While expansive open worlds can dazzle players with their scale, size alone does not define the gaming experience. The true essence of any open-world game lies in the activities available within the environment, rather than the breathtaking landscapes and vast territories.
Take, for instance, massive titles like Final Fantasy XV and Just Cause 4. While they showcase enormous worlds ripe for exploration, they often lack meaningful engagement beyond mere traversal.
In contrast, smaller open-world games bypass the need for sprawling landscapes. Instead, they focus on creating a rich, densely populated environment, ensuring that players encounter a variety of activities at every corner.
In this article, we will examine the smallest open-world games ranked by their size, relying on fan estimates and official data, while also considering approximate sizes based on gameplay experience.
12 Outer Wilds
An Explorable Diorama
Outer Wilds is a prime example of a small yet densely packed open-world game, designed to be explored within a tight 22-minute timeframe.
Without revealing too much of its enchanting narrative, I highly encourage you to experience this game for yourself.
You might compare its size to other space exploration titles, like No Man’s Sky; however, Outer Wilds features only a few celestial bodies, each reachable in under a minute.
The planets are, on average, less than a kilometer in diameter, and the space between them is minimal, allowing for swift navigation.
Don’t underestimate this compact solar system. Every planet, from Hourglass Twins to Dark Bramble, is rich with hidden secrets waiting to be uncovered during your travels.
Overall, Outer Wilds provides an extraordinary gaming experience where each detail is crafted with remarkable care and attention.
11 Sleeping Dogs
Hong Kong Represent
Sleeping Dogs, developed by United Front Games, features a map that closely resembles Hong Kong’s central districts.It offers four explorable regions that reflect real-life urban settings.
Despite its compact size, Hong Kong is teeming with life, and its bustling streets are constantly filled with people and vehicles, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
With a map measuring just under 3km across and approximately 8 square kilometers in total, Sleeping Dogs captures the unique essence of each district, from the upscale Central area to the more grounded North Point.
It remains unfortunate that there are no sequels in sight for Sleeping Dogs, as future installments could have expanded the map to include areas like Kowloon or even the wider New Territories.
Besides its authentic setting, the gameplay is enriched with combat mechanics, hacking elements, and lockpicking mini-games—inviting players to delve into secretive locales.
10 Bully
Stay In School
Often affectionately termed as a tame version of Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar’s Bully stands out as one of the studio’s most beloved titles.
Regrettably, it seems unlikely that this underrated classic will receive either a remaster or a sequel in the near future.
Set in the quaint town of Bullworth, New England, the game revolves around a local boarding school. Even though it debuted in 2006, the NPCs and surroundings feel remarkably realistic.
Players can explore the expansive two-story campus and venture out into Bullworth, although this could lead to encounters with local authorities.
9 Grand Theft Auto 3
“I See Nothing But Good Things For You, My Boy.”
The widely acclaimed Grand Theft Auto series, synonymous with Rockstar, is known for crafting rich, open-world experiences. Yet, this was not always the case.
The concept of 3D open worlds was relatively new in the early 2000s, and GTA 3 broke new ground by offering players the freedom to explore every nook and cranny of Liberty City.
While its map is modest compared to latter entries, Liberty City spans 4.38 square kilometers, providing an insight into what would eventually shape the gaming landscape, paving the way for future titles such as GTA V.
8 Subnautica
Try Not To Have Thalassophobia Challenge: Impossible
In the harrowing experience of Subnautica, players crash-land on an alien planet, navigating a world where survival depends on the underwater ecosystems, facing potential predation at every turn.
The expansive map is centered around a 2km wide underwater plateau known as “The Crater.”With the aid of a vehicle like the Seamoth, swimming across the plateau is quick, although the surface appears barren. Dive deeper, however, and uncover the mysteries lurking beneath.
Should you stray too far, the ominous warning, “Entering ecological dead zone. Survival probabilities nearing zero, ”serves as a chilling reminder of the risks involved in your exploration.
7 The Witness
It’s All About Perspective
The trend of shrinking open worlds doesn’t signify a reduction in complexity.
Not to be confused with other franchises, The Witness is a puzzle game that centers around solving panel puzzles across a beautifully crafted island, roughly measured at 2km by 2km.
Created by Jonathan Blow and published by Thekla, the island presents opportunities to tackle 500 puzzles, each progressively more challenging.
