Elden Ring vs. Skyrim: A Tale of Two Open Worlds and Their Size
The question of how big is Elden Ring compared to Skyrim is a common one among gamers, and the answer is quite clear: Elden Ring’s map is significantly larger than Skyrim’s. Specifically, while Skyrim’s world map clocks in at approximately 37 square kilometers (or about 15 square miles), Elden Ring boasts a map of 79 square kilometers (around 30.5 square miles). This makes Elden Ring’s open world more than double the size of Skyrim’s base game. This difference in scale significantly impacts the gameplay experience, offering vastly different exploration opportunities.
Map Size Matters: More Than Just Numbers
While sheer size isn’t the sole determinant of a game’s quality, it plays a crucial role in shaping the player’s experience. A larger map generally offers more areas to explore, secrets to uncover, and a sense of grand adventure. However, size alone can be meaningless if the world feels empty or repetitive. Both Skyrim and Elden Ring tackle this in different ways, leading to unique exploration experiences.
Skyrim: A Compact and Dense Experience
Skyrim, despite being much smaller in sheer area, is known for its density. Its map is packed with dungeons, towns, caves, and unique locations, each offering some narrative or gameplay hook. The relatively smaller size allowed Bethesda to meticulously craft many of these locations, ensuring a relatively dense and interconnected world. Skyrim’s 343 fast-travel locations also facilitate quick traversal of the map. While smaller, Skyrim’s world feels rich and vibrant, filled with things to discover at every turn.
Elden Ring: The Vast and Open Lands Between
Elden Ring, on the other hand, emphasizes the feeling of grandeur and scale. The Lands Between is a sprawling world, with vast open fields, towering mountains, and foreboding castles. The spaces between points of interest are much more expansive compared to Skyrim, encouraging exploration on horseback or on foot. Despite having 300 fast-travel locations, the more expansive design of Elden Ring’s map means much of the travel is done on the back of your spectral steed, Torrent, which contributes to the epic scale. The feeling of “discovering” a new location is more profound in Elden Ring due to its expansive nature.
Beyond Just the Numbers
While size is a key differentiator, other factors distinguish the two games. Skyrim’s world feels more geographically cohesive, with distinct regions naturally blending into one another. Elden Ring’s open world feels deliberately more fractured, with diverse biomes often juxtaposed against each other, creating an otherworldly sense. This deliberate design in Elden Ring is important as it contributes to the game’s theme of a shattered world. Both games offer different styles of open-world experience that cater to different types of players. Skyrim is often about feeling grounded in a coherent world, while Elden Ring aims to instill a sense of awe and mystery.
FAQs About Elden Ring and Skyrim Map Sizes
Here are some frequently asked questions to further explore the nuances of map sizes and their impact on these popular games:
1. Is Elden Ring bigger than GTA V?
Yes, Elden Ring’s map, at 79 square kilometers, is larger than the map of Grand Theft Auto V. This makes Elden Ring’s open-world map bigger, offering a larger area for exploration compared to the urban sprawl of GTA V.
2. What is the biggest open-world map in gaming history?
While there are debates about defining “open world”, Minecraft technically has the largest land-based open world with an area that is approximately 1.5 billion square miles. However, its procedurally generated nature makes it different from a traditionally designed open world.
3. Are there games with bigger maps than Elden Ring?
Yes, several games feature larger maps than Elden Ring. Notable examples include Minecraft, The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, No Man’s Sky, and Xenoblade Chronicles X, with the latter two being procedurally generated or extremely large in scale.
4. Does Skyrim have DLC that increases its map size?
Yes, Skyrim has several DLCs, including Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn, each adding new areas to explore. These expansions add to the overall content but do not drastically increase the initial base game’s map size.
5. Is Elden Ring inspired by Skyrim?
Elden Ring’s director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has mentioned being influenced by open-world games like The Elder Scrolls series (including Skyrim), along with Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and The Witcher 3. However, it’s important to note that Elden Ring is a unique vision, not a derivative of Skyrim.
6. Is Elden Ring the same world as Skyrim?
No, Elden Ring and Skyrim are set in entirely different fictional worlds. They feature distinct lore, gameplay mechanics, and narratives. While both are fantasy open-world games, they offer very different experiences.
7. How does the map size of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild compare to Skyrim?
The map of Breath of the Wild is significantly larger than Skyrim’s, being roughly 1.66 times larger. The game places an emphasis on free-form exploration with environmental puzzles, as opposed to Skyrim’s focus on dungeon delving and established quest lines.
8. How big is the map of Hogwarts Legacy compared to Skyrim?
Hogwarts Legacy’s map is considerably smaller than Skyrim’s, clocking in at around 2.95 square miles. This is understandable since Hogwarts Legacy focuses on a more specific area based around Hogwarts and its surrounding areas.
9. What makes Elden Ring’s map feel so expansive?
Elden Ring’s expansive map feeling comes from its open-ended design, large empty spaces between areas of interest, towering scale, and use of a seamless world. Even while traveling between points of interest, the game manages to feel grand and interesting, leading to many unexpected discoveries.
10. Is Elden Ring’s map size a disadvantage?
While some may feel overwhelmed by the sheer size, most agree Elden Ring’s map size is a core part of the experience, contributing to the sense of exploration, discovery, and challenge. The larger world allows for more freedom and makes finding hidden areas more exciting.
11. How is the combat experience different in Elden Ring compared to Skyrim?
Elden Ring features far more complex and demanding combat than Skyrim. Elden Ring is known for its challenging boss battles and requires precision and strategy, while Skyrim has more simplified combat mechanics.
12. How long does it take to beat Skyrim versus Elden Ring?
Skyrim’s main story is around 34.5 hours long, with a 100% completion time of around 231 hours. Elden Ring’s main story can take anywhere from 40 to 70 hours, depending on playstyle, and 100% completion can reach 100+ hours, highlighting a larger scope than Skyrim.
13. Does Elden Ring have DLC that expands its map size?
Yes, Elden Ring has a substantial DLC called “Shadow of the Erdtree” which does introduce a new and significant area to explore, expanding the map even further. This DLC provides more content and lore to experience.
14. How does the map of Red Dead Redemption 2 compare to Skyrim?
Red Dead Redemption 2’s map is approximately 29 square miles, making it almost twice the size of Skyrim’s 15 square miles. This makes RDR2 larger than Skyrim, though still smaller than Elden Ring.
15. What is the cultural inspiration behind Elden Ring’s lore?
Elden Ring’s lore is notably inspired by Irish myth and culture. This is a departure from many other fantasy settings that often rely on English or Norse mythologies and folklore, giving the game a unique and distinct atmosphere.
Conclusion: Different Worlds, Different Experiences
Ultimately, both Elden Ring and Skyrim offer phenomenal open-world experiences. While Elden Ring’s map is undeniably larger, the quality of the experience is not solely defined by size. Each game is designed with specific goals in mind: Skyrim focuses on density and a more grounded adventure while Elden Ring emphasizes grand scale and a sense of discovery. The better game is truly based on the player’s preferences and what type of open world they most enjoy. Regardless, gamers around the world will continue to explore and enjoy these two games for years to come.