Open-world games remain one of the most popular genres, largely thanks to their expansive and immersive worlds that players can explore for hours on end. Over the years, these virtual landscapes have grown increasingly vast as developers strive to create larger, more impressive worlds to outshine the competition and create a strong selling point. As the genre evolves, these maps aren't just getting bigger — they're also becoming more intricate and detailed, offering dynamic sandbox environments.
Many modern open-world games are so massive that players can easily spend over 100 hours uncovering their entire maps. But it's not only modern titles; some older games also feature enormous worlds, thanks to their simpler visuals or procedural generation. Space games take this even further, featuring multi-planetary maps so enormous that full exploration could take longer than a lifetime. With that in mind, here are some of the games with the largest maps for players to explore.
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Updated October 21, 2025, by Vlad Mazanko: Estimating the size of open-world maps is always a tricky process due to varying methods and the difficulty of converting everything to a single metric (in this case, square miles). Such data is rarely official or entirely accurate, and many estimates include not only playable areas but also the overall in-game map layout.
That said, the sizes listed below are based on various sources and non-official estimates that may use different methods and may not be 100% accurate, so they shouldn't be taken too seriously. If there's an error in our calculations, feel free to point it out in the comments — we'll recheck the figures to ensure the list remains as accurate as possible to present the biggest maps featured in open-world games so far.
45 Burnout Paradise
Arcade-Style Racing in a Giant Game World
Burnout Paradise Remastered
- Released
- March 16, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Mild Suggestive Themes, Mild Violence
- Genre(s)
- Racing, Open-World, Action, Arcade
- Around 30 Square Miles; over 218 Miles of Road
The Burnout series is known for fast-paced racing action coupled with less-than-accurate, arcade-style physics. It's loved by players for standing apart from the usual racing game; near misses and causing huge crashes are encouraged, rather than something to avoid. Something the series is less well known for is having large maps.
Burnout Paradise gives the player a 30-square-mile map to explore at their leisure. Races are simple to start. One great aspect is that there's no set course during a race. Players are free to pick their own route to the finish line.
44 Elden Ring
Dark Souls, but Bigger and Better
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- 31 Square Miles
Perhaps the most well-known game on this list, Elden Ring is the latest offering from FromSoftware, the developers of the Dark Souls series. The map in Elden Ring is big, but not as expansive as many open-world games. That being said, the map in this game is big enough that players will spend dozens of hours exploring it.
The difficulty curve of Elden Ring inflates the time it takes to fully explore the game world. So, it seems larger than it is in terms of square miles due to the slower pace that players, especially players new to the game, are forced to take.
43 The Lord of the Rings Online
Walk in the Footsteps of the Fellowship
The Lord of the Rings Online
- Released
- April 24, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood and Gore, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
- 40+ Square Miles
This game started with a small map. The length of the map could be walked in a relatively brief amount of time. That was in 2007. In 2023, The Lord of the Rings Online's map was expanded to enormous proportions. In its current version, this game allows players to experience walking across Middle-earth.
It really is impressive how much the developers have added to this game over the years. The problem is that there isn't a clearly defined size of the map. The best estimates put the size of the game world at approximately 40 square miles.
42 Forza Horizon 5
The Vast and Vibrant Map of Mexico
Forza Horizon 5
- Released
- November 9, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone // In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Genre(s)
- Racing, Open-World
- 42 Square Miles; over 400 Miles of Road
Just recently, Forza Horizon 5 was released on PS5, marking a pivotal point for Xbox's acclaimed open-world arcade racing series. Set in Mexico, Forza Horizon 5 features the biggest and most detailed map in the series yet, with the traditional change of seasons for a sense of ever-evolving, living environment.
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While not as huge as some other open-world racing titles, the map of Mexico in Forza Horizon 5 has everything that racing fans might wish for: from dense rainforests and hot deserts to long highways, sky-high volcanoes, and several bustling cities. Moreover, players craving even more territories should get the Rally Adventure expansion that features several unique biomes for an off-road paradise.
