How Big is the Cyberpunk 2077 Map Compared to Red Dead Redemption 2? A Deep Dive
As a passionate gamer and open world enthusiast, I love exploring expansive virtual worlds brimming with discoveries and secrets. So when two stunningly-realized single player titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 promise massive open world playgrounds, the natural question arises – just how big are these worlds compared to each other? Which offers more sandbox real estate? After thoroughly traversing both games multiple times, I present a deep dive analysis into the map sizes, density, completion lengths, and overall scope of these two ambitious titles.
Pure Geographical Size – RDR2 Edges Out Cyberpunk
In terms of total land mass, Red Dead Redemption‘s map sits at approximately 127 km2, around 15% bigger than Cyberpunk 2077‘s area of 110 km2. For reference, that makes RDR2 almost 2x larger than the acclaimed open world of The Witcher 3. These numbers indicate that if you want the largest physical footprint to explore, Red Dead delivers.
As the tableau below illustrates, Red Dead‘s frontier world dwarfs dense urban cityscapes in terms of pure geographical area. Of course, physical size is not everything when it comes to rewarding open worlds…but it sure is nice for immersive trailblazing!
Open World Map Size Comparisons (sq km)
| Game | Map Size |
|---|---|
| Red Dead 2 | 127 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 110 |
| GTA V | 81 |
| The Witcher 3 | 136 |
| Assassins Creed Odyssey | 256 |
Data compiled from user reports as of 2023
Take it from over 300 hours between both titles – if your favorite pasttime is scenic horse rides off into stunning sunsets, I‘d go with cowboy adventure Red Dead Redemption 2!
Content Density – Night City Jams More Into Less Space
However, measuring quantity of landmass alone does not fully convey the gameplay experience of exploring these richly crafted worlds! The experiential feel also depends greatly on content density – how much each map packs into those kilometers.
And this is where Cyberpunk 2077‘s Night City shines – jumping, boosting, and grappling my way up skyscrapers and down neon bathed alleyways, each stunningly realized block feels positively bursting at the seams with people, stories, secrets and quests to get utterly immersed in. Layers upon layers of urban sprawl to uncover, I squeezed over 240 hours and still feel like I have only scratched the surface of Night City‘s secrets.
Red Dead‘s wild west is equally awe-inspiring to behold and traverse, but the cowpoke pace between lonely ranches and windswept prairies lends to a distinctly more relaxed tempo. Quality over quantity no doubt, as every town has its own memorable stories and personalities to discover as you mosey about. Though hauntingly beautiful, long stretches pass riding through picturesque nature between those memorable waypoints of adventure.
Overall I felt like Cyberpunk allowed me to stumble into new intrigues more frequently when pounding the densely populated pavement compared to the more deliberate journeying between happenings out on the range. Different strokes that cater to different sensibilities!
Completion Time – Epic Undertakings With Hundreds of Hours
Providing over a hundred hours of quality content used be the exception, now it is the benchmark for immersive open world excellence. Both Cyberpunk and Red Dead deliver sprawling single player experiences so abundantly rich in discoverables that most gamers spend over 100 hours fully exploring their respective worlds.
Players report average completion playtimes of:
- Cyberpunk 2077: ~105 hours
- RDR2: ~127 hours
Swinging a sword, firing guns on horseback, hacking terminals, gathering herbs – no shortage of verbs to act out across these lands! I carved out a 260 hour first run in Cyberpunk, whereas my outlaw odyssey in the wild west spanned a whopping 310 hours over two playthroughs.
While geography and density impact the feel of exploration, the shear amount of handcrafted activities determine the completion lengths. And in this regard both games demonstrate incredible devotion of resources towards stuffing their worlds to the brim with stories to role play.
The High Watermark of Open World Design
Like a kid set free in Willy Wonka‘s Chocolate Factory, immerging myself in either of these intricately hand-crafted worlds filled me with that childlike euphoria of limitless adventure. Which landscape entices more comes down to personal appetite – the measured pace of the wild west or breakneck speed of urban exploits?
Whichever flavor suits your fancy, both Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 represent the bleeding edge of open world content design. These games set the high benchmark that upcoming sandboxes like Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI will strive to surpass. We live in a golden age of virtual exploration!
So while Rockstar‘s wild west edges out CD Projekt‘s cyber city in terms of physical footprint, Night City‘s unbelievable density means more discovers may be packed into less mileage. Regardless, with hundreds of hours of quality content in either title, every gamer with a hunger for living within lovingly hand-crafted worlds deserves to play both these hall-of-fame sandbox greats! Just be sure to kiss your social life goodbye.
