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From Times Square to the Empire State Building, there’s no shortage of iconic and timeless landmarks scattered around New York. In gaming as in cinema did, the Big Apple has been represented thousands, if not millions of times, inspiring some of the most widely-recognized media imaginable. It just goes to show that the city truly never sleeps. If players ever get bored of farming OSRS gold in Gielinor, they can explore a real-liife city, for a change.
In the case of video games, New York’s representation spans a wide variety of genres that show off the city in unique ways. Some games provide a picture-perfect portrayal of New York, while others would add their creative twist to the mix. Here are some video games set in NYC.
Spider-Man (plus Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2)
There are already a lot of iterations of Spider-Man’s New York, but Insomniac’s work on the Big Apple for Spider-Man (along with Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2, for that matter) is the most visually impressive recreation we’ve ever seen, bar none. Plus, traversing through the iconic city via web-slinging and gliding is exhilarating.
It’s not a 1:1 scale representation per se, but how Insomniac Games depicted the city so beautifully is spectacular and set the bar. Spider-Man’s version of New York has a breathtaking amount of detail. It also helps that the web-slinging mechanic is the best it’s ever been—allowing you to wall run, zip, and swing at breakneck speeds.
Spider-Man 2 also takes place in the same open world map as the first game and its sequel, Miles Morales. Much like how Kamurocho is