Science fiction and fantasy are the two most commonly exploited settings for video games. Both of which free the game designer from having to bend the knee to reality if they do not wish to. However, very few games combine both settings into a science-fantasy-inspired open world.

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Even though this subgenre of games seems to be somewhat underrepresented, there are still some great science fantasy games out there to be found. Some of these add sci-fi elements to a fantasy game, or fantasy elements to a sci-fi game. Others go all on, creating a game world that combines both seamlessly.

7 Chrono Trigger

Helped Pioneer Open World Games

Released way back in 1995, Chrono Trigger was one of the first games to try and implement open-world gameplay. Something the game achieved on the limited hardware of the time by only loading map areas that the player could see. Modern game developers call this technique level streaming, and it is widely used in the most up-to-date games.

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Chrono Trigger combines science with fantasy tropes such as magic and classic melee weapon combat. The player has access to advanced technologies such as guns and robotic arms. The game takes a place on this list because of the fact it is likely the very first open-world, science fantasy game.

6 TROUBLESHOOTER: Abandoned Children

Anime-Inspired Korean Game

• Platforms: GeForce Now, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac
• Released: December 31, 2017
• Developer: DandyLion
• Genre: Role-playing Video Game, Strategy Video Game, Indie game, Casual game, Adventure game, Strategy

In many ways, TROUBLESHOOTER: Abandoned Children can be seen as the love child of Final Fantasy: Tactics and XCOM. All wrapped up into a game with anime-style graphics, and a surprising depth to its gameplay. The game has both online and offline playing modes.

In TROUBLESHOOTER: Abandoned Children, magic meets modern weaponry in some pretty decent turn-based combat. Many of the enemies are very obviously inspired by common fantasy archetypes, and battles are a fun mix of magical mayhem and bullet play. This game isn’t for everyone, it is often cloyingly cute, but no doubt there are some players that will love it.

5 Caves Of Qud

Open-World Roguelike

Caves of Qud is a unique game in many ways. Combining roguelike gameplay with open-world maps that are partially hand-crafted, then fleshed out by random generation. It also features both procedurally generated and hand-crafted quests. This mixture of random generation and manually created content works very well.

The game world is portrayed using pixel art, which works very well. The game combines classic fantasy-style combat with a player character that can use certain cybernetic enhancements and advanced weaponry. Overall, this is a quirky, interesting game, that many people might enjoy trying, just for something completely different to play.

4 Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

A Fun Borderlands Spinoff

Players of the Borderlands franchise will no doubt remember the diminutive figure of Tiny Tina and her propensity for blowing things up. In Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, she takes center stage in an open-world fantasy adventure to defeat the Dragon Lord.

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Tiny Tina's Wonderlands brings guns to what is normally a knife fight. And of course, no fantasy game would be complete without magic, which Tina wields almost as effectively as her explosives. This is a game that is intended from the ground up to be simply fun to play. It doesn’t take itself very seriously at all, and this is what gives it such charm.

3 Elex 2

Explore The World Of Magalan

This is a game that aimed squarely at filling a gap in the science-fantasy game genre. Where many science fantasy games either tack some science on the fantasy aspects or vice versa, the open world of Magalan combines both seamlessly.

The game picks up the story several years after the end of the original Elex game. A new threat has been discovered, and the Dark Elex once again threatens the world of Magelan. The player takes up the torch, and embarks on a quest to unite various factions to combat this threat. Elex 2 is a fantastic game that, for some reason, remains relatively unknown.

2 Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

Nobody Does It Better

The Warhammer 40,000 series of real-time strategy games are renowned for mixing science fiction with fantasy in a seamless, believable way. The iconic W40k experience of an Orc carrying a weapon such as a bolter rifle, and screaming WARRRR! is something fans of the franchise will never forget.

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But of course, the W40k franchise is known for RTS games. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader shakes things up. This is an open-world isometric adventure game, that leverages the lore of W40k to provide a compelling gameplay experience with a plot that twists and turns. The fact that the player can choose their alignment and that this choice has a meaningful impact on gameplay, is one of the reasons why this game was so well received.

1 Horizon Zero Dawn

Shooting Giant Robots With A Bow

In Horizon Zero Dawn, the player takes on the role of Aloy, a young orphan girl who struggles to survive alone in the wilderness. The game takes place in a world where predatory mechanical monsters have taken over, driving humanity into small, well-defended enclaves. Aloy takes on the role of savior, and the player must explore the open-world map and discover why this has happened.

With its mix of crazy mechanical enemies, and basic weaponry such as a sling or a bow to take them down, Horizon Zero Dawn sits well within the science fantasy genre. Add to this the fact that Aloy eventually develops certain powers, which could be construed as magical, and this game deserves the top spot on this list.

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