Summary
Nothing quite beatsthe freedom to explore a vast open worldin a video game, uncovering its secrets, meeting its people and experiencing everything the land has to offer. The best open world games offer players an immersive experience, making them feel like this virtual place is alive and thriving, with romance really adding to that immersion.
Sadly, not all open-world games make affairs of the heart possible, but anybody hoping to charm an NPC does have a variety of genres and game worlds to choose from. Here are some of the best open-world games where romance is possible, ranked based on the game’s overall quality and popularity, combined with the total number of options available.
A post-apocalyptic wasteland does not seem like the ideal place to search for compatible singletons, but it is possible inFallout 4.The Lone Survivor has a few optionsif they wish to earn the Lover’s Embrace perk, from a more long-lasting relationship forged across the game’s runtime, or a fling confined to one night.
There are eight companions suitable for romance, from ghouls and robots to synths and plain-old humans, each possessing likes and dislikes in terms of the player’s methods to woo them. Maximum affinity with one of these characters leads to deeper relationship options, and they each provide unique Companion Perks and bonus XP during the next day after spending a night together.
Still regarded as one of the greatest video games ever made,Grand Theft Auto: San Andreasfeatures several romance options, which are arguably deeper than any of theGTAgames that have followed it. Denise Robinson and Millie Perkins are two ofCJ’s six potential girlfriends, who are both encountered for the first time during missions and can be subsequently dated.
The other four are met in various locations around San Andreas during free roam, and have different requirements when it comes to Carl’s muscle, fat and sex appeal levels, though this is irrelevant if the player finds all 50 collectible oysters. Reaching a high enough level with each girlfriend gives useful bonuses like weapon boosts or special outfits.
Despite the rocky start,Cyberpunk 2077has managed to build up a healthy fanbase, and one aspect that fans particularly enjoy is romance. Those pursuing a relationship will face limitations in Night City, withthe four romanceable NPCshaving preferences when it comes to V’s body type and voice, but V can date two people simultaneously without consequences.
Each of these characters has missions related to them, as do the four people who can engage with V in romantic encounters. In these cases, there are no limitations to V’s body type, and the same is the case with the affectionately named Joytoys, who provide their services to the player on Jig-Jig Street, at a low cost.
While romance is an option in its predecessor,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2has a lot more content when it comes to acts of an amorous nature. At the beginning of the game, players can already state that Theresa is the girlfriend of the protagonist, Henry, which has multiple implications down the line.
This is the only real long-term romance, with many others being confined to a single quest where players must carry out specific actions and surpass certain skill checks, if they wish to spend the night with a desirable NPC. Of course, there are also the many bathhouses scattered around the Kingdom of Bohemia, where players can ask for the full service and some pleasant company, for a fee.
Debates about which sorceress to romance inThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntstill rage on among fans, even though the game is a decade old at this point. Perhaps the main reason for this is thatGeralt’s love storieswith both Yennefer and Triss are so well-written and executed, spanning most of the game’s lengthy runtime and never growing tiresome.
Whichever witch players choose, or both for the infamous It Takes Three to Tango quest, they are in for a charming and heartwarming experience. Some players even prefer the five other romantic partners Geralt may spend the night with during various quests, especially Shani. Naturally, there are three locations offering a night of pleasure for a modest price.
Players hoping tofind love for Kassandra or AlexiosinAssassin’s Creed Odysseymay be disappointed, since the majority of romantic encounters are short-term trysts. There are 14 such instances of one-night affairs with some of the weird and wonderful folks of Ancient Greece, though not all can be experienced in one playthrough, but Alkibaiades can be visited multiple times.
Those looking for a more long-term relationship will find it in the Legacy of the First Blade DLC, where players are forcibly hitched to either Neema or Natakas. While it was controversial to force Kassandra or Alexios to be paired with the opposite sex, they are still somewhat likable characters and will even produce a child as part of the storyline.
Though spouses inThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimare subject to some mockery for repeating the same lines to players, there can be no complaints about the number of viable options. Within the snowy northern province there are 66 candidates for players to potentially marry, each hoping to keep the Dragonborn warm on those cold nights, giving the Lover’s Comfort effect.
Some of the 36 eligible bachelors and 30 bachelorettes of Skyrim require that the Dragonborn completes a quest for them before they are interested. If players wear an Amulet of Mara, suddenly all of these singletons are interested in settling down in one of the player’s many homes and adopting a child or two.
The firstopen-world gamein the popular life simulation series,The Sims 3boasts theoretically infinite romance options, since the game carries on through the generations. Types of relationships are more varied than in priorSimsgames, but the general mechanic of positive interactions boosting their level of liking one another remains the same.
Charisma and various other traits can have a major impact on how effectively sims are able to charm one another, and certain actions can cause a severe decrease in the relationship level. The many expansions introduce some new mechanics for pursuing crushes, such as casting love spells or mixing a romantic mood drink to get those alluring sims hot under the collar.
