It's fair to say that the country of grey skies and fish and chips has been frequently overlooked within the gaming industry. With plenty of games influenced by the culture and history, but only a small handful ready to base their entire story within the island nation, instead opting for small London cameos such as those seen in Tomb Raider and Uncharted.
When it comes to games we often find ourselves wanting to escape our own world for somewhere new and exciting. However, other times we may want to see the places we live and visit through the eyes of another; whether that be today or hundreds of years in the past. With thousand's of years of history and culture, England has the means to make a video game truly fantastic. From the Gritty streets of London to the deserted fictional village of Yaughton, here are 10 of the best games set within the rainy island nation.
10 Grand Theft Auto London 1969 and 1961
Rockstar has always strived to celebrate different cities within the Grand Theft Auto series, with Grand Theft Auto London: 1969 and 1961 added as expansions to the highly successful original.
This is a game full of Cockney slang and familiar London landmarks but at its heart, felt more American than British, with an inaccurate London layout more reminiscent of an American city. Nevertheless, it was one of the first times we got to see England in a video game, and driving past Big Ben was always a special moment, despite being one of players' least favorites titles in the franchise.
9 Gray Matter
The only game you'll find set within the historic streets of Oxford, Gray Matter is a point-and-click adventure and puzzle game released back in 2010. In it, we follow Sam, a young American street magician who finds herself within Dr. David Styles's home of Dread Hill Manor.
With you free to explore the puzzles and tricks of the grand Engish Manor alongside walking the cobbled streets of a modern, autumnal Oxford, this game makes for a truly memorable experience with psychological depth and a fantastic narrative.
8 The Getaway
The Getaway was the first videogame to be entirely based in London. Set to be a release title with the Playstation 2, it was instead released 27 months late in 2002 due to their ambitions to recreate the majority of London's Zone 1 in as higher detail as was possible.
The storyline followed a similar style to the Grand Theft Auto franchise, with two playable characters: Ex-convict Mark Hammond and Detective Constable Frank Carter. The game centers around an East London gangster-style plot, seeing both characters need to maneuver around London completing various missions over the span of a single day, before being able to free roam the open-world of London for themselves.
7 Everybody's Gone To The Rapture
If you're looking for an investigative mystery, look no further than Everybody's Gone To The Rapture.
Waking up as a mysterious protagonist with no clues and no one around to question, you must walk around, investigate, and listen closely to piece together what happened to the residents of the small Shropshire village of Yaughton. This game forces you to confront some heavy topics and perfectly represents the 1980's small English village feel, albeit a little more eerily.
6 The Great Ace Attorney Adventures
All the fun of the Ace Attorney games fans loved, set against the backdrop of a fictional Victorian Britain. The Great Ace Attorney Adventures features a new protagonist and Phoenix Wright ancestor Ryunosuke Naruhodo as he takes his place in a more English-style courtroom. Here, he must listen to the findings of the jury and use their own words against them as he learns how to be the best attorney in England's latest laws and practices.
Although taking a step back from the classic setting, The Great Ace Attorney Adventures games have nonetheless gone down a storm with fans. Featuring crime scene analysis, conversing with witnesses, and even featuring a 'dance of deduction' with Herlock Sholmes, the world's most famous detective. (Go figure.)
5 Resistance: Fall Of Man
Resistance: Fall Of Man was a launch title for the PS3, and hailed as a success as a Call-of-Duty style shoot-em-up set within the post-apocalyptic United Kingdom. Here, the world is overrun by an insect-like alien race known as the Chimera who have infected innocent civilians to create an artificially evolved army.
You play as Army Ranger Sgt. Nathan Hale, a member of a US task force sent to the UK to supply aid. As he lands in York, Hale discovers he possesses an innate resistance to the Chimera virus, going on to help and aid others in the fight against the alien race while traveling to various recognizable UK destinations such as Grimsby, Bristol, and even London.
4 Vampyr
Set in 1918 London in the midst of the Spanish Flu influenza epidemic, Vampyr sees Dr. Jonathan Reid find himself at odds to save the city's flu-stricken citizens as well as feed on them as a newly-turned Vampyr.
Vampyr provides a spectacular step back in time to 1918's Whitechapel, along with a strong, dark narrative that has enamored fans and critics alike. Reid must survive and fight against Vampyr hunters, Skals, and other supernatural beings while struggling to live with his decisions and actions, featuring multiple endings that could see you either save or doom the city of London forever.
3 Sherlock Holmes Crimes & Punishments
If you're looking to delve into England's bloody Victorian past, look no further than Sherlock Holmes Crimes & Punishments, seeing you placed in the shoes of England's most famous detective as he seeks to unravel the mysteries of six sinister cases.
The crimes Sherlock must investigate are modeled after some of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's own tales, with players needing to examine crime scenes and solve murders, missing person cases, and astonishing thefts. Using Sherlock's impressive talents you'll dive deep into London's bloody underbelly while interrogating suspects, undertaking lines of inquiry, and naming the guilty parties from your own deductions. It's no wonder many players see it as one of the best detective games to have come out in recent years.
2 Pokemon: Sword & Shield
Pokemon has broken away from the Japanese-themed homeworld we saw in the first few generations, journeying as far as New York, France, and most recently, England in Pokemon's Sword & Shield.
Although the environment we see depicted in Sword & Shield is entirely fictionalized, there's a heap of similarities to real-world locations including Dorset's Cerne Abbas chalk Giant, The Stonehenge-style standing stones of Turffield and Motostoke, Galar's take on the city of Manchester. With Pokemon based on Teapots and the ravens of the Tower of London, it's easy to spot more similarities to the United Kingdom here than differences; the national food is even curry!
1 Assasin's Creed Syndicate
Perhaps one of the most recognizable and acclaimed games set within the United Kingdom, Assassin's Creed Syndicate follows twins Evie and Jacob Frye as they are sent to London by the Brotherhood to aid Henry Green and their gang, the Rooks.
Set in 1868's Victorian London at the tail-end of the Industrial Revolution, we see the themes of imperialism and labor rights as well as an all-star cast of historical British characters from Charles Dickens to the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper. With such a rich history and culture, it's unsurprising that this time period has remained one fans' favorites within the franchise.