Open-World Games That Let You Kill Every NPC

Open-world games have become increasingly popular in the modern gaming landscape, offering players expansive and immersive virtual environments to explore and interact with. These games typically offer a vast range of activities and non-linear storytelling, allowing players to enjoy a ton of freedom in these titles. The level of player agency this offers has made open-world gaming a dominant force in the gaming industry, with the majority of the popular IPs around being open-world games.

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In fact, some games in this genre take player freedom to new heights, allowing players to engage in activities that are typically off-limits in other titles. Some titles work in such a manner that allows them to kill pretty much every NPC character they come across. While this may not be the intended way to play the game, it certainly offers a unique experience that is rarely found in other titles.

Updated April 27, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Open-world games sell players the idea of going through the game however they see fit, exploring a bunch of unique sandboxes, and completing things at their own pace. While a lot of these games may not deliveras much as most players would like in this department, there’s no denying that this freedom is what has made open-world gaming one of the very best genres.

A huge part of what makes open-world gaming so amazing can be seen in titles where players can kill whoever they want, accounting for these actions and ensuring that the game doesn’t grind to a halt in such an event.

1 Gothic 2

NPCs Have Detailed Routines And Can Be Offed By The Protagonist At Any Time

The Gothic series is one of the most unique dark fantasy RPGs players can check out. Set during a time of war between humans and orcs when prisoners are forced to mine as much ore as possible to fuel this conflict, players take on the role of a nameless hero who is thrown into the world and uncovers a dastardly plot as they try to fit in.

The second game is a massive improvement in every way, making the game’s mechanics more accessible without forcing players into a losing situation no matter where they go. While the player is pretty weak and can be killed or knocked out by anyone when they’re just starting, it doesn’t take too many levels and skills for players to go on a warpath and kill every NPC in sight if they wish.

2 The Outer Worlds

A Spacefaring Adventure Where NPCs Can Be Killed At A Moment’s Notice

Obsidian’s games have always striven to give players as much freedom as they want in their role-playing titles, with New Vegas being a great example of the same. However, even on a limited budget, the developers have done a great job developing open-world games that promote player freedom above everything else.

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Such is the case with The Outer Worlds, an excellent sci-fi RPG that does a great job of telling an epic story despite its restrictions. If players wish to take on the role of a murderous villain, then they can kill every NPC in the game without messing up too many things in the process, courtesy of the game’s many backup systems that account for NPC deaths.

3 Elden Ring

No NPC In FromSoftware Is Safe From The Player’s Ire, And Their Open-World Masterpiece Is No Exception

Elden Ring is one of the best open-world games ever made, set in a dying world like most other FromSoftware games where tragedy has struck and it’s up to the player to piece the lore together to figure out what the game’s all about. Just like most other games made by the developer, NPCs are sparse in this title and feature interesting stories of their own that players can get invested in, if they wish.

However, if all players care about is finding important items and killing what little joy is left in this world, then they can slice and dice through all these peaceful NPCs, leaving no one alive. While it’s recommended to kill just a few NPCs to gain valuable items that can help players in their journey, not all of them should suffer from this treatment.

The Main Quest Can Be Completely Derailed By Killing Critical NPCs

The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind is one of the greatest open-world RPGs of all time, with this game putting Bethesda on the map as one of the biggest video game developers around. The game allowed for a degree of player freedom that was simply astounding at the time, with the game going so far as to let players kill every NPC in the game world without fail.

This level of freedom is part of what made the game so beloved among fans, as it allowed players to fully immerse themselves in the world and create their own stories and playstyles. To this day, even after the many advancements The Elder Scrolls and Bethesda as a whole have made, many fans still bring up this point as a great example of why Morrowind is such an amazing title.

5 Way Of The Samurai 3

An Open-Ended Title Where Everyone Can Be Duelled And Killed

Way of the Samurai 3 is a fairly unique game, as is the entire series. The campaign has several paths and varied outcomes, with a whopping total of 22 endings, meaning that players are actively encouraged to replay the game to see what would’ve happened if they opted for a different outcome.

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This open-ended structure allows players to create their own stories and experiences, with no two playthroughs being the same. Players who may be getting tired of the usual approach present in open-world games should definitely give Way of the Samurai 3 a shot!

6 Fallout: New Vegas

Obsidian’s Magnum Opus Allows Players To Do Whatever They Want, Including Killing Everyone

When people talk about the greatest modern RPGs ever made, it’s only a matter of time before Fallout: New Vegas enters the conversation. This game combined the best aspects of both Bethesda’s modern nuances and the classic role-playing present in the earlier isometric titles, making for a one-of-a-kind experience that fans still love to this day.

In many ways, Bethesda should curse the fact that New Vegas exists, since their mainline offerings will always be compared to the incredible title developed by Obsidian Entertainment. For starters, both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 protect every critical NPC from dying, while New Vegas allows the player to kill pretty much every NPC in the game barring Yes Man and children.

7 Divinity: Original Sin 2

Players Can Decimate Entire Cities To Gain Items And Experience If They Wish

Divinity: Original Sin 2 blends intense combat with a massive scope in terms of world-building and quests. Player freedom is certainly promoted heavily in this game, allowing players to engage with the world and its inhabitants in a variety of ways…including killing them outright!

While killing every NPC is not necessarily the intended way to play the game, it is possible, and some players have even created challenge runs to see how they can maximize their experience gain by killing as many people as possible. The only person critical to the plot that can’t be killed is Malady, making Divinity: Original Sin 2‘s insistence on player freedom quite impressive indeed.

8 Kingdom Come: Deliverance

No One Is Save From Henry’s Clumsy Sword Swings

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a valiant effort by Warhorse Studios to develop a historically accurate open-world game as their very first title. While the results are mixed, there’s no denying that the writing and core gameplay loop of Kingdom Come: Deliverance is quite satisfying despite featuring its fair share of problems.

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Players can kill pretty much every NPC in the game, but the game isn’t tailored to account for this in the slightest. As a result, most quest-relevant NPCs are revived when they’re needed in a quest, and most towns regenerate their NPCs even if Henry went on a murderous rampage in said settlement not so long ago.

9 Kenshi

A Sandbox Game That Prioritizes Player Freedom And Lets Them Kill Whoever They Want

Unlike most of the other highlighted games, Kenshi features an open-world sandbox where the player is completely free to do absolutely anything they want with no restrictions whatsoever. Players can be everything from a trader to a hunter in this post-apocalyptic setting that is pretty brutal.

Players can engage with the game world in a variety of ways, including killing off every NPC if they wish. Of course, this is easier said than done, especially with Kenshi‘s combat being pretty unpredictable and causing players to get injured or dismembered in no time at all.

10 Postal 2

Players Can Creatively Murder NPCs With Nothing Standing In Their Way

Postal 2 is one of the most controversial titles, with the game facing a ton of flack upon launch for the brutal and visceral nature of the violence in the game. While the game does take it too far at times, many people would find the action of Postal 2 to be pretty tame compared to what is present in most modern titles nowadays.

The game lets players engage in a variety of violent and outrageous activities, including killing every NPC in the game world. The game’s over-the-top violence and humor have made it a cult classic among fans of the first-person shooter genre, and it’s a shame that the game’s sequel was such a disappointment.

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