Summary
The Witcher 3: Wild Huntremains one of the gold standards of RPG development these days. Part ofThe Witcher 3’s success stems from its generous and lush game world, which is also one of the biggest in the fantasy RPG genre. These aren’t just mostly empty areas either; they’re filled to the brim with hand-crafted side quests and other activities for players to pursue.
With DLCs and the Skellige map included,The Witcher 3’s entire game world measures at roughly88 square miles(or142 square km). That’s a lot of ground to cover. However, as impressive as that may be, some other games — even those released beforeThe Witcher 3 —haveeven bigger maps.
Readers should note that maps that utilize flight as the only mode of traversal were excluded so as to allow for a fairer comparison.
Updated on June 03, 2025, by Ritwik Mitra:The Witcher 3 features an impressively massive open world that fans love toexplore time and time again. The release of the Next-Gen Update gave players another reason to give this title a shot, with the addition of ray-tracing, new quests, and improved gameplay compelling many gamers to revisit a video game that continues to be riveting to this day. The massive world of The Witcher 3 and its many gameplay hubs are a joy to explore, and fans who want to enjoy more games with massive open worlds that are bigger than what CD Projekt Red’s magnum opus has to offer will be pleased by the vast selection of titles that meet the criteria.
The reinvention ofAssassin’s Creedwas something fans had waited for. While this new direction was both praised and criticized, one thing that fans wholeheartedly agreed on was the fact that the open worlds of thenewAssassin’s Creedgameswere massive.
In fact, games likeOdysseyandValhallawere criticized at times for how gigantic their worlds actually were, especially when there wasn’t a lot of substance in them for players to enjoy. Still, most people didn’t mind exploring these massive worlds and uncovering the wealth of secrets on offer, finding some valuable loot in the process. For those looking to truly get lost in anAssassin’s Creedgame, the world ofOdysseyis sure to provide ample room to do so.
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flagis one of the most ambitious projects for theAssassin’s Creedfranchise. That’s because it boasts 90 square miles (145 square km) of playable area. Ubisoft cheated a bit since this area is mostly a mock Caribbean Sea, but a huge part of the game involves sailing.
Some of the game’s islands are inaccessible, but that’s only a small percentage in the grand scheme of things.Black Flagis no doubt bigger thanThe Witcher 3,even withits DLCs included. Of course, all that shiny blue would have been a chore to explore without the acclaimed sea shanties.
15Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
135 Square Miles (350 Square Km.)
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Risingis a military sim game. It boasts a great 135 square miles (217 square km) of playable area. For a 2009 game, this was one heck of an achievement, though most of this is empty land since the game values realism.
Dragon Risingcan be a rather unforgiving game. It’s a hardcore military simulator where some players might find the controls and shooting mechanics a bit clunky, especially when compared to the likes ofBattlefieldorCall of Duty.As such, playing the game just because of its big map is not exactly advised.
The world design present in theXenoblade Chroniclesgames was so influential that its development actively played a hand in shapingBreath of the Wild’s world, which is hefty praise indeed. The many landmarks and open-world variety are a huge reason why theXenoblade Chroniclesgames became such a huge hit.
Xenoblade Chronicles Xis one of the series' best games, featuring a mind-bogglingly massive open world that fans can explore. This, coupled withfun tactical combatand a great story, makes this title a blast to play through and something that fans of the series should not miss out on.
AlongsideBlack Flag,Arma 3was also one of the most generous games to come out in 2013. The military simulator hassome impressive mapsthat, if put together, add up to 180 square miles (290 square km) for the base game. That’s a huge playable area for characters who move realistically.
Even withArma 3’s own roster of military transport vehicles, it can take a while to get from one end of the map to another. Doing that solo is also ill-advised, as single-playerArma 3is a rough experience, and the game is best enjoyed with a well-coordinated group of friends.
Another game with a landscape that many players might consider tedious to traverse isDeath Stranding. Players get to enjoy all 230 square miles (595 square km) of thispolarizing Kojima masterpiece. And no, it doesn’t have that title because players will long for sweet release after getting stranded in the environment with a heavy package on their backs — it’s much deeper than that.
All that added Kojima flavor gives enough context for players to go out and rebuild America after an apocalyptic event fractured the whole place. Traversal is also not just limited to walking anymore as, after numerous updates, the game has added some quality-of-life improvements.
BeforeGrand Theft Auto: San Andreasmade a large map dedicated to parodying Los Angeles,True Crime: Streets of LAwas already miles ahead — or miles larger, in this case. It features quite a faithful recreation of Los Angeles, complete with Beverly Hills and Santa Monica.
The street names are also there, along with the major roads. The size? 240 square miles (386 square km) of a digital trip to LA, assuming players can stomach the ancient graphics. In any case, thisopen world crime-fighting gameis the spiritual predecessor to classics likeSleeping Dogs.
On the topic of unforgiving games,Black Desert Onlineis quickly becoming larger with all the content being added to it. It’sa sandbox MMORPG, where players can form guilds and claim their own nations or territories. For that to happen, the game needs a huge map, and even so, its 247 square miles (639 square km) of area is never enough for all the power-hungry guilds.
This area is also playable and has tons of activities scattered throughout it, from grinding mobs of enemies to harvesting rare resources so players can sell them on the market. If players get tired of land, they can build their own boat or ship to hunt some whales or just explore the seas.
Ubisoft might have lost its touch when makingGhost Recongames, but there’s no denying the effort they put into making their games vast. Take, for instance,Ghost Recon Wildlands. It’s a game set in fictional modern Bolivia, which is oddly composed mostly of countryside scenery.
All that adds up to a total area of roughly 247 square miles (640 square km), making vehicles a necessity — off-road vehicles, mostly. But even then,Wildlandsis known for its clumsy vehicle handling, so driving here isn’t exactly a pleasant experience. Regardless, it’s one of the richest landscapes Ubisoft has crafted.
TheJust Causegames have always been about pushing the boundaries of map size and allowing absurdity when it comes to destructive gameplay.Just Cause 3is actually sort of tied withJust Cause 4when it comes to map size. Both games feature locales that are roughly 400 square miles.
Regardless, mostJust Causegames see the player controlling a walking calamity who’s out to wreak havoc on some fictional country’s oppressive military government. Traveling around isn’t a problem as players can easily attach themselves to jet planes and parachute down.
