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Offering 37 to 41 square kilometers (14 to 15 square miles) of open-world to explore, we already know that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's scale manages to feel unlike any other. Since the launch of the Bethesda RPG back in 2011, many of us have studied Skyrim's map and know it like the back of our hand, and if we were to offer an incredible comparison, it would be that the size of the open-world map is the equivalent of the island of Manhattan.
However, there is another RPG that offers a map twice the size of the one found in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and, even more excitingly, it is now free to play courtesy of Xbox.
A player fights a dragon in SkyrimBethesda Entertainment
The game is none other than Once Human, a free-to-play post-apocalyptic third-person open-world multiplayer survival game. Damn, that was a mouthful. Developed and published by Starry Studio, it was first released back in 2024 for Windows, followed by a 2025 launch for iOS and Android. However, it has now made its way to Xbox Series X/S and Xbox on PC, as well as PlayStation 5, with full cross progression.
"Survive in a supernatural apocalypse where reality has fallen apart. As a Meta-Human, explore a vast, Stardust-infected open world where monsters are threat and key to your survival. Every expedition is risk and resource. Gather materials and build your ultimate territory, but be prepared to defend your home against relentless sieges."
Set to launch on 25 August, Once Human comes alongside cross-progression and cross-play, as well as the ability to link your accounts if you have previously played on a different platform. There will also be keyboard and mouse support on console if this is your preferred way of playing.
Mixing a looter-shooter with survival elements and both PvP and PvE elements, Once Human's excitement does not stop there as its map size is reportedly twice the size of the one found in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Spanning 256 square kilometers (16 km × 16 km), it is quite an upgrade on Bethesda's fictional world, and with heaps of content to be found, we can only imagine how long it will take to meet full completion.
The only catch here is that the brand-new console version is not up-to-date with its PC alternative. However, Starry Studio has plans to remedy this. According to a Q&A on the Once Human website, "in the future, the console version will catch up with the progress of other platform versions, and it is expected to remain consistent."
So, if you are looking for a large-scale open-world RPG bigger than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim itself, look no further than Once Human.