6 Great Video Games Set in the United Kingdom

Here are 6 great video games set in the United Kingdom, from recent hits to forgotten gems.

The United Kingdom has been the setting for some great video games over the years, some more obvious than others. In this new article, we’ll take a look at some of the most iconic and, in some cases, lesser-known titles.

The games on the list are in no particular order, and the aim is to include games set nearly entirely in the UK, so games like Uncharted or Tomb Raider, etc, which feature locations on the Isles, won’t be included here. So let’s take a look at some of our picks for great video games set in the United Kingdom

6 great video games set in the United Kingdom

Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate

Syndicate was the final Assassin’s Creed game that followed the style set out by Altaïr and Ezio. Basically, the slightly less open-world RPG titles that we’ve had with Origen and Odyssey, and we assume Viking will follow this path.

Syndicate pits the player in the shoes of Assasin twins Evie and Jacob Frye—the pair land in London to liberate it from the Templar rule. Along the way, the pair will come across several iconic British characters like Charles Dickens, Alexander Graham Bell, and the more infamous Jack the Ripper in the game’s DLC.

The game was widely enjoyed at the time but was caught up in the series’ fatigue, with Syndicate being the final game in the yearly released Assassin’s Creed titles. Articles at the time even referenced the game’s poor sales on the backlash from Unity, which was released the year before and was notorious for bugs. Syndicate, sadly, probably gave us the last “classic” Assassin’s Creed game. Maybe one day Ubisoft will revisit the formula.

Vampyr

Vampyr was, in case the name didn’t give it away, a game about Vampires. Set in London in 1918 after the Great War. You play as Doctor Jonathan Reid, who wakes up in slightly unfortunate circumstances at the outset of the game, and things don’t improve once he’s chowed down on his first human.

The game probably fits into the ‘cult classic’ cult being the optimal word given the events of the game. Vampyr made great use of its world, in this case, London, focusing on just a few connected locations, the most iconic of which being Whitechapel – a location you’ll be used to if you play Syndicate and its DLC.

The game’s core mechanics revolve around curing London’s sick while making sure to keep yourself fed to level up. One major criticism in reviews was the game’s leveling system, a later patch added both a harder mode and a much more accessible ‘story mode’ for those not looking to manage the game’s more tricky mechanics.

The Order: 1886

Released back in 2015, The Order: 1886 was supposed to release as one of the PS4’s early exclusive jugganaughts. Early looks at the game showed some stunning visuals, and the world, and the story looked alright, too. As we got closer to the release, the game’s length, which was around 10-11 hours, came out and it caused a lot of backlash. At the time, the idea of a $60 game lasting 10 hours was scoffed at; while things have changed now, it was not the PR the game needed.

The game launched to pretty poor reviews, and while the game did well in the UK and Ireland, it got a permanent price drop just a month after launch, which seemed to condemn the title. Looking back, I still remember 1886 fondly. Honestly, it was probably the first game I thought of when writing this list as a game that had a setting that I just loved. The melds steampunk with  An American Werewolf in London and a little bit of Dracula (or Vampyr) nicely, and while the story is short, 5 years on the game is worth picking up just for this.

With developer Ready at Dawn recently being sold to Facebook Gaming, the likelihood that they work on a sequel is probably over. However, the IP for the game is owned by Sony, so maybe we get a sequel on PS5 — though I won’t be holding my breath.

Resistance: Fall of Man

Resistance was heralded as the “Halo Killer” It wasn’t the first, and it wasn’t the last to be given such a title by those around Sony. The console has always lacked an AAA-exclusive shooter and Resistance was tasked with the mammoth taste of being just that. Ultimately, it would fail to live up to that hype through its sequels but Fall of Man was a solid game, and it was set in the UK, so let’s talk about it.

The game starts out in York, but the meat of the game takes place in Bristol, via Cheshire and Grimsby. Yes, these are all real places. Read a book, or maybe a map in this case. Our hero, Sgt. Nathan Hale, is tasked with finding out just what the hell is going on and where these aliens taking over Europe have come from. Hale eventually winds up in London and things just get a little wacky from that point on.

Resistance: Fall of Man was a game that wore its real-world location on its sleeve. Which, ironically, caused them to face the wrath of the Church of England. Not because of the aliens, but because of the virtual representation of a (destroyed) Manchester Cathedral. In the end, everybody involved ended up winning. The game rose up the UK charts (long after its initial release) in the UK, and the Cathedral even saw a huge increase in visitors due to the release of the game. Video games and the Church, what an unlikely pairing.

Forza Horizon 4

The latest release in the popular Forza series. Horizon 4 lets players loose on Scotland as they explore the beautiful scenery in equally beautiful cars. Horizon also introduces seasons to the series, letting players experience Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Which, to the surprise of most local to the UK, isn’t just four seasons of rain with one day of sun. We assume this was to make the game more appealing to a global audience rather than making the game more realistic.

The game was popular with both critics and gamers at the time of its release. The game continues the series ‘Driveatar’ feature, willing the player’s World with the cars of their Xbox Live friends list. The game has also received this standard smattering of new cars via DLC and the series now standard expansion pack. With Horizon 4, the team took the expansion out of this world and into the Lego one. With an entirely new map all made of Lego and a selection of real-world Lego licensed cars, it’s certainly a way to get more out of the game. However, critics had been disappointed in the very minimal selection of Lego cars, which was just 3 at release, with a 4th added later.

Untitled Goose Game

The indie hit of 2019, and a shout for an indie hit of the decade. Untitled Goose Game had it all, well, apart from an actual name. Early gameplay had everyone chomping at the bit to let out their mild angst at the world, but playing a honking goose and terrorizing the residents of a small English village.

Goose Game was near-universally praised upon release, with the length of the game being the only real negative. Though some people at the time criticized the game for being ‘too aggressive’ we just assume those people were having a laugh. The game is, at its core, a puzzle game. You move from area to area, solving a series of puzzles that come in the form of a checklist. Most of them are a mixture of annoying someone or stealing an item from somewhere. While not the most complex of experiences, Goose Game found its crowd, selling well over 1 million copies since launch the game has clearly been a success.