The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt received praise for its impressive playtime and breathtaking story, but neither could be possible without the size of its map, which is much bigger than other open-world games like Breath of the Wild, Skyrim, and GTA 5. The games' budgets, release windows, and sizes justify each size, which was crafted to appeal to different audiences. The Witcher franchise has always embraced open-world gameplay, building impressive worlds from its first installment. Meanwhile, other franchises like Legend of Zelda perfected 2D worlds with puzzles and satisfying mechanics before transitioning to an open-world environment.
The Witcher 3 offers nearly a hundred hours of gameplay, depending on how players spend their time in-game. The immense volume of activities succeeds in making Witcher 3's world thrive with life. Players control Geralt of Rivia, exploring Temeria, Redania, and the Skellige Isles. As players progress through the main story and explore these lands, activities such as side quests, Gwent, collectibles, and monsters to battle become available. Witcher 3's vast world does not only amaze with its size but with the content occupying its space as well.
Thanks to the efforts of various game news outlets like GameRant and fans on Reddit, the size of The Witcher 3's map has been estimated and compared to the maps of competing open-world titles. No open-world game has thrived longer than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which is outmatched by Witcher 3's sheer size. Though Skyrim was released four years earlier than The Witcher 3, it enjoyed a larger budget. Compared to Witcher 3's size, calculated on Reddit to be approximately 49 real-world square miles (127 square kilometers), Skyrim falls drastically short and reaches only 15 square miles (39 square kilometers).
Witcher 3's Map Compared To The Open Worlds Of GTA 5 & Breath Of The Wild
GTA 5 was released in 2013 and maintained significant popularity within the Grand Theft Auto fanbase. GTA V players explore Los Santos, a fictional version of Los Angeles, and partake in a wide variety of activities. While the single-player version of GTA 5 received praise for its story, GTA Online features bank heists, zany outfits, vast collections of cars, and an impressive arsenal of weaponry. There is some debate over the measurements of GTA 5's map, with some suggesting its size being 49 square miles (127 square kilometers), and others suggesting it is closer to only 80 square kilometers. GTA 5 closely rivals Witcher 3 with its volume of activities and impressive geography, no matter which size is correct, but its map still falls slightly short of being as big as The Witcher 3's.
Breath of the Wild's open world is the most recent, released in 2017 for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo once restricted The Legend of Zelda franchise to more linear gameplay but embraced a larger world with BOTW. SegmentNext confirms Breath of the Wild's map is smaller than the ones in GTA 5 and Witcher 3, although there's no exact size in miles or kilometers given. The varying sizes of Skyrim, GTA 5, Breath of the Wild, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt don't reflect the different qualities of the game. Each title excels in its fields, often catering to a different sect of the gaming industry. The sizes of these games are impressive, but developers have also filled the vast space with ample opportunities for players to enjoy themselves.
Sources: GameRant, Reddit, SegmentNext