Drawing inspiration from the renowned Myst, The Witness has sparked mixed reactions from players; while some admire its thought-provoking level design, others criticize its difficulty as overbearing and overrated.
6 Assassin’s Creed Unity
Live the Revolution
Following its long-standing theme of anchoring gameplay in historical settings, Unity immerses players in the chaos of the French Revolution, offering a near 1:1 recreation of late 18th-century Paris.
Through winding streets and narrow alleys, Unity creates a sense of intense immersion, with bustling city life and combatants roaming around.
Once players ascend Paris’s majestic buildings, they discover a sprawling playground ideal for parkour enthusiasts.
However, with an area of about 2.4 square kilometers, this title ranks among the smaller offerings in the franchise.
5 Disco Elysium
White Mourning
Set in Martinaise, a small district within the larger city of Revachol, Disco Elysium places players in the shoes of an amnesiac detective tasked with unraveling the mystery of a hanged man.
Players can roam Martinaise, which comprises three distinct sections: the main Waterfront, the impoverished Fisherman Shacks, and an abandoned Church.
Each section contributes to the overarching narrative, revealing the sociopolitical dynamics affecting Martinaise. Although there isn’t an exact measurement for the district, crossing it requires only a short amount of time.
Based on estimates derived from gameplay, it appears the distance between the sniper’s vantage point and Whirling in Rags is merely a few hundred meters, making the overall size of Martinaise slightly larger.
This intimate setting fosters a sense of urgency, especially as you navigate a workers’ strike that could plunge the city into chaos.
4 Batman: Arkham City
Justice… For Gotham!
The Arkham series has set a high bar for superhero games, celebrated for its authentic portrayal of the Batman universe.
With Arkham City, the franchise transitioned from linear gameplay to an open-world structure, establishing an isolated mega-prison for Gotham’s shadiest villains.
Even with a compact map size of about 1 square kilometer (approximately 0.93km), Arkham City is rich with distinctly themed environments showcasing recognizable enemy types.
This title not only established benchmarks for traversal and exploration, but it also solidified the dark, gritty aesthetics that define the franchise.
3 Shenmue
The Gaming Industry’s Version Of “The Room”
Released in 1999 on the Dreamcast, Shenmue was noted for its ambitious production but failed to achieve blockbuster status, leading to a niche fanbase.
Despite its lack of mainstream success, Shenmue is cherished for its immersive world and life-sim mechanics where NPCs follow daily routines.
Its small-scale map allows players to traverse the suburban town of Yokosuka in a mere three minutes, yet the experience remains engaging and rich.
Fans of Shenmue rallied together to fund a sequel, which was released in 2019, although opinions on its quality differ widely.
2 A Short Hike
Take Some Time And Destress
A Short Hike is a heartwarming indie game crafted by a single developer, Adam Robinson-Yu. Depending on the distractions initiated by quirky NPCs and sidequests, the game can be completed within an hour.
The narrative follows Claire, a young bird visiting Hawk Peak Provincial Park to escape the bustling city life for the summer. Her mission is to reach the summit of Hawk Peak to regain cellphone reception in order to receive an important call.
This journey culminates in an uplifting conclusion, taking place entirely within a park packed with intriguing landmarks and characters to interact with.
The map’s winding paths and elevation changes create an illusion of vastness, even though the core story is relatively brief. Navigating through the park is enjoyable and straightforward, especially with sufficient Golden Feathers for assistance.
1 Yakuza 0
Less Is More In Kamurocho
Across the entire Like a Dragon franchise, players experience highly detailed urban environments filled with exciting mini-games and substories woven into a serious crime narrative.
Many locations reflect real-life counterparts: Sotenbori mirrors Osaka’s Dotonbori, Izesaki Ijincho recalls Yokohama’s Isezakicho, and more recently, locations in Honolulu.
Kamurocho, inspired by Tokyo’s vibrant Kabukicho in Shinjuku, serves as the most iconic area in the Like a Dragon franchise. Although it spans only a few blocks, it pulsates with vibrancy around the clock.
In Kamurocho, the player can engage in a multitude of activities ranging from karaoke to anime simulation, embodying an immersive experience that transports you to a bustling urban landscape you’d wish to visit in reality.
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