Open World Map Density Meter

Game Density Database

Search, filter, and sort open-world games by how much meaningful content fills each square kilometer.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Pick up to three games from the database to compare their density profiles, zone quality, and community verdicts.

Select a game from the database

What the Scores Mean

Density Score

Meaningful events per square kilometer. A score of 3.0 means roughly three unique encounters, story beats, or worthwhile locations in every km² of map. Scores above 2.0 are considered dense. Below 0.5 is very sparse.

Zone Breakdown

Most open worlds are not uniform. A game might have a dense city and empty wilderness. The zone breakdown shows density per biome so you know where the content actually lives.

Worth Exploring?

Community verdict on whether exploring the full map feels rewarding or like filler. A game can have moderate density but a high "worth it" rating if what is there is consistently good.

Filler Index

Percentage of map icons that lead to repetitive or low-effort content. A high filler index means most of the map is padding. Games below 30% are doing well.

Common Mistakes When Choosing an Open World

Confusing map size with content. A 100 km² map sounds impressive until you realize 70 km² is empty ocean or copy-pasted bandit camps. Always check density, not square kilometers.

Trusting the icon count. A map covered in exclamation marks looks full. Most of those icons lead to the same three quest templates repeated fifty times. Density scores count unique content, not icons.

Ignoring the filler index. Some games have high density scores because they cram the map with collectibles. If the filler index is above 60%, most of that "content" is busywork.

Assuming sparse means bad. Not every game needs to be packed. If you want atmosphere and solitude, a low-density game might be perfect. This reference helps you find what matches your taste, not what scores highest.

Edge Cases & Patch Notes

Some games changed their density significantly after launch. Here is what to know.

No Man's Sky — Density improved from 0.3 to 1.8 after 4 years of free updates

At launch, No Man's Sky had one of the lowest density scores on record. Nearly every planet was empty. After the Beyond and Origins updates, base building, creature variety, and planet generation improved dramatically. The current score reflects the 2024 state, not the 2016 launch.

Cyberpunk 2077 — Night City density increased 40% after Patch 2.0

The original release had a visually stunning but surprisingly empty city. Patch 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty expansion added police chases, random events, and new district content. The density score now reflects the post-2.0 experience.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla — Map is 120 km² but 45% is water with minimal content

Valhalla's advertised map size includes large stretches of open water. The land-based density is moderate, but the overall score drops because water zones have almost nothing. If you only care about land content, mentally adjust the score up by 30%.

Death Stranding — Intentionally sparse; density score does not reflect experience quality

Death Stranding has one of the lowest density scores on the list. The map is mostly empty terrain. But the gameplay is about traversal and connection, not discovering content. This is a case where low density is the design intent and the game is excellent because of it.

Breath of the Wild — High density but most content is player-driven

BotW has a moderate density score because the number of hand-crafted locations is lower than you expect for its map size. But the physics system creates emergent content everywhere. The score only counts designed encounters, not player-created moments.

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