Open-world games that allow players to explore with minimal interaction are some of the best in the genre. But there’s always an end point, which usually involves facing off with the big bad. Whether human, monster, or machine, the skills and equipment players pick up throughout their hours of gameplay help prepare them for the fight ahead.

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But sometimes, open-world games can take a while to beat. Returning players may not want to go through hours of exploration and quests to reach the game’s endpoint. Luckily, there are a handful of open-world games that actually let players go directly to the final boss, and even provide the opportunity to beat them - no matter how prepared a player might be.

6 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild

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As many players of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild have shown during speedruns of the game, it's possible to confront Calamity Ganon at the earliest opportunity. All it takes is completing the necessary tasks to leave the Great Plateau, which include collecting four spirit orbs from the shrines dotted around the tutorial area to trade with the Old Man for his glider.

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Once this is done, players can follow The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's story or head directly to Hyrule Castle to defeat Calamity Ganon. If they chose the latter, Link would have only three hearts, no Master Sword, and no Divine Beasts or abilities to aid in his fight. Ganon (and the additional blights) can be defeated in this way, but players must rely on skill, determination, and a lot of courage.

5 Two Worlds

Gandohar in the first Two Worlds game

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One of the first characters the Hero meets in Two Worlds is Gandohar, a dark wizard who works for an underground society that kidnaps the Hero's sister, Kira. It's later revealed that Gandohar is, in fact, the boss of said underground organization and is responsible for the kidnapping plot.

While the game usually takes around 30 to 40 hours to complete, players were once able to bypass this with a glitch that has reportedly since been patched. Described by YouTuber Shaddex as one of "the most broken games of all time," he managed to speedrun the game in three minutes by tricking the dark wizard into releasing a fireball on an unsuspecting NPC in the first village, resulting in the rest of the townspeople fighting back and killing him.

4 Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13

Bhunivelze in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

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While Final Fantasy 13 was underwhelming for some, it was the fastest-selling title in the series and produced one of the best spin-offs in the franchise. Taking place five hundred years after the original story, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 sees its protagonist awake from crystal stasis to save the world in thirteen days. Despite being chosen by the deity Bhunivelze for this task, his ulterior motives are later revealed, resulting in Lightning facing him in battle.

One of the unique selling points of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 is that there's a time limit on beating it, in that they must face Bhunivelze within thirteen in-game days. These days can be skipped by resting, so players can immediately access the final boss battle, though severely underprepared. But players that have already defeated the game in the usual route can access a New Game+ save, meaning they can skip the days and battle Bhunivelze once again while retaining stat boosts, equipment, and items.

3 Tales Of Zestiria

Tales of Zestiria Heldaf confronting Sorey

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Despite fans' conflicted opinions of the game, Tales of Zestiria has stood the test of time thanks to its replayability. And one aspect that falls in the player's favor is that its final boss Heldalf can actually be defeated at any point in the game – but only if players are aware, prepared, and willing to fight.

While it is possible to defeat Heldalf at the earliest opportunity, it becomes a lot easier during New Game+ thanks to the usual additional benefits that provide extra buffs to the characters by carrying over stats and items. However, in Tales of Zestiria, players have more of a choice in what they decide to keep through the grade shop, in which players can also purchase upgrades for gear and other benefits depending on the seven Lords of the Land's levels collected.

2 The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind

Dagoth Ur in Morrowind

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The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind continues to be a beloved game that is still being modded twenty years after its release. But one of the coolest aspects of the game is that players can go directly to its final boss, Dagoth Ur, at any time during a playthrough.

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As players are told at the beginning of the game, Dagoth Ur resides beneath the Red Mountain. While there is a story to complete in The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, nothing stops players from trekking to Red Mountain and confronting the creepy final boss. But to beat the game, players must destroy the Heart of Lorkhan, which grants Dagoth Ur invincibility during his second stage. This can only be done with specific items which are earned during the main storyline.

1 NieR: Automata

NieR:Automata Eve final boss

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NieR: Automata continues to wow fans with its groundbreaking story since its release in 2017. But some fans have delved so deep into the game that they've found a way of defeating the game's final boss, Eve, after completing the prologue.

In 2021, modder Lance McDonald discovered a cheat code in NieR: Automata that enables players "to skip to the last ending immediately after killing the first boss and unlock the bonus mode," as they shared on Twitter. McDonald clarifies that this is not a glitch but "an actual cheat code hard-coded into the engine." His discovery caught the attention of the game's director Yoko Taro, who shared his astonishment at the modder's find. All players have to defeat Marx, position 2B between two barrels, hold down R2, and "press up, down, up, right, left, square, circle, triangle, and cross," according to Polygon.

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