The concept of a free-flowing, expansive open world was once little more than a pipe dream. Nowadays, games strive to boast the largest, most content-packed open world ever devised. This form of design is a particularly useful tool in story-ri🃏ch RPG development.
There’s hardly a better way of investing a player in the lore of a world than allowing them to explore it themselves. Of course, there are a handful of gam🐎es that take this principle to the extreme, and some of the largest maps in RPGs can quite literally take dozens of hours to cross.
Updated on March 7, 2023, by David W. Duffy: RPGs are a staple when it comes to massive worlds, and stories to match. From warring nations to finding your way in post-apocalytpic wastelands, these worlds tend to be among the largest in all of video games. We've updated this article to reflect the timeless nature of some of these titles, as well as adding a couple more worlds for you to explore.
24 🐽 Fallout 4 - 3.8 sq mi
Despite generating an incredib🌟le amount of hype and daring to take on the task of succeeding what was per🍬haps the best game in the series, was, by and large, a bit of a disappointment. Part of that sentiment was due to the game’s relatively small map, which was a downgrade in terms of size from preceding Fallout games.
Though it would be expanded in later DLCs, the small slice of New England made playable in Bethesda’s late-2015 launch just didn’t cut it for many. Th🎶a💙t said, the title still stands head-and-shoulders above others in the genre — there was just a little more expected from such a prolific series.
23 Fal🅠lout: New Vegas - 4.✨1 sq mi
Surprisingly enough, everyone’s favorite post-apocalyptic romp through the Mojave desert is actually slightly larger in terms of available gameplay space than its successor, albeit not by much. Though 👍apparently relatively small at the outset, Obsidian Entertainment made sure that the were carved up and difficult to trudge through, which padded out the experience and made the world feel just a bit larger than it actually was. Most New Vegas players will, for instance, be hard pressed to forget the first time they plotted a course for New Vegas only to be met by an angry swarm of cazadors.
22 𝄹 Dragon Quest 8 - 6 sq mi
Dragon Quest 8 was the first in the series to actually be known as a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dragon’s Quest game in the West; all previous titles in the series were known under the 'Dragon Warrior' name. It also stands as one of the best JRPGs available on the PlayStation 2. Many remember it fondly, though it didn’t sell ov�𓆏�erly well due to the fact that JRPGs still weren’t a best-selling genre in the region when it was first launched.
In 2014, however, it was ported to the Nintendo 3DS, where it received the attention it originally deserved. The most impressive thing about this title may be that, at a whopping six square miles, one of the largest open worlds in RPGꦐs managed to fiꦅt on a portable system.
21 ܫ Kingdom Come: Deliverance - 6.1 sq mi
2018’s is notable not for its incredible gameplay innovations♉ or fantastical take on the genre, but the grim, sober reality of true-to-life medieval existence. It’s still an RPG through-and-through, but the tough, unforgiving survival-centric nature of the gameplay, to some, bests the outlandish, over-the-top sorcery and swordsmanship🎶 showcased in other titles.
The map isn’t overly large, yet the six-odd square miles explorable in Kingdom Come are well utilized. Fields and dirt roads feel believably lengthy without overextending themselves, and some of the game’s towns are shockingly expansiv🐈e.
20 The Elder Scrolls 3: M𒈔orrowind - 10 sq mi
The third entry in Bethesda’s sprawling and intricate series was truly larger-than-life when it first launched. While the first two mainline 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Elder Scrolls experiences were restricted to a false 3D perspective littered with 2D, forward-facing sprites, Morrowind was an all-new experienc🔯e available to play in all three dimensions.
What’s more is that, for a brief period of time, this romp through the world of Tamriel was the most expansive 3D game available. A hardware pusher like few others, 2002’s epic fantasy RPG is 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a cornerstone of modern gaming.
19 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (Special E🃏dition) - 14.8 sq mi
One of the most recognizable names to be featured on this list, was the title which propelled the Elder Scrolls series into the public consciousness. An epic fantasy experie♚nce full of dungeon crawling and dragon slaying, it's is so well-known that your grandmother hasn’t just heard of it — she’s the headmaster of the Guild of Mages.
Skyrim may actually have a slightly smaller map than some imagined, as it was, for 2011, overwhelmingly large. Though it only allows for a relatively meager 15 square miles of explorable space, it’s hard to feel like time🌜 spent exploring the land of Skyrim was ever 🌞wasted.
18 🎐 The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivi🍌on - 15 sq mi
It just so happens that many of the ma𒈔inline Elder Scrolls titles are relatively similar in size, saveಞ for one major exception with which longtime fans of the series will be familiar. So, it makes sense that Skyrim’s predecessor would just slightly superseded it’s sequel in terms of map size.
Though neither Skyrim nor stack up to some of the , they both still manage to feel epic in both scale and scope. Games in this series tend to focus more on story and atmosphere than sheer world size, and, in 🔯doing so, manage to feel much larger than some games several times their size.
17 🍬 Kingdoms Of Amalur: Re-Reckoning - 16 sq mi
2012’s was an interesti♛ng gem which was somewhat overshadowed by all of the other terrific high fantasy role-playing games we had been treated to during that time. We were only a year removed from Skyrim, of course, and some of us weren’t quite ready t🍌o move on.
That said, Kingdoms of Amalur is definit💮ely worth a replay, and you can d💟o just that with the gorgeous Re-Reckoning remaster. With a total of 16 square miles of explorable play space, this title is totally stuffed with content.
16 🐈 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - 20.8 sq mi ꦇ
Equating digital terrain to real-world metrics isn’t an exact science, and some disagree on thಌe total size of the world present in . Most speculate that, 🃏including the game’s two sizable expansions, Wild Hunt offers slightly over 20 square miles to explore.
The Witcher 3 can easily take upwards of 100 hours on 💎a stop-and-smell-the-roses first playthrough, and that is due in no small part t🎀o the expansive play space.
15 💙 Sacred 2: Fallen Angel - 20.8 sq mi 💝
Launched back in 2009 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is, though still a pretty solid game, definitely starting to show its age. That shouldn’t inhibit anyone’s enjoyment of the game — particularly if low-res 720p textures are your preferred aesthetic — and any RPG aficionado familiar with the later Ultima games may well feel at home with this title.
Completely loaded with content and explorable environments, it takes ages to reach the credit crawl, and that’s only if you refuse to bog yourself down with side quests. With 2▨2 square miles of high fantasy thrills to uncꦛover, you can hardly go wrong with Sacred 2.
