Open-world games usually feature vast areas for players to explore freely. However, many franchises tend to scale back the size of their worlds in later installments. This can happen because large worlds are difficult to manage, or because developers prefer a more focused storyline. While this is a common pattern, not all open-world game series follow it.
Unlike some games that stay relatively contained, others keep expanding with each new release. They grow not only in the size of their game worlds, but also in the sheer amount of things players can do. These franchises have become so large and ambitious that it’s hard to see how they could get any bigger, but that only makes fans even more eager for the next installment, particularly with popular open-world games.
Grand Theft Auto
Rockstar Continues Creating Giant Worlds Full Of Side Activities And Characters To Meet
- Number Of Mainline Games: 5
- Developers: Rockstar Games
While *Grand Theft Auto 3* is often praised for popularizing open-world games, it’s amusing to realize how relatively small its world actually was. The game’s map covered just over 1.45 square miles, which led Rockstar to significantly expand the size of future games. This expansion aimed to create a more immersive and believable environment where players could freely explore and create mayhem.
I remember when the *Grand Theft Auto* games started adding more mission types and letting you explore different parts of the cities, but *GTA 5* really blew my mind with how massive the world is! Los Santos is seriously huge – I’ve spent days, even weeks, just driving around discovering everything from the busy city streets to the beautiful mountains. And honestly, I think that’s a huge part of why the game is so popular – there’s just *so* much to find and do, and Rockstar really packed it all in!
Far Cry
Bigger Worlds, More Radio Towers, So Much Chaos
- Number Of Mainline Games: 6
- Developers: Ubisoft
Unlike the recent Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which features smaller maps, Far Cry games are consistently expanding their worlds. Far Cry 2 offered a beautiful yet perilous African landscape filled with valuable items and dangerous weapons. Far Cry 3 built on this by adding radio towers, which helped players discover activities and ensured there was always something to do and explore throughout the game’s expansive map.
Throughout the series, the game worlds have become increasingly large, but thankfully, they now feel more like vibrant, populated places instead of just vast, empty spaces. For instance, in *Far Cry 5*, you can recruit allies to assist in attacking enemy outposts, and in *Far Cry 6*, exploring the expansive map rewards you with powerful and unique weapons.
Horizon
Aloy’s Adventures Are Becoming Longer And More Adventurous With Each New Game
- Number Of Mainline Games: 2
- Developers: Guerrilla Games
Although the *Horizon* games follow the typical style of open-world adventures, they stand out in several ways. The most notable difference is the enemies: massive robotic dinosaurs that the main character, Aloy, fights using handcrafted weapons like explosive arrows and spears. In the first game, *Horizon Zero Dawn*, players explore a huge world filled with various robotic creatures and also get to assist Aloy’s allies with their individual challenges.
Fans were eagerly awaiting *Horizon Forbidden West*, and the sequel delivers by expanding on everything that made the first game great. The world is much larger and features a wider range of environments, keeping exploration fresh and exciting. Players will also encounter many more robotic creatures, and Aloy has access to a greater variety of weapons and abilities throughout her adventure.
Spider-Man
The Two Spideys Have A Few More Areas Of New York To Swing Through In The Sequel
- Number Of Mainline Games: 2
- Developers: Insomniac Games
The first open-world *Spider-Man* game had a large map to explore, but it felt smaller than it was because of how quickly Spider-Man swings around the city. However, the sheer number of collectibles and side missions revealed that the game’s Manhattan was actually quite expansive. Fortunately, the sequel, *Spider-Man 2*, will offer players even more of New York City to discover.
The latest installment expands the game world to include Brooklyn and Queens, alongside returning locations from the original. Players can once again control Peter Parker, but now Miles Morales joins the fight, and you can switch between them seamlessly during gameplay. The sequel features a more expansive story, a wider range of abilities to unlock, and numerous challenging boss battles, demonstrating Insomniac’s ambition to deliver a truly massive experience. Only time will tell if they can surpass this with the next game.
Red Dead
Rockstar’s Cowboy Simulators Feature Giant Maps And Tons Of Content To Enjoy
- Number Of Mainline Games: 3
- Developers: Rockstar Games
The original *Red Dead* game, *Red Dead Revolver*, hinted at the expansive open-world style that would become a series hallmark, but it mostly took place within a single town and followed a straightforward story. When Rockstar Games began developing *Red Dead Redemption*, they were already a hugely successful studio. Because of this, they knew they needed to fully embrace the open-world concept to avoid making a game that felt outdated.
Rockstar created a remarkably believable world for Red Dead Redemption by blending intense action with peaceful, quiet areas. They expanded on this success with Red Dead Redemption 2, which boasts one of the largest and most detailed open worlds in gaming history. The game is packed with optional side quests and activities, ensuring that the vast landscape always feels full of life and opportunities, rather than empty.
Watch Dogs
A Bigger City Simply Means More Gadgets For Players To Hack
- Number Of Mainline Games: 3
- Developers: Ubisoft
At first glance, *Watch Dogs* appears to be a typical open-world game in terms of its look and gameplay. However, its unique hacking ability sets it apart. Players can interact with almost any electronic device in the game world to outsmart enemies, like controlling traffic lights or using someone’s phone as a distraction before striking. This allows for creative and unconventional approaches to overcoming challenges.
Initially, the hacking options in the first *Watch Dogs* felt somewhat restricted. Ubisoft addressed this in *Watch Dogs 2* by creating a much larger and more interactive open world. *Watch Dogs Legion* then took things even further, letting players instantly switch between characters and build a team of hackers to control London. What began as a small, unique idea has become a hugely successful open-world series, and it will be fascinating to see how the developers continue to evolve it in future games.
Read More
- Strategy and Wargaming News – 5th October 2025- Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era Demo, Mechanicus 2 Demo, Tempest Rising, and So Much more!
- Unlock the Secrets: Find All 20 Dreamcatchers in RDR2!
- Violence District Killer and Survivor Tier List
- Battlefield 6 Launch Week Twitch Drops Revealed
- Sanda: The Dystopian Christmas Anime You Can’t Miss!
- Jujutsu Kaisen: Gege Confirms Yuji Itadori’s New Role in JJK Modulo
- The Real Attack On Titan Successor Is Officially Returning In 2026
- Gold Rate Forecast
- Little Nightmares 3 Multiplayer Co-Op Guide (Friend’s Pass, Explained)
- Elbaf’s Hidden Secrets: What One Piece Fans Must Know!
2025-10-11 14:17