10 BIGGEST Open World Games of The Last 3 Years

(electronic beeping) - [Falcon] Open-world games have given us bigger and bigger playgrounds to play in. The worlds of video games continue to grow, but some part in the phrasing are just bigger. Hi, folks, it's Falcon, and today on Gameranx the 10 biggest game worlds in the last three years.

Starting off with number 10, it's "Marvel's Spider-Man 2. " Insomniac's first go-around with the web head was actually one of the smaller open worlds out there, but the 2023 sequel, they put in the work to about double the available landmass, including Brooklyn and Queens. The new areas aren't all that big, especially compared to the real boroughs.

In total, the new stuff that was added is smaller than the original Manhattan, but if you take the entire end-to-end map, you've got about an estimated 20. 8 kilometers squared. That still isn't really huge.

If all you're doing is swinging and gliding across, you can go from one end of the map to the other in a matter of minutes, but if you take the time to walk around on foot, it becomes a lot more obvious how big the map is in comparison. Manhattan isn't even that big in real life. It's a total of 22 square miles, so Spider-Man 2's version of New York, which includes Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, is even smaller than that.

Remember, 20. 8 kilometers, if you convert it, that's 7. 75 miles squared.

In reality, the game's open world isn't that big at all, but it manages to be one of the bigger ones of the last three years on account. There really hasn't been a lot of big open-world games, (soft music) and everyone is moving to smaller and more segmented maps in games. So Spider-Man 2's map isn't that big, but it gets in on a technicality.

Like, for example, "Assassin's Creed: Mirage" has only 13 square kilometers, "Hogwarts Legacy" 7. 64 square kilometers. Those are small, small numbers in miles, but studios tend to like to use kilometers 'cause it sounds like a bigger number.

"Spider-Man 2" ended up being able to overtake based on a technicality, though. At number nine is "Horizon Forbidden West. " You'd think the second "Horizon" game wouldn't be that big 'cause you're forced to run around a lot on foot and ride on horseback, or, well, route back to get around.

It ends up being surprisingly big, however. The size of the main map is around 22. 9 kilometers squared, and "Burning Shores" adds another 5.

56 kilometers squared, of course. The expansion is set in a completely different area than the main game, but it is on the map. If you open the map, both areas are on it, so I don't think it's unreasonable to combine both and say the total size of the game's map is around 28.

46 kilometers squared. That's still not huge, especially if you compare it to the land it's meant to be replicating. The game includes both San Francisco and Las Vegas, which are 416 miles apart in real life.

The Hoover Dam's also in the game. That's actually pretty close to Vegas. It's only about 35 miles away, but that's still a bigger distance than the entire map of "Horizon Forbidden West" put together.

The real world is a big place, and it takes an eternity to get anywhere, so I understand why video games condense things down so much. It makes the world look big without actually being big, so you get the scale without being forced to run for minutes on end without anything to do. But also, when one of these maps is done right, it's not necessarily the square footage that makes it big, but the density and detail.

At number eight is "Satisfactory," which came out of Early Access in 2024. It's one continuous open world, no randomization, so it does count, even though it's not really the kind of open world game one might expect. And also, somebody probably would expect that it's a randomized map, but it's absolutely not.

It's always the same. The game came out of Early Access this year. It's technically a game from the past three years.

It's tenuous, but I'm just gonna use it 'cause it's something different. I don't usually get the chance to talk about a factory game on a list like this. So to accommodate the crazy super factories the game lets you build, the map has to be big, and it is big.

If you take the entire map, including the small parts at the sea and just black space around the corners, the entire map is 41 kilometers squared, which is significantly bigger than the map from "Forbidden West," even if you're adding the DLC. There's a lot of room to build a factory, but you're gonna need it because, seriously, the kind of structures you can build in this game are insane, they're very, very big. If you're a dedicated person, you could easily build an entire automated city.

The stuff people have been able to make in this game are absolutely unbelievable. If you have some time, I would suggest looking up best builds for "Satisfactory" 'cause it's massively interesting. At number seven is "Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

" Now we're getting into square miles. We're above 10, so I think it's worthwhile to start saying. So if you're just looking at the main map of this game, it doesn't look that big.

Hyrule's about 28 square kilometers in size. Smaller than a mid-sized American city. The size is actually the same as "Breath of the Wild" 'cause obviously it's the same map.

They took the original's map. They did modify it, they added new details, they changed a bunch of stuff. It's actually fairly different if you really stop to look, but at the end of the day, the maps are the same size.

So why is this game's 28 square kilometers higher than "Satisfactory's" 47? 'Cause "Tears of the Kingdom" isn't just on the surface anymore. It's actually got three layers.

