Cyberpunk 2077 is easily among the most notable open-world games of the past few years, often recommended for its unique and detailed world of futuristic megapolis Night City. The game's map includes not only the city — huge, vertical, and layered — but also the surrounding Badlands. Overall, Night City takes around 50 percent of the explorable map, and as a whole, Cyberpunk 2077's map is quite big. But how big is it really, and how does the game compare to other open-world games in sheer map size?
The Biggest Open World Games, Based On The Size Of Their Maps
Open-world games are beloved for their massive maps. Here are some of the biggest open worlds that gamers can explore in the genre.
Given how tricky it is to provide a legitimate comparison for map sizes among various open-world titles, this list will compare games with Cyberpunk 2077 based on the time needed to walk across the entire map on foot. Fortunately, there are numerous YouTube channels dedicated to exactly that (thanks to How Big is the Map? And Sonny Evans). For Night City and its surroundings, this figure is just under the three-hour mark, which is, for instance, more than The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Velen and Novigrad (around one hour). Of course, this method isn't perfect either, given how varied walking speed can be from game to game, vertical drops on the maps, constant obstacles to avoid when trying to move in a straight line, etc. With that in mind, here are open-world games officially bigger than Cyberpunk 2077, taking even more time to cross their map on foot with no loading screens.
Elden Ring
A Truly Epic Journey Across a Gigantic World
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Elden Ring is a truly massive game, taking notably more time to complete than Cyberpunk 2077, and also boasting a bigger, more diverse game world. With several huge legacy dungeons (including entire cities such as Leyndell, the Royal Capital) and vast underground regions, the Lands Between is a place of grand beauty and constant discovery.
7 Best Open-World Maps In Singleplayer Games, Ranked
It's no easy task to design an amazing, immersive open-world map, but these singleplayer games have done a fine job of it.
To cross the Lands Between on foot (without descending under the surface and even avoiding some surface regions entirely), it'll take players around three and a half hours on average. The exact map size is even bigger than that, if considering Elden Ring's numerous large dungeons and separate areas unreachable from the main landmass without teleportation. Luckily, players can use their mount, Torrent, to notably speed up exploration of this gigantic world.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Among the Biggest in the Series, Known for Its Huge Maps
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Released
- November 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
As a whole, Assassin's Creed Valhalla should probably rank even higher, given that this colossal game has several separate explorable maps and realms available (even without DLC), which makes it the longest in the series. The base game offers vast maps of Britain, Norway, and Vinland (America), as well as mythical realms of Asgard and Jotunheim — all presented as quite large explorable maps. To speed up exploration, players can also use various mounts, like in Elden Ring.
8 Open-World Games Officially Bigger Than Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 has a huge open world to explore, but these games are even bigger.
Even taking Valhalla's single main map of Britain, it's already bigger than the entirety of Cyberpunk 2077, taking over three hours to cross on foot. Naturally, such a gigantic scope is understandable, given that Valhalla essentially features an entire country with several explorable cities rather than a single city and its surroundings. None of Valhalla's cities can hold a candle to Night City's size, though.
Ghost Recon Wildlands
An Entire Explorable Country Is No Joke
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands
- Released
- March 7, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
Like Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Ghost Recon Wildlands takes place across an entire country — fictional modern-day Bolivia, featuring diverse biomes, cities, and settlements, mountains, deserts, forests, valleys, and everything in between. The scope of Wildlands' map is truly colossal, among the biggest Ubisoft has ever made. Crossing Bolivia on foot would take players roughly four and a half hours on average. Very few traditional open-world titles could match this incredible figure.
Best Open-World Games Where The Map Physically Changes Over Time
Not all game worlds stay the same as players progress through them. Here are some of the best examples within the open-world genre.
Once again, it's easy to see why Ubisoft required the map to be this big for Ghost Recon Wildlands. Created as a co-op large-scale adventure, players are free to use various vehicles — not only cars or bikes, but also helicopters and planes — to then perform a parachute drop anywhere on the map. Making Bolivia smaller would probably make the map feel too small and artificial, negatively impacting the sense of adventure and discovery on such a vast playground.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
A Chunk of Pandora Roughly Twice as Big as Cyberpunk 2077
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
- Released
- December 7, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Language, Mild Blood, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
It may be hard to believe, but just recently, Ubisoft managed to notably surpass the scope of the Wildlands map with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Massive Entertainment has delivered a large chunk of Pandora's surface, standing as one of the biggest virtual worlds to explore with no loading screens so far. Crossing the map on foot in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora would clock in at five hours on average — almost twice as long as walking through Cyberpunk 2077's map — and each step of the way, players are welcomed by impeccably detailed landscapes, distinct biomes, vegetation, and wildlife that the James Cameron universe is known for.
10 Best Open-World Maps In Multiplayer Games, Ranked
Gather some friends and get ready to explore the boundless freedom of these multiplayer gaming maps.
Aiming to match the grand scope of the movies, as well as capture the spirit of freedom, Frontiers of Pandora offers mounts, including flying Ikrans or Banshees, for players to bond with and actively use to reach their destinations much faster. Fans of the Avatar universe can literally lose themselves in this expansive rendition of Pandora, which is much bigger than the open world of Cyberpunk 2077 without compromising the details.
Just Cause 3
Unmatched for Its Scope Among Traditional Open-World Games
Just Cause 3
- Released
- November 30, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Third-Person Shooter
No matter how huge the open-world maps of Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, or Ghost Recon games are, they can't compete with Just Cause. Known for its expansive tropical worlds that serve as dynamic and explosive playgrounds for players, the Just Cause games feature some of the biggest explorable maps ever, with Just Cause 3 being among the largest so far.
Set on the fictional Mediterranean island of Medici, crossing the vast map of Just Cause 3 on foot would take an astounding eight hours — quite the long walk. During this time, players could walk Cyberpunk 2077's map back and forth almost three times. Of course, Just Cause 3 isn't meant to be played like this, as players can use cars, bikes, helicopters, planes, and a grappling hook with a wingsuit to cross large parts of the map in an instant if needed, something that can't be achieved in Cyberpunk 2077.
Best Open-World Games That Perfectly Balance Combat And Exploration
Players who enjoy exploring as much as fighting enemies will find these open-world games perfectly hit that sweet spot between the two.