Is Dead Island 2 Open World? Answered

Whether you’re looking to visit Hell-A or you’ve already arrived, you may be wondering: is Dead Island 2 open world? After all, the original DI featured a sandbox design, as did Riptide, letting you smash through hordes from one area to another without having to fast travel. With the zombie infestation spreading, we answer whether DI2 is open world below. 

Does Dead Island 2 Have an Open World? 

The answer is fairly simple: Dead Island 2 is not an open-world game. Unlike its predecessors, areas are more linear and compact than open and sprawling. It’s not as seamlessly traversable as games like Dying Light 2 or Red Dead Undead Nightmare. 

Screenshot by GameSkinny

Instead, Dead Island 2 has zone-based design and layout. Maps, such as the one above for the Santa Monica Pier, consist of specific areas like beaches, boardwalks with shops, and landmarks like theme parks — all of which are crawling with the undead.

Since DI2 isn’t an open world, if you want to travel to different locations, such as Bel-Air, Venice Beach, or Ocean Avenue, you can do so by using the game’s fast travel mechanic. The campaign is fairly linear, though, so you’re mostly returning to previously visited areas as part of sidequests.

Likewise, even though Dead Island 2 isn’t a fully open-world game, there are still many areas to explore. These contain an assortment of lock boxes and weapons, as well as Curveball items and collectible journals. By the time you finish the campaign, you should be well on your way to gathering Legendary weapons.

But that answers the question of whether or not Dead Island 2 is open world. We’ve got more tips articles and walkthroughs in our DI2 guides hub.

Featured image by GameSkinny.