In Video Games

WHS appearing within video games. This only includes examples of 'realistic' portrayals of WHS, in the sense that the locations are recognisable with some attempt at authentic portrayal.

Connected Sites

Site Rationale Link
Aachen Cathedral Age of Empires II: Britons: they had the Aachen cathedral for whatever reason before the definitive edition of the game came out (now it's Chichester's); Call of Duty: WWII (it is very realistically modeled)
Acropolis Assassin's Creed Odyssey; Age of Mythology: Greeks - Poseidon: an integer theater of Dyonisus
Ahwar of Southern Iraq Age of Empire 1: A ziggurat of Ur for Babylonians, Persians and Hittites
Ancient Kyoto To-ji Temple, Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Like a Dragon: Ishin!
Ancient Nara Age of Empires II: Japanese: Tōdai-ji
Ancient Thebes Serious Sam HD – Temple of Hatshepsut; Assassin's Creed Origins (The Curse of the Pharaohs DLC) - Temple of Hatshepsut, Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Temple of Luxor
Andrefana Dry Forests Civilization VI
Angkor Age of Empires II: Khmer: Angkor Wat; Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Angkor Wat
Arab-Norman Palermo Age of Empires II: Sicilians: Monreale cathedral
Archaeological Site of Delphi Assassin's Creed Odyssey; Civilization VI
Arles A Plague Tale: Requiem features Arles Amphitheatre circa 1349.
Babylon Civilization VI: Etemenanki
Bagan Age of Empires II: Shwezigon pagoda
Bamiyan Valley Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Belem Age of Empires II: Portuguese: tower of Belém; Civilization VI: Belem Tower
Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur Age of Empires II: Bengalis: Somapura Mahavihara
Chichen-Itza Civilization VI
Chola Temples Age of Empires II: Dravidians: Brihadisvara temple
Damascus Assassin's Creed - Ummayad Mosque
Delos Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Djenné Age of Empires II: Malians: Great mosque of Djenné
Edinburgh Forza Horizon 4
Ephesus Civilization VI: Temple of Artemis
Everglades Grand Theft Auto VI
Florence Assassin's Creed II – Duomo, Ponte Vecchio
Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings Marvel's Spider-Man - Guggenheim Museum
Frontiers of the Roman Empire Hadrian's Wall in Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Galapagos Islands Civilization VI
Gebel Barkal Civilization VI
Giant's Causeway Assassin's Creed Valhalla; Civilization VI
Gobustan Rock Art Civilization VI (as a Natural Wonder)
Granada Civilization VI: Alhambra
Grand Place, Brussels Age of Empires II: Burgundians: Brussels town hall
Great Barrier Reef Civilization VI
Great Zimbabwe Civilization VI
Gros Morne National Park Gros Morne appears as a playable area in the 2014 videogame Assassin's Creed Rogue. (wiki)
Guanajuato Forza Horizon 5
Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago Civilization VI
Hierapolis-Pamukkale Civilization VI: Pamukkale
Historic Cairo Serious Sam 3 – Mosque of Ibn Tulun
Humayun's Tomb Age of Empires II: Hindustanis: Humayun's tomb
Imperial Palace China: The Forbidden City - The game is set in 1775 in the Forbidden City; Age of Mythology: Chinese - Fu Xi: Hall of Harmony in the Forbidden City; Civilization VI: Forbidden City
Istanbul Assassin's Creed Revelations – Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace; Painkiller (2004) - Hagia Sophia; Age of Empires II: Byzantines: Hagia Sophia; Civilization VI: Hagia Sophia
Itsukushima Shrine Nioh
Kilimanjaro National Park Civilization VI
Kizhi Pogost Age of Empires II: Slavs: Church on Kiži Island
Kraków Age of Empires II: Poles: Wawel cathedral
Kremlin and Red Square Civilization VI: St Basil's Cathedral
Lake District Forza Horizon 4 - Ambleside, Derwent Water
Lalibela Age of Empires II: Ethiopians: Biete Amanuel rock-hewn church
Machu Picchu Age of Empires II: Incas: Sun Temple of Macchu Picchu; Civilization VI
Mahabodhi Temple Complex Civilization VI
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor Qin: Tomb of the Middle Kingdom; Civilization VI: Terracotta Army
Mexico City and Xochimilco Civilization VI: Huey Teocalli
Moenjodaro Civilization VI: Great Bath
Mont-Saint-Michel Civilization VI
Mycenae and Tiryns Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Nubian Monuments Serious Sam 3 – Abu Simbel, Philae; Age of Mythology: Set: Hathor's temple at Abu Simbel
Old City of Acre Assassin's Creed – Hospitaller Fortress
Old City of Jerusalem Assassin's Creed – Dome of the Rock, Al Aqsa Mosque, Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Old Havana Assassin's Creed IV – Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta, Havana Cathedral
