Open World Games That Are Giant Maps With Nothing To Do

Open world gaming has evolved into a staple of the industry providing players with expansive environments to explore at their own pace. Many developers prioritize sheer scale and geographical diversity to create a sense of immersion within these digital spaces. However some titles focus on massive landmasses that lack dense populations or interactive points of interest for the player to discover. These games often require long travel times between main objectives across terrains that serve primarily as visual backdrops rather than active playgrounds.

‘Fuel’ (2009)

This racing game presents a massive map that covers over five thousand square miles of terrain. Players drive through various ecological zones including scorched forests and snowy peaks in a post apocalyptic setting. The environment serves as a giant sandbox for off road vehicles but lacks structured side missions or interactive landmarks. Much of the experience involves traveling long distances between events with very little happening in the wilderness.

‘Dynasty Warriors 9’ (2018)

The ninth main entry in this series introduced a sprawling open world across ancient China. While the map is geographically vast it primarily consists of flat plains and repetitive forests with few unique locations. Players spend a significant portion of their time riding horses between distant battlegrounds without encountering interesting diversions. The transition to an open format left much of the environment feeling sparse compared to the dense combat scenarios of previous installments.

‘L.A. Noire’ (2011)

This detective thriller features a meticulously recreated version of the nineteen forties city of Los Angeles. The city serves as a historical backdrop for the linear narrative and investigative gameplay loops. Players can drive through the streets and visit famous landmarks but find few activities to engage with outside of official cases. The world acts more like a stage for the story than a reactive environment with side content or mini games.

‘Mafia II’ (2010)

Set in the fictional city of Empire Bay this game provides a detailed urban environment inspired by New York and Chicago. The open world serves to facilitate the cinematic story of the protagonist as he rises through the ranks of organized crime. While the city changes across different seasons it does not offer typical open world distractions like property buying or extensive side quests. The map functions as a linear path for the main campaign missions rather than an interactive sandbox for free roaming play.

‘No Man’s Sky’ (2016)

This space exploration game launched with a procedurally generated universe containing billions of unique planets. Players could land on any world to gather resources and discover alien flora or fauna. At the time of its initial release many players found the vast distances between interest points to be devoid of engaging activities. The focus on survival and resource collection meant that much of the planetary surface remained empty of complex structures or quest givers.

‘Starfield’ (2023)

This role playing game allows players to visit over one thousand different planets across the Settled Systems. Many of these worlds are procedurally generated and feature large stretches of uninhabited land intended for resource mining. While major hubs are filled with characters and quests the outlying regions of most planets offer limited interactive content. Players often spend several minutes walking between scattered outposts or natural formations without encountering dynamic gameplay.

‘Forspoken’ (2023)

The world of Athia is a large landmass designed to showcase the protagonist’s magical parkour abilities. Players traverse wide canyons and high cliffs using elemental spells to move at high speeds. Despite the impressive scale of the map the areas outside of the main city are largely abandoned and populated only by hostile creatures. The lack of towns or non player characters in the wilderness creates a sense of isolation within the massive environment.

‘Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’ (2015)

This tactical action game features two large open maps located in Afghanistan and the Angola Zaire border region. These environments provide a playground for stealth operations and base building mechanics. Outside of the enemy outposts and guard posts the terrain consists mostly of barren hills and desert plains. Players frequently travel across these empty spaces to reach the next mission objective or to find specific materials.

‘Rage 2’ (2019)

This first person shooter combines fast paced combat with vehicle exploration in a colorful post apocalyptic wasteland. The map is divided into several regions ranging from swamps to deserts with various enemy strongholds scattered throughout. While the shooting mechanics are highly polished the world between locations often feels quiet and unpopulated. Exploring the open stretches typically results in finding small resource caches rather than complex side missions or narrative events.

‘Just Cause 4’ (2018)

The island of Solis provides a massive geographical area filled with diverse biomes like rainforests and mountain ranges. Players use a wingsuit and grapple hook to navigate the vertical terrain and cause explosive destruction. Many parts of the map are designated as wild areas that contain very few interactive objects or missions. The focus on physics based chaos means the environment often serves as a canvas for stunts rather than a dense world of content.

‘Mirror’s Edge Catalyst’ (2016)

This parkour centric title takes place in the City of Glass which is a clean and futuristic urban environment. The open world allows players to run across rooftops and through buildings without loading screens. While the traversal mechanics are core to the experience the world itself lacks deep interaction or side activities. Most players follow specific paths to complete races or delivery missions while the surrounding city remains largely inaccessible.

‘Driv3r’ (2004)

This action game features large scale recreations of Miami and Nice and Istanbul. Players can explore these cities on foot or in vehicles to complete various undercover missions. While the maps were considered large for the era they suffered from a lack of interior locations and meaningful side content. The streets are often sparsely populated which contributes to a feeling of emptiness during free roam sessions.

