The idea of a massive video game world that demands dozens upon dozens of hours of investment from the player can be a daunting one, especially with so many games competing for your attention, but at the same time, there’s an undeniable allure to that promise. From open world experiences to those adopting different structures but still crafting massive worlds for players to explore, we’ve had plenty of games in 2024 that have delivered exactly that kind of experience. Here, we’re going to speak about a few such games that stand out in memory.
FINAL FANTASY 7 REBIRTH
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth went full open world, and boy did it do so in the most thorough manner possible. Across this epic odyssey, you travel to a vast number of locations throughout the Planet, which means there are several large open world maps to explore, each completely different from the other in their biomes, design, and more. A barrage of optional activities and side quests, unique traversal mechanics to each area, and more allow each area to feel yet more distinct, with all of it coming together in what’s easily one of the most massive (and impressive) games of 2024.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHORNOBYL
In the lead-up to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s launch, GSC Game World promised one of the biggest open worlds ever made, and boy does the game deliver. At over 60 square kilometers, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s Exclusion Zone is a gargantuan play space, and brimming with things to see. There are over 20 distinct areas comprising the map, featuring a healthy mix of new locations and locations that will be familiar to fans of past instalments (many of which have been expanded or overhauled). “Huge” doesn’t begin to do it justice.
DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD
BioWare failed to nail the open world formula with Dragon Age: Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda, as a result of which the developer reverted to a semi-linear mission-based structure with Dragon Age: The Veilguard this year- but that doesn’t mean this game is small in scale by any means. Though story missions are decidedly linear, between such missions, the game lets you explore a number of semi-open world maps that are not only sufficiently large, but also hide no shortage of optional content and hidden secrets. Even though The Veilguard isn’t open world, this is still the largest Thedas has ever felt in a game.
ONCE HUMAN
Post-apocalyptic survival game Once Human’s open world design is different from some of the games we’ve spoken of so far, primarily thanks to the fact that this is a multiplayer-centric game. Regardless, in terms of size, it’s definitely one of the largest games of the year. Once Human’s map is 16 kilometers by 16 kilometers, all of which is split into four separate zones, each of which brings its own unique biome. Whether it’s size you’re looking for or variety, Once Human’s world doesn’t disappoint.
ELDEN RING: SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE
Elden Ring delivered a mind-bogglingly huge world when it launched in 2022, and though the new map in its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion wasn’t quite as large, it was still a much bigger map than most had expected from an expansion. Exploring the Land of Shadow fully and seeing everything it has to offer is not something you’re going to be able to do if you don’t have plenty of time on your hands. More importantly, the incredible level design exhibited throughout the map ensures you’ll never have a dull moment as you explore every nook and cranny.
LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTH
Like a Dragon games never fail to deliver dozens upon dozens of hours of content, but they generally tend to do that through density rather than size. The same is true for Infinite Wealth. The eighth mainline entry in the series takes players to Hawaii, and though the map is definitely a large one (certainly much larger than anything else we’ve seen from the series in the past), it’s not nearly on the same level as some of the other open worlds we’ve discussed here thus far. Still, the game does a great job of encouraging you to explore every inch, not only because of the immaculate vibes, but also the abundant content on offer (most of which is a heck of a lot of fun).
STAR WARS OUTLAWS
There’s plenty that Star Wars Outlaws gets wrong, but even many of its critics will tell you that as far as its open world is concerned, it’s one of Ubisoft’s best productions in years. Star Wars Outlaws avoids the pitfalls of open world bloat, which we’ve grown more familiar with over the years than we’d like to admit, by ensuring that none of its maps ever feel too large, and that exploration always feels organic. It’s a compelling open world experience, and one that makes great use of its impressive scope.
BLACK MYTH: WUKONG
Here’s another example of a game that manages to achieve a sense of scale in spite of being a non-open world level-based game. No, it’s nowhere near as big as most other games on this list, but with a mix of linear levels and larger, more open-ended areas, it does manage to craft a sizeable world nonetheless. This is a game you can easily spend over 50 hours in (depending on how extensively you’re engaging with the optional content), which tells you that there’s plenty to explore for players.
SONS OF THE FOREST
After spending a year in early access, Endnight Games’ highly anticipated open world survival game Sons of the Forest celebrated its 1.0 launch this February, and it didn’t take long for players to fall in love with it- which didn’t come as a surprise, after the game’s early access period. There’s a lot to love in Sons of the Forest’s horrific world, of course, and its sizeable map is high on that list. Not only is it significantly larger and much more detailed than the map in its predecessor, its also a constant thrill to explore, with the game doing a remarkable job of making exploration feel consistently terrifying and yet rewarding.
SATISFACTORY
After five and a half long years in early access, Satisfactory launched in full this September, and though a a large map isn’t necessarily something you’d expect from a factory management simulation game, not only does Satisfactory deliver it, it also uses it to great effect. Exploring its vast and hostile world always remains one of the experience’s highlights, and contributes significantly to the game’s engaging core loop.
DRAGON’S DOGMA 2
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a wholly unique game, delivering a kind of emergent open world experience that you can’t find anywhere else. A lot of that is down the game’s complete refusal to hold your hand and its systems-driven sandbox nature, but the size of its world is also a big part of the game’s success. Exploring the massive fantasy world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 is always a blast, whether you’re exploring the lush landscapes in Vermund or the harsh desert landscapes of Battahl. Though more environmental diversity would have been appreciated, at least there’s plenty to explore, and consistently enjoyable, dynamic combat shenanigans to get into.
DRAGON QUEST 3 HD-2D REMAKE
Dragon Quest 2 HD-2D Remake is obviously a very different kind of experience from most other games in this feature, given the fact that it is deliberately designed as a throwback experience that harkens back to classic RPGs with its overworld exploration, town-hopping fantasy odyssey, dungeon crawling, and what have you. And though it is ultimately an old game made new, it’s also a sufficiently large experience- large enough, in fact, that there’s plenty to whet the appetite of all intrepid explorers out there. Its world isn’t colossal, but it feels large enough nonetheless, and exploration always remains gratifying.
RISE OF THE RONIN
Yes, we’ve mentioned a few rough-around-the-edges games here, but Rise of the Ronin certainly does deserve its place here. Team Ninja’s first crack at an open world game, though it suffered from formulaic design and cookie cutter open world content, it also wasn’t without its strengths. For starters, the game deserves credit for bringing its 19th century setting to life, at least from a visual perspective (even if the locations can feel a bit too lifeless at times). More prominent, however, are the traversal mechanics, with the mix of horseback riding, gliding, and running around making for a fun loop that keeps exploration enjoyable.
LIGHTYEAR FRONTIER
Since its early access launch in March, Lightyear Frontier has been praised by most who have played it, and its tranquil open world map in particular is something that many have shined a light on. Calm exploration and zen traversal are the name of the game in Lightyear Frontier, owing to its very nature, which is a perfect fit for the pleasant, beautiful environments that you tend to find yourself in as you explore its world.
MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2024
Recreating literally the entire planet Earth, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 follows in the footsteps of its 2020 predecessor in going above and beyond with its open world map. That is, however, an important part of the experience here, just as it was in 2020, and once again, there’s no shortage of things to see, and even more things to do. The world sports a much greater level of detail and boasts an even greater level of authenticity, which makes Flight Sim 2024 a great experience for all the virtual tourists out there.
Share Your Thoughts Below (Always follow our comments policy!)