Most open-world games offer a sense of scale, allowing players to use their creativity and imagination to push the game world beyond the developer’s initial design.
Here, we’ve listed the largest open-world games you can download and spend countless hours exploring. Make sure to read till the end to find the biggest ever!
5. Arma 3 (104 square miles)
Arma 3 is an open-world military simulation game released in 2013 for the PC. It features five maps—Altis and Stratis Islands in the Aegean Sea, Tanoa in the South Pacific, Malden Island, and Livonia. Although these maps vary in size, the main campaign’s open-world map, Altis, offers more than 100 square miles of different terrain.
The game has three primary campaigns at launch: The East Wind, Apex Protocol, and Remnants of War. Then, in 2019, the developer created a fourth campaign called Contact, set in the 63 square mile Livonia. The latest update to the game was in 2021, when the developer released the Western Sahara DLC.
This game is unique because the developers have continuously updated it through the years. It had over 15 updates and DLCs, introducing new scenarios, missions, factions, equipment, and maps. More updates are expected to come in the future.
The S.O.G. Prairie Fire update from 2021 also introduced a larger map called Cam Lao Nam. This 115 square mile open-world is set in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
Download: Arma 3 for PC
4. Just Cause 4 (395 square miles)
This action-adventure open-world game is the 4th entry to the Just Cause franchise. Square Enix released the game in 2018 and is set in the fictional South American country of Solis. This game features a varied climate, with four distinct areas—rainforest, grassland, desert, and snowy mountains.
Aside from the natural environs, you will also find human settlements like military bases and outposts, towns and villages, and a handful of cities. What makes this game unique among other open-world games is its wind and particle system, which allows the player to use its unique environmental system.
Furthermore, the game has a fully destructible world, adding tons of fun to the gameplay and can allow you to have creative solutions to your current mission.
Square Enix made three DLCs for the game, all released in 2019. And while there have been no further developments after that, you can still purchase the game today from its website or Steam.
Download: Just Cause 4 for PC | PS4 | Xbox One
3. Final Fantasy XV (700 square miles)
Final Fantasy XV is the 15th installment to the Final Fantasy series and is another game by Square Enix. It came out in 2016 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, while it came to Microsoft Windows in 2018.
This action RPG takes place in Eos, an earth-like planet with two continents and an archipelago, and can be explored on foot, on a Chocobo, or in the Regalia, a car that can also transform into a flying machine.
You will find a varied world on Eos. There are towns and cities with inns and hotels where the player can stay at. You can also find shops there and talk to NPCs for quests and other information. You will discover vast plains, towering mountains, deep valleys, and lush forests to explore outside the urban centers.
The game also had four DLCs which filled in some narrative gaps in the game’s main storyline. These content are called Episodes, with the first three released in 2017 and the last one in 2019. Although there were no further releases after that, the game is still available for purchase on its official website and Steam.
Download: Final Fantasy XV for PC | PS4 | Xbox One
2. Ghost Recon Breakpoint (781 square miles)
This 2019 game is the 11th installment in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon tactical shooter franchise. Set on the fictional island of Auroa in the South Pacific, the player can explore over 700 miles of varying terrain. You will find yourself exploring, fighting, and surviving among forests, swamps, mountains, and even volcanos.
Aside from combat, this game also emphasizes survival. It makes use of its expansive map by requiring the player to make use of its resources. There are also several locations in the field which allow you to set up camp. Once you’ve got a bivouac up, you can then prepare for a mission, change weapons, call for vehicles, and even go gear shopping.
Although the game opened to mixed reviews upon release, the developer continually created updates. The Project Titan DLC came out a month after its release. In 2020, they released the Terminator, Deep State, and Red Patriot DLCs, with Amber Sky and Operation Motherland coming out in 2021.
Download: Ghost Recon Breakpoint for PC | PS4 | Xbox One
1. The Crew 2 (1,900 square miles)
Launched in 2018, The Crew 2 is a massive open-world racing game set in the contiguous United States. That means you can travel from New York City to Los Angeles in this game. You can also visit other major cities, including San Francisco, Santa Fe, Dallas, and more.
The events in this game include street racing, off-road racing, freestyle racing, and pro racing, allowing the players to enjoy multiple event types. Furthermore, you can also pick various vehicle types, not just cars. You can also get motorcycles, boats, planes, and more.
What makes this game better is that the developer has continuously developed it. Since its launch, the game received updates and DLCs, with the latest one in 2021.
Download: The Crew 2 for PC | PS4 | Xbox One
Open-World Games for Endless Exploration
While there might be a couple of bigger open-world games out there, they’re no longer available for download from their publisher or on Steam. Nevertheless, these five games will have you spending a lot of time in front of your console or gaming PC, exploring their expansive worlds.
While the newest game on this list launched in 2019, their developers continue to release updates and DLCs, ensuring the players get updated content. Besides, we’re all excited about games that will come out this year. We’re all hoping game developers will release a new expansive game world that lets us explore an even larger area than the ones here.