41 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Largest Zelda Game Yet
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Released
- May 12, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
- 46 Square Miles
When the first The Legend of Zelda game was released for the NES, it blew people's minds. It had a large game world that the player could freely explore. This was relatively new at the time. Some games had large game worlds, like those in the Might and Magic and Ultima series, but The Legend of Zelda's world felt much more interactive.
Fast-forward 37 years to Nintendo's latest offering in the Zelda franchise, Tears of the Kingdom. This game uses (basically) the same map as Breath of the Wild, but expands on it with floating islands and a vast underground area as large as the surface world.
40 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Get Lost in a Dark Fantasy Game World
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- 52 Square Miles
Gamers who were impressed with the size of Skyrim's map might want to give The Witcher 3 a try. Why? The map in The Witcher 3 is over twice as large as Skyrim's. Not only that, but there are more varied terrain types as well — more than just mountains, grasslands, and endless tundra.
The game world in The Witcher 3 is also quite a bit more colorful. Skyrim faced more than a little criticism over the drab colors used for the game world; this game has a much more vibrant world to explore. It's like Skyrim, but with the color palette of Oblivion, and more diversity in terms of biomes.
39 Assassin's Creed Shadows
Gorgeous World of Feudal Japan, Coupled with Yearly Seasons
Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Released
- March 20, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- 55 Square Miles
The latest entry in Ubisoft's long-running franchise, known for its detailed historical recreations, Assassin's Creed Shadows features a rather expansive map of Feudal Japan. While not the largest in the series to date, the map in Shadows consists mostly of landmass, with very few explorable water areas. Players are free to roam and explore the full map from the start, although some regions feature higher-level enemies that underleveled players will struggle to defeat.
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The world map of Assassin's Creed Shadows is undoubtedly the most detailed in the franchise to date, with stunning visuals, dense vegetation, and a dynamic four-season progression throughout the year. However, exploration in the game may feel somewhat restrictive, as players will find it nearly impossible to traverse outside of roads in Japan, with unclimbable terrain and very dense forests.
38 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Vast Regions and Mythical Realms to Explore
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Released
- November 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Over 80 Square Miles (All Realms And Maps)
While Ubisoft initially claimed that Assassin's Creed Valhalla would be more focused and less sprawling than Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the reality is that Valhalla's maps are even bigger. The game's world is vast, and unlike Odyssey, much of it consists of land rather than open seas. This makes Valhalla's playable areas feel larger and more filled with content.
The game offers distinct regions, from the snowy mountains of Norway to the rolling hills of England, and even mythical realms like Asgard. Each area feels unique and engaging at first, but with so much ground to cover and a high number of collectible objectives, players may eventually feel overwhelmed. Taking the game in smaller sessions can help manage the vastness of this epic journey.
37 DayZ
Survive the Zombie Apocalypse
DayZ
- Released
- December 13, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Survival
- 86 Square Miles
Bohemia Interactive took a unique approach to open-world game design, and it paid off remarkably well. Released in 2018 and inspired by a mod for ArmA 2, their survival horror title DayZ is set in the zombie-infested, post-Soviet country of Chernarus, featuring a sprawling and detailed map.
As with any survival horror game, the main objective in DayZ is to gather resources and stay alive for as long as possible. But what sets it apart is its massive open world, spanning nearly 90 square miles. This vast environment is filled with hidden dangers, unexpected discoveries, and countless unpredictable situations, making every playthrough a unique and tense experience.
36 Sea of Thieves
Immerse in One of the Most Vibrant Pirate Games
Sea of Thieves
- Released
- March 20, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Crude Humor, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- 88 Square Miles
As the name suggests, the piracy-themed Sea of Thieves offers a literal sea for players to explore, with a relatively large play area. In addition to its vast water-based map, players can also explore bits of land (about 10%) in search of hidden treasures and ancient lairs. For a game of its scope, the map may seem modest in size, but this is a deliberate multiplayer design choice based on the “frequency of encounters.” With an overly large sea, players would rarely come across other crews.
Over the years, Sea of Thieves has received numerous major updates and additions, though the map's overall size has remained unchanged since launch. Beyond its strong live-service support, one of the game's standout achievements is its ocean itself, featuring one of the most convincing and visually stunning renditions of endless waves in the genre.