When you are navigating through somegames, it can be overwhelming yet enticing to build your way up.
Startingwith no resources, weapons, or abilities, you have nothing except your intuition and wits to guide you. Initially, you are vulnerable to any type of enemy who can get you easily.
However, as you climb and rise along the progression ladder and get around its gameplay mechanics, you gradually become the most powerful character nobody can mess with.
9 Open World Games With Zero Hand-Holding
If you trust your players, the game might just end up better for it.
These games start withhorrendous difficulty levelsand offer you no other choice other than to level up, compelling you to feel the heat of the game’s progression.
Here are the best games where you start with nothing and work your way towards becoming invincible.
Everything Hurts
Noitais a 2Droguelike gamethat pits you against an unforgiving world with no easy way out other than investing endless hours.
You need to find and combine a variety of spells from scratch, making it a perfect title to kick off this list.
You must clear diverse environments in the game where every pixel is simulated and bent on punishing you for not knowing them better.
As Noita alsofeatures permadeath, it typically forces you to experiment with its environment and foes with multiple runs.
This game offers one of thebest spell-casting combatandimmersive worldsthat will keep you hooked for multiple playthroughs if you are interested in sorcery. Trust me, it eventually gets better once you get the gist.
Every Penny Counts!
Outward is an open-world action RPG that places you in the role of a regular dude rather than a chosen one.
With no abilities or weapons, Outward doesn’t offer any handholding to guide you through earning money. Instead, it lets you figure out its world at your own pace.
You are shipwrecked on the voyage that was supposed to pay off the debt called Bloody Price. To make matters worse, you are blamed for the shipwreck and forced to pay the debt in five days.
Outward raises its stakes even further with its game progression, as completing or failing in quests can have multiple outcomes, impacting the storyline, characters, and the open world.
The game’s combat system and mechanics can be quite challenging early on, but the progression from a weakling to a hero feels worth grinding for.
Grind-Heavy, Minimal Rewards
Compared to the original title, Gothic II is much more brutal and less rewarding, as you gain more experience through combat rather than completing quests.
You might not survive its harsh environment or its catalog of supernatural enemies at the start of the game. But even if you master its combat system, it’s nearly impossible to have a strong start.
Gothic II raised this difficulty bar even higher with its Night of the Raven expansion by adding a new world and attributes, making it seemingly impossible for beginners.
However, I believethe trick here is to level up and embrace the grind rather than worry about its challenges.
Speaking of, Gothic II is my personal favorite in the series for its slow-paced progression, breathtaking immersive open world, and intricate art style.
7Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
One-Man Army
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Except for Tommy Vercitti, none of theGTA protagonistshad such a rough start without any support. I mean, CJ had the Grove Street gang and his siblings, Niko had his cousin Roman Bellic, and so on.
Playing as Tommy inGrand Theft Auto: Vice City, you are released from serving prison after 15 years and set things in motion alone, eventually building and expanding a criminal empire by yourself.
8 Best Games Where You’re In The Mob, Ranked
Whether it’s smuggling, thieving, or murdering, these games throw players into the world of the original American gangsters.
But before that, you must make powerful connections while being surrounded by your friends who are vying for you to fail or plotting to betray you.
GTA: Vice City holds a special place in my heart for its action-packed 80s atmosphere, fast-paced storyline, and incredible voice acting.
WithGrand Theft Auto 6set in theneon-lit streets of Vice City, don’t miss out on this title if you haven’t played it yet.
6Fallout: New Vegas
What Happened in Vegas?
Fallout: New Vegas
Set in the ruins of apost-apocalypticLas Vegas-inspired world,Fallout: New Vegasserves as a spin-off to the series.
You play as the Courier, who lost their memory after a close call from unknown thugs and a man in a checkered shirt.
Once you complete the prologue, you have a wide range of options to progress from, including tracking the men who tried to kill you, joining various factions, or simply exploring the world by interacting with the NPCs.
Although you can invest points in thestarting stats, the progression of New Vegas feels more about carving your own path on a blank slate.
