20 Games With Side Activities Better Than The Main Quest

Some games hide their best moments off the beaten path, where side activities turn a quick detour into the main attraction. From in-world sports and board games to deep faction questlines and collectibles with clever payoffs, these extras can easily steal the spotlight. The entries below highlight side content that offers clear systems, goals, and rewards players can chase for hours. If you love wandering off and finding something richer than the core story, this list is for you.

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt

Gwent turns the world into a traveling card tournament with deck building, unique leader abilities, and quest chains to earn rare cards. Witcher contracts add investigation steps like tracking footprints and brewing oils before tough monster fights. Treasure hunts reveal diagrams for full witcher gear sets with upgrade tiers and clear stat milestones. The map also scatters question marks that lead to smugglers caches and guarded treasures that feed gold and crafting supplies.

Yakuza 0

Real Estate Royale and Cabaret Club Czar build full management sims with staff hiring, training, district control, and profit cycles. Substories pop up across Kamurocho and Sotenbori with self-contained plots that unlock skills, items, and allies. Arcades, karaoke, darts, bowling, and batting cages offer score chasing with gear rewards and unique completion lists. Pocket Circuit racing lets you tune miniature cars with parts and track strategies for league wins.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Hunting and fishing feature habitat tracking, lure selection, and perfect pelt quality that feeds crafting at the trapper. Stranger missions deliver multi-step stories that unfold over chapters and reward unique gear. Camp upgrades use donated provisions to unlock fast travel and item buffs for the whole gang. Challenge sets track sharpshooting, herbalism, and survival feats with belt buckles and stat boosts.

The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim

Guild questlines for thieves, assassins, and mages each offer distinct mechanics and gear sets with their own progression arcs. Blacksmithing, enchanting, and alchemy can be power leveled through crafted loops that reshape builds. Daedric artifact hunts send you to puzzle dungeons and moral choices with powerful item rewards. Player housing and homesteads give storage, display rooms, and utility stations to streamline adventuring.

The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

Shrines form bite-sized physics and combat puzzles that grant spirit orbs for permanent growth. Korok seeds encourage exploration tricks like rock circles and time trials to expand inventory space. Cooking uses ingredient combos for timed buffs like heat resistance and attack boosts. Horse taming, stables, and gear let you register mounts and customize travel across the map.

Grand Theft Auto V

Strangers and Freaks chains deliver character-specific missions that unlock new toys and routes. Stunt jumps, low-flying checks, and under-the-bridge runs turn traversal into score attacks with completion rewards. Property management adds passive income and periodic side jobs tied to each business. Stock market timing around in-game events lets you fund big purchases through careful trades.

Ghost of Tsushima

Fox dens, shrines, and bamboo strikes provide skill points, charm slots, and stance bonuses. Hot springs permanently raise health and capture quiet character moments between battles. Mythic tales unlock named techniques and legendary gear through multistep hunts. Haiku spots and pillar cosmetics let you customize armor visuals and headbands with collectible variety.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

World events replace traditional quests with short scenes that wrap quickly and give materials or skill points. Raids supply raw materials for settlement buildings that unlock merchants and mini activities. Orlog teaches a dice board game with collectible god favors and local champions to beat. Flyting battles test rhythm and word choice for charisma boosts that unlock dialogue options.

Cyberpunk 2077

Gigs from fixers cover stealth, hacking, and combat jobs that award eddies, mods, and street cred. NCPD scanner hustles clear out crimes for quick cash and crafting components. Cyberpsycho hunts build a recurring investigation with nonlethal and lethal outcomes tracked by a quest chain. Vehicle buying and hidden rides add a collection goal with handling differences and unique interiors.

Fallout New Vegas

Faction quests let you shape regional power through reputation checks and mutually exclusive outcomes. Companion quests unlock personal perks and endings by completing their requested tasks. Casinos offer table games with comp tiers that hand out rooms and items as you win. The crafting bench and reloading press turn scavenged parts into ammo types and utility chems.

Final Fantasy X

Blitzball functions as a full sports league with team scouting, player contracts, and technique learning. The monster arena asks you to capture species across zones to unlock custom superbosses and loot. Celestial weapons require sigils and crests from mini challenges that enhance ultimate gear. Al Bhed primers reward thorough exploration with language comprehension and dialogue changes.

Persona 5 Royal

Confidant ranks grant battle skills, fusion bonuses, and perks like shop discounts and extra actions. Part-time jobs, studying, and working out raise social stats that gate event options and romance routes. Mini activities like batting, fishing, and retro games feed specific rewards and item unlocks. Palace infiltration tools and crafting loops expand stealth options and ambush setups.

Dragon Quest XI Echoes of an Elusive Age

The Fun-Size Forge lets you craft and perfect gear with a timing minigame that boosts stats. Casinos offer slots, roulette, and token prizes including exclusive weapons and outfits. Crossbow targets and quest boards deliver exploration challenges across regions with item rewards. Pep power quests encourage party setups to trigger special moves for progress.

Nier Automata

Side quests reveal weapon stories that unlock extra lore entries as you upgrade gear. Fishing offers quick cash and unique catches across biomes with a simple timing loop. Emil’s shop quests tie into hidden boss encounters and rare items. Hacking minigames appear in side jobs to open shortcuts and gather upgrade materials.

Horizon Forbidden West

Salvage contracts request specific machine parts and teach targeted component farming. Rebel camps and outposts reward weapon coils and open safe fast travel routes. Hunting grounds set timed trials that push build experimentation for medal tiers. Machine Strike adds a tactical board game with collectible pieces and escalating opponents.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human

Parkour challenges track route mastery with medals that grant parkour point payouts. Windmills and facilities flip districts to friendly control and unlock safe zones and vendors. GRE anomalies and dark hollows create nighttime risk runs for inhibitors and crafting loot. Crafting loops turn foraged honey, resin, and scrap into medkits, arrows, and mods.

Elden Ring

Catacombs, caves, and tunnels offer compact dungeons with ashes, smithing stones, and boss remembrances. Evergaols and field bosses populate the map with repeatable challenge spots and unique drops. NPC questlines weave through regions and lead to weapons, spells, and alternate endings. Spirit ashes collecting and upgrading open new build paths for tough encounters.

Saints Row The Third

Insurance Fraud pays out for physics-driven stunts while teaching traversal and traffic patterns. Professor Genki game show stages mix traps and target types for cash and respect. Mayhem and Tank Mayhem set destruction quotas with time pressure and route planning. Property purchase and stronghold upgrades unlock crew support and vehicle spawns across the city.

Monster Hunter World

Investigations provide limited-ticket hunts with bonus reward tables and targeted monster parts. Botanical research and the argosy create passive material income to fuel crafting. Arena quests set fixed loadouts for score chasing and decoration farming. Bounties and delivery requests tie gathering routes to armor spheres and canteen upgrades.

Far Cry 5

Outposts and alarms encourage stealth clears for full rewards and fast travel nodes. Prepper stashes combine platforming and environmental puzzles with cash and magazines. Hunting and fishing yield sellable goods and perk points through challenges. Far Cry Arcade adds community maps for solo or co-op runs with unique loadouts and leaderboards.

Share your favorite side activity that stole your playtime in the comments and tell us what made it so addictive.