From sprawling sci-fi metropolises to dingy historical recreations, these locales stand out in the minds of Reddit users.
Video games can be immersive in different ways. Some contain realistic or thought-provoking dialogue, some push graphics closer to photorealism, and others give players the freedom to create their own narratives. As video game technology has improved, one aspect of immersion that has grown with it is the ability of game designers to create rich, detailed cities.
There are certainly older games with memorable places to explore, but the past decade has delivered unbelievably crafted locales in virtually every genre. From sprawling sci-fi metropolises to dingy historical recreations, it’s often tempting to simply walk around these digital engineering achievements.
The Elder Scrolls franchise has produced several memorable cities across its games, but, to many fans, none have topped the Imperial City. While Skyrim has several hidden locations and modest settlements, nothing compares to the size or intricacy of Oblivion‘s central urban hub.
Matt-pikes-shirt explains their love of the Imperial City, saying, » I felt like I always had something different to do there. Tasks to pick up, someone to rob, stores to rob, guards to rob, barrels to rob. Good times.» It hits the perfect balance between size and hand-crafted attention to detail.
In Tom Clancy’s The Division, a contagion rampages through the United States, spread by massive Black Friday shopping crowds. Society largely collapses, and players take on the role of Division agents trying to keep peace and supply settlements.
The second game in the franchise puts players into a detailed replica of Washington D.C., but there’s something special about the first game’s Manhattan, permanently adorned with Christmas decor. Juleztb mirrors this sentiment, saying the best part of the game «is the feeling of Manhattan in this apocalyptic winter with the Christmas lights and everything. So atmospheric!»
The Halo franchise usually focuses on the exploits of the Master Chief and other Spartan warriors, but Halo 3: ODST shifted players into the shoes of the UNSC’s Hell Jumper troops. New Mombasa was first seen for a few missions in Halo 2, but it’s the central setting of ODST.
Many players enjoyed the slightly slower, more grounded approach, and the futuristic city provided a memorable backdrop for the action. Hazzamo notes that «The Score made you feel truest [sic] vulnerable for the first time in a halo game, given you were just a marine, not the Master Chief.»
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a fantastic game packed with detail and memorable narrative turns, but it’s perhaps most notable for how alive its settlements feel. There are quite a few prominent cities and camps for players to stumble across, but few are as engaging as Saint Denis.
While it isn’t an exact recreation, Saint Denis was strongly inspired by real-world New Orleans. Smonte7455 mentions that this city is notable for being «very beautiful, modern [by in-game standards] and inviting during the day but becomes a shady atmosphere at night.»
Many video games take place in New York City, but 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man gave players one of the best virtual versions of the city yet. Given its massive scope, it’s not surprising that the individual buildings and streets aren’t a one-to-one recreation of the real thing.
However, as SmashedAddams puts it, «Spider-man 2018 is has [sic] the best map of Manhattan i have ever seen in a video game.» There are few feelings as exhilarating as swinging from Manhattan skyscrapers, and the city is filled with hidden areas and references to other Marvel properties.
Fallout 4 added detailed settlement creation tools to the storied franchise, but, to many fans, no city in Fallout history compares with Megaton. It’s one of the first cities that players visit in Fallout 3, and its central gimmick is immediately evident; the entire settlement is built around a thought-to-be dud of a nuclear bomb.
Fallout 3 shows just how much control it’s willing to give players by presenting the option to either save the city or blow the entire thing up with the bomb. Few-Swordfish-6722 cheekily references this decision by naming their favorite video game city as «The crater that used to be Megaton :).»
Many of the best RPGs in gaming feature cities that are based on long-running franchises or pre-existing IPs, so fans were delighted when Dishonored gave them a brand new city to love in Dunwall. This capital city of Gristol mixes Victorian English aesthetic with Steampunk charm, and the supernatural elements sprinkled in helps it stand apart from similar locations.
Hatthewmartley mentions Dunwall’s impressive visual design, mentioning that «It’s like a Victorian London oil painting.» Dishonored 2‘s Karnaca is also a popular setting, but, to many, nothing tops Dunwall.
Gotham City has been one of the most famous fictional locations in entertainment for over 80 years, and several films have brought various versions of the metropolis to life. However, until Batman: Arkham City, fans had never been able to roam around the city themselves.
The game delivered an incredibly detailed play map to explore, and Arkham Knight added even more space and details. MeMeTiger expresses their love for this interpretation simply, saying «Gotham in Knight is so pretty.» There are several secrets that only fans know about Gotham City, and Arkham Knight hides easter eggs for many of them.
Bioshock‘s Rapture is the product of an interesting narrative premise. In an alternate-history version of the 1950s, several of the world’s top philosophers, artists, and scientists created a city under the water to escape to oversight and regulation of traditional governments.
As the game starts, the city has collapsed into a horror-scape of mutated citizens and decaying architecture. THLH mentions that «The atmosphere of Rapture alone is honestly one of the major things that made that game for me.» Bioshock does a fantastic job retroactively telling a story of collapse through its abandoned environments.
The Grand Theft Auto franchise has bounced between more grounded or animated experiences, but Grand Theft Auto IV was perhaps the dourest. Liberty City is undoubtedly filled with eccentric characters and sets the stage for over-the-top action, but Nico Belic’s tale of dreams and sad realities keeps the narrative more relatable than earlier and subsequent titles.
Lollopopwaraxe agrees, explaining «GTA 4 version of liberty city always a special place in my heart. Flying a helicopter at night with Queen or kanye west flashing lights just hit different.»
Quinn Levandoski is a video game writer for Screen Rant and Hooked Gamers as well as a high school English teacher and connoisseur of fine Wisconsin cheeses. He’s been writing about the video game industry since 2011 and can often be found scrolling through his Steam library instead of actually playing anything. If you’d like to argue about games, share your love for grammar, or shamelessly trade quotes from The Office, he can be found on Twitter