The sky, which is actually extremely small, and the underground, which is massive. It effectively doubles the map size of the game, meaning the actual size of the game's map is closer to 57 square kilometers, making it a lot bigger. There's not really a whole lot going on in the underground compared to the surface.

Like, it's a lot of huge stretches of pitch black nothingness, but it's all walkable terrain, and in a lot of ways, the exploration and the maze of the underground is kind of what makes it interesting. In many ways, it's the opposite of the surface, like high mountains become deep ravines in the underground. There's a ton of parallels between the two worlds, and I just, I think it's cool.

I think it's an interesting thing that I'm surprised more games haven't done, actually. Because of that, it's pretty novel to explore, so I thought worthwhile. Normally, I'm not sure two separate maps would count for a list like this, but transitioning to the underground is seamless.

They mask the loading time, so it feels directly connected. Even if the game is actually loading into the area you're falling through in one of the many gigantic holes, what's really impressive is that you throw something into the hole, it doesn't just disappear, or the game makes it appear directly below the hole. They actually accurately depict the trajectory, even when going through what is essentially a loading screen.

Stuff like this makes the two areas seem connected in a way very few games have accomplished, and it's an impressive feat of computer engineering, on top of being a pretty damn big open-world map, and it's on the Switch. At number six is "Drgon's Dogma 2," the director of the game says it's four times bigger than the original game, and I believe it, 'cause getting anywhere in "Drgon's Dogma 2" is a real pain in the ass. Most open-world games give you some way to get around quickly, but in this game, it's either walk the entire way on foot or hitch a ride on a rare cart, traveling between cities, which are liable to get ambushed or destroyed, and then you're back to square one.

I knew the map was gonna be pretty big, but I'm even surprised by the estimated size. It's around 77 square kilometers, which is around 30 square miles total, which makes it actually bigger than "Skyrim," just as a point of comparison. It doesn't have as many cities or dungeons or anything, really, but "Drgon's Dogma 2" just really has an impressive sense of scale.

The world feels appropriately big in a way very few fantasy games do. Even the biggest games in the genre can start to feel like amusement parks, the way they mash everything together so everything's within walking distance, and we've already covered why they do that. They wanna make things convenient for the player, but "Drgon's Dogma 2" is all about the player suffering.

So the map's huge. You're mostly walking everywhere and there's no fast travel at all beyond the rare item and the carts, which only travel between a few main cities. If you're going anywhere else, the only option's to walk.

A significant portion of this game is spent simply traveling from point A to B, and it can get very exhausting, especially with how many enemies appear to ambush you along the way. I found a YouTube video of a guy walking from one end of the map to the other, and it took over two hours. Just walking, not sprinting or running, but that's still a pretty long-ass time to get around in a video game.

And number five is "Elden Ring. " "Drgon's Dogma 2," it's a big map, but "Elden's Ring," I mean, if the dragon owns the dogma, somebody's gotta own the ring, right? "Elden's Ring" is bigger, even if slightly.

If you count the parts of the map that are just water, maybe it's a little closer, but "Drgon's Dogma 2's" map has a lot of blank space as well, so it's a bit of a toss-up. Funny thing about "Elden Ring" is that at first, it seems like it's gonna be fairly small. It pulls a clever trick on you by making it so the map is zoomed in at the start, and it only gets bigger as you travel around and uncover more map pieces.

So you start the game thinking it's a fairly small, open world. It's From's first real attempt at one, after all, so they're not gonna get that ambitious, right? Then you go to the next area and the next area, and the map just keeps getting bigger.

If you're just looking at the surface, the map size is around 79 kilometers squared, which is about 30 square miles, and that makes it bigger than both "Skyrim" and "Grand Theft Auto V's" map, which is surprising to me. I mean, the map feels big, but GTA, you have a car, so the scale's pretty different, but "Elden Ring" still manages to be bigger. The game also has its own underground.

It's just much, much smaller than the one in "Tears of the Kingdom. " At most, the underground might add a few kilometers, but it's not gonna move the needle much. If you added the "Shadow of the Erdtree" expansion, the game would be even bigger, but in this case, the two maps aren't on the same screen.

You can only get from one to the other by loading, so I think, in my mind, they're a little too disconnected to put them together. "Tears of the Kingdom's" underground feels like it's just part of the world. "Shadow of the Erdtree" does not, but it just doesn't need the DLC to look huge 'cause the main game's map does all the work on its own.

