Small video game maps that are packed with things to do are better than huge but empty maps. Here are five small but brilliant maps in games. All the games in this list have maps that are smaller than 10 square kilometers.
The games on this list have very small maps, but you can pour hundreds of hours into them because of their content. I could’ve added games like Sleeping Dogs, Mafia 2, and GTA Vice City, but their maps don’t have as much content as the games listed here.
Stardew Valley
Some might argue that Stardew Valley is not a full-blown open-world game, and they might be right. But the amount of content this game has is simply amazing. Besides farming, foraging, and fishing, there is a multitude of different quests. Some of them are random objectives generated each day, and some are connected with the characters of the game. You can befriend every single villager in the game; each of them has different stories and quests. There are also a ton of secrets and hidden details plus collectibles.
Personally, I have nearly 150 hours of gameplay in this tiny game and I’m still not done. If you want, you can keep playing the game for eternity, as it doesn’t have a set story and you are the author of your own. Stardew Valley is very popular and it has a 10/10 rating on Steam.
Batman: Arkham City
Batman: Arkham City is arguably the best superhero video game ever created. Everything about this game is near perfect, from its story to the gameplay. The map is quite small but very detailed. There are collectibles everywhere and riddles to solve. Finding them unlocks various stories and valuable information about the characters. There are also a lot of side missions and optional challenges. The aforementioned side missions are associated with many famous characters, like Bane and Deadshot.
Even though the map is very dark, gloomy, and lonely, it somehow feels alive. The enemies on the streets converse about things that can be useful information. There are mysteries waiting to be uncovered and enemies react to Batman performing certain actions.
Assassin’s Creed Unity
Assassin’s Creed Unity takes place in Paris during the French revolution. It’s a wonderful setting. The game has a wide array of weapons, tools, and outfits to unlock; there are a ton of collectibles all around the map. The side quests of Unity are so well done. There are murder mysteries where Arno acts as a detective, tasks, and stories associated with the people of Paris, assassination quests, and secrets to uncover.
Despite the map being small, the exploration aspect is also very impressive. You can explore many historical places in Paris and learn more about them. These reasons and more are why Assassin’s Creed Unity remains one of the best games in the series. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate might also be worth playing if you like Unity.
Dying Light
Dying Light is one of the best zombie games out there and it still holds up extremely well after many years. The events of the game take place in Harran, a fictional city with a small map that’s divided into two parts. It’s a dusty and dirty-looking game that can really be horrifying at times. For example, the night in Dying Light is different from other games. It’s very dark and more powerful zombies emerge.
The game has collectibles and salvage to find everywhere. The amount of loot and salvage is better at night, so it’s a high-risk but high-reward situation. All throughout the map, there are side quests and events that you could take part in. They’re very well-designed and unlock useful rewards. This small map is an agile runner’s playground. The parkour system of Dying Light is exceptional and it’s so satisfying and enjoyable to simply run around.
The sequel, Dying Light 2: Stay Human is also worth playing if you like the first game.
Yakuza series
Every Yakuza game has very small maps, maybe excluding the relatively large map of Yakuza: Like A Dragon. The amount of side content, activities, and mini-games in each and every game of the series is insane. There are usually more than 50 side-missions in each game and there are a lot of other activities to engage in as well.
For example, you could chat with hostesses at clubs. It’s like a dating simulation. There are bars where you could go sing karaoke and in Yakuza 0, there are even discos. The game encourages the player to go visit the many restaurants (which are real-life restaurants in Japan) and sit down for meals.
Everything in this game is so fun and it’s literally like a theme park. If you get carried away, which you definitely will, you’ll have more than one hundred hours of playtime in each game.