Olympia Assassin's Creed Odyssey - Temple of Zeus, Temple of Hera; Age of Mythology (Greeks - Zeus: his own statue in Olympia (no more existing))
Pantanal Civilization VI
Paris, Banks of the Seine Assassin's Creed Unity – Notre Dame Cathedral; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Eiffel Tower; Civilization VI: Eiffel Tower
Persepolis Civilization VI: Apadana
Petra Civilization VI
Potala Palace Civilization VI
Prague Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3; Age of Empires II: Bohemians: Powder tower; Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption
Pyramids (Memphis) Serious Sam 3 – Sphinx, Giza Pyramids; Assassin's Creed Origins – Sphinz, Giza, Bent Pyramid; Age of Empire I: Great Pyramid of Giza for Egyptians, Assirians, Sumerians; Age of Mythology: Egyptians - Ra: Great Pyramid of Giza and Isis: the Great Sphynx of Gizah; Civilizations VI; Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Pythagoreion and Heraion of Samos Assassin's Creed Odyssey - Heraion of Samos
Rabat Age of Empires II: Berbers: Hassan tower in Rabat
Ravenna Age of Empires II: Goths: Mausoleum of Theoderic I
Rio de Janeiro Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Sugarloaf; Civilization VI: Christ the Redeemer statue
Rome Assassin's Creed Brotherhood – Colosseum, Castel Santangelo; Age of Empire 1: An integer Colosseum for Romans, Carthaginians, Palmyrians, Macedonians; Age of Empires II: Huns: the arc of Constantine in Rome; Civilization VI: Colosseum
Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France Assassin's Creed Unity – Tour St Jacques (with historical church still attached)
Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara Civilization VI: Kilwa Kisiwani
Sagarmatha National Park Civilization VI: Mt. Everest
Samarkand Age of Empires II: Tatars: the Ulugh Beg observatory in Samarkand
Samarra Age of Empires II: Saracens: Great Mosque of Samarra
San Gimignano Assassin's Creed II
Selimiye Mosque Age of Empires II: Turks (Ottomans): Selimiye Mosque in Edirne
Seville Civilization VI: Casa de Contratacion: the actual Casa de Contratacion seems to be a more abstracted agency rather than an actual building, but it was initially housed in the Casa de Indias in Seville and that is what the in-game model depicts.
Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - depicts the Battle of Hamburg
St. Petersburg Civilization VI: Hermitage
Statue of Liberty Deus Ex; Marvel's Spider-Man; Tom Clancy's The Division 2 (Warlords of New York Expansion); Civilization VI
Stonehenge Assassin's Creed Valhalla; Civilization VI
Sukhothai Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Summer Palace Age of Mythology: Chinese: Nü Wa: the Summer Palace
Sydney Opera House Civilization VI
Taj Mahal Civilization VI
Te Wahipounamu Civilization VI: Piopiotahi
Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Temple of Heaven Age of Empire 1: Temple of Heaven for Yamato, Shang, Choson; Age of Empires II; Age of Mythology: Chinese: Shennong: the Temple of Heaven; Age of Empires 3
Teotihuacan Forza Horizon 5
Tikal National Park Age of Empires II: Mayans: Great Jaguar Temple in Tikal
Timbuktu Civilization VI
Tower of London Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Traitors Gate; Watch Dogs: Legion; Sherlock Holmes Versus Arsène Lupin.
Uluru Civilization VI
Uvs Nuur Basin Civilization VI: Ubsunur Hollow
Uxmal Forza Horizon 5
Vatican City Assassin's Creed II – Sistine Chapel; Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Venice and its Lagoon Assassin's Creed II – St Mark's Cathedral, St Mark's Square; Painkiller (2004); Moebius: Empire Rising; Civilization VI: Venetian Arsenal
Versailles Assassin's Creed Unity, Versailles 1685
Western Ghats Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Westminster Assassin's Creed Syndicate – Parliament, Westminster Abbey; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3; Watch Dogs: Legion; Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Big Ben
Works of Antoni Gaudí Wheelman: Barcelona including the Sagrada Familia
Yosemite National Park Civilization VI
Zollverein Civilization VI

Suggestions?

Do you know of another WHS we could connect to In Video Games?

Send it to me!

A connection should:

  1. Not be "self evident"
  2. Link at least 3 different sites
  3. Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
  4. Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
  5. Be explained, with reference to a source