These real-world destinations inspired the most popular video games

National Geographic

4 days ago

At least 35 percent of U.S. travelers are inspired to book a trip overseas based on a video game they've played, according to Skyscanner's recent survey As technology becomes more accessible and sophisticated, video games continue to gain points other traditional media can't quite reach. May Naidoo is not surprised. He's a filmmaker and Pokémon Partner who travels for video game content, and he sees the clear benefits.
'Movies are influential because they take you back to a specific scene, but video games are more interactive. They place you in the moment with the character and story. You're engaging far more with the sensory experience,' he says.
Gamer Didier South agrees, 'Games are reaching new levels of realism, with both graphics and storytelling. It raises the excitement of seeing it in real life, but it also raises the expectations of authenticity.'
(Related: For travelers with disabilities, video games are windows to the world.)
South is one of a growing number of travelers diving into video game tourism. His current game of choice is Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, a 2025 role-playing game set in 15th-century Bohemia. He has more than 100 hours of gameplay, but he's not just playing a video game; he's also taking notes on locations and cultural sites within the game and planning to see them in Czechia later this year.
Now, you can join this growing trend by exploring the real places that inspired game developers, and you can immerse yourself in video games brought to life as tourist attractions like Super Nintendo World™. Here are seven next-level, real world experiences for gamers.
(Related: The real history behind the legend of Sun Wukong, China's Monkey King.) 1. Ultimate game day in Orlando The recent opening of Super Nintendo World™ at Universal Epic Universe Orlando will certainly attract gamers who are fans of video game franchises, such as Super Mario and Donkey Kong. Photograph by Sipa USA, Alamy Stock Photo
Take the family to the recently opened Super Nintendo World™, one of five new immersive worlds in Universal Epic Universe Orlando. Ride Yoshi's Adventure repeatedly while searching for glowing eggs or careen through the jungle in Donkey Kong's Mine-Cart Madness. Let the grown-ups show the kids how it's done with Orlando's retro arcades, like Arcade Monsters. One entry price allows gamers to play more than 200 pinball machines and arcade games. Discover the science behind video games at the Orlando Science Center, meanwhile, the 'DC Super Heroes' exhibit, on-site through September 7, 2025, will test your superhero skills and allow you to step into the iconic worlds of legendary superheroes, including Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman.
(Related: The ultimate guide to visiting Orlando.) 2. Tokyo's electric town Pokemon's Pikachu is on display in front of a store in the Akihabara District of Tokyo, Japan. Photograph by Sipa USA, Alamy Stock Photo
The first stop for any gamer is the famous Akihabara District (also known as Akiba) in Tokyo. This is the heart of gaming with high-end tech stores, fan-favorite collectibles, and arcades. Grab a bite at nearby Monster Hunters Bar, which features a menu straight from the game, including Kirin's Lightning Strike Parfait G. Walk it off with a visit to Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, and watch out for rare Pokémon along the way. For a bonus level of culture, visit the Tokyo National Museum for pottery from the Jōmon period. It's the real-life inspiration for key scenes in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
(Related: Don't leave Tokyo without these must-do experiences.) 3. Valhalla and the Northern Lights Gamers who enjoy playing God of War: Ragnarök can visit Jotunheimen National Park in Norway to walk along Besseggen Ridge, which is featured in the popular video game. Photograph by Steve Taylor ARPS, Alamy Stock Photo
Prepare for Valhalla with immersive high-tech displays at The Viking Planet, Oslo's first digital museum dedicated to the Viking Age. The interactive exhibits include a digital walkthrough of the historic Viking ships (the Oseberg and the Gokstad) as well as virtual reality (VR) experiences of a Viking Raid. Then test your survival skills at Jernaldergarden, a living museum set during the Iron Age in the Stavanger region—inspiration for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. Explore the landscape of the Besseggen Ridge (including glaciers) within Jotunheimen National Park, which gamers may recall as part of the video game God of War: Ragnarök. And if you travel as far as Tromsø for the Aurora Borealis, refuel at Burgr with a gaming-inspired meal before heading out to chase the Northern Lights.
(Related: Was the Oseberg Ship a tomb for a Viking Queen?) 4. Escape to Montana The Logan Pass Visitor Center and St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park inspired the scenery in Far Cry 5 and Far Cry: New Dawn. Photograph by Danita Delimont, Alamy Stock Photo In addition to Far Cry, Ghost of Tsushima has used Glacier National Park's landscape and nature as inspiration for elements in the games. Photograph by Michael Wheatley, Alamy Stock Photo
Head to Big Sky Country in Montana to visit Glacier National Park, where key points of interest like Logan Pass Visitor Center and St. Mary Lake, inspired the scenery in the video games, Far Cry 5 and Far Cry: New Dawn. When you're ready to return to civilization, head to Bozeman for the American Computer & Robotics Museum, which covers 4,000 years of human history from original cuneiform tablets to the first personal computers. Parents can take their kids along the Montana Dinosaur Trail to follow Dr. Alan Grant and his dinosaur digs featured in the video game LEGO Jurassic World. Make this fictional game a real-life, family-friendly adventure.
(Related: Everything you need to know about Glacier National Park.) 5. Luxor's path to the pharaohs In Luxor, Egypt, travelers can visit the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, which pays homage to Ancient Egypt's only female pharaoh, who was also a gamer. Photograph by Reinhard Dirscherl, Alamy Stock Photo
