Map Size(s) Explained

Wondering about Dead Island 2 map sizes? Get the lowdown on how many maps there are, how long they take to traverse, and why they feel both large and linear.

Alright, so you're diving into Dead Island 2 and wondering about the lay of the land, right? Let's break down the map situation. You've got a total of ten distinct maps to explore in Hell-A. Think of them like this, listed alphabetically:

• Bel-Air
• Beverly Hills
• Brentwood Sewer
• Halperin Hotel
• Hollywood Boulevard
• Monarch Studios
• Ocean Avenue
• The Metro
• The Pier
• Venice Beach

Now, when you're just zipping through a map from one end to the other, assuming no zombie roadblocks or story stuff gets in your way, you're probably looking at about ten minutes. But here's the kicker: if you're actually trying to find everything – all those juicy journals, blueprints, side quests, or whatever else you're hunting for – you could easily sink an hour or two into a single map. They're designed to be pretty dense, packed with stuff to discover.

The game really pushes you along a more linear path. The main story usually points you exactly where you need to go and unlocks new areas or quests as you hit certain story beats. If you try to go off-roading like in a typical open-world game, you'll find that while the maps might seem bigger, the paths to other areas are often blocked, or you'll run into these skull-level zombies. Seriously, these guys are at least three levels above you and will absolutely one-shot you. So, unless the game naturally guides you to a side quest or you're deep into the endgame, it's usually best to steer clear of exploring too far off the beaten path. You're mostly just wasting your time and risking a quick death there.

Take Beverly Hills, for example. It's a pretty compact map, mostly just a few mansions and a couple of other points of interest. You'll find those skull enemies guarding the areas not tied to the main story. You might finish the main objectives there in about 20 minutes the first time through, but you can always come back later to mop up any side content when you're a higher level.

So, to sum it up, the Dead Island 2 maps are a good size, but because of how the game's structured, you'll only really be tackling portions of them at a time, especially early on. The good news is you'll eventually unlock fast travel between all these maps. This really opens things up, letting you treat the game a bit more like a free-roam experience, but that freedom doesn't fully kick in until you're about 13 main story missions deep. Hopefully, that gives you a clearer picture of the scope and scale of the maps in Dead Island 2!