10) Lord of the Rings Shadow of Mordor – 77 Quests
Editor’s note: For this article, a “quest” is defined as a mission listed in a quest log. We are not counting MMORPGs and have only included one entry per franchise.
Furthermore, several games mentioned here feature lengthy objectives that, while they are a significant time investment and do represent tasks that often comprise traditional quests, are not recorded in this fashion and are therefore not included. For example, not all 120 shrines in Breath of the Wild count as quests, but the 42 “shrine quests” noted in the adventure log certainly do.
Quest lists have been pulled from various guides, walkthroughs and wikis, loaded into excel and counted.
Upon its release, Shadow of Mordor was lauded by critics for its Nemesis combat system (known in-game as Sauron’s Army), which randomly generates unique enemies. A refreshingly innovative mechanic, indeed; each playthrough articulates the game with a completely different set of notorious bad guys.
Of course, branching narrative through dialogue choice, hidden quests, and unlockable characters have long been a mainstay feature of role-playing games. In the world of Shadow of Mordor, however, it is combat that determines and punctuates the ebb and flow of proceedings, offering a terrific (and compelling) amount of replayability. So, while the game’s (relatively) modest 77 quests might initially surprise, it’s worth remembering the lion’s share of playtime is spent marauding unique enemy commanders.
20 main story quests, 24 rescue missions and 33 weapon challenges comprise Shadow of Mordor’s total.
9) Horizon Zero Dawn – 93 Quests
Horizon Zero Dawn is one title that has absolutely lived up to its hype. From its initial E3 tease back in 2015 to its eventual critical acclaim and subsequent superlative commercial success, the game has delivered on all fronts.
One of the most impressive aspects of its dynamic is the manner with which Horizon Zero Dawn strikes a happy medium between action and role playing. On the one hand, it feels every bit a balls to the wall action game, complete with thrilling set pieces and a wonderfully engaging science fiction narrative. Yet there’s also impressive depth to this open world game that gives it a density to rival large-scale role playing games.
There is definitely plenty of meat across Horizon’s story and open world activities to keep you amused. The game racks up a respectable 93 quests, counting all logged achievements. Notably, Horizon records all achievements except collectibles as “quests.” Therefore, this figure includes corrupted zones, Tallnecks, Bandit camps, Cauldrons, and the 22 weapon tutorials.
8) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 133 Quests
Whether Zelda games count as RPGs is a debate as old as the hills, but stat bonuses for cooking and survival aspects certainly mean Breath of the Wild leans more heavily in that direction. Regardless of what side of the fence you fall on, what isn’t in dispute is the game’s gargantuan size. We’ve already reviewed the impressive scale of the map, but the sheer volume of quests and activities that comprise Hyrule is also notable.
There are 133 quests that can be undertaken by Link on his heroic, one-man adventure to rid Hyrule of that pesky nuisance, Calamity Ganon. Of these, 15 are main storyline quests, 76 are side quests issued by NPCs along the way, and 42 shrine quests to uncover buried or hidden shrines.
Yet this number doesn’t really tell the whole story of just how much content is packed into Breath of the Wild. There are 120 shrines featuring either puzzle or combat challenges to overcome. There are also 15 Sheikah Towers to be scaled, often requiring deft platforming or mini-puzzles to successfully climb. If that wasn’t enough, one of the game’s side quests has players searching for over 900 Korok seeds… 900!
7) Mass Effect Andromeda – 213 Quests
Mass Effect Andromeda’s scale was likely the source of great anticipation for many fans, given that the game represents the first current generation offering in the series. Its grandiose scope hasn’t disappointed, with a whopping 213 quests able to be undertaken. In terms of sheer volume, it beats out Mass Effect 3 by quite a margin, the former title weighing in at just 70 main and secondary quests (not including DLC).
Andromeda’s Heleus Assignments – planet specific quests that improve viability and relations with indigenous factions – add weight, but the optional “tasks” contribute the most significant volume to the game’s total. These tasks aren’t necessarily notable undertakings, with the time for completion ranging from a few seconds to several minutes.
6) Fallout 4 (including all DLC) – 268 Quests
Open world Bethesda games have forged a reputation for their massive volume of quests. In addition to the great writing that defines many of the developer’s best games, however, Bethesda games are also marred by a legacy of mundane fetch and combat quests.
Fallout 4, the latest title in the Fallout series boasts both ends of the spectrum. It is a far bigger game than the previous main numbered Fallout game, with the third title made up of around 90 main and side quests. Even New Vegas, a standalone expansion of epic proportions, complete with its own set of DLC, measures less at 254.
