YouTuber reveals inside info on Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Paldea region map

As The Pokemon Company continues to push the narrative that Pokemon Scarlet & Violet will be the franchise’s first open-world title, PKMNcast – who attended the in-person preview event – has shed light on just how big the map actually is.

Following the release of Pokemon Legends Arceus, fans of the series didn’t expect to hear any news regarding a Gen 9 title so soon, let alone have a release date set for the same year.

While Legends boasted a pseudo-open world style – containing a few vast areas players could explore – GameFreak explicitly stated that Pokemon Scarlet & Violet would be the franchise’s first venture into an open world. Similar to BOTW, players can presumably go wherever they want from the start.

And after the map of Paldea was revealed, players began to wonder just how big the world actually is. They also wondered how dense it would be as open-world games can sometimes feel empty, leaving players wishing there was more to discover.

Outlined in red is the rough area where players could explore during the in-person Pokemon Scarlet & Violet event.

Just how big is Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s map?

YouTuber Steve Sarumi aka PKMNCast was one of the lucky few invited to New York to partake in the hands-on Pokemon Scarlet & Violet preview. And following the embargo for preview content, he took to Twitch to host an AMA regarding his one-hour play session. He would later condense the stream into a YouTube video.

One of his viewers asked if he could elaborate on the size of the map. Sarumi started by outlining the area of play with his cursor, stating he wasn’t able to explore beyond this area. He, along with other attendees, was given an hour to explore a little less than a fifth of the map.

“To do all of this,” Sarumi said while circling the area on the map, “I had an hour, and I didn’t even scratch the surface. And I rushed. I couldn’t walk there in time without getting distracted. Like, feeling like I’m not seeing enough. It’s quite big.”

He also explained how that Nintendo wanted him to complete three different tasks within the hour.

So, if Sarumi’s word is anything to go by, players could be in store for a massive adventure in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.