20 Open-World Games That Are Actually Empty Wastelands
Some worlds look massive at first glance, yet long stretches of travel or repeated points of interest can make them feel light on meaningful activity. This list looks at games that present huge maps with low population density, sparse hubs, or loops that send you across wide spaces for small payoffs. You will find details on traversal, encounter frequency, and how objectives are spread out. Use it to set expectations before you commit hours to roaming these maps.
‘Starfield’
Large planetary maps generate wide biomes with long walks between handcrafted locations. Many landing sites feature a handful of resource nodes and small facilities that repeat across different worlds. Fast travel helps but often jumps you between menus rather than encouraging exploration on foot. Vendor hubs and quest givers cluster in cities while the surrounding terrain offers limited discoveries per square kilometer.
‘No Man’s Sky’
Planets span enormous distances with procedurally placed flora and minerals that repeat across many biomes. Wildlife and buildings appear in pockets that can be minutes apart even with a ship. Resource gathering and blueprint progression drive movement more than dense quest chains. Space stations and trade posts provide services while the surfaces between them can feel lightly populated.
‘Death Stranding’
The map focuses on traversal across valleys and hills with few towns and fewer crowds. Deliveries send you between isolated facilities that function as your key interaction points. Terrain tools and vehicles matter more than frequent combat or side quest hubs. Long stretches of hiking emphasize route planning while encounters remain intermittent.
‘Mad Max’
The desert map features scattered strongholds and enemy camps with long roads connecting them. Scrap collection and car upgrades provide the main progression across largely barren zones. Storms and convoys add occasional events while settlements remain small and far apart. Many objectives send you back through the same stretches of sand and rock.
‘Just Cause 2’
Islands and mountains create a vast playground with limited interior spaces and small towns. Strongholds and fuel depots serve as repeatable targets spread far across the map. Grapple and parachute movement fills the gaps between key areas more than dense missions. Civilian life is minimal outside a few city blocks.
‘Just Cause 3’
The map offers dramatic vistas and many kilometers of countryside separating bases and towns. Liberation targets repeat clearable objectives with large travel times between them. Wingsuit and fast travel ease movement but side content clusters around military sites. Interior activities and dense urban districts are limited compared to overall land area.
‘Fuel’
The driving world covers thousands of square kilometers with sparse points of interest. Races and challenges sit far apart on long stretches of road or open terrain. Offroad exploration reveals few interactive elements beyond collectibles. Service areas and landmarks are rare compared to the size of the landscape.
‘Rage 2’
Outposts and ark sites dot a big desert map with empty spaces between them. Road patrols appear occasionally while towns remain small and utilitarian. Activities revolve around clearing enemy spots that share similar layouts. Travel time often exceeds the time spent at each objective.
‘Ghost Recon Breakpoint’
Auroa offers forests and mountains with limited civilian settlements and scattered tech sites. Missions guide you to small encampments or drone facilities separated by long treks. Vendors and social spaces concentrate in bivouacs and a single hub. Many regions share similar enemy patrol patterns with few unique landmarks.
‘Ghost Recon Wildlands’
Provinces spread cartel outposts and villages across a rugged countryside. Story targets live inside small compounds while large swaths of wilderness hold little interaction. Helicopters and fast travel become essential to reduce long commutes. Civilian areas provide minimal services beyond occasional intel drops.
‘Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’
Two large theaters contain many outposts separated by empty valleys and plains. Encounters focus on base infiltration with little to do between sites. Supply drops and a buddy system support long approaches over open ground. Towns and interior spaces are small compared to the overall travel footprint.
‘Forspoken’
The world features broad plateaus and fields with magic nodes and chests spaced widely. Villages and friendly hubs are rare outside the main city. Side activities repeat similar challenges across distant markers. Parkour traversal fills long runs between objectives with limited ambient encounters.
‘Biomutant’
Regions contain colorful terrain with modest settlements and tribe forts spread far apart. Loot spots and bunkers repeat familiar interiors across large distances. Mounts and gliders help bridge empty stretches with few random events. Many side tasks send you back and forth across the same wide sectors.
‘Elex’
A single contiguous map offers factions and towns that sit far from one another. The world hosts dangerous wildlife that discourages early wandering into many areas. Long hikes separate quest hubs with limited incidental discoveries. Jetpack movement reduces travel time but does not add new interactions between points.
‘Elex II’
Settlements and faction bases remain isolated with large gaps of wilderness. Quests often direct you to small quest nodes scattered over wide terrain. Enemy groups and wildlife provide intermittent resistance rather than constant activity. Vendors and crafting stations cluster in a few hubs with little reason to linger elsewhere.
‘Sea of Thieves’
The ocean map relies on islands that can be many minutes apart by sail. Outposts deliver most services while open water travel includes brief world events. Islands generally offer compact encounters that finish quickly before another long voyage. Player interaction varies by session which leaves long stretches of calm seas.
‘The Crew’
A scaled map of the United States connects cities with hundreds of kilometers of highway. Many roadside areas exist only as scenery without interaction. Events and skills challenges pop up at intervals while small towns provide few reasons to stop. Long cruises fill the time between race hubs.
‘The Crew 2’
The continental map returns with even more space across water and land. Activities trigger in specific nodes while much of the journey sits between them. Switching vehicles keeps travel fresh yet services remain concentrated in a few menus and spots. Free drive sessions can pass without notable encounters.
‘Final Fantasy XV’
Early chapters open wide stretches of countryside with outposts separated by long roads. Hunts and side quests send you driving or riding to small pockets of activity. Rest stops and diners provide key progression services while wilderness areas hold light interactions. Many missions involve backtracking through the same corridors of open terrain.
‘Two Worlds II’
The fantasy map spreads towns and quest givers across large provinces. Wild zones sit between them with random encounters that appear infrequently. Crafting and loot systems encourage travel but interior locations remain modest in size. Fast travel stones become essential to reduce long slogs across similar landscapes.
Share your own picks for massive but quiet maps in the comments and tell us which worlds worked for you despite the emptiness.