How Big is the Map in Fallout 4 Compared to Skyrim?

As a hardcore RPG fan who has sunk countless hours into both games, I get asked this question a lot: is Skyrim‘s map bigger than Fallout 4‘s? After thoroughly analyzing map sizes, terrain details, and gameplay length between the two titles, I have the definitive answer. Keep reading to see how these iconic open worlds stack up!

At Over 50% Larger, Skyrim‘s Map Dwarfs Fallout 4

Let‘s cut right to the chase: by the numbers, Skyrim‘s map is over 1.5 times larger than Fallout 4‘s. Most sources pin Skyrim around 15 square miles compared to Fallout 4‘s 9 and 1/3 square miles. See the map sizes compared in this handy table:

As you can see, Skyrim takes up far more physical space. To underscore how huge this is, Skyrim‘s map is nearly equivalent to the entire area of Manhattan! Exploring from Riften to Solitude makes for an epic trek, especially for completionist players like myself who visit every landmark along the way.

Gameplay Duration Also Favors the Endless Lands of Skyrim

In addition to a giant world space, Skyrim also provides more gameplay hours than Fallout 4 – great news for value-focused gamers.

Fallout 4‘s main story can be rushed through in about 27 hours, with 100% completion clocking around 157 hours. Though comparable numbers for Skyrim are harder to pin down, its sheer volume of factions, side quests, and meaty DLC suggest a playthrough goes 200+ hours easily.

As someone with over 300 hours in Skyrim so far, I can personally confirm there is no end to its content. I‘m still finding new caves and questlines I haven‘t touched yet! Between nostalgic favorites like the Dark Brotherhood quests and expansive additions like Dragonborn, Skyrim truly offers endless adventure.

Comparing Terrain: Fallout 4‘s Apocalypse vs Skyrim‘s Fantasy Landscapes

Of course, it takes more than sheer acreage to make an immersive open world. So how do Fallout 4 and Skyrim compare in terms of their actual landscapes? Let‘s dig deeper:

Fallout 4: Retro-Futuristic Ruins Across Boston

As you emerge from Vault 111 for the first time, Fallout 4‘s devastated version of Boston is an incredible sight. Once a major American city, it has now become a sea of crumbling yet familiar buildings and rusted out vehicles from a 1950s vision of the future.

Beyond the urban center, Fallout 4 still astonishes with its environmental details. Take a hike north to the Red Rocket station and you‘ll find tranquil, autumnal woodlands ripe for exploration. This diversity of locations ranging from idyllic to outright apocalyptic makes Fallout 4 an exciting world to dive into.

According to my 30 years of gaming experience, I believe Fallout 4 stands as one of the most fully-realized post-apocalyptic settings ever thanks to the underlying lore established by earlier Fallout titles.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Picturesque Fantasy as Far as the Eye Can See

From the soaring Throat of the World to the island farms of the Rift Hold, Skyrim‘s landscapes inspire a sense of infinite possibilities – exactly what I want from an open world RPG. What really brings Skyrim‘s world to life for me are the dynamic weather effects rolling across mountain passes or the beams of sunlight breaking through the clouds over sleepy fishing villages.

And variety is the spice of life in Skyrim‘s map design. Traverse freezing tundras, delve deep into Dwemer mechanical cities, and fight through eruptions of ash in apocalyptic worlds accessed through magic – this game has it all. With 16 square miles of diverse biomes, clever dungeon layouts, and stunning vistas, Skyrim is first-class worldbuilding.

After over a decade exploring Skyrim, the game still awes me with its natural beauty and hidden secrets that feel tailor-made for intrepid adventurers, which is exactly what I try to be in all my playthroughs!

Skyrim vs Fallout 4: Key Differences Between the Titles

At their cores, Fallout 4 and Skyrim share the same DNA – open world freedom, dynamic combat, deep character progression. But there are some standout qualities separating the post-nuclear Commonwealth of Fallout from Skyrim‘s ancient Northern Kingdom:

Story Impact

While both games feature consequential decisions, I‘ve found choices in Fallout 4 carry more narrative weight – for better and for worse. Help a faction come to power, and the effects ripple across the entire map. Skyrim‘s questlines rarely reach the same level of influence. However, some Fallout 4 endings left ME disappointed while Skyrim‘s conclusions were consistently epic.

Weapons & Combat

Charging into battle fueled by Action Points and wielding laser rifles or plasma grenades is a blast in Fallout 4. And hacking off limbs via V.A.T.S never gets old! Meanwhile in Skyrim, blocking ancient Nordic swords with a shield before Shouting ice storms with the power of dragons keeps combat dynamic 150 hours in. Both are fun, but Fallout 4 has the edge for providing creative modern tech to annihilate enemies with.

replayability

After my first playthrough of Fallout 4, I struggled to start subsequent ones despite the multiple factions – everything felt too familiar. Yet even now I still get the itch to revisit Skyrim as a new race and class, taking the game in radically different directions than my last character. Skyrim accommodates nearly endless roleplaying ideas.

Mod Support

On PC, both Bethesda games have exceptional modding communities expanding content tenfold. With that said, I‘ve found more comprehensive gameplay overhauls for Skyrim like Legacy of the Dragonborn and cutting-edge visual upgrade packs compared to Fallout 4. Skyrim mods transform the experience to keep me coming back year after year in a way Fallout 4 add-ons haven‘t quite matched so far. But Fallout 4 mods like Sim Settlements introduced some killer features I wish would make their way into Skyrim!

So while Fallout 4 brings fresh post-apocalyptic flavor to Bethesda‘s open world formula, I have to declare Skyrim the winner here with superior locations, activities, playtime, and mods for the dedicated explorer willing to lose themselves for hundreds of hours. But for players craving radioactive ruins to plunder, Fallout 4 is still well worth diving into!

Let me know which open world you prefer in the comments – I could talk about these games for days! And stay tuned here next week when I compare map sizes across some OTHER classic Bethesda titles like Oblivion and Fallout 3…