‘Superman Returns’ (2006)

This game features an open world Metropolis that covers eighty square miles of urban terrain. Players can fly at super speeds across the city to reach various disaster sites and stop criminals. Despite the ability to move anywhere in the environment there are very few activities to participate in besides basic combat encounters. The city inhabitants do not react in complex ways and the buildings are mostly indestructible set dressing.

‘Elite Dangerous’ (2014)

This space simulation offers a one to one scale representation of the entire Milky Way galaxy. Players pilot starships through billions of star systems to trade and explore or engage in combat. The vast majority of the systems are uninhabited and contain only celestial bodies like stars and planets. This realism results in massive amounts of travel time where players do not encounter any other ships or stations.

‘The Crew’ (2014)

This racing title features a scaled down version of the entire United States as its map. Players can drive from coast to coast through iconic cities and varied natural landscapes. While the technical achievement of the map is significant the areas between major cities are often devoid of specific challenges. The focus is on the journey and the driving experience rather than providing a dense collection of activities in rural areas.

‘Mad Max’ (2015)

This game is set in a desolate wasteland where water and gasoline are the most valuable resources. Players explore a giant desert map in a customizable vehicle to dismantle enemy fortifications and gather scrap. The environment is intentionally designed to feel empty and hostile to reflect the post apocalyptic setting. This results in long stretches of sand and rock with very few distractions between primary locations.

‘Sniper Ghost Warrior 3’ (2017)

This title shifted the series to an open world format set in the country of Georgia. Players navigate through several large maps to reach sniper nests and eliminate high value targets. The areas connecting these outposts are often quiet and lack any dynamic events or civilian life. Traveling to objectives frequently involves driving through repetitive woodland areas with little to see or do.

‘Two Worlds’ (2007)

This fantasy role playing game features a large continent for players to explore on foot or on horseback. The map includes various towns and dungeons and wilderness areas filled with monsters. Many of the outdoor environments are vast and contain very little besides roaming enemies and basic loot. The world design prioritizes distance and scale over unique geographical features or interactive quest hubs.

‘The Day Before’ (2023)

This survival game features a large urban map that serves as the primary setting for player exploration. The city streets are filled with various static assets and abandoned vehicles but offer very few interactive buildings. Players encounter limited numbers of enemies and other survivors as they move through the environment. The vast majority of the map functions as a decorative backdrop for basic looting mechanics.

‘Ghost Recon Breakpoint’ (2019)

The game takes place on the fictional island of Auroa which is a high tech archipelago owned by a private corporation. The map is exceptionally large and features various biomes from snowy mountains to tropical jungles. Players spend a lot of time traversing these landscapes to reach military compounds or survival caches. Much of the wilderness is devoid of civilian life and feels empty outside of scripted mission areas.

‘Biomutant’ (2021)

This action role playing game features a colorful world where nature has reclaimed the ruins of human civilization. Players use mutant abilities and vehicles to explore the diverse regions of the map. While the visual style is unique many areas of the world feel sparse and lack meaningful interaction. The repetitive nature of the side activities often makes the large distances between them feel more pronounced.

‘Crackdown 3’ (2019)

Players take control of a superpowered agent in the neon lit city of New Providence. The game focuses on vertical movement and explosive combat against corporate overlords. The city is large but offers very little in the way of environmental storytelling or varied side content. Most of the map serves as a platform for the core loop of jumping and shooting without much depth in the surroundings.

‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ (2017)

This game allows players to explore several large planets in the Andromeda galaxy using a planetary rover. Each world has a primary objective related to terraforming and establishing colonies. Between these points of interest are massive stretches of desert or ice or rocky terrain. While there are some hidden items to find the vast majority of the planetary surface is empty space designed for driving.

‘Saints Row’ (2022)

This reboot is set in the fictional city of Santo Ileso which is inspired by the American Southwest. The map features urban areas and surrounding deserts and mountain ranges for players to explore. While there are various criminal ventures to establish the world often feels less reactive than previous entries. Large sections of the desert are particularly barren and offer few reasons for players to wander away from the roads.

‘Assassin’s Creed’ (2007)

The first game in this franchise includes a large open area known as the Kingdom which connects the major cities. Players travel through this region on horseback to move between Damascus and Jerusalem and Acre. The Kingdom is a wide expanse of hills and small villages but offers very few gameplay activities. It primarily serves as a transitional space that lacks the complexity and side missions found in later sequels.

‘Sea of Thieves’ (2018)

This pirate adventure game features a massive oceanic world filled with scattered islands. Players sail their ships across the water to hunt for treasure and fight mythical sea creatures. In its early stages the game was noted for having large gaps between islands with no events occurring on the open sea. The experience relied heavily on player interaction because the environment itself was often quiet and uneventful.

