7 Open-World Games That Are Much Bigger Than They Initially Seem

Open-world map design is a gameplay feature that has been embraced by developers across many genres. From role-playing games to competitive PvP survival games, the implementation of an open-world approach to world design has become something of a standard feature. This wasn’t always the case though.

However, there are a few titles that not only implement open-world gameplay before it was a standardized mechanic, but do so in a way that leaves the player amazed when they realize just how large of a playing map they have to explore and enjoy. The developers of these games were pioneers, overcoming technical challenges that at the time, were far from trivial.

7 Borderlands 2

Guns, Guns, And More Guns

The Bordlerlands franchise helped to define an entire genre, the looter shooter, and Bordlerlands 2 is arguably the best game in the series at the time of writing. It combines an excellent, often humorous storyline with frantic gunplay, and more loot than a player will ever need.

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The initial quests in Bordlerlands 2 aim the player at certain map locations, making the game feel quite linear. But once the player has finished the starter quests, the game world opens up, and the player is free to start exploring, picking and choosing side quests as they go.

6 Red Dead Redemption 2

Old West Masterpiece

There are few games that provide a world that is simply fun to inhabit in the same way that Red Dead Redemption 2 does. Whether crossing the prairie, or walking down the street of an Old West town, this game fully immerses the player in the environment.

When the game begins, it follows a linear introduction, and during this time it is not apparent just how huge and richly populated the open world map is. It isn’t until reaching the first campsite and being sent out to earn income, that the depth, breadth, and width of the playing map starts to show. Overall, RDR2 has not only one of the largest open-world maps to explore, but also one of the best.

5 Grand Theft Auto 5

Open World Mayhem

Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the most successful games of all time, and for good reason, it is simply such fun to play! Having made the transition from a stand-alone title to a live service game, additional content drops and events keep the gameplay interesting and rewarding.

GTA5 has a massive open-world map, just under 30 miles square in size. Players who begin with the main storyline don’t get to see an awful lot of the map at first, it is only later that it becomes apparent that the game is vast. It is not unknown for a police chase to cover miles and miles of different roads in this game.

4 Ghost of Tsushima

Become A Samurai

Ghost of Tsushima was a hit for developers Sucker Punch Productions. This is one of those rare games where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Gameplay feature-wise, the game didn’t do anything particularly clever or innovative. But what it did was combine gameplay features into such a cohesive, tightly intertwined playing experience that screamed quality. Taking on the role of a Samurai, the player is free to roam as much as they wish.

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Of course, one of the best features of Ghost of Tsushima is the open world map, which is huge and rewarding to explore. Many players don’t realize just how huge the playing map is until they are dozens of hours into the game.

3 Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Colorful Open World Map

The original Witcher game and Witcher 2 had a kind of fake open-world quality to them. Yes, the player was free to roam around the map to some extent, but it wasn’t until Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that the game map became fully open-world.

This is another game that doesn’t show the player the extent of the map area they have available to explore until quite a way into the game. The quality of the map design, and the incredibly detailed and colorful world make exploring every part of the map a rewarding experience in Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

2 Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

Open Seas Piracy At Its Best

There have been a number of games that have tried to implement an open-world game map that is based on sea travel. Few of them managed to pull this feat off. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag took this challenge and met it. As the 6th game in a franchise that had been a great success, this was a risky move, that was rewarded by one of the best-loved games in the franchise.

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It isn’t until the player begins setting out to accomplish their own goals that it becomes apparent just how large the game world is. Yes, the map only covers the West Indies, but it is done on a grand scale. Sea voyages actually felt like, well, sea voyages, and simply traveling was engaging and fun.

1 Cyberpunk 2077

Going From Strength To Strength

Cyberpunk 2077 had a rocky launch, garnering criticism from all sides due to performance issues, underdelivering on promises, and a vast number of gameplay bugs from trivial to game-breaking. Fast forward to today, and Cyberpunk 2077 is in a much better state, and has taken its rightful place as one of the best games in the cyberpunk genre. The Phantom Liberty DLC only built on this success.

Starting a game of Cyberpunk 2077 forces the player into a very linear, long-winded part of the main story. During this time, there are only hints at how large the open world map is, and how much of Night City has been simulated. Once the player moves beyond the introduction, they are free to roam the map at will, and this is when it becomes apparent that the city map is huge.

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