Of course, given the game isn’t available with all DLC in one package, we’re cheating a little here. But it surely isn’t too long until the inevitable definitive edition of Fallout 4 lands on stores shelves, right?
5) Final Fantasy XV – 291 Quests
The notion of an open world Final Fantasy – one in development for a decade, no less – had fans of the series drooling in expectation. Leather attire, windswept hair, and one terrible British accent aside, Final Fantasy XV wowed gamers with its expanse and density.
Gameplay demonstrations in the build up to Final Fantasy XV’s release showcased epic battles with beasts of ginormous proportions and a massive landscape packed full of distractions. And on this promise, the game delivered, with the magnitude of Square Enix’s long-awaited RPG exceeding expectations. Right from the off, there is a stack of side quests to knock off, meaning that players can easily rack up tens of hours before delving into any substantial story.
There are 41 story driven quests and around 120 side quests. The rest of the logged quests are comprised of Bounty Hunts — combat quests that task players with eliminating beats in return for Gil and items, inflating the 291 total. It should also be noted that many of XV’s side quests are menial tasks such as photo opportunities and fishing missions, which often take very little time to complete.
4) Skyrim (including all DLC) – 330 Quests
Before The Witcher 3 overtook Bethesda as the king of the fantasy RPG, Skyrim reigned supreme as the ultimate open world epic. Reviewing its somewhat surprisingly small map size by comparison to other open world games, Skyrim’s mammoth quest number suddenly makes us realize why it felt like such a vast area. This is one super dense game.
One can spend hundreds of hours traversing Skyrim, going anywhere they choose in any order they see fit, even entirely ignoring the game’s main story arc if they choose. In typical Bethesda fashion, players have complete control over the customization and attributes of their character build, and character progression takes a more center stage in comparison to The Witcher 3.
Reviewing the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Page for their quest wiki guide, we’ve removed duplicate miscellaneous quest listings and cross-referenced with other sources to verify a total figure of 406. However, 76 of these are looping radiant quests that do not contribute to completion percentage or trophy achievements, some of which do not record on the quest list, and have therefore been removed.
3) Dragon Age: Inquisition (including all DLC) – 363 Quests
When it comes to games that brim with all the role playing features we take for granted, BioWare knows a thing or two. With Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and the Dragon Age series, the developer gave birth to a now familiar template, boasting a substantial track record of mind-bogglingly huge gaming experiences. Dragon Age: Inquisition is right up there with their best work, winning multiple GOTY awards back in 2014.
Expect an average playtime of around 80-100 hours if you want to achieve the majority of the content on offer in this fantasy epic. 363 total quests including all rifts and requisitions across the major locations within the game. Sure, Inquisition rinses and repeats lots of mission types, but with such accomplished combat, who was really complaining?
2) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt GOTY Edition – 405 Quests
The Witcher 3’s epic scale has been well documented and much talked about since its release to critical acclaim in 2015. CD Projekt Red’s masterpiece is the golden child of the gaming industry; a near unanimously adored fantasy RPG from a developer that has earned a reputation for quality and quantity alike.
Indeed, you simply won’t play another game with such a consistent level of quality across its entirety. From epic main story missions to even the most basic of Witcher contracts or treasure hunts, Wild Hunt exudes a polish that makes other games seem half-baked by comparison.
There are truly intricate details and clever story writing in almost every facet of the game, an especially impressive attribute considering that the game logs 405 total quests. These do include Gwent and horses races, but bear in mind the scores of question marks, hidden treasures, and dungeons that comprise even more activities not counted.
1) Xenoblade Chronicles – 480 quests
Just as surprised as we were to discover the magnitude of Xenoblade Chronicles X’s open world, the incredible volume of quests in the preceding title is a stunning revelation. Nintendo’s Wii and Wii U console’s might have been handicapped for power versus their rivals, but that hasn’t seemed to impact developer Monolith Soft’s ability to create games with breathtaking scale.
Xenoblade’s quests vary from delivering letters in fetch quests to numerous monster encounters across both the Bionis and Mechonis locations. Indeed, in typically grind-heavy JRPG fashion, combat missions/challenges do comprise a significant portion of quests.
Regardless of the fact that Xenoblade Chronicles might not feature the freedom of open world as in Skyrim or the narrative finesse of The Witcher 3, but purely with respect to the number of objectives, it is a tour de force of the games industry.
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