With such a wide variety of incredible releases this year, be they triple-A epics or smaller indie titles with niche premises, it’s also been a time of absolutely massive worlds. Whether open world or otherwise, they’ve offered so much to see and explore that it all adds up in incredible ways. Here are our picks for the 15 biggest worlds in gaming from 2025.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
Cyrodiil may not be the largest world in The Elder Scrolls series to date, but it still holds its own, especially in Virtuos’s remaster. The side quests were already acclaimed for their variety and quirkiness – from sleeping in an inn on a boat and waking up to find it hijacked to the missing painter. But it’s a joy to explore the world and take in your surroundings, made even better with locations like The Shivering Isles.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Say what you will about Assassin’s Creed Shadows – and everyone’s had their fair share to say this year – the scale is simply phenomenal. You’ll scour the remains of Harima with its many corpses, witness gorgeous castles like Azuchi, bask in the almost hypnotic Omi Lake, and so much more. A lot of effort has gone into accurately capturing their details – the only disappointment is that there won’t be a Tourism Mode like previous titles.
Atomfall
Rebellion’s take on a post-nuclear disaster world, inspired by the actual English countryside, is one that I still find endearing, despite other flaws. The free-form nature of exploration, as you can go almost anywhere, be it the abandoned laboratories of BARD or different settlements, including the highly strung Wyndham Village. Whether it’s locating clues to venture into hidden bunkers or discovering mutant plants, the world feels dense and lived-in.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Did anyone expect that Metroid Prime 4 would go, ahem, beyond with its scale when it was announced all those years ago? Viewros isn’t just a cacophony of jungles with ravenous beasts or facilities in volcanic caverns. It’s also a vast series of deserts, navigated by the sleek new bike, Vi-O-La, which allows for some light shoot ’em up action to break up the exploration and scanning.
Monster Hunter Wilds
As annoying as its performance, end-game, and other woes have been, I will admit: There’s something about the Forbidden Lands in Monster Hunter Wilds. Maybe it’s the weather and other conditions shifting in real-time, causing other monsters and resources to appear, or their design, whether it’s the spiralling elevations of Oilwell Basin or the sheer openness of the Windward Plains. Even if you’re mostly dashing through on your mount, stopping and observing nature as a whole yields some impressive discoveries.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Coming off of one of the longest side-scrollers ever (not including the DLC), it’s unsurprising that Silksong should be just as massive. Each location has a unique hook, enemies, bosses, and surprises, from the prison break without equipment to the mechanically beautiful intricacies of the Clockwork Core. But the fact that Team Cherry could pack so much in that’s also completely missable – including an entire third Act – is simply bonkers.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Featuring the entirety of Honolulu from Infinite Wealth is already an insane flex when it comes to the sheer size of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. But what’s a high seas adventure without an ocean and multiple islands to traverse, complete with treasure hunting, crew recruitment and naval combat? For what’s essentially a non-mainline entry, the sheer scale and coverage are pretty insane, but still manageable enough to clear in under 50 hours.
Clair Obscur
To say that Sandfall Interactive’s environments are a tour de force in aesthetic beauty and fidelity would be an understatement. Fields of giant swords, massive landscapes of battles past, the stadium full of Nevron dancers – it’s an endless stream of incredible levels, some feeling compact while others are absolutely massive. And that’s not even accounting for the secret spots where some of the most devious challenges await.
Ghost of Yōtei
Ezo is a fascinating region in Sucker Punch’s long-awaited follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima. With no bearings or directions, it’s vastly larger than your map indicates. Even as the flame-charred remains of Ishikari Plains, the frozen wilds of Tokachi Range, and the battered Oshima Coast become familiar, it never loses its incredible sense of discovery. From the peak of Mount Yōtei to the reaches of Saito’s fortress, its massive size is matched by its sheer range of activities.
Where Winds Meet
We’ve already covered just how massive the Jianzhu can be, promising over 100 hours of solo content alone, but it bears repeating, especially for a free-to-play experience. There are over 20 regions, each uniquely crafted to offer a distinct atmosphere and numerous points of interest. Then there’s Kaifeng City, which packs in thousands of NPCs and various activities, almost feeling like it could have been the sole location in a smaller game. Even with horses and practically soaring through the skies, the Jianzhu is simply awe-inspiring.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Taking it as a challenge to dwarf the original, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 just packs in so much more throughout. That includes the landscape, which provides a wider range of gorgeous sights, such as Kuttenberg, the biggest city yet with traders, armorers, combat arenas, and various associated quests. But even those who wish to embrace the great outdoors will encounter more than their fair share of adventure.
The Outer Worlds 2
The fact that you can spend over a dozen hours on the starting planet should give you enough hints about the overall size of The Outer Worlds 2. From there on, you’ll venture to the lush greenlands of Eden, the desert reaches of Dorado, the icy of the Cloister and more, including the ACS Undisputed Claim, which is a massive trading hotspot. Even if many of these climates will seem familiar, they’re packed with unexpected discoveries (and threats).
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Compared to its predecessor, Death Stranding 2 mostly unfolds across two locations. One look at Mexico, the first, and you’re just absolutely dwarfed by the sheer size and scale, but then you reach Australia, and it’s even bigger. Perhaps even more impressive – besides all the requests, facilities, and whatnot – is how varied the flora and fauna are throughout. Even the mountain ranges are significantly more complex than anything from the first game. The fact that you can explore and surmount these in different ways makes them all the more endearing.
Mario Kart World
No, this isn’t Forza Horizon levels of quality, but the “world” of Mario Kart World is pretty cool. Navigating the freeways between races, taking advantage of hops and wall rides while avoiding traffic, can be fun. The drifting, power-ups and utter madness of each race are still the appeal, but if you’re looking to unwind, maybe unlock new outfits or complete with P Switch challenges, free roam is a near-boundless playground.
Borderlands 4
It’s funny to look back and see just how Gearbox undersold the sheer openness of Kairos. Aside from a few instance boss fight locations, you can seamlessly travel from the Fadefields to Carcadia Burn and Terminus Range without any loading screens. The sheer variety of activities, from enemy camps and towers to capture to Drill Sites, Order Bunkers and Auger Mines, is also impressive. For me, it’s the verticality, which excellently leverages the new traversal mechanics, that really shines.