While we don't recommend leaping from rooftop to rooftop as seen in Assassin's Creed: Origins, the video game offers showstopping graphics for Egypt's temples. Travel to Luxor to see the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, in honor of Ancient Egypt's only female pharaoh and 'Gaming Queen,' with her own Senet board game. Across the River Nile, Karnak Temple is instantly identified by its towering walls. Then head to nearby Luxor Souk in the Haba Raba district, where street vendors serve ful medames, an Egyptian stew recipe seen in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. In the video game, Indy also recommends the hamam mahshi (stuffed pigeon). Travelers with adventurous palates can taste it at Sofra Restaurant & Cafe, one street from the East Bank. Cooking classes are also offered to round out your authentic Egyptian experience.
(Related: The last missing tomb from this wealthy Egyptian dynasty has been found.) 6. Melbourne's playable city A photo of the interior of ACMI, formerly the Australian Centre for the Moving Image) in Melbourne, Australia. Photograph by Brian Smith, Alamy Stock Photo A mother and son watch Gentoo Penguins swimming at SEA LIFE Aquarium. While visiting, guests should also see the Animal Crossing: New Horizons exhibits. Photograph by Jason Edwards, Nat Geo Image Collection
Local indie games like Eastern Market Murder are the best way to explore Melbourne's famous laneways, using the true crime murder of Frank Stevens in 1899 to unlock the history of Melbourne's CBD (Central Business District). Gamers can dive into the development of other video games like Hollow Knight: Silksong on display at ACMI (formerly the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Grab a tavern lunch at Fortress, where patrons will find gaming consoles at their table. Chill with penguins at Sea Life Aquarium and the Nintendo Switch game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons exhibits. Secret bonus level: Catch Tram 96 from the Aquarium to St. Kilda Pier for the city's Little Penguin Colony. Although the viewing boardwalk is currently closed, you may spot penguins from the end of the pier. Remember to give them their space and no flash photography.
(Related: March of the penguins: meeting the feathered locals of Phillip Island, Australia.) 7. Paris: Space Invaders tour and Pokémon events Gamers should plan a tour of the Catacombs of Paris when visiting the City of Light. The bone-chilling tomb was the inspiration for the final scene in the video game Assassin's Creed: Unity. Photograph by Konstantin Kalishko, Alamy Stock Photo
Grab your comfy shoes for a walking tour in Paris to discover its street art and modern history. The tour's route is marked with hidden graphics and icons from the retro-video game, Space Invaders. It's just like exploring Parisian-inspired Lumiose City in Pokémon Legends: Z-A! Paris also plays host to real-life Pokémon events such as Pokémon GO Fest as well as special in-game features like Furfrou's La Reine Trim costume design. Furfrou's La Reine Trim. Gamers have an opportunity to catch rare in-game Pokémon in the gardens of Parc de Sceaux, too. Finish your journey with a tour of the Catacombs of Paris, the inspiration for the final scene in Assassin's Creed: Unity. The massive crypt holds the remains of six million people and just as many untold stories.
(Related: Want to see the real Paris? Walk this way.) 8. Peruvian clues for treasure A stela, a stone column or slab, is seen on display as a collection in one of the gallaries at the National Museum of Archaeology and History in Lima, Peru. Photograph by Suzuki Kaku, Alamy Stock Photo Gamers can live out their dream as an adventurous archaeologist like fictional character Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legend by discovering historic gems like this gold pin of Chimu culture found at the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History. Photograph by Suzuki Kaku, Alamy Stock Photo
Before you live out your Uncharted dreams, take survival notes at the Botanical Gardens in the Parque de las Leyendas in Lima. Look for the Kantuta bush (Flor de la Cantuta), Peru's national flower and star of Inca myths and legends. Learn more about these stories at the Casona of the National University of San Marcos, home to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Its extensive collection of pottery and artwork provides clues to treasures found in the Gold Museum of Peru and Weapons of the World Museum—like Lara Croft in the video game Tomb Raider: Legend. It all comes together with a visit to the ancient Chachapoyas citadel Kuelap; the carved stone walls and buildings hidden in the Amazon Forest directly inspire the opening scene in the PlayStation game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
(Related: Go on a luxury rail journey through the Peruvian mountains.) Fortunately, most developers take creating virtual worlds seriously—some often based on real destinations—because they respect the culture and their fans. Creative Director at MachineGames , Axel Torvenius is part of the team behind the new game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person adventure game set in the 1930s across numerous destinations: the Vatican, Egypt, Thailand, Iraq, and China. Part of the design process included team members traveling to places like the Vatican Necropolis, consulting with local specialists, and referencing historic black-and-white photos for time-specific details. It's more than just visual cues; it is an immersive experience with culture-specific puzzles, references to real artifacts, taking photos to find clues to solve puzzles, and more. At some companies, it's important to encourage gamers to be good travel stewards and responsible travelers, too. 'We have been working with external consultants to make sure that the time and period were right for certain assets, and we also treated each culture and nation with respect. We do, for example, never harm any temples in the game,' says Torvenius.
Local tourism bureaus and operators are catching up. For example, Visit Czechia worked with media outlets and local tour operators to promote how the country's famous attractions and locations are featured in the release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Some researchers even argue that this can encourage cultural heritage preservation, conservation and restoration . It's a win-win situation: fans get an authentic video game connection, and cultural heritage unlocks a new level of awareness and support.
( Related: The real history of Yasuke, Japan's first Black samurai .) Ann-Marie Cahill is a travel writer who loves to connect contemporary pop-culture with historic travel adventures—follow her on Instagram.