seems to have matured quite a lot.

Pushing this new narrative is a breath of fresh air for the franchise and keeps things from becoming stale.

Some may love it, and some may hate it, but in a world where developers continue to rehash old material for decades on end just because it makes money, God of War is a nice change of pace.

This isn’t to say that a compelling narrative is the only thing going for this new God of War.

Combat is silky smooth, albeit slower-paced than in previous games. You will not even receive the patented chain blades until someway through the game, and this allows the developers to experiment with their new style in the early game to great effect.

The new God of War isn’t for everyone, but those who stick around will not be disappointed with what they find.

1. Elden Ring

Genre:Action, RPG, Adventure
Developers:FromSoftware
Release Date:February 24, 2022
Find at:Steam
Multiplayer:Online Co-op, Online PvP
Average Playtime:56 hours

One of the strongest contenders for game of the year, Elden Ring is one of few games that managed to live up to the immense hype surrounding its release.

Elden Ring is a From Software game like Dark Souls or Bloodborne. As you can imagine, Elden Ring is incredibly difficult and will put every last shred of skill you have to the test.

Despite occupying the same style of Fantasy world that Dark Souls does, Elden Ring’s unique design choices and bosses keep the game from feeling like a rehash.

The gameplay is smooth as silk, and most deaths you suffer can be traced back to something you did wrong as opposed to a glitch in the AI.

Elden Ring takes players to a magical world on an adventure that feels more like a gauntlet of increasingly difficult boss battles rather than a traditional RPG.

Furthermore, thanks to the multiple classes the game has on offer, Elden Ring becomes that much more replayable. Using a sword versus using magic results in a completely different gameplay experience.

Elden Ring is not for everyone. Like other From Software games, you will die a lot, and it can get frustrating.

However, when you finally manage to take down that difficult boss, the game is very satisfying. For masochistic gamers who love to have their mettle tested, Elden Ring is the game for you.