Open-world games have always been about the freedom to roam. Some developers just take that philosophy to jaw-dropping extremes. In this list, we rank the 10 biggest open-world games by sheer map size in square miles and nothing else!
Keep in mind that procedurally generated infinite games like Minecraft, No Man’s Sky, and Elite: Dangerous have been excluded. Since they have no fixed and/or measurable map boundary, any fair ranking would be impossible. Apart from that, games that aren’t open-world also miss out, sorry, Driveclub fans.
10. Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
Ghost Recon dwarfs other maps in Ubisoft’s library | Credit: Ubisoft
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint is set on the fictional island of Auroa. At roughly 781 square miles, including water bodies, it’s one of the biggest maps in the Ghost Recon series, but one of the largest maps in Ubisoft’s history.
The terrain in the game is diverse, with volcanic ridges, forests, tundra, and coastlines. All designed to give tactical players multiple approach routes at all times.
9. Final Fantasy XV
Credit: Square Enix
Credit: Square Enix
Credit: Square Enix
Final Fantasy XV‘s world of Eos stretches approximately 786 square miles. Its map size made it one of the largest entries in the eternal Final Fantasy franchise. Players primarily traverse it in the iconic Regalia, which gives the world a unique road-trip feel in the series.
The majority of the map is dominated by the continent of Lucis. wide-open plains, dense forests, and winding mountain roads. It’s not just a big map; it’s packed with hunts, side quests, and campsite locations.
8. Test Drive Unlimited 2
Test Drive Unlimited 2 makes its map feel far more expansive | Credit: Eden Games
The open-world racing game is set across the islands of Ibiza and Oahu. Test Drive Unlimited 2’s 817 square miles of drivable road network is simply breathtaking.
The game lets players freely cruise between locations with minimal loading. This made its island setting feel genuinely extensive and spacious. Keep in mind that for a racing game, this level of openness was groundbreaking in 2011.
7. The Crew 2
The sequel lived up to the hype and more | Credit: Ubisoft
The Crew 2 is one of the most ambitious racing games ever made! Like its predecessor, it is a scaled-down recreation of the entire continental United States, but added water routes as well.
Ubisoft’s racing behemoth spans 1,900 square miles. Players can visit the country’s famous landmarks at will in free roam. While the scale is compressed for drivability, the sense of cross-country travel is unmatched.
6. Fuel
It’s a record holder in a true sense | Credit: Asobo Studio
Fuel is one of gaming’s most underrated giants. It’s a post-apocalyptic open-world racing game with a verified map size of approximately 5,560 square miles. Hence, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it was a Guinness World Record holder for the largest playable area in a video game at the time of its release (via Engadget).
While Fuel’s content density is low, it more than makes up for it with its atmosphere. In fact, its low content density plays to its advantage in nailing down the post-apocalyptic feel.
5. Guild Wars: Nightfall
An exotic map and a big one at that | Credit: NCSOFT
Guild Wars: Nightfall is the third campaign of the original Guild Wars. It features a playable world estimated at close to 15,000 square miles. Guild Wars: Nightfall is set across the continent of Elona, which is inspired by North African and Middle Eastern landscapes.
The game is an MMORPG rather than a traditional open world. It still qualifies, given its seamless zone connectivity and lack of loading screens between most areas. It’s hands down one of the largest hand-crafted game worlds ever built.
4. Lord of the Rings Online
The Lord of the Rings, as a franchise, likes big and bigger things! | Credit: Standing Stone Games
The Lord of the Rings Online has been expanding its map since its release. Following its 2024 expansion, the total explorable landmass now approaches 30,000 square miles.
Tolkien’s Middle-earth has been faithfully and painstakingly recreated in the game. It covers regions from the Shire and Rivendell all the way to Mordor and beyond. A few years ago, this game might not have been ranked and it’s possible a few years from now, it would be higher on this list!
3. The Elder Scrolls: Arena
This vintage still punches above its weight | Credit: Bethesda Softworks
The Elder Scrolls: Arena put Bethesda on the map with its sheer map size. features a rendition of Tamriel estimated at approximately 33,000 square miles. While the wilderness was procedurally generated, it connected hand-crafted cities and dungeons.
It’s true that modern Elder Scrolls games like Skyrim and Oblivion are far more detailed. However, they are only a fraction of Arena’s raw size, and it has held those boasting rights for decades now.
2. The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
Another one for the Elder Scrolls | Credit: Bethesda Softworks
Almost 40 years since its release, Daggerfall is still the stuff of legends among open-world enthusiasts. It covers roughly 80,823 square miles, almost as big as Great Britain.
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall remains the largest handcrafted (albeit procedurally assisted) game world ever built for a story-driven game. The world contains over 15,000 towns, villages, dungeons, and locations. Bethesda has never come close to replicating this scale in any of its subsequent titles.
1. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020
Credit: Xbox Game Studios
Credit: Xbox Game Studios
Credit: Xbox Game Studios
Nothing on this list or arguably in all of gaming comes close to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. It’s built using Bing Maps satellite data and Azure AI. The game simulates the entire surface of planet Earth at a playable scale, covering approximately 197 million square miles.
It uses procedural generation, but not random procedural generation. Hence, the location of your house would be exactly right, but its look will be generic. The game also qualifies as an open-world and hence it’s unlikely Microsoft Flight Simulator will ever be dethroned. Keep in mind that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 share the same map.
RankGameRelease YearMap Size (sq mi)#10Ghost Recon: Breakpoint2019~781#9Final Fantasy XV2016~786#8Test Drive Unlimited 22011~817#7The Crew 22018~1,900#6Fuel2009~5,560#5Guild Wars: Nightfall2006~14,998#4Lord of the Rings Online2007~30,000#3The Elder Scrolls: Arena1994~33,000#2The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall1996~80,823#1Microsoft Flight Simulator 20202020~197,000,000
What is the biggest open-world game map of all time?
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 holds the title by a massive margin, simulating the entire surface of the Earth at approximately 197 million square miles using real-world satellite data.
Why are Minecraft and No Man’s Sky not on this list?
Both games feature procedurally generated, functionally infinite worlds with no fixed map boundary.
Does a bigger map always mean a better game?
Not at all. Map density and content quality matter just as much, if not more than, raw size.
What is the biggest open-world RPG with a hand-crafted map?
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (1996) is widely considered the largest hand-crafted open-world RPG. It has over 15,000 individually named locations.
There you have it, the ten biggest open-world maps in gaming history! Remember, none of the above games are procedurally generated; they feature human creativity and planning in their maps. Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
