Best 2025 Video Games for quest design

#1 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
4.7

Optional quests received praise for classic-RPG flavor and meaningful rewards.

Pros: monetization fairness, microtransaction impact

Cons: platforming precision, menu usability

#2 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
4.6

Quest design was one of the strongest points, with reviewers praising memorable side stories, branching approaches, and strong writing, despite a few disappointing payoffs.

Pros: soundtrack quality, fun factor

Cons: checkpoint system, family friendliness

#3 Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
4.5

Quest design was generally praised for attaching story, character moments, and worldbuilding to side activities instead of leaving them as empty errands.

Pros: protagonist appeal, art direction

Cons: camera behavior, tutorial quality

#4 Donkey Kong Bananza
4.5

Quest design was praised where side quests kept layers busy and consistently rewarded players.

Pros: gameplay mechanics, world interactivity

Cons: economy and resource balance, enemy variety

#5 Split Fiction
4.5

Side-story quests were considered worthwhile and rewarding to find.

Pros: puzzle design, level design

Cons: exploration quality, side character depth

#6 Ghost of Yōtei
4.5

Quest design is a major strength in many reviews thanks to memorable tales, bounties, organic side stories, and worthwhile rewards, though Eurogamer sharply dislikes the formulaic sidequests.

Pros: movement feel, environmental detail

Cons: puzzle design, age appropriateness

#7 Borderlands 4
4.3

Quest design trends positive, especially side quests, though one review’s praise contrasts with broader concerns about main-story pacing.

Pros: sandbox freedom, art direction

Cons: polish, save system reliability

#9 Atomfall
4.0

The leads and quest structure were a standout for many reviewers because it encouraged investigation and choice, though others found some objectives basic or unclear.

Pros: art direction, frame rate stability

Cons: boss design, camera behavior

#10 Elden Ring Nightreign
4.0

Quest design received praise for Remembrance objectives that gave runs extra goals and meaningful character rewards.

Pros: emotional impact, visual effects quality

Cons: crash stability, cross-play support

#11 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
3.9

Quest design was mixed, with useful rewards and side stories offset by repetitive or hollow side objectives.

Pros: animation quality, multiplayer design

Cons: save system reliability, companion AI

#12 The Outer Worlds 2
3.9

Quest design was split: several reviewers loved the branching checks and side content, while others saw busywork or inconsequential side quests.

Pros: world-building, mission design

Cons: mission variety, enemy variety

#13 Avowed
3.7

Quest design ranged from excellent side stories and meaningful follow-ups to fetchy, inconsistent, or repetitive tasks.

Pros: tutorial quality, level design

Cons: stealth mechanics, endgame content

#14 Assassin's Creed Shadows
3.5

Quest design is divisive, with praise for investigative discovery but criticism that the broader structure can become a bounty-board routine.

Pros: environmental detail, cross-save support

Cons: writing quality, enemy variety

#15 Pokémon Legends: Z-A
3.4

Quest design was mixed: many reviewers liked silly or worthwhile side quests, while others found battle and fetch quests basic or uneven.

Pros: crash stability, gameplay mechanics

Cons: AI behavior, monetization fairness

#16 Hollow Knight: Silksong
3.1

Quest design is split: some reviewers like wishes and missions as structure, while others criticize boring or grindy fetch quests.

Pros: core gameplay loop, world interactivity

Cons: loot system, accessibility options

#17 Arc Raiders
3.1

Quest design was mixed: some quests guide players well, while others were vague, uneven, or narratively unexciting.

Pros: frame rate stability, platform-specific feature support

Cons: voice acting, writing quality

#18 Digimon Story Time Stranger
2.9

Quest design split reviewers, with optionality and occasional stronger quests helping, but many side quests were still described as routine or unexciting.

Pros: atmosphere, world-building

Cons: HUD clarity, fast travel convenience

#19 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
2.8

Fetch-style questing remains a pain point for one reviewer, who found ferrying boxes back and forth exhausting.

Pros: animation quality, facial animations

Cons: quest design, AI behavior

#20 Monster Hunter Wilds
2.7

Quest design was mixed to negative, with story quests and high-rank goals criticized despite on-the-fly questing being praised elsewhere.

Pros: art direction, cross-play support

Cons: dialogue quality, monetization fairness

#21 Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
2.5

Questing is mixed: reviewers like the low-pressure structure, but criticize busywork and quantity-over-quality objectives.

Pros: load times, crash stability

Cons: originality, voice acting

#22 Absolum
2.0

Quest design was divisive, with some side-quest gating and RNG requirements described as tedious.

Pros: mission design, world interactivity

Cons: quest design, endgame content