We all know on an intellectual level that it isn't the size of the map, it's what the game does with it that counts. But it's still satisfying to put two things side by side and see which is bigger. Since Manhattan is just a tiny lil' island, geographically speaking, and The Division's map isn't even a full-scale recreation of the island, you might think it's starting out a disadvantage next to other open-world games.
But some impressive cartographical footwork from YouTuber MarcoStyle reveals that it's actually pretty comparable to some of the most notable open worlds in recent memory: both the city of Los Santos from GTA 5, and the entire Commonwealth from Fallout 4.
If you played The Division beta, you saw that it does quite a bit with all that space. Most every block has a potential encounter brewing in the streets, or a sewer entrance to explore, or a building interior to ransack for energy bars and puffy coats. Further action mapping from Reddit user MiCK_GaSM (well good for them) reveals you'll have quite a bit more to see once the full game comes out on March 8: the beta apparently only allowed access to 22 percent of the complete map.
Ubisoft plans to release at least three DLC expansions for The Division as part of a Season Pass, so those could potentially build out the map even further. It looks like there's still plenty of Lower Manhattan to explore, not to mention New York City's other boroughs.
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