Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Tower Bridge are just three of the many iconic locations that make London such an attractive destination for tourists. Given recent events, however, hopping on a plane for a sightseeing trip really isn’t an option. Thankfully, for those desperate to see the city’s sites, there is another way. As is often the case with life’s biggest problems, video games can provide the solution.
It would seem that London is just as popular with game developers as it is with tourists. Over the past few decades, there have been countless games set in the city with many doing a fantastic job of capturing the city’s charm. From the West End to The River Thames, these games offer a great way to see everything that the city has to offer while avoiding its terrible weather.
10 Watch Dogs: Legion
Given that it is the most recently released game to be set in London, it should come as little surprise that Watch Dogs: Legion is the most visually impressive. Not only does the game do a fantastic job of depicting the city, but it also includes a huge area to explore that’s incredibly accurate to boot. There’s even a few London themed Easter Eggs hidden in there too!
The NPCs all speak with the right accents and all of the landmarks one might expect to find are present and accounted for. It’s even possible to take a ride on The London Eye, which helps to show off the sheer size of the city. Of course, it’s also possible to just ride a transport drone up there instead, but where’s the fun in that?
9 Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Although Watch Dogs: Legion may be the latest Ubisoft title set in London, it wasn’t the first. Rather than modern-day London, however, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is instead set in the Victorian era. Many of the city’s landmarks can still be found throughout the game though, including Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.
The gritty streets and unscrupulous characters found throughout the game were meticulously researched by the game’s developers to ensure that it was historically accurate. Although some creative liberties were taken here and there, the general consensus seems to be that they did a good job in this regard. Exploring the city with Jacob and his underutilized sister Evie is an absolute joy.
8 The Order: 1886
The Order: 1886 is set in an alternate timeline in which supernatural forces threaten humanity’s very existence. Beneath these embellishments and the historical inaccuracies that they introduce though, it’s still very easy to make out many of the characteristics that define London.
At the time of its release, it was one of the most visually impressive games on the market and its depiction of the city played a huge part in that. Even with the gloomy atmosphere, the city of London still feels very much alive and the steampunk airships that fluidly float on the fog-filled horizon make for some truly stunning views. Hopefully, the sequel teased at the end of the game delves a little deeper, if it ever arrives.
7 Grand Theft Auto: London
These days, Grand Theft Auto games tend to be set in fictional cities like Los Santos or San Andreas. Back in the ’90s though, Rockstar decided to try their hand at recreating London. The top-down view might make it a little difficult to make them out, but all of the city’s main landmarks are there to be found.
Considering the title was released on the original PlayStation, both the size and accuracy of the game’s map are incredibly impressive. Perhaps due to the violent nature of the game though, this was the last time that a GTA game was set in a real-world city. Modern entries still draw plenty of inspiration from real-world locations though.
6 ZombiU
When it comes to the most violent games set in London, ZombiU is probably pretty high up on the list. For a game about zombies though, it gives a surprisingly accurate representation of London. Well, in terms of geography and landmarks, at least. The city’s actual inhabitants are a bit more friendly than the ones in the game.
Some of the locations may have been moved around a little, but it’s possible to visit London landmarks like the Gherkin and Buckingham palace if one’s so inclined. Strangely though, Big Ben, arguably the city’s most iconic landmark, is nowhere to be found. Perhaps the developers felt that the Zombies had little interest in knowing what time it is?
5 Vampyr
London is clearly an attractive location for supernatural beings, with Vampyr being yet another monster game that takes place in the UK’s capital. It’s set during the time of the Spanish Flu, meaning that death and decay are all around. This provides the perfect camouflage for the game’s main protagonist to go about his business relatively unnoticed.
The game received mixed reviews, although most critics seemed to be in agreement that it provided a pleasing portrayal of Victorian London. The picture Vampyr paints is a dark and gloomy one, but exploring the capital’s cobbled streets is still enjoyable, as are certain elements of the gameplay.
4 Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter
When it comes to solving some of these supernatural mysteries, few are better equipped than Sherlock Holmes. He is one of the UK’s most iconic fictional characters and so it only makes sense that all of his games would be set in the nation’s capital. Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy is the first such game, but the more recent The Devil’s Daughter is far more impressive.
Its representation of Victorian England is a joy to behold and the attention to detail paid is incredible. Developer Frogwares clearly cares a lot about historical accuracy and so it will be interesting to see how Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One turns out in that regard. The title was announced earlier this year and should be releasing for Xbox Series X and PS5 at some point during 2021.
3 The Getaway
The Getaway is a 2002 title developed by Team Soho and is one of the better GTA clones that released around that time. Similar to one of the entries in the series it was trying to emulate, The Getaway takes place on the streets of London and gives a fairly accurate portrayal of the city. Unlike the GTA series, however, the game actually features licensed vehicles including British manufactured cars like MG Rover and Jensen.
The game did well enough to receive a sequel and a third game was even planned for the PlayStation 3. Despite several trailers being released for the game though, the third game was eventually canceled. It’s unclear exactly why the game never saw the light of day, but it’s a real shame as the footage shown looked fairly impressive for the time.
2 The Italian Job
Based on the fantastic 1969 movie of the same name, The Italian Job was released to coincide with the movie’s 2003 remake. Like the remake, however, the game failed to make much of an impression with critics thanks in large to its underwhelming and monotonous gameplay.
Much of the game is set in London and it features the iconic Mini Cooper which was so famously used in the original movie. The city is certainly recognizable, but the game’s poor graphics don’t come close to doing it justice. This likely stemmed from development beginning on the original PlayStation. Regardless though, it’s a poor effort for a PS2 game.
1 Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Back in the ’90s, the suggestion that Sonic would appear in a game with Mario would have been met with laughter. Following Sega’s exit from the hardware market though, the blue blur’s games began migrating to Nintendo consoles. From there, it was perhaps only a matter of time before he’d team up with everybody’s favorite Italian plumber. It finally came to be with the Mario & Sonic series.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is the series’ third entry and takes place in venues throughout the city of London. Although the game wasn’t particularly well-received by critics, its depiction of London’s landmarks and the real world stadiums used at the event was one of the few areas to receive praise.
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