Summary
Open-world games often implement some way of traveling beyond simply walking or running, especially when it comes to huge maps where getting from A to B can seem daunting and potentially even boring. As such, vehicles and animals have become equally popular ways to traverse the landscape, with some unique and iconic mounts being born in the process.
While some open-world games allow the player to fly via equipment or skill, like Batman’s cape in theArkhamseries or the flying suit inAnthem,others take a different approach. This list includes thebest open-world games with flying mountsthat players can tame, summon, ride, and fight alongside.
This list does not include flying vehicles, MMOs, or games where mods are required to obtain the mounts.
There is no denying thatARK: Survival Evolvedhas had its fair share of problems, with its remasterSurvival Ascendedgetting even more slack in its early access stage. However, it hasremained a solid favorite to manyfor its unique concept and mechanics, offering addictive gameplay.
ARK: Survival Evolvedpits players against dangerous wildlife, environments, and other players. Alongside the typical survival features — crafting, resource management, base-building — players can tamedinosaurs and mythical creaturessuch as Wyvernsand train them to gather materials and fight, as well asuse them as mounts.
It may be surprising to hear that the firstPokemongames were not initially a big success, but the slow and difficult start to the franchise has long since been forgotten. As well as branching into different media, the games have also developed, finally embracing the open-world genre.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetare the first mainlinePokemontitles to do so, allowing players to explore in a new way and find new Pokemon. Naturally, new ways to travel were also introduced;the Dragon-typeKoraidon(Scarlet) andMiraidon(Violet)can be ridden on land, in water, and in the airas a diverse way to explore every corner of the map.
Palworldhas become somewhat notorious for its blatant similarities to thePokemongames — namely the “Pal” designs and collecting mechanics — but it would be unfair to completely strip it of merit. At its core,Palworldis a survival game with crafting, base-building, and hunger management, drawing inspiration from other titles likeARK.
The Pal taming system is one of the main appeals of the game, with the variety ofcaptured creatures being available for combat and as mounts— with someamazing flying Pals available to cruise through the skies. Complete with gunplay and the option to go multiplayer,Palworldis a fun indie title to play with friends.
Compared to Ubisoft’s huge titles likeAssassin’s CreedandFar Cry,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorais much less talked about, but there’s no denying thatit is a beautiful game. As a Na’vi, the player must confront the RDA as they invade Pandora, while grappling with their conflicted identity.
Because of how lush and stunning the environments are, exploration is a major draw of the game. Fortunately, players are able to ride anikran(also known as a banshee) to soar across the expansive landscape. Once the ikran has been made available after the “Take Flight” quest, players can also unlock skills that improve the mount’s abilities.
Despite being disappointingly lackluster on its initial release, the space survival gameNo Man’s Skyhas since improved dramatically, transforming the bare-bones content into a much more fleshed-out game with over 37 major updates having released since launch. Updates expanding on base-building, combat, and quests have made it a lot more enjoyable.
One of the mechanics that was added in v3.20 was the ability totame pets and ride them. Like the rest of the planets, the animals are procedurally generated, so there is no knowing what weird alien creatures players will come across. Mounts' usefulness is variable, but they aresilly and fun to ridenonetheless.
As a sandbox game,Terrariathrows players straight into a random 2D world with no direction, leaving them to experiment and explore as much or as little as they like. There is plenty to discover, from diverse biomes to strange enemies to special items, but it also allows simplistic base-building for players who don’t feel like going on a dangerous adventure.
To make exploring a bit more interesting, players can summon a variety of unique mounts, provided they have the relevant item. Pre-Hardmode, players canride the giant Bee, whileflying mounts like Pigron and Rudolphare accessible in Hardmode.
Over a decade after the game’s initial release, gamers are still returning toSkyrim, whether it’s for the immersive fantasy world, the role-playing potential, or the numerous possible builds. Following the main questlines, exploring the wilderness, and living life as a merchant are all equally fun, but underscoring it all is the epic knowledge that the player is imbued with the blood of a dragon.
As part of theDragonbornDLC (which is included in theSpecial Edition), players have theability to ride a dragonby learning the “Bend Will” shout. While they can’t be controlled manually, players can fast-travel while mounted, and giving a dragon commands will direct it where to go. Ultimately, riding a dragon in full dragon-bone armor is very cool.
When it comes to fantasy, Tolkien is undoubtedly one of the most legendary figures, leaving behind a huge legacy and one of the biggest testaments to world-building ever.Middle-earth: Shadow of Warpays homage to both Tokien’s works and Peter Jackson’s interpretations in an open-world action game that is just as epic.
Between slaying orcs and embarking on a quest to defeat Sauron, players haveplenty of opportunities to roam Middle-earth, encountering beasts along the way. Fellbeast-likeDrakes can be broken to ride. With the “Dragon Song” skill, the player can summon a Drake to fly and breathe fire on anyone who dares stand in their way.
TheHarry Potterfranchise is one of the most popular, with the book series being one of the best-selling series of all time.Hogwarts Legacyis another entry into the roster of licensed games, taking place at the iconic school of magic in the 1890s amid Ranrok’s goblin rebellion.
Beyond the exciting plot about a student grappling with an ability to wield ancient magic, there are plenty of RPG elements to make the most of, like character customization and progression. Throughout the main questline, players will unlock mounts; theThestral and the Hippogryffare two mythical beasts that players will havefun gliding around Hogwartson.
TheHorizongames are most memorable for their intriguing worlds and concepts,Forbidden Westbeing no exception. On the one hand, there isa beautiful post-apocalyptic worldwhere resources are scarce, and the people left are living similar to early humans. On the other hand, there is ancient technology, AI gods, mechanical dinosaurs, and a deadly plague threatening to end what remains of humanity.
Forbidden Westbuilt onZero Dawn’s “override” mechanic, adding more machines able to be ridden after taming. TheSunwing is a flying machinenot dissimilar to a Pterosaur, which is accessible after completing “Cauldron GEMINI” during the fourteenth main quest, “Gemini.” The Sunwing is not as fortified as some of the other machines, but it’s much faster and has the unique perk of dropping players into hard-to-reach locations.