‘Atlas’ (2018)

This survival game was designed to host thousands of players on a single massive map consisting of numerous islands. The scale of the ocean is immense and requires long sailing times to cross from one region to another. Many of the islands are procedurally generated and lack unique landmarks or complex enemy encounters. Players often spend hours traveling through open water without seeing any other ships or landmasses.

‘Deadly Premonition’ (2010)

This title features the small town of Greenvale which players can explore in a variety of cars. The game includes a full day and night cycle where non player characters follow specific schedules. However the town is geographically spread out and driving between locations takes a significant amount of time. There are very few things to do on the roads except listen to the protagonist talk during the long commutes.

‘True Crime: New York City’ (2005)

This game attempted to recreate Manhattan in detail allowing players to walk or drive through the borough. As a police officer players can intervene in random street crimes and investigate various cases. While the map is large for its time many of the buildings and streets feel identical and lack interactive depth. The world serves as a backdrop for the narrative but does not offer a wide variety of activities.

‘ELEX’ (2017)

The world of Magalan is a large and seamless environment that blends science fiction and fantasy elements. Players explore forests and volcanic regions and ruins using a jetpack for vertical mobility. While the world is filled with dangerous creatures the density of settlements and quest givers is relatively low. Much of the exploration involves trekking through beautiful but empty landscapes to find the next hub of activity.

‘Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising’ (2009)

This military simulator takes place on the massive island of Skira which is modeled after real world geography. The game focuses on realistic combat engagements and tactical movement over long distances. Because the focus is on simulation the island is mostly empty wilderness without civilian life or distractions. Players often walk for miles to reach an objective without encountering a single enemy or event.

‘Mercenaries 2: World in Flames’ (2008)

Set in a fictionalized version of Venezuela this game provides a large open world for players to cause destruction. The environment is divided among different factions that players can assist or hinder for money. While the scale of the world is impressive many of the rural areas are sparse and lack interesting details. The focus is on the destruction of buildings and vehicles rather than the exploration of a lived in world.

‘Homefront: The Revolution’ (2016)

This game is set in an alternate history Philadelphia that has been occupied by a foreign military force. The city is divided into several districts ranging from war torn ruins to high security zones. Players engage in guerrilla warfare and capture strategic points to incite a rebellion. Despite the urban setting the districts can feel repetitive and empty of civilian interaction outside of scripted moments.

‘Sonic Frontiers’ (2022)

This title introduced open zones to the series allowing the character to run freely through several large islands. The environments are filled with floating platforms and rails for high speed platforming. While there are puzzles and enemies scattered around the landscape the natural scenery often feels like a void between platforming challenges. The realistic art style contrasts with the abstract gameplay elements placed in the otherwise empty world.

‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ (2014)

This game features an open world Manhattan where players can swing between skyscrapers and fight crime. While the swinging mechanics are functional the city itself feels static and lacks the vibrancy of other superhero games. There are very few side activities that do not involve repetitive combat or simple collectibles. The streets below the skyline are particularly sparse and offer little reason for the player to explore on foot.

‘Riders Republic’ (2021)

This extreme sports game combines several American national parks into one massive map for biking and skiing. Players can traverse huge mountains and deep canyons in a seamless open world. While the terrain is ideal for racing and stunts there is very little to do in the world outside of organized events. The vast stretches of wilderness are beautiful to look at but serve only as a path for downhill travel.

‘Far Cry 6’ (2021)

The island of Yara is a large map featuring lush jungles and a capital city. Players fight as a revolutionary to topple a dictatorial regime. While the world is visually stunning many regions are filled with basic outposts and similar foliage with few unique encounters. Traveling between the main mission hubs often involves moving through large empty spaces with minimal engagement.

‘Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown’ (2024)

This racing game features a one to one scale recreation of Hong Kong Island with hundreds of kilometers of roads. Players can drive luxury cars through the urban center and the surrounding rural mountains. The focus is on the lifestyle of car collecting and cruising through the realistic environment. Outside of the driving experience and social hubs the map does not feature the interactive elements or variety found in other open world titles.

‘Death Stranding’ (2019)

The game takes place in a version of the United States where the player acts as a delivery courier. The map consists of vast and rugged landscapes that must be traversed on foot or with basic vehicles. This world is intentionally empty of people and structures to emphasize the themes of isolation and connection. Most of the gameplay involves managing balance and stamina while moving across these quiet and lonely terrains.

‘Shenmue III’ (2019)

This sequel features several open areas set in rural China during the late nineteen eighties. Players explore villages and surrounding fields to gather information and train in martial arts. While the game is detailed the pace of movement is slow and the environments contain many quiet paths. Many areas consist of fields that require a lot of walking with very little happening between the main points of interest.

Tell us which of these massive open worlds felt the emptiest to you in the comments.