I like the open-world aspect, but you’re right it’s often paired with what is commonly called “grind”, which I despise.

So in practice, the open world I enjoy are those focussed purely on discovery like The Witness, and metroidvania games like Hollow Knight.

Hollow Knight is a great game. That's not the kind of game I meant though. I think the older I get the simpler, easier to get into games I'd rather play. I have 1 hour to play, I'd rather spend it entertaining myself rather than going through a tutorial or having to grind.