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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteNeither order is best for every open-world game. Follow the main quest when it provides story context, unlocks systems or opens areas you want to reach. Explore when you are curious, want to prepare for a challenge or need a change of pace. In games built for flexible progression, switching between the two is often the most practical approach.
How to choose what to do next
Start with what you want from your next play session, then check how the game handles progression. A main quest may teach mechanics or unlock access; exploration may lead to useful equipment, upgrades or alternate routes. Your journal, map and objective descriptions can help reveal whether an activity is optional or tied to a particular unlock.
- Want story momentum? Follow the main quest for a while, particularly if its early missions introduce the world or new mechanics. Pause at natural story beats to explore nearby places.
- Want discovery? Follow your curiosity and treat quest markers as options when the game allows you to return to the main objective without penalty.
- Stuck on a challenge? If progression is flexible, try another route or activity, look for upgrades and come back when you feel ready.
- Worried about missing an ability? Check the game’s quest log or official guidance for the specific unlock. A short stretch of main-quest progress may be worthwhile, but this is not a rule across open-world games.
A useful rhythm is to advance until a new story beat or system appears, explore nearby points of interest while they interest you, and return to the main quest when its story or access requirements matter. Treat this as a flexible approach, not a formula every game is designed to support.
What each approach can offer
| What matters to you | Follow the main quest sooner | Explore sooner |
|---|---|---|
| Story and context | Moves the narrative forward with less interruption. | Leaves more room to discover before the next story beat. |
| Unlocks and access | May reach story-gated systems or areas sooner. | May reveal optional tools or alternate access first. |
| Difficulty | Keeps your attention on the current challenge. | Can offer preparation or a different challenge elsewhere. |
| Direction | Usually gives you a clear objective to pursue. | Lets you set your own agenda, though navigation may be less direct. |
| Pacing | Suits a desire for forward plot movement. | Suits a preference for setting your own goals. |
These are questions to weigh, not guaranteed results. Unlocks, encounter scaling, side content and the cost of leaving an objective vary by game.
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Why the answer depends on the game
Some games make both routes part of the design
Bethesda’s official Skyrim introduction presents pursuing the main quest and wandering away into a catacomb as compatible ways to build your character’s story at your own pace. That is a useful example of a game explicitly inviting players to choose their own balance.
Freedom may still have progression gates
Bandai Namco says players can tackle Elden Ring challenges in their preferred order, but freedom does not mean every route or major area is equally accessible at any time. Progress between major areas can still demand sufficient skill or build proficiency. The same official guidance describes finding upgrades, equipment and consumables elsewhere as ways to address a difficult challenge.
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That distinction matters: a game can let you roam while still asking you to meet particular requirements before you progress. Do not assume that every open-world game lets you leave any objective, return without consequence or access every ability through exploration.
What to do when you hit a wall
If the game permits it, changing activities is a valid pacing choice rather than a failure to make progress. Try an alternate route, look for upgrades or take on lower-pressure side content; then return to the difficult objective when you are ready. Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki said he wanted newcomers to feel unpressured and approach the game at their own pace, and described returning to a challenge later after reaching an impasse.
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“They can come back to something later when they’re at an impasse so that they have this freedom of progression and not have to bang their head against a wall over and over.”
Hidetaka Miyazaki, FromSoftware game director, on Elden Ring
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Use quest tools to keep direction without giving up freedom
If you want room to roam but do not want to lose track of the story, use the navigation features your game provides. Microsoft’s Xbox Accessibility Guideline 117 describes separating main and secondary quests, with examples such as optional waypoints and objective trackers. When available, these tools can help you keep a main objective visible without making it your only activity.
- Keep the quest list or journal available so you can find your way back to a story objective.
- Separate main and side objectives when the interface supports it.
- Use waypoints or trackers selectively if map navigation becomes distracting or confusing.
There is no universal winning order
A qualitative study of player experiences discusses people switching activities to avoid boredom, frustration or an unwanted pace. It does not establish a representative statistic for how many players prefer quest-first or exploration-first play, or show that one order produces better outcomes. The useful takeaway is narrower: adjusting what you do to suit your own pace can help when the game supports that flexibility.
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For a specific game, let its unlocks and progression rules settle the question. For a flexible game, follow the story when you want context or access, and explore when discovery or preparation feels more valuable.
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