Being spoiled for choice,you can take a different approach with every playthrough, allowing you to shape up the wasteland.
5Sons Of The Forest
Not A Cakewalk
Sons of the Forest
Serving as a direct sequel and an improvement toThe Forest,Sons of the Forestis a survival horror that features adrenaline-packed gameplay and a terrifying open world.
You are stranded on a mysterious island infested with endless underground mutant-like creatures and cannibal tribes to rescue the missing CEO and his family.
Being empty-handed as you build from the ground up, you must craft weapons and buildings tosurvive all the way.
The stronger gear you are equipped with, the easier it is to clear out its foes.
Though Sons of the Forest is easier to explore and play with friends, I feelgoing solo is a far more intense and personalized experiencethat shouldn’t be missed.
I can’t help but appreciate its narrative and pacing, allowing you to fight or craft according to your preferred playstyle.
4Project Zomboid
Don’t Mistake It For The Sims
Project Zomboid
Bringing raw zombie energy,Project Zomboidis an isometric zombie survival game set in the Kentucky-inspired post-apocalyptic world of Knox County.
Besides choosing your occupation and traits, the game doesn’t give you much to start with.
With a highly unpredictable looting system, its world design can be relatively challenging in the beginning.
You can earn a wide range of traits to make the game easier. However,you must loot essential items, rest enough, and evolve gradually, usingvarious tacticsto outlast the apocalypse.
It doesn’t matter if you live or die, considering the only goal of this game is to stay alive as long as you may.
This is what makes Project Zomboid so addictive for me, as I enjoy its prolonged runs andinfinite replayability.
Hitting Constant Rock Bottoms
Sharing similar aspects to the previous entry,Rustis a multiplayer title that pits you against other players with a sole focus on survival.
You mustfind a variety of resources and blueprints to craft tools, weapons, and gearwhile building your base from the ground up.
This is easier said than done, as you can potentially get killed by another player within moments, only for you to start anew with an empty inventory.
9 Low-Stress Competitive Multiplayer Games
You’re less likely to be banned from chat after a match with these.
Adding more to your headache, you also need to keep in check various survival factors, including starvation, wildlife attacks, drowning, and more.
While you may hope it will eventually get better, it is always better to keep your eyes peeled for any looming dangers.
Take it from someone who has played Rust solo for over 200 hours: you must adapt to its cruel world using various strategies to avoidrepeatedly respawningor getting ransacked by other players.
2The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Wake Me Up When It Ends!
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda titles usually involve Link waking up from a slumber. However,Breath of the Wildtakes a step further by taking away his memories, the Hyrule kingdom, and almost all his loved ones.
Asyou embark on the journey with no weapons, Breath of the Wild allows you to have utter freedom to explore to your heart’s content, thanks to its interactive open world and non-linear progression.
But that doesn’t mean you won’t have togrind your waythrough the game.
Reaching a certain threshold of killing enemies in BOTW, these enemies get replaced with a stronger version of themselves, forcing you to get stronger.
To gain more resources, you will need to clear out several dungeons, shrines, and side quests. You can also find items throughout Hyrule, interact with certain NPCs, or buy from the shop to expand your arsenal.
Ruthlessly Brutal But Rewarding
Securing the top spot on the list, Kenshi is an action RPG title that offers the most unforgiving progression as you become the strongest.
With minimalist lore and complete non-linearity,Kenshi throws you into a world with all the odds against you where you can die at any given time.
Kenshi features an unfriendly setting around the barren desert that tests your patience with lurking hordes of enemies, creatures, and monsters.
As you progress, you’re able to go solo, recruit various NPCs, or start shady entrepreneurial ventures to thrive and make money.
You can take on its barren and nightmarish world using a plethora of different playstyles, including a pacifist run.
Nevertheless, let’s be honest, it feels satisfyingly rewarding to slay the challenging mobs who one-shot killed us earlier afterbecoming overpowered.
10 Best Video Games For Book Lovers
Game with enough rich writing and world-building details to make them feel like an ever-lasting novel.
