overworld

Overworld refers to the primary, surface-world or main navigable realm in a work of fiction, especially in video games. It is typically contrasted with interior spaces such as dungeons, temples, caves, buildings, or other dimensions that players access from the overworld. The overworld commonly functions as the central setting for exploration, travel, and story progression, and may include landmarks, settlements, NPCs, quests, and environmental puzzles. Depending on design, it can be an open, seamless map or a network of connected regions linked by loading screens or fast travel, and it may feature day-night cycles, weather, and resource nodes.

In many game series, the overworld serves as a hub from which players reach smaller regions, dungeons, or challenges. The Legend of Zelda series popularized the concept with a large map of overworld terrain surrounding dungeon locations. In Minecraft, the Overworld is the primary dimension—with biomes, structures, and resources—distinct from the Nether and the End, the other dimensions accessed via portals.

Variations include open-world games where the overworld is largely seamless, and more segmented designs that separate exploration from combat areas. The term is also used outside games to describe the surface of a planet in a science-fiction context or as a contrast to subterranean or underworld sections in fantasy fiction.