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There is no ideal ratio of main missions to side quests. Follow the main story when its context or urgency matters; choose optional quests for characters, places, or gameplay you care about; and pause to resume the main mission when side content starts to blur your reason for being there. Before postponing anything that sounds urgent, check whether the game gives evidence of a real deadline.
How should you choose between the main quest and a side quest?
Use six questions to make the choice, rather than treating every map marker as a task you must clear:
- Is there explicit urgency? Check the objective text, dialogue, and quest status for a stated deadline or warning. A dramatic premise by itself does not prove that a quest expires.
- Does it connect to the current story? A side quest tied to a character, location, or conflict you have just encountered may add useful context. If it feels unrelated and you want to know what happens next, continue the main mission.
- Are you interested in the people or place? Character and setting interest are good reasons to take an optional detour, even when it does not advance the central plot.
- Is it a contained activity or the start of a long arc? A short, self-contained quest may fit between story beats. A larger chain may be better saved for when you want to spend time away from the main plot.
- Does the route make sense? A nearby quest can be a convenient stop. Treat proximity as a tie-breaker, not an obligation to collect every marker.
- Would a change of pace help? Optional activities can offer different gameplay or a breather from the central conflict. If you are eager to continue the story, you do not need to finish them first.
These are practical decision points, not a universal scoring system. Each game arranges its quests differently.
Should you do side quests before the main quest?
Sometimes. Do a side quest first when it develops a character or region you care about, connects to the current conflict, or offers a change of pace you want. Continue the main story when it has introduced an important character or revelation, changed the situation your protagonist is responding to, or clearly signals immediate danger.
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- 192-page full color hardcover packed with tools and guidance to help gamemasters run immersive campaigns.
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Optional content can deepen the main experience, but it can also become a backlog that distracts from the protagonist’s motivation. Pick one or a few quests that genuinely interest you, then reassess instead of clearing the whole map by default.
Will you miss side quests if you continue the main story?
That depends on the specific game. Some games allow story content to be encountered in widely varying orders; others are more curated. The sources available here do not establish a general rule about whether side quests expire, alter later scenes, or are required for progression. Check the game’s own warnings, dialogue, quest-status changes, and official guidance before deciding that a particular quest is safe to postpone.
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- Explore the grim and thrilling World of Legend with this 192-page full-color hardback RPG book for Warhammer: the Old World, ideal for players and collectors alike.
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Do not infer a deadline from urgent-sounding writing alone. If missing a quest would matter to you, verify its consequences in that game rather than relying on a general rule about RPGs.
How do you keep track of the story when you switch quests?
Before you leave a main mission, make a short continuity note. Record the active objective, where you paused, the characters involved, and why the current event mattered to the protagonist. When you return, read the note alongside the game’s quest log or journal. This is a simple player habit, not a claim that every game saves quest state or summaries in the same way.
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- ENTER THE WORLD OF SKYRIM: Experience the legendary open-world RPG as a tabletop adventure, exploring Tamriel through branching quests, iconic factions, and rich Elder Scrolls lore.
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Leaving and returning is a normal pattern in open-world play, and developers have described designing quests to accommodate it. David Ford, lead quest designer on Horizon Zero Dawn, said quests had to respond to players “just walking away at a certain point, or leaving to come back” in a 2017 PlayStation.Blog interview. That design aim does not guarantee that every game provides the same continuity tools, so a brief note can still help.
Why do quest orders differ between games?
Quest structure is a design choice, not a formula players can apply across every RPG. In a 2020 Ubisoft interview, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla narrative director Darby McDevitt explained that the game used longer territory arcs alongside shorter World Events, rather than relying on the conventional side-quest log. He described a “push and pull” between those forms as a pacing choice. His interview estimated almost two dozen territory quests at two to three hours each, and contrasted them with roughly 100 or more shorter side quests in Origins and Odyssey, which he characterized as taking 10 or 20 minutes. Those are developer-reported figures for those games, not a recommended ratio for players or other RPGs.
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Different structures support different kinds of freedom. Ricardo Bare, lead designer on Prey, said Arkane deliberately gave players “a lot of leeway and freedom in when they consume story bits.” The main route methodically visits areas, while side quests connect locations and relationships; players can therefore encounter story content in different orders, as described in a 2017 Game Developer interview.
Quest design also involves pacing and the relationship between story, gameplay, and setting. Techland designers have described balancing those elements from the player’s perspective, while noting that side-quest authors can have more freedom than the main-story team in a 2024 discussion of quest and level design. In a separate 2017 interview, Guerrilla developers discussed narrative pacing and objectives that make sense for the story rather than filler tasks in their account of Horizon Zero Dawn’s storytelling.
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- Welcome to the new world: taking on the role of a Hunter, players are tasked with going on a research expedition to a newly discovered continent known only as “new world”.
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Design intent is not the same as a guarantee about every quest’s consequences. In an Xbox Wire interview published January 22, 2026, developers described the then-upcoming Fable reboot as allowing players to leave the story for open-world activities without making those activities prerequisites for main-quest progression. That is a description of the stated design at the time of publication, not confirmation of current release status or verified gameplay behavior: Xbox Wire’s interview and overview.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When should you return to the main mission?
Resume the central story when optional activities stop feeling worthwhile or make it hard to remember what the protagonist is trying to do. A useful stopping point is after a quest or small group of quests—not after every available marker. Then check the main objective and your continuity note, and decide whether you still want another detour.
For developers as well as players, narrative motivation matters: a Game Developer report on Paweł Sasko’s 2023 GDC talk highlighted players’ interest in story information, emotional impact, meaningful choices, and narrative complexity. That is secondary coverage of a talk, not evidence for a universal quest-order rule: Game Developer’s report.
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