I’m not seeing Elden Ring anywhere in the top voted posts, but if you’re looking for something like BotW, you should consider it. Always somewhere new to explore and very non-linear. The lore of the world is insanely rich, but there basically is no story.

Tunic is awesome. Lots of exploration and lots of secrets to find. Don’t look anything up, it’s a very unique experience.

Hollow Knight is the first metroidvania I liked. Great exploration, but it’s not exactly going to test the limits of your rig. Similar to the Souls games, lots of lore, little story.

Rimworld is so non-linear it’s literally a story simulator. It creates unforgettable experiences and has infinite replayability. You can save and quit at any moment, so it’s good if you only have an hour or two (but you could easily put hundreds of hours into it).

And I want to echo others who said Outer Wilds, RDR2, BG3, and CP2077.

• Cyberpunk 2077 (very good since 2.x and with Phantom Liberty expansion). Since I have similar hardware to you, you can play it with Raytracing enabled and have at least above 30 fps which should be enough for most playstyles except maybe fast melee-based combat. The game’s lighting effects look absolutely gorgeous with Raytracing.

• Witcher 3 (keep at it. It’s amazing. It can feel clunky at the beginning due to its weird combat mechanics but you get used to it. Also you can switch it up by integrating signs (magic) into your swordfighting. Which is what I recommend doing. I think it’s more varied). Also, the game gets better as you go. The base game is great, but the DLCs are even better, especially Blood & Wine has kind of a legendary status among all DLCs, you rarely get such value inside a DLC, except Phantom Liberty which has a similar scope and quality to it.

• Baldur’s Gate 3 is probably the best game of the last decade or so so highly recommended. It’s not open world, but it’s still huge and is at the same time very densely packed with stuff, so you need a lot of time when you want to explore and loot everything. The game feels huge that way. Especially compared to open world games, it’s like the opposite - open world games have a vast area but almost nothing in-between major points, which means the world can feel empty in a lot of open-world games. Baldur’s Gate 3 has something around every corner and never feels empty (unless you’ve cleared a whole area already).

• Red Dead Redemption 2 - a lot of people like it, so far it didn’t feel right to me (so slow) but I can still see how it’s a good game and if you like chilling with a game it might be just your thing

• Elden Ring is amazing but has very tough combat/action of course. Still, it really feels great as an open-world game. It completely throws the “Ubisoft formula” out of the window, which most open-world games follow, and that’s precisely why it’s so good. I’ve rarely had more feeling of true exploration and accomplishment within an open world game. Still, combat is very challenging, so if you prefer games to be on the easy side, then it’s not right for you. But if you don’t mind a challenge (a challenge you can also often delay for later when you’re stronger) then it’s a must-play. If you don’t know, as most or all games from From Software, these games don’t offer different difficulty settings so there is only one difficulty which is the same for every player (and it’s tough). These games are also very fair and reward accurate playing - it’s possible to not get hit at all by anything, for example, if you’re really good. So they never feel unfair and when you die (which you do a lot) you’ll always know why you died and have an idea how you could do it better. Besides the difficulty, what can also feel oppressive in those games is the fact that all enemies (except bosses) respawn whenever you rest. But Elden Ring kind of mitigates that because you can skip a lot of areas and come back when you’re better prepared (i.e. gained more levels/attributes or better gear). Then, past challenges can start feeling easy. And skipping weak enemies is kind of the normal thing.

• STALKER 2 (may still need a couple more patches but it’s playable and has a great overall atmosphere and visual design. They fixed the worst post-launch problems I think). Very strong in atmosphere and immersion.

The new Indiana Jones is great

Mass Effect legendary edition.

Red Dead Redemption 2 will probably hit all the nerves. Open beautiful world that still hasn’t been matched by another game.

The Spider-Man games are also great and Spider-Man 2 is just around the corner.

And Path of Exile 2 is currently all the rage even though it’s still in early access.

And when you still have time you can play Baldur’s Gate 3, first game to win Game of the Year in all contests.

Baldurs Gate 3 seems like a no brainer

You might want to check out Red Dead Redemption 2 in story mode. The graphics and physics are pretty incredible. It’s a little old now, but I think it still holds up well, especially if you like the “old west cowboy” aesthetic.

You’d probably enjoy cyberpunk 2077

SHEEPY

My favorite game is Descent, I just wish I had the hardware to play the successor, Overload…

https://youtu.be/jQ5RFBo0L_U

Xbox Game Pass for PC is an incredible value, even with the caveat of having to run windows (which sucks so bad). That’s always my top rec for PC gamers.

Elden Ring is still my number one game. It’s awesome and will run great on your new PC as well as your deck. It’s also got a lot in common with your listed games.

Grounded is a great game as well! It’s a reasonably difficult survival crafting game (like Subnautica). Same goes for Return to Moria.

Outer wilds

Can say with almost certainty that you’d love Planet Crafter. Think subnautica except you’re terraforming a planet. Overwhelmingly positive reviews and I could not put it down

Someone else has said Baldurs Gate 3, and I second that. Great game.

Not sure if automation/building is exactly your tastes, but satisfactory is a good one.

You’ve got a nice new pc and if you want to play something like BOTW, you might enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2. BOTW was also my favorite game of all time until i played rdr2. RDR has similiar mechanics to breath of the wild, like hunting, but the whole world is just so lively, immersive, and beautiful. I can’t think of a single issue with the game, it’s a true 10/10, can’t praise it enough.

I also recommend any other rockstar game, specifically gta v and max payne 3, they are both great as well.

If you want an FPS experience, play the original call of duty modern warfare games first, MW2019 next, then black ops 1-3+cold war+6. I wouldn’t recommend new mw2 or 3.

I’ll also say the Metro games are great, they are like post-apocalyptic COD with a great story and nice gameplay. Super underrated series.

Edit: I have a specific taste for shooter games, so I’d suggest you read other comments if you are into other genres.