Best 2025 Video Games for map and navigation design

#1 Absolum
5.0

Map and navigation design was praised for making routes and playthroughs feel meaningfully different.

Pros: mission design, world interactivity

Cons: quest design, endgame content

#2 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
5.0

Map and navigation design gets strong praise from the Route Simulator and more convenient route planning.

Pros: animation quality, facial animations

Cons: quest design, AI behavior

#3 Donkey Kong Bananza
4.8

Map and navigation design was praised for objective guidance, clear 3D mapping, and helping players avoid getting lost.

Pros: gameplay mechanics, world interactivity

Cons: economy and resource balance, enemy variety

#4 Ghost of Yōtei
4.8

Navigation is strongly praised for wind guidance, readable maps, organic discovery, spyglass/map ideas, and low UI clutter.

Pros: movement feel, environmental detail

Cons: puzzle design, age appropriateness

#5 Silent Hill f
4.8

Map and navigation design was praised where reviewers highlighted strong map layout and clear side-area structure.

Pros: voice acting, emotional impact

Cons: family friendliness, menu usability

#7 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
4.6

Maps were praised for medieval flair and exquisite town art, supporting the game’s historical presentation.

Pros: soundtrack quality, fun factor

Cons: checkpoint system, family friendliness

#8 Digimon Story Time Stranger
4.5

Navigation drew praise in one review for clearly structured areas, appropriate fast travel, and easy map overlay access.

Pros: atmosphere, world-building

Cons: HUD clarity, fast travel convenience

#9 The Alters
4.3

Map and navigation design was praised for clever fast travel and tense maze-like routing that reduced backtracking.

Pros: controls responsiveness, onboarding experience

Cons: crash stability, grind level

#10 Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
4.3

Map and navigation design was mostly praised for reducing friction, though one reviewer disliked markers spoiling riddle-style quests.

Pros: protagonist appeal, art direction

Cons: camera behavior, tutorial quality

#11 Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake
4.2

Navigation tools were praised for streamlining play, though objective markers could make some classic item hunts feel too rudimentary.

Pros: visual effects quality, environmental detail

Cons: AI behavior, level design

#12 Kirby Air Riders
4.2

City Trial's map was praised for rewarding learning and shifting play, though one reviewer called the city bland after repeats.

Pros: flying mechanics, exploration quality

Cons: AI behavior, boss design

#13 Hollow Knight: Silksong
4.1

Map and navigation design is mixed: several reviews praise map structure and direction, but others dislike incomplete map support and 100% cleanup.

Pros: core gameplay loop, world interactivity

Cons: loot system, accessibility options

#14 Arc Raiders
4.1

Maps were praised for flow, markings, extraction pressure, and strategic navigation, with routes and timers reinforcing tension.

Pros: frame rate stability, platform-specific feature support

Cons: voice acting, writing quality

#15 Assassin's Creed Shadows
4.1

Map and navigation design earns praise for objectives, clues, scouting, and reduced handholding, but one reviewer found the vague search approach unreliable.

Pros: environmental detail, cross-save support

Cons: writing quality, enemy variety

#16 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
4.0

Navigation was approachable and sometimes praised, but aggressive guidance and logbook tracking issues split opinion.

Pros: world-building, frame rate stability

Cons: companion AI, upgrade system

#18 The First Berserker: Khazan
4.0

Map and navigation design is praised for clear mission information and segmentation.

Pros: core gameplay loop, controls responsiveness

Cons: mission design, learning curve

#19 Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
3.8

Map and navigation design is mixed: reviewers like map clarity and fast travel, but some cite confusing secret tracking or unclear pits.

Pros: graphics quality, environmental detail

Cons: bug frequency, dialogue quality

#20 Hades II
3.8

Navigation/pathing is mildly criticized by one reviewer who wanted more agency and route variety.

Pros: skill tree depth, dialogue quality

Cons: emotional impact, economy and resource balance

#21 Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
3.5

Map and navigation design gets mild praise for a stylish map-screen approach, even though exploration remains limited.

Pros: emotional impact, animation quality

Cons: enemy variety, server reliability

#22 Monster Hunter Wilds
3.4

Map and navigation design was mixed, with praise for the new map system offset by clutter, confusion, and navigation friction.