There's a ton of empty space you end up traversing here, but it's all in service of making a world that's truly epic in scale. There are some breathtaking vistas in "Elden Ring," and what makes them so exciting is you can actually travel to everything you can see here. It's not just all smoke and mirrors, but if you see a small town or mysterious-looking area in the distance, you can go there.

It's probably full of zombies, but there may be some interesting treasure to find. "Elden Ring" is an open world that really understands the strength of the genre. Sure, it might be a little too big for its own good, but it really pulls off the satisfying feeling of discovery.

(zombies growling) (enemies shrieking) (zombies growling) (enemies shrieking) (zombies growling) (enemies shrieking) (zombies growling) (enemies shrieking) (zombies growling) (enemies shrieking) (zombies growling) At number four is "Test Drve Unlimited Solar Crown," so we're starting to get into the real heavy hitters here. You know a map is gonna be big when you start talking driving games because they have to be. You're moving around in a car that can push 200 miles an hour compared to running around on foot going at best 12.

The difference in travel times is massive, so to accommodate that, your average open world driving game has to cover a pretty huge area. The recent "Test Drve" game boasts the impressive claim that it's a one-to-one representation of the island of Hong Kong. You'd think that would be absolutely massive then, but you might be surprised to learn how small Hong Kong Island actually is.

It's only about 80. 4 kilometers squared. I say only because the previous "Test Drve Unlimited" games were significantly bigger.

Like in "Unlimited," you had the entire island of Oahu, which, wanna know how big that is? 1,545 kilometers squared. It's literally one of the biggest open world maps ever.

So in comparison, even the real-life size of Hong Kong looks puny. Sure, Oahu is mostly empty space. It didn't need to be that big at all, but the scale is part of what makes this series so popular in the first place.

But I don't wanna undersell just how impressive Hong Kong is in this game. It's easily the best thing about the game and seems like a fairly accurate representation of the island. I've never been there, so I can't firsthand account for it, but at least in character, what I understand of Hong Kong, it's that.

For being set in a single city, they really managed to have a decent variety in the locations. There's really dense inner city stuff, resorts, dirt roads, country paths, massive highways, everything you'd expect from a major city like Hong Kong is there and accounted for. "Solar Crown" is not the best driving game.

It's just not that interesting to actually play, but the open world is fantastic. Tiny compared to the series' previous locations, but still one of the biggest open worlds in recent years. (car engine roaring) At number three is "Forza Horizon 5," which came out in 2021, November 8th.

So we're kind of running up against the barriers, but it counts. I mean, barely sneaks in under the deadline, but yeah. Set in Mexico, the map of this game is significantly bigger than the previous "Forza" game, and it's actually the biggest map in the entire series up at this point.

It's a map that feels massive. There's deserts, volcanic mountains, a jungle. There's a lot of variety to the map and a whole lot of open space, but it's actually, shockingly, only a little bigger than "Solar Crown.

" In total, it's about 107 kilometers squared, which isn't anything to sneeze at, but it's smaller than I expected as someone who has spent a lot of time with the game. The thing about video games is they're deceptive when it comes to sizes. It can be very difficult to tell exactly how big an open-world map actually is.

You can get a pretty good approximation, but an exact number is tough. Some games feel gigantic, but they're not really that big, while other games feel small, and they're a lot bigger than you assume. "Forza Horizon" is one of those games that feels enormous, but in reality, it's just pretty big.

Still, for an open-world driving game, the map is very well-designed. It's big without being unwieldy, and it's varied for not feeling like an amusement park, which, obviously, that can happen. Creating open-world games as a careful balancing act and "Forza Horizon 5" is just about the ideal size for one of these games.

Some people complain it's too empty or they don't like the desert environment, but that's a personal taste thing. There's a lot of rural space and not that much city in this game, but for what they're trying to do here, the scale feels very right, and it's the most important part when it comes to open-world games. - [GPS] In 400 yards, turn right.

(car engine revving) Turn right. In 400 yards, turn left. - [Falcon] At number two is "The Crew Motor Fest.

" The most recent "Crew" game is a perfect example of how open-world games are generally getting smaller rather than bigger. It used to be the entire selling point of these games was how big the maps were. Both "The Crew" 1 and 2 took place over the entire continental United States, hardly one-to-one in size.

That would be nuts, but they're gigantic. The best estimates for "Crew 2" is that the map is around 1,900 square kilometers, which dwarfs the size of every other game on this list. That is massive, but having a bigger map doesn't always translate into being a better game.

There's a lot of repeated elements in "The Crew" games. I mean, you're talking switchbacks, city streets, and dirt roads, and stuff that ends up looking very, very identical. A lot of reusing, and the environments, other than the major cities and landmarks, are pretty unconvincing.

