Although not as important as it was several years ago, many open-world devs still make a point of offering “the biggest map in the series” or something similar. Whether it's trying to justify the cost, compete with the biggest and best titles in the genre, set records, or attract more players looking for a game to keep them occupied for months, it doesn't always result in better than worse. There are many instances where devs get away with making their open-world games too big for their own good, so most players never bother to finish them, or never find the time.
The largest open world games, based on their map size
Open-world games are beloved for their huge maps. Here are some of the biggest open worlds that gamers can explore in the genre.
The delicate balance of size and scope should not be underestimated here. Many open-world games rely on relatively compact but dense and memorable maps without feeling too small, despite offering 20 to 30 hours of gameplay rather than a hundred. With that in mind, let's explore some examples Open-world games that prove large maps in the genre aren't always good. To illustrate this point from different angles, we'll include both open-world games with maps that are too big for their own good, leading many players to burn out before reaching the final, and conversely, small, dense maps that feel just right, capturing everything they need in a more compact game world.
Is a bigger map always better?
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Small but thick and good |
Too big for its own good |
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Gothic |
Assassin's Creed Valhalla |
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Batman: Arkham City |
Horizon Forbidden West |
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Yakuza 0 |
Starfield |
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Sleeping dogs |
Ghost Recon Breakpoint |
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
The biggest in the series, for better or worse
Assassin's Creed Valhalla It stands as the largest game in the series to date, with several huge explorable maps: from Norway to England and Ireland to Francia, Vinland (America), and many legendary regions such as Asgard. The sheer scope of the game ensures that players can easily spend 100, if not 200, hours completing it, but is that really a good thing? With admirable map variety, many of these areas are too large to enjoy for long periods of time.
Aside from DLC, about 15 to 20 percent of players made it to the base game credits, which probably speaks for itself. While this isn't a rare thing in the realm of sprawling open-world games, it's really curious why Ubisoft hasn't decided to scale back the game. Assassin's Creed Series, instead of continuing map bloat, specifically given how of AC Valhalla predecessor, ac odyssey, Already felt too big.
Gothic
Players quickly memorize every rock and tree in their path Images to come Gothic 1 Remake
On a completely different end of the spectrum from AC ValhallaThere are similar open-world RPGs of old Gothic. Back in the day, not every studio pursued huge map sizes, instead focusing on relatively compact maps that players became familiar with during their adventures. It's a special feeling to slowly learn each major area and its unique locations, then learn to quickly navigate them without using a map.
The 7 best open-world maps in single-player games, ranked
It's no easy task to design an amazing, immersive open-world map, but these single player games have done a great job of it.
Gothic Dense, compact worlds have been the benchmark for fantasy RPGs for years. It's believable, grounded, and alive, serving as a perfect example of how size isn't as important as depth, even in a complex RPG. Fortunately, a new generation of players will be able to experience it Gothic New in coming Gothic 1 Remake.
Horizon Forbidden West
Even its predecessor felt too big
While Horizon Forbidden West Not expanded zero morning As dramatic as the map is in many open-world sequels, it still overdid things a bit, especially since many players couldn't even reach the final areas in the original due to its sheer vastness. Forbidden West Takes the same approach, saving the best for later, including the ability to control flying mounts and reach the world's most vibrant areas.
As a result, when starting a sequel, there is a high chance that players won't even make it to the top. Forbidden West Must offer: All those sandy beaches tommed with new machines and countless underwater mysteries to uncover. Instead, they'll spend dozens of hours in the opening chapters of the game actually traveling west, exploring the same Rocky Mountains and forests that they had plenty of. Horizon zero dawn.
Batman: Arkham City
A city of the right scale and size
After the breakout hit Batman: Arkham AsylumRocksteady significantly expanded the scope of the sequel with a fully explorable open-world map. Batman: Arkham City Gotham City is set in a walled-off ghetto district instead of being separated into small areas like in the first game. The result? It's still the best game in the acclaimed superhero series, and contains little to no filler, busy action, or bloat.
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These upcoming games promise to offer some of the largest and most detailed virtual worlds ever seen.
Arkham City A dense, self-contained urban environment offers things to do and side quests to solve. Each mission and activity is a hand-crafted, story-driven objective to take advantage of the best Batman The media should propose. It's a perfect example of the right range and size to feel believable, but never overwhelming. third entry, Batman: Arkham KnightAbout five times as big, which pushed things a little too far, to the point that players started to feel overwhelmed.
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Starfield
How many planets can players enjoy before repetition inevitably kicks in?
The biggest, most ambitious RPG ever produced by Bethesda Game Studios, Starfield Embodying each problem specific to its space setting with an emphasis on grounded realism. Like rather compact handcrafted worlds Skyrim, Starfield Much depends on procedural production, offering countless planets to land on and explore. How fun and rewarding it is, though, is questionable.
Most alternate planets, except for a few major hubs and visitable planets Starfield Feel quite empty, weak, and repetitive, leaving players wanting a lot more from the exploration aspect of the game. Sure, it's probably realistic, and gives a sense of a real place rooted in science, but it's still a video game at its core. Consequently, almost every Starfield Players will agree that the game would only be better if there were ten times fewer planets, but each one was unique and worth exploring.
Yakuza 0
Small but densely packed city districts brimming with activity
Almost every entry in Rich Yakuza The series is known for its dense, open-world-like environments that emphasize the depth and breadth of things to do across the sheer range of their maps. Yakuza 0 Developer Ryu Ga is a perfect example of Gotoku's approach. It offers small but tightly packed city districts that can be explored on foot in minutes but still provide a convincing illusion of lively, bustling spaces filled with explorable buildings, interactive NPCs, and dozens of unique activities.
7 open-world games with multiple explorable maps
These open-world games have not just one, but many different maps for players to explore freely.
in Yakuza 0Players mostly spend their time in Tokyo's Kamurocho district and Osaka's Sotenbori district, each with a handful of streets to explore. a Yakuza Would the game be better if it contained not only isolated districts of limited proportions, but a huge, seamless urban open-world map? We all probably know the answer.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint
Return to the wildlands from vibrant Bolivia
Ghost Recon Breakpoint The map is huge. Like, really big. Regardless of the surrounding water, players have the entire Auroa archipelago to clear of enemy camps and outposts with unique, futuristic architecture. Unfortunately, even with countless natural-looking forests, mountains, and an admirable range of layered foundations, breakpoint Loses much of the charm of its predecessor.
Ghost Recon Wildlands There's also a huge open-world map of the entire country, and it's massive for its size, making it feel more vibrant and diverse. breakpoint the world In the latter, it's just endless, same-y scenarios for hours on end. Players will struggle to find a single corner of Auroa that feels truly unique and memorable, prompting the obvious question: Does the game's map really have to be that big?
Sleeping dogs
A small city map that rivals the big GTA-like games
Remember nothing but the good things Sleeping dogs. Featuring a modern urban open-world map of Hong Kong, the game does not affect the size of the city and its surroundings, which are much smaller than, say, GTA 5. Still, years later, for many fans, the world Sleeping dogs Feels very moving, detailed, and alive, much more so than large-scale GTA– Similar to previous years' titles.
Relying on a quality-over-quantity approach, Sleeping dogs A dense, memorable and authentic environment, often serving as a backdrop for intense action-packed story missions and car chases, rather than the opposite. the mafia Games. Without any section of the map feeling weak or underutilized, Sleeping dogs This is a great example of appropriate project scaling that squeezes the most out of the available space, rather than expanding the map to add more fluff to its borders.
7 Open-World Games That Are Actually Worth Your Time
These open-world games offer little or no filler, respecting players' time like nothing else in the genre.
