Red Dead Redemption 2 is well-known for being one of the biggest and most ambitious AAA open-world games currently on the market. Rockstar Games spent around six years crafting its highly detailed map. It ended up being approximately 30 square miles in total, making it slightly bigger than the studio’s previous game, Grand Theft Auto 5.
Many gamers enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2 to this day, seven years after its initial release, but some may be seeking something new. Fortunately, there are many other great open-world games with huge maps that are even bigger than this one, with the following being the most remarkable examples in the genre.
Upcoming Games Like Red Dead Redemption 2
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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
52 Square Miles
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the award-winning title that put both CD Projekt Red and the Witcher IP on the map, and is now considered one of the best open-world RPGs ever made. While this game has many high-quality features – like its rich story, interesting characters, and addictive gameplay loop – its massive map is one of its most impressive ones.
The Witcher 3’s map is approximately 52 square miles in area, which is quite an incredible feat, considering that it came out three years before Red Dead Redemption 2. Needless to say, this fantastical world is full of interesting locations, memorable NPCs, and countless side-missions to complete.
The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
54 Square Miles
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
In 2017, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild revolutionized the open-world genre by featuring a massive version of Hyrule in which the player could go whenever they wanted, however they wanted (thanks to its innovative open-ended gameplay). Breath of the Wild’s map is estimated to be around 30 square miles, so naturally, Nintendo had up the ante for its direct sequel, Tears of the Kingdom.
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This game’s map is approximately 54 square miles, almost double the size of its predecessor’s. This was achieved by expanding Hyrule not only horizontally, but also vertically. Players can explore three massive interconnected maps: Hyrule, the Sky Islands, and the Depths, all of which are full of items, enemies, and shrines.
Cyberpunk 2077
85 Square Miles
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
After the massive success of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, expectations for CD Projekt Red’s next project, Cyberpunk 2077, were very high, especially considering it was originally announced back in 2012. After a long development period (and a less-than-stellar launch on consoles), Cyberpunk 2077 ended up becoming one of the most popular and successful open-world RPGs on the market.
Everyone who has played this game knows that its main character isn’t V or Johnny Silverhand, but Night City itself. Its gigantic map is approximately 85 square miles in area, which is considerably bigger than both The Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Additionally, and unlike other open-world titles, Cyberpunk 2077 is an immersive and customizable RPG experience in which the story and characters are shaped by the player’s unique decisions.
Final Fantasy 15
Size: 700 Square Miles
Final Fantasy 15
- Released
- November 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Language, Mild Blood, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
The Final Fantasy franchise has allowed players to explore massive fantasy worlds since the 90s, so it was only inevitable for one of its modern AAA releases to end up being part of the open-world genre. Final Fantasy 15 was a huge step forward for the franchise, as it combined real-time action gameplay (reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts) with an ambitious open world for the main party to explore.
Final Fantasy 15’s map has an estimated size of 700 square miles, which is quite impressive for a game that focuses more on storytelling and combat than on raw open-world exploration. The world of Eos is breathtaking, and it's fun to travel around it with Noctis and his friends. However, the second half of the game was criticized for taking the player away from this map and forcing them to play through mostly linear levels.
The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall
63,000 Square Miles
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
- Released
- September 20, 1996
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The Elder Scrolls franchise is synonymous with massive open worlds filled with stuff to do. But curiously enough, its most recent entry, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, isn’t the biggest one. That honor instead goes to the second game in the series, The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, from 1996.
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While Skyrim boasts a map of around 15 square miles, Daggerfall’s map is estimated to be around 63,000 square miles. How is that possible? It’s actually very simple: everything in Daggerfall (the areas, the quests and even the dungeons), is procedurally generated. However, The Elder Scrolls series eventually ditched this type of world-building in its third entry, Morrowind, which featured a handcrafted open-world map.
Starfield
1 Million Square Miles (Over 1000 Planets)
Starfield
- Released
- September 6, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
Even though Bethesda hasn’t released a new The Elder Scrolls game since 2011’s Skyrim, the studio dipped its toes into the world of massive open-world RPGs with the release of Starfield in 2023. This game has an estimated map of 1,000,000 square miles, making it the biggest one in the studio’s history.
Bethesda achieved such impressive numbers by going back to its roots and using procedural generation to create and expand its many planetary environments. Starfield doesn’t just have one giant interconnected map, but over a thousand different planets that the player can traverse and explore to their hearts' content.
Minecraft
Approximately 1.5 Billion Square Miles
Minecraft
- Released
- November 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
Minecraft wouldn’t be the massive worldwide phenomenon it is today if it wasn’t for its innovative and engaging procedurally-generated worlds. Other open-world games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5 have a lot of content in them, but Minecraft’ s gameplay loop is literally endless.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how large the world of Minecraft is, but it’s currently estimated to be around 1.5 billion square miles. Not only is this extremely impressive for a game that came out over sixteen years ago, but it also makes it the perfect sandbox playground for creative players that want to build whatever they want with whichever resources they can find.
No Man’s Sky
18.6 Quintillion Planets
No Man's Sky
- Released
- August 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
Years before Starfield came out, Hello Games had already put out another open-world sci-fi RPG with procedurally-generated planets, and its title is No Man’s Sky. This game is infamous for its admittedly disappointing launch, but the studio was able to win back some goodwill from the public by improving it via constant updates and free expansions.
Nowadays, No Man’s Sky is one of the biggest video games ever made, with over 18.6 quintillion procedurally-generated planets to explore, all with their own unique open-world maps, flora, fauna, and extraterrestrial inhabitants. While this can be an endlessly addictive gameplay experience, its randomized nature may not resonate with fans of games like Red Dead Redemption 2, who might prefer something more concise and detailed.
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