15 Open-World Maps You Could Wander For Hours

Some game worlds are designed for short, focused adventures, while others are vast and encourage you to explore without a specific goal. The games listed below feature detailed environments with plenty to discover, routes to learn, and systems that make exploration rewarding. You’ll find diverse landscapes like mountains, coasts, cities, and unusual areas, all of which respond to your actions. We’ve also included the developers of each game so you know who created these immersive worlds.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The team at Nintendo EPD created a Hyrule that feels completely connected, letting you explore however you want from the beginning using climbing and a paraglider. The world includes diverse landscapes like snowy mountains, deserts, and lush forests. Shrines, stables, and towers are placed naturally to encourage exploration at your own pace. The game’s weather, stamina system, and realistic physics mean that every route you take and every discovery you make is a result of your own choices.

Elden Ring

The Lands Between in Elden Ring is a complex world with diverse areas both above ground – like Limgrave, Liurnia, and Caelid – and deep underground, such as Siofra and Ainsel. Riding Torrent, your spectral steed, encourages careful exploration and finding the best routes around enemies. Large, intricate dungeons connect to the open world, recalling classic game level design. As you collect map pieces, explore smaller dungeons, and discover spirit springs, the world gradually transforms from an unknown landscape into a familiar one.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar Games created a vast and varied world, ranging from snowy mountains to swampy lowlands, with regions like Ambarino, New Hanover, and Lemoyne. Getting around feels realistic thanks to trains, rivers, and roads, making travel between settlements and outposts seamless. Unexpected events and a dynamic law enforcement system keep journeys interesting without being overly disruptive. Activities like hunting, crafting, and improving your gear give you plenty of reasons to explore the world again and again.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The world of the game is divided into big areas like Velen and Novigrad, with the Skellige islands offering a unique sailing experience. You’ll find plenty of side quests and hidden locations through notice boards and interesting spots on the map, leading to contracts, caves, and valuable loot. You can explore at your own pace using sailing, horseback riding, or fast travel. The changing weather, time of day, and monster behavior make each journey feel fresh, even when traveling the same routes.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Bethesda Game Studios designed the world as a region split into nine distinct areas, with cities like Whiterun and Solitude serving as central hubs. The landscape – featuring mountains, ancient ruins, and rivers – naturally guides you along established routes. You’re rewarded for exploring with discoveries like standing stones, powerful shouts found in hidden locations, and guild headquarters. Once you become familiar with the world, fast travel options like carriages and discovered map markers prevent tedious backtracking.

Ghost of Tsushima

The world of Tsushima Island, created by Sucker Punch Productions, is divided into areas like Izuhara, Toyotama, and Kamiagata, featuring diverse landscapes such as fields, bamboo forests, and cliffs that naturally lead the way. Hidden throughout the island are fox dens, hot springs, and shrines, offering small side goals to discover. A wind system gently guides you toward your objectives without overwhelming the screen with markers. As you free enemy camps and farms, the map changes, revealing safer paths and new areas to explore.

Horizon Forbidden West

The game features a vast, connected map with diverse environments – from deserts and jungles to ruined coastlines – allowing exploration of deep canyons and shallow waters. Players can easily traverse this landscape using climbing gear, a glider, and rideable mounts. Discovering Tallnecks unveils parts of the map and points out locations with machines, crafting stations, and valuable resources. Workbenches and settlements are conveniently placed throughout the world, making gathering supplies a natural part of your journey.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Ubisoft Quebec has created a vast and beautiful recreation of the Aegean Sea, filled with islands, peninsulas, and waterways perfect for both sailing and exploring on land. Your ship serves as a mobile headquarters, letting you quickly travel across the sea. Along every coast, you’ll find forts, caves, and enemy bases to conquer. The game also encourages exploration with rewards for finding cultists and completing side quests, letting you customize your equipment through engravings and gear.

Forza Horizon 5

Forza Horizon Mexico features a diverse and dynamic open world, including a bustling city, dense jungle, dry plains, beautiful beaches, and even an active volcano. The game seamlessly connects roads, dirt paths, and off-road trails, letting you string together events while exploring freely. The game world also changes with the seasons, altering traffic, collectible locations, and photo opportunities. As you progress, you’ll unlock festival outposts and houses, providing new fast travel points and car customization options across the map.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

In the game, Kojima Productions set up bases in both Afghanistan and Central Africa, connected by a network of roads and high ground. Getting around requires careful planning, considering patrol routes, outposts, and even the weather. You can improve your speed and stealth with helpful companions like D-Horse, D-Walker, and Quiet. As you develop your Mother Base, you’ll unlock new tools and abilities that give you more ways to sneak in and out of areas.

Cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt Red designed Night City as a series of layered districts – including Watson, Westbrook, Heywood, Santo Domingo, and Pacifica – surrounded by the Badlands. Getting around is easy thanks to fast travel, clinics, and shops spread throughout the city. You can also explore in new ways using vertical paths, alleys, and highways. Improved vehicle handling and realistic police chases make driving around the city feel dynamic and engaging.

No Man’s Sky

Hello Games creates universes filled with diverse planets, each with unique environments, weather, and creatures, all governed by consistent rules. Players can explore these planets using starships, land vehicles, and portable bases, creating extended journeys with reliable resource gathering. Scattered waypoints, data archives, and trading posts provide goals for exploration. Regular updates introduce new ways to travel and new missions, giving players fresh reasons to revisit familiar star systems.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

As a huge fan of this game, I was blown away by Mira – the world is divided into five massive areas: Primordia, Noctilum, Oblivia, Sylvalum, and Cauldros. When you first start, you’re mostly exploring on foot, learning the safe paths around some really powerful creatures. But then you unlock Skells – these awesome mechs – and everything changes! Suddenly, you can cover ground so much faster, and eventually you can fly! It totally changes how you see the map and how you approach exploration. Plus, setting up probes and dividing up tasks helps you systematically scout each continent and really optimize your resource gathering. It’s a fantastic system!

Death Stranding

The game’s environments are built around challenging terrain – rivers, rocky slopes, and snowfields – which create the core puzzle of finding the best routes. Players can build tools like ladders, ropes, and bridges to make tough paths easier and create reliable routes for future attempts. An online system allows players to share these structures, gradually changing the game world. Over time, zip lines and roads connect different areas, making it possible to transport larger items more easily.

Starfield

In Starfield, Bethesda Game Studios has created a vast galaxy where you’ll explore cities like New Atlantis, Akila City, and Neon, all connected by the surfaces of different planets. You can build outposts and customize your ship to establish resource networks, guiding your next adventures. As you land on planets, you’ll discover points of interest, caves, and facilities that offer different paths for exploration and gathering resources. Plus, questlines and mission boards from various factions will constantly give you reasons to return to star systems you’ve already visited.

Hey everyone, I’m curious – what game worlds do you just love exploring? Which maps do you still jump into, even after finishing the story, just because they’re so much fun to wander around in? Let me know in the comments!

2025-11-13 01:50