Still, it was so big, the spectacle was there. I mean, you can explore the entire United States. That's a great gimmick.

So here comes the next-gen game in the series, "Crew Motor Fest. " It's on Oahu. Is it as big as the Oahu from "Test Drve?

" Not even close. That was 1,545 kilometers squared. This is more modest.

It's 200 kilometers squared. That still makes it the biggest open-world driving game in the last three years, and almost double the size of "Forza Horizon 5's" map, but it sounds really small compared to the older games. Let's be real here.

The Oahu "Motor Fest" also looks way better than most of those games. It's probably the best game in the "Crew" series as well. Sometimes being smaller and better designed makes for a better game, even when you're talking about the biggest open-world games in the past few years.

It's just another example of how open-world games are actually generally shrinking rather than expanding. Bigger numbers are cool, but when you're actually playing the game, it doesn't really matter. Is the game fun?

- [Announcer] It's where tarmac meets tradition. From mountain peaks to city streets, this neon journey is not one to miss. (car engine revs) - [Falcon] And finally, at number one, "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora," which is probably fairly unexpected.

It's a mostly overlooked to kind of forgettable, but actually pretty decent Ubisoft "Avatar" game. It actually is the biggest map in the past few years. Estimates are all over the place, but the higher estimates put it at 255 square kilometers, and normally I'd dismiss something like that, but if you were to walk from one side of the map on foot to the other, it would take about an hour and 51 minutes.

So the map, it's big. That's just counting horizontal space as well. The game has a pretty major section that's floating in the air that could contribute to the overall landmass, and in this game's case, the floating islands are pretty big.

It's not a game that you're spending all your time walking through. You can fly, and that's probably why the map is so big overall. They give you plenty of room to spread your wings and look at the epic vistas.

Say what you want about the world of "Avatar. " This game makes it look great. It's just grand and gigantic.

In terms of pure open-world games, it's probably the biggest, but there's another game I do have to mention, and I'm gonna mention it as a bonus, maybe even the real number one, but I'm gonna call it a bonus. It's "Starfield. " Technically not a real open-world game.

It's got loading screens out the wazoo, and the planets are pretty empty and full of dull points of interest, interest being in quotes here. The actual custom-built surface area of the game's pretty small, whatever you wanna say. That's all true, but that doesn't make it not a gigantic game.

There are, in total, 1,444 planets and moons you can actually land on and explore. There's 1,692 planets and moons total, but a lot of them are gas giants, ice planets, asteroids, stuff like that. So, eh.

But when you land on a planet, the game generates a two-kilometer-square area for you to explore. The interesting thing about these places is that they're always the same. So if you shared coordinates of a landing zone with your friends, the actual terrain of the planet would always be the same.

The points of interest are randomized, but the land would look the same as long as you're landing in the same spot. So sure, the game is only generating two kilometers squared of actual explorable area per planet, but the actual land on every single planet is baked in, so you can make the claim that all 1,444 planets are part of the open world. You don't even have to go that far to say "Starfield" has the biggest map.

If somebody were to simply land on all 1,444 planets, that's 2,888 square kilometers because of the two-kilo generated map, which would automatically make it the biggest open-world game, not just in the past few years, but one of the biggest of all time. If you actually mapped out a single planet, it would be bigger than any open-world game ever made. And that's not even counting space.

It's just the planets themselves. If some madman were to try to measure the distance between planets in a star system while flying around in your spaceship, it would make the game exponentially bigger. Of course, in reality, "Starfield" space is just a fancy menu.

You never really feel like you're traveling massive distances. It's just a way to get around. There's plenty of reasons why maybe "Starfield" shouldn't be one of the games on this list, so we put it in bonus.

I mean, there's like a million seams, and we're talking, for an open world, it's gotta be at least somewhat seamless. But if you're willing to overlook that and really look at what Bethesda accomplished in terms of scale, "Starfield" is almost unimaginably big. Now, 99% of that is just like empty hills with only about 30 or so points of interest endlessly copied and pasted.

But sometimes just knowing a game is huge is enough to give you that sense of wonder. You never really need to actually explore every square inch of it to make it feel like you're just a tiny speck in an impossibly huge universe. Also, let's be real.

The real world isn't exactly all interesting, and I think that probably goes to a much greater extent when we're talking about space, 'cause a lot of space is just nothing. Like, it's literally space, like just empty area. So, I mean, if you're going for big with space, you kinda have an advantage.

Still, worth talking about it, even if not necessarily making it the quote-unquote real number one. That's all we've got for you today. Leave us a comment, let us know what you think.

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