Pros: art direction, cross-play support

Cons: dialogue quality, monetization fairness

#23 Atomfall
3.2

Map and navigation design was divisive: organic clue-based navigation impressed some, but vague objectives and missing area maps frustrated others.

Pros: art direction, frame rate stability

Cons: boss design, camera behavior

#24 Cronos: The New Dawn
3.1

Navigation was mixed: one reviewer found the lack of a map confounding, while another rarely got lost.

Pros: core gameplay loop, emotional impact

Cons: checkpoint system, bug frequency

#25 Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
3.1

Map and navigation design has mixed evidence: compass guidance helps modern players, while missed tools and visibility issues caused frustration.

Pros: world interactivity, sandbox freedom

Cons: crash stability, learning curve

#26 Elden Ring Nightreign
3.1

Map and navigation design was mixed, with praise for purposeful terrain but complaints about clutter, landing control, and route clarity.

Pros: emotional impact, visual effects quality

Cons: crash stability, cross-play support

#27 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
3.1

Map and navigation design was mixed, with useful territory/progression structure offset by cluttered or cheap-feeling interfaces.

Pros: animation quality, multiplayer design

Cons: save system reliability, companion AI

#28 Battlefield 6
3.0

map and navigation design was highly divisive, with praise for some maps but repeated concern over small maps, limited variety, and uneven layouts.

Pros: haptic feedback integration, performance optimization

Cons: pacing, microtransaction impact

#29 Avowed
3.0

Map and navigation design was mixed, with missing custom markers criticized before later updates added them.

Pros: tutorial quality, level design

Cons: stealth mechanics, endgame content

#30 Lego Voyagers
2.8

Navigation was mixed because some reviewers liked organic discovery, while others found objectives or next steps unclear.

Pros: writing quality, checkpoint system

Cons: menu usability, user interface design

#31 The Outer Worlds 2
2.8

Navigation drew criticism for unclear markers, map cursor issues, and unintuitive routes.

Pros: world-building, mission design

Cons: mission variety, enemy variety

#32 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2.7

Navigation was the clearest recurring complaint, with reviewers repeatedly wanting more maps, minimaps, or clearer tracking.

Pros: monetization fairness, microtransaction impact

Cons: platforming precision, menu usability

#33 Borderlands 4
2.5

Map and navigation design is mixed-to-negative, with pathing failures, rough navigation, missing minimap complaints, and clunky map controls.

Pros: sandbox freedom, art direction

Cons: polish, save system reliability

#34 Civilization VII
2.4

Map and navigation design drew criticism for limited options and weak generation, but later updates and some reviews praised improved maps or map control.

Pros: animation quality, controls responsiveness

Cons: matchmaking quality, user interface design

#35 South of Midnight
2.4

Map and navigation design drew criticism from a reviewer who got turned around in similar-looking swamp areas.

Pros: atmosphere, voice acting

Cons: world interactivity, camera behavior

#36 Doom: The Dark Ages
2.4

Map and navigation design drew complaints about navigation difficulty, excessive map checking, or secrets already revealed on the map.

Pros: environmental detail, polish

Cons: camera behavior, value for money

#37 Pokémon Legends: Z-A
2.4

Map and navigation design drew criticism when map zoom or Pokédex location guidance made places and Pokémon harder to find.

Pros: crash stability, gameplay mechanics

Cons: AI behavior, monetization fairness

#38 Little Nightmares III
2.3

Map and navigation design leaned negative, with reviewers citing unclear paths, poor visibility, and missed exits.

Pros: load times, haptic feedback integration

Cons: save system reliability, aiming precision

#39 Marathon
2.2

Objectives are not always well signposted, and several maps can become hard to navigate under pressure. The problem ranges from tiny markers to layouts that make players lose time simply...

Pros: world interactivity, voice acting

Cons: menu usability, HUD clarity

#40 Mario Kart World Review
2.0

Map and navigation design was a repeated concern, with weak tracking, unhelpful maps, and poor collectible visibility called out across reviews.

Pros: animation quality, sound design

Cons: difficulty balance, AI behavior