London is a bustling city full of life, history, and culture. With so many different things to see and do in this massive metropolis, you can’t help but feel like you’ve been transported to another world. London has been the backdrop for some of the best video games ever made.
We have seen some of the newest and oldest trends of London in the gaming industry, even notably the casino subsect, with the latest slot news often sourced from this spectacular city. In no particular order, here are 10 of the best games set in London.
The Getaway
This series has spanned multiple games, but it’s the PlayStation 2 original developed by Team Soho and published by Sony Computer Entertainment which was set in London on a fictionalised version of the notorious East End.
The Getaway told the story of two London bank robbers in modern-day London double-crossed by their gangland boss, Jack Palmer (played by Ray Winstone). The game featured links to classic British crime movies such as Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch because they share a character, Harry Lock.
The Getaway was pretty graphically impressive for the time of release, but more importantly, it featured some excellent gameplay mechanics thanks to its open-world structure. The game spawned a sequel in 2004 called Too Human, which took place on an island off the coast of London rather than being within city limits. However, the series never quite lived up to its potential, with a third instalment cancelled and Team Soho shut down in 2007.
Hitman: Blood Money
This last-generation title from IO Interactive was one of our favourites back when it was played on Xbox 360 because there was nothing quite like it at the time. It was a third-person stealth game set in open sandbox environments and allowed you to play how you wanted to, which meant that a player probably spent more than 30 hours playing through every level multiple times just to get all the collectables hidden around each map.
Hitman Blood Money was set in London. It had multiple levels with varying objectives, which meant that you could be on one mission trying to frame someone by killing their target, then turning your attention straight away to another level where the objective is simply ‘kill everyone’.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate is the ninth major title in Ubisoft’s hit franchise, and it has you playing Jacob Frye, one of the twin assassins living during London’s Industrial Revolution. This sequel takes place seven years after Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag (also set in a different city) and features a new hero and fresh mechanics. The game was set in 1868, so you’ll see the city during its transition from Victorian England into modernity.
Syndicate’s story takes place after Jack the Ripper has murdered several prostitutes around London, causing Jacob and his sister Evie (the other playable twin) to step up and protect London from this mysterious killer. Conflicts between rival gangs, a corrupt police force, and undead enemies will keep you guessing at every turn as your journey takes you across 1868 London in search of answers about Jack the Ripper’s identity.
Watch Dogs: Legion
One of our favourite games set in London, Ubisoft is back with Watch Dogs Legion, the next title in their open-world hacking franchise. While this game isn’t set entirely in London, it’s still an interesting glimpse into what could be if we dump all our personal information online and allow corporations to control everything that happens around us. The main character, a member of the hacking group DedSec, lives in London while all hell breaks loose around them. You can play Watch Dogs Legion on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Resistance: Fall of Man
Resistance: Fall of Man came out in 2006. The game was developed by Insomniac Games and published exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console. Set during an alternate history where Germany has conquered Britain, you play as a soldier named Joseph Capelli fighting against Nazi forces with your fellow Resistance members to liberate London.
The game is a first-person shooter and has been praised for its exciting, fast-paced gameplay. It features an innovative weapon modification system that allows you to customise your weapons from over 40 different upgrades. The story was well-received as it can be considered one of the best storylines in any video game set in central London.
Tomb Raider 3
Tomb Raider 3 was the first game in the series to be set outside of Egypt. It takes place primarily on a cargo ship floating down River Thames, which winds its way through London before heading out into international waters. You’ll find yourself leaping across rooftops and battling against crazed pirates over ancient relics and priceless artefacts. The game also includes some great hidden secrets for you to discover.
GTA London
There is no game on this list more quintessentially London than GTA: London 1969. The first entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, set entirely within Great Britain’s capital city, was released in 1999 for PC and PlayStation 1 (and later ported to iOS). It had some stiff competition with games like Driver and the original Gran Turismo.
Players got to do what they wanted in London, like robbing banks or choosing which character you would want to beat up other characters (and then actually doing it). It was pretty much GTA 1 but set entirely within one city instead of multiple cities across America. The game also featured a weak storyline, but nobody plays a GTA game for the plot.
Project Gotham Racing 3
The third instalment in the series Project Gotham Racing, this title puts players behind the wheel of some very exotic cars, including but not limited to Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s. Your goal is to race from one side of London all the way across town through a tunnel under The River Thames, ending up on top of The London Eye. You can race in various modes, including the free roam mode, where you are allowed to explore all four areas without any time limits or objectives, allowing for an unlimited amount of fun.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is an action-adventure video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3. This sequel to Uncharted 2 was released in December 2011, with a remastered version being made available on the PlayStation 4 as part of The Nathan Drake Collection.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is set in the year 2011, three years after Uncharted 2. The game follows treasure hunter Nate (Nathan) Drake’s adventures around the world as he attempts to locate a lost fleet of Marco Polo while fending off agents from an unknown organisation that seems to be working for Katherine Marlowe.
The game is set across the globe, including Britain, where Nate visits London and Buckingham Palace to pursue his quest, which takes him around some famous London landmarks such as Tower Bridge, The Gherkin (a notable building), and Big Ben, among so many others. You can even play a game of table tennis at Buck House!
The Order 1886
This is the only game that takes place during an alternate history timeline in Victorian London where humans are at war with half breeds, or werewolves as they’re called here.
The characters you play throughout this action-packed adventure include Galahad, the leader of The Order, who is on a mission to hunt down and kill half breeds. As you progress through the story mode, more details are revealed about this alternate history timeline, as well as some exciting subplots involving both Galahad himself and his fellow knights.
The main thing that sets this game apart from others like it, however, is the graphics. The Order 1886 has some of the best visuals you’ll see in a video game to date. Everything looks realistic, even Hyde Park, but still somehow manages to look stylised in a way that really makes it interesting to look at.
The character models are awe-inspiring, making the humans, in particular, feel very lifelike and almost real despite how fantastical their immortality is. It’s also worth mentioning that this game has some of the best sound designs ever heard in any video game with realistic sound effects, excellent music and even some great voice acting from the main characters.