A plethora of open-world video games are released every year for Xbox One. This is why it gets difficult to keep track of the variety of games that are available on the current-gen Microsoft console. If we go by numbers, then there would be a lot more than ten open-world games on Xbox, mostly because the genre of open-world is no longer restricted to action games or RPGs. Some games have a vast sandbox dedicated to racing, shooting, adventure, exploration, and sports.
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But, which one of these games has the biggest world to be explored? From the frozen plains of Skyrim to the wastes of post-apocalyptic West Virginia, here are 10 of the largest open-world maps available on Xbox One.
Updated by Michael Llewellyn on April 8, 2021: The beauty of open-world games is that they allow players to really get lost in another realm away from the real world. Games like Skyrim and Just Cause take their players to stunning lands filled with secrets, lore, side quests, and activities. They are designed to pull players into their worlds for as long as possible and hold their attention for as long as possible. Thankfully., there's no shortage of open-world adventures with absolutely huge universes to be discovered.
15 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Everybody and their grandma knows about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It was late 2011, and the world had the pleasure to play one of the biggest Bethesda games on the planet. This is undoubtedly a last-gen game, but, truth be told, it still holds up.
Skyrim is what anyone would call a detailed game full of random encounters, upgrade options, and missions, making it a real RPG experience for a lot of people. What makes all of this better is the fact that it has one of the biggest open-worlds on Xbox One.
14 Fallout 76
Here's another Bethesda game, with a world slightly bigger than Skyrim. But, the thing that makes Fallout 76 stand apart is the fact that it is a Multiplayer action-RPG. This means the open world can be experienced with friends, family, or strangers, just like real life... well, in a way.
It also needs an exact time and money investment, which makes the experience even more realistic. But, jokes aside, this is a game that is frequently being updated and will keep seeing content updates, making its already big open world, more vibrant with time.
13 PlayerUnknown's Battleground
What kind of map size would a game need to separate 100 players, make them explore and travel to hunt each other? Well, that's the answer PlayerUnknown's Battleground has solved. There are multiple maps in this game which are greatly varied in terms of content and size.
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But, for this particular comparison, let's take its biggest map Erangel, which is close to 8x8km in size. That is a vast area and would take around one hour in realtime to walk from one side to the other. No wonder it is a must-play multiple-player title on Xbox One.
12 Red Dead Redemption 2
Sitting at 29 sq. mi, Red Dead Redemption 2 isn't just big, it's really big—really, really big, even. The game is one of the highest-rated open-world titles ever released by anyone.
This game is what a lot of new open-world games aspire to be, and that is all thanks to the very detailed and carefully crafted world of Red Dead Redemption 2. This game has a great story, great characters, and it has won countless awards from many different sources. It is still not a perfect game for everyone, but the environment and believability wise it is still unmatched.
11 Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed Odyssey was released in late 2018 and was very well received by fans. Firstly, the launch of this game was pretty decent compared to the likes of Assassin's Creed Unity. Secondly, it was a big step up from the older AC games in terms of open-world design. The game features a massive world with various locations to travel around and explore. On top of that, it has a great story and good side missions that help players immerse themselves in the landscapes of Greece.
10 Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online are one of the best and biggest open-world games on Xbox One. The main reason is the sheer amount of detail that is present in this game, as well as the artistically beautiful lighting and environments. The game's world is inspired by Southern California, which in itself is a lovely place.
On top of that, the game has great details that give life to the open-world like plants, animals, and vehicles. This game is easily one of the most popular games on the list, and almost everyone knows about it. It is also bigger than RDR2. However, Red Dead's map is much denser.
9 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is easily one of the best open-world RPGs ever. This game is built with dedication and love, and it shows in the open-world of the game that it is more significant than Grand Theft Auto V in size. This game is detailed, beautiful, and super fun to explore.
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The creative side missions help bring stories together in the enormous fictional land of The Witcher 3. This game is one of the first significant action RPGs to make their way to Xbox One.
8 Ghost Recon Wildlands
Ubisoft is slowly getting to a point to create the most open-world games ever released. It probably might already be there, especially with the release on Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Although the latest game could've easily been on this list, there is something special about Wildlands that makes it too good to leave out. Both games have almost the same world size, but there is much more variety in Wildlands that gives it a much-needed edge.
7 The Crew 2
Talking about Ubisoft-made open-world games, here is another excellent Xbox One game that is genuinely bigger than exclusives like Forza Horizon 4. While it likely won't have as many fans as the aforementioned Xbox-exclusive title, the size of the world of The Crew 2 easily topples every racing game out there. For comparison, PUBG uses an 8x8 km map for 100 players. Even then, players have to use vehicles to get around. This game is almost 120x75 km—that's scary big. The best part is the super smooth fast travel mechanism, which improves the experience.
6 Immortals: Fenix Rising
Released in November 2020, Immortals: Fenix Rising is an open-world action-adventure game set in Ancient Greece where the world has been turned to stone. Mechanically and visually, Immortals shares a lot in common with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Coming from the developers of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, it shares quite a bit of its DNA with that series too. Its open-world environment is huge and a lot of fun to explore with tons of side quests and content to discover. Thanks to its recent expansion, Immortals has got even bigger with the game taking its players to a new map that features mythological China.
5 Watch Dogs: Legion
Developed by Ubisoft, Watch Dogs: Legion is another huge open-world action-adventure that released in the fall of 2020 in time for Christmas. However, unlike Assassin’s Creed or Immortals: Fenyx Rising, Watch Dogs: Legion is set in a near-future London.
It’s an absolutely stunning recreation of the city which looks good across all platforms. However, through the use of Ray Tracing on the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and capable PCs it looks outstanding. Additionally, thanks to the game’s hacking mechanics, it really does feel like the whole world is at the player’s fingertips.
4 Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
It's clear that 2020 was a big and important year for Ubisoft. It had big AAA releases with the likes of Immortals: Fenyx Rising and Watch Dogs: Legion. Its biggest and most important release was perhaps the long-awaited Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.
The game is in medieval Norway and a large part of Britain – which will include Ireland in the expansion. The maps are as gorgeous with their colorful and bold fantasy art style that stands out from its predecessors and Norway and Britain feel unique and a pleasure to explore.
3 Final Fantasy XV
Released in 2016, Final Fantasy XV had its fair share of problems in development and during its launch with bugs and unfinished story content. This was fixed with updates, DLC content, and the more complete Royal Edition which released two years later.
The game is set in a somewhat empty post-apocalyptic world and there are very few towns to explore like its predecessors. In truth, it's a game that would have benefitted from being a smaller more focused game. However, there is no denying that the game’s map is absolutely huge with some interesting secrets to be found, a great cast of characters, and an awesome soundtrack.
2 No Man’s Sky
Despite being critically panned for not living up to expectations at launch, No Man’s Sky has developed into a much better and more polished experience than it is now. The developers Hello Games deserve a great deal of praise for creating one of the best open-world experiences of the generation.
Exploring the galaxy is absolutely limitless thanks to its procedurally generated universe where seemingly every star is orbited by more planets and life forms waiting to be discovered.
1 Just Cause 3
Now, Just Cause 3 is probably one of the biggest games on the list. It is almost 400 sq. mi, which is full of islands, oceans, and incredible verticality. This is what makes the sandbox of this game incredibly fun. As it doesn't limit the player to land or driving, the game lets players enjoy it the way they want, mainly by providing excellent side missions, activities, and expansion packs that have separate stories. On top of that, the best part is the rocket-propelled wingsuit, making the boring traversal into a fascinating superhero flight.
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