With the evolution of video games, which grow larger with each new generation,fast travel mechanics have also become customary.
Whether simply through an interactive map or by integrating it into the gameplay, its presence is a common denominator among the biggest worlds.
However, there is a selection of creative titles that go beyond what we are used to regarding immediate movement, creating meaningful approaches, and giving a better sense of immersion.
Therefore, if you’re tired of the same dull icons and black screens often employed to get from one place to another, here areten games with interesting fast travel systems.
10Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
A Technological Feat
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2is among the titles with thebest movement mechanicsin video game history, and that also includes its fast travel system.
Insomniac Games offers a fast travel system that works in the blink of an eye, allowing you to choose any point on the surface and travel to it without waiting.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2also presentsa superb transition between the interface and the game’s world, seamlessly connecting both, unlike your usual open-world experience.
Although the system doesn’t stand out for its innovation, it’s so surprising and mesmerizing that it was impossible not to place it on this list.
Cinematography at its Best
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2features one of themost spontaneous and enjoyable settingsof all time, designed with such perfection that it’s normal for players to prefer to move around on their own.
Nevertheless, the title has an immersive system that lets youhire stagecoachesorbuy train ticketsto travel between locations, thus merging with the game world.
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Still, if you’re like me, you’ll prefer the interesting middle ground of the auto-ride, whichautomates traditional horseback travel with cinematics worthy of the best Western films.
It’s perhaps not the most functional or fast model, but it’s a sensible blend of immersion and spectacle to create a fascinating fusion.
8Darksiders
God of War’s Precursor
Darksiders: Warmastered Edition
BeforeGod of Warturned the Yggdrasil tree into an excuse for the technical limitations of the time’s hardware,Darksiderswas already doing it a decade earlier.
In that regard, War’s adventure lets us travel between zones through the merchant Vulgrim, who usesSerpent Holesto reduce our travel distance. Whenever you find him in a new area, you unlock another travel point that further enables the game’s interconnectivity.
It’s a simple system where small platforming sections allow you to shorten paths. However, if you consider theoutstanding artistic designof its portals and theconcept’s novelty for 2010, you get a work worthy of recognition.
7Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Real-time Dangers
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
If we talk about games that strive to make you feel at one with their universe, it’s difficult to find competition for the medieval experience ofKingdom Come: Deliverance.
For this reason, its fast travel system is neither immediate nor safe. Instead, it unfolds in real-time and lets you experience the same things that could happen if you were traveling by yourself,just in a board game format.
As a result, the system is an excuse to take advantage of tabletop games' structure and aesthetics, appropriately conveying the title’s sensations through other means.
AnyKingdom Come: Deliveranceplayer would recommend not using it, and I agree. But again, this list is about the most interesting systems, and this one definitely is.
6Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain
A Pick-Up Boss
Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain’s emergent gameplay has so many remarkable situations that I fell in love with its extravagant approach from the first moment.
Many elements could justify my affection for the last entry of Kojima’s franchise. However, its fast travel system, in whichyou hide in a box so that a truck can take you to another point on the map, is something I will never forget.
You can move between Delivery Points without any problem, but you have to pick up each location’s invoices to enable fast travel. So, the game forces you to explore the terrain at least once before being able to take advantage of it.
Regardless, what I like most about the system is how it takes an unmistakable symbol fromMetal Gear Solidand turns it into a highly functional and even immersive mechanic.
5Far Cry: New Dawn
Jumping Points
Far Cry New Dawn
Far Cry: New Dawnis a decent game at best. It doesn’t excel in mechanics, story, characters, or anything else that distinguishes the franchise, but its fast travel system is satisfying in ways I can’t explain.
Firstly, because it’s fun to clear out locations from enemies, but especially because doing so gives you access to the Air Drops that take you to the sky to easily navigate the map with your parachute and wingsuit.
Taking over a bandit outpost and doing an Air Drop from it to go and free another one is an addictive cycle, and by far the best thing aboutFar Cry: New Dawn.
I emphasize the title isn’t noteworthy, thoughI would play it again just for the dopamine provided by such a simple but compelling system.
4Death Stranding
Fragile Teleportation
Death Stranding
Death Strandingis allabout travel. The entire game’s proposition revolves around moving from one place to another, so tackling fast travel was no easy task, as a poor implementation would completely ruin the experience.
Therefore, the game strikes a nice balance by allowing you to fast travel without cargo. You can’t complete deliveries with it, but you can make them easier to finish.
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With Fragile’s help, whose ability fuelsDeath Stranding’s message, you develop a vivid connection to the character and the universe surrounding you.
It’s a logical but fantastic system, beingforgiving and creative while also challenging and familiar.
3Hollow Knight
An Emotional Journey
Hollow Knight (Dupe)
Fast travel mechanics are often a convenience at the player’s command, so the narrative depthHollow Knightgrants to its own system becomes even more unique.
LikeDeath Stranding, the game ties fast travel to a character—in this case, The Last Stag, the final member of an extinct species who continueshis job of transporting the inhabitants ofHallownest dutifully.
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With multiple dialogues and a personal quest, he’s an NPC with whom you develop an indescribable affection, especially since he’s yourmain companionduring the adventure.
I don’t want to go into details for the sake of avoiding spoilers, but althoughHollow Knight’s fast travel is straightforward, it’s unforgettable due to how it makes you feel safe when seeing its stations.
2Dragon’s Dogma 2
Relentless Immersion
Dragon’s Dogma 2
Despite everyone hating it, I proudly admireDragon’s Dogma 2’s fast travel. It prioritizes the spontaneity of its epic over the player’s convenience, forcing you to do deep research and think carefully about each expedition you’ll make.
You can pay for carriages to take you, but it only works between major cities, and there are only a handful of them on the entire map. However, the game features a system ofextremely expensive teleportation stones and crystalsyou can use to get around quickly.
Given they’re a valuable resource, figuring out where to manually place crystals and when to use stones to activate them is a sensitive management experience in times of trouble.
Dragon’s Dogma 2is just as unforgiving as the first, which is why it’s my favorite game of 2024. In times when comforts are common, it’s refreshing to see a system that’s a reflection of a turbulent setting rather than a convenient one.
1World of Warcraft
The Art Of Traveling
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraftis one of the most seminal video games of all time, pioneering a bunch of mechanics like fast travel, which to this day draws on Azeroth’s influence.
Given its massive universe, Blizzard implemented an entire structure that respects the mythology and economy of the MMORPG, making use ofa complex and interconnected system with endless possibilities.
Mages can open portals, Hearthstones can return you to the taverns, Warlocks can perform summoning rituals, and flight paths can take you everywhere—World of Warcraft tackles every imaginable form of fast travel, andthey’re all a thematically coherent marvel.
It’s not only the most varied system, but also the most entertaining and the most immersive.World of Warcraftis a historical classic, andits presence at the top of this list is another reminder of why.
