10 biggest open world video game maps ever made

Sometimes bigger is better, and these open world video games took that saying to heart

Just Cause 4 / Square Enix

Sometimes we want nothing more than a massive landscape to frolic across, doing as we please for as long as we want. While quantity does not always equal quality, a massive open world is an easy way to fulfill that wish. Be it for the purposes of exploration, an overabundance of content, or simply because the developers wanted to show off, there have been some truly massive open world created for video games over the years.

We’re going to be a little strict on the criteria for this one though and say games that use procedural generation are not allowed. Games like Minecraft and No Man’s Sky may be theoretically infinite, and Starfield may use it to let you land on every planet in the galaxy, but it doesn’t seem fair to compare procedurally generated worlds to hand-made ones.

With that in mind, here are the biggest video games ever made, measured by the size of their map, but if you're looking for quality over quantity then check out our list of the best sandbox games.

True Crime: Streets of LA – 240 square miles

True Crime Streets of LA / Luxoflux

True Crime didn’t take off as a series thanks to endless unfavorable comparisons to the GTA series. The simple fact is, playing as a cop isn’t as fun as being a criminal, and so this massive version of LA to drive around in didn’t capture many people’s imagination. Still, it must be nice if you know the streets of LA well.

Skull and Bones – 241 square miles

Skull and Bones / Ubisoft

It’s easy to make a giant open world when it’s mostly water. Sailing around in big ships requires a big ocean to explore, as Ubisoft discovered when they made Assassin’s Creed 4, but Skull and Bones takes it up a notch to accommodate all of the many players plundering its waters. While the landmasses can’t be explored, the open water awaits.

Just Cause 4 – 395 square miles

Just Cause 4 / Square Enix

When the entire point of the game is to destroy everything in sight, it makes sense that you’d be given a massive playground in which to do that. Just Cause 3’s map is similarly massive, and both games are full of fuel tanks, electrical plants, and other infrastructure brimming with flammable materials for you to wreak havoc upon.

World of Warcraft – 496 square miles

World of Warcraft / Activision Blizzard

MMOs sort of cheat when it comes to having massive maps, as a game like World of Warcraft has had two decade’s worth of expansions to make it into the behemoth it is today. Still, it means that anyone jumping in for the first time today has an incredible series of adventures ahead of them, with more on the way in the future.

Asheron’s Call – 500 square miles

Asheron's Call / Turbine Entertainment Software

This now-defunct MMO was more impressive than a lot of MMOs of its time, as not only did it have a massive map, but it did it all without any visible loading zones. Admittedly the exact size of the map is up for debate, with some sources claiming it was 800 square miles, but we’ve gone for a more reasonable estimate.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 – 618 square miles

Test Drive Unlimited 2 / Atari

This fairly forgotten racing game from 2011 has a massive map for you to drive around, although it’s not quite “unlimited” as the title suggests. It gets close though, with two maps – one based on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and the other based on Ibiza – that combine to this big overall map size.

Final Fantasy 15 – 750 square miles

Final Fantasy 15 / Sqaure Enix

Lads on Tour: The Game needed a big map for the lads to tour in their nice car, and it helps you get into the atmosphere as you’re cruising around without a care in the world. Travel off the main roads though and you’ll find plenty to keep you busy, with encounters around every corner and side-quests aplenty to encourage you to see as much of it as possible.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint – 781 square miles

Ghost Recon Breakpoint / Ubisoft

Imagine Arma 3’s wide open spaces for military action, make it much bigger, and then throw all of the usual Ubisoft tasks and busywork in there – that’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint. It makes for a great playground though if you’re looking for an endless supply of military missions to tackle in various different tactical styles.

The Crew – 1,900 square miles

The Crew / Ubisoft

The original game may now be unavailable, but its sequel is still going strong and has a just as massive map that covers all of mainland USA. It’s still a dwarfed version of the real deal, of course, but it’s as close as you can get to a virtual recreation of it that will let you take a road trip through all of the major landmarks in style.

Guild Wars Nightfall – 15,000 square miles

Guild Wars Nightfall / NCSOFT

Like we said earlier, MMOs are just built different. Admittedly it seems unlikely that absolutely no procedural generation was used in this continent-sized map, but we couldn’t find any evidence saying that it was in our research, so we’re taking it at face value. What’s more, despite being a relatively old RPG with newer sequels, you can still play this game today and see the world for yourself.