Game developers are starting to prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to virtual worlds. Previously, large maps were a major selling point, but now players are less impressed by size and more interested in meaningful content. People are getting tired of huge, empty spaces and want worlds that are engaging and offer compelling reasons to explore.
Many of the most anticipated upcoming games are prioritizing rich, detailed worlds over simply being large. While huge maps aren’t disappearing, developers are now focusing on creating worlds that are packed with things to discover and do, making them more immersive and memorable. They’re becoming more condensed and layered, offering a greater density of interesting locations, characters, and activities.
Light No Fire
No Boundaries in a World the Size of a Planet
Light No Fire stands out for its incredibly large, limitless world – a scale never before seen in gaming. But given it’s made by the creators of No Man’s Sky, it might seem like a change of pace. While No Man’s Sky featured hundreds of galaxies and countless planets to explore, Light No Fire focuses on a single, Earth-sized world created using procedural generation.
Despite being different in some ways, Light No Fire is aiming to be a more complex and immersive experience than No Man’s Sky. It combines the storytelling and character progression of role-playing games with the open-ended freedom of survival games. Players will explore, build, and craft as they team up with others on a huge, diverse planet. This planet is filled with different environments, useful materials, strange creatures, and a lot of hidden stories and secrets to discover.
Crimson Desert
Fantasy World of the Pywel Continent Awaits
After years in the making, the open-world fantasy RPG Crimson Desert is scheduled to launch in early 2026 and promises to be a major hit. The game features a huge, beautiful world called Pywel, filled with diverse regions, bustling towns and cities, impressive castles, and environments you can actually destroy. It’s packed with things to do and a wide range of gameplay features.
Crimson Desert doesn’t just offer the expansive scenery you’d expect from a fantasy RPG – it also has exciting ways to get around. Because the game world is so large, players will need options beyond riding a horse. The main character, Kliff, can ride dragons – similar to Skyrim – and use magical gliding abilities. This allows for quick descents and fast travel across large areas.
Hunting Simulator 3
Explore Diverse and Vast Real-World Wilderness Maps
Although hunting simulator games aren’t mainstream, they often stand out with their stunning and large maps modeled after real places. These games let players explore peaceful hunting areas and enjoy the scenery. Hunting Simulator 3 continues this tradition, aiming to deliver an even bigger and more detailed outdoor experience than previous versions.
Players will be able to explore vast landscapes in Hunting Simulator 3, and all-terrain vehicles will help them get around quickly. Currently, the game will feature maps based on the Colorado and Texas wilderness, but developers plan to add more, each with its own unique environments and wildlife. With realistic animal behavior and beautiful graphics, Hunting Simulator 3 aims to be a dream destination for hunting enthusiasts and anyone who loves experiencing stunning natural scenery virtually.
State of Decay 3
Zombie Apocalypse at Its Largest
We haven’t seen much of State of Decay 3, but footage released last year by Undead Labs is starting to give us a clearer picture of the game. While it’s been almost five years since development began and updates have been infrequent, there’s still hope it will eventually be released. Considering the studio also took five years to make the second game, this current wait isn’t entirely unexpected.
As a huge fan of the State of Decay games, I always loved how much freedom you had to explore and build your community. So, seeing the first look at State of Decay 3, I’m already getting excited! It feels like they’re making everything bigger and better with new tech, and the return of drivable vehicles? That’s going to take the feeling of scale and just trying to survive to a whole new level. It’s exactly what I was hoping for!
The Witcher 4
Explore New Corners of the Iconic Fantasy Universe
CD Projekt Red’s next game, currently known as The Witcher 4, will be their first built using Unreal Engine 5. This marks a change from their older, in-house Red Engine. They’ve only released a short technical demo so far, giving fans a preview of the game’s potential look and feel, but the final game may differ from what was shown.
It seems the next Witcher game will offer a much larger world to explore as Ciri, potentially bigger than any previous game. Players will likely journey to new areas of the Continent, including Kovir and its major cities like Valdrest and Lan Exeter. Given how ambitious this project is, fans are hoping the developers can create a smooth and polished experience, avoiding the technical issues that sometimes come with using Unreal Engine 5 for large, open worlds.
Grand Theft Auto 6
The Biggest and Most Detailed GTA Map Ever
Grand Theft Auto 6 is shaping up to have the most expansive and detailed map in the history of the series, which is famous for pioneering open-world games. Players can expect a massive Vice City featuring bustling cities with lots of characters, varied environments full of wildlife, realistic day and night transitions with changing weather, and the ability to enter many different buildings. It’s aiming to be a truly immersive experience.
Even from the glimpses we’ve seen (come on, Rockstar, where’s the third trailer?), the detail in GTA 6 is incredible – it could be years before another game even comes close. Grand Theft Auto 6 is looking like a hugely ambitious project, creating a virtual world that feels more real and alive than ever before.
Forza Horizon 6
Gorgeous Japan Explorable at Breakneck Speeds
As a Forza fan, I’m really hyped for Forza Horizon 6! It’s going to be the first one built specifically for newer consoles, leaving the old Xbox One hardware behind. That means we should see way bigger maps and a ton more detail in the game world. And considering how amazing Forza Horizon 5 still looks – it’s still the best-looking arcade racer out there, even years later – I can’t wait to see just how much prettier Forza Horizon 6 will be!
While we know the next Forza Horizon game will take place in Japan, not much else has been officially announced. However, it’s likely the game will have the biggest map ever seen in the Forza Horizon series. This makes sense for an open-world racing game, where players love exploring huge environments, especially while driving at very high speeds – often exceeding 250 mph.
The Elder Scrolls 6
So, Is It Hammerfell After All?
Among the many upcoming games promising huge worlds, The Elder Scrolls 6 is a major title to watch. It’s expected to offer a massive, beautifully detailed open world, continuing the series’ reputation for letting players explore freely. A large world is a key part of The Elder Scrolls games, so most fans anticipate TES 6 will deliver on that front.
Despite the excitement, there’s still no official word on where the next Elder Scrolls game will take place – though many fans think it will be in Hammerfell. It could be quite a while before Bethesda reveals significant details, as there was a five-year wait between Fallout 76 and Starfield. The Elder Scrolls 6 might take even longer to develop, so fans will need to be patient.
Read More
- USD RUB PREDICTION
- Gold Rate Forecast
- How to Get Sentinel Firing Core in Arc Raiders
- BNB PREDICTION. BNB cryptocurrency
- MNT PREDICTION. MNT cryptocurrency
- ICP PREDICTION. ICP cryptocurrency
- EUR INR PREDICTION
- Silver Rate Forecast
- All Exploration Challenges & Rewards in Battlefield 6 Redsec
- USD1 PREDICTION. USD1 cryptocurrency
2025-11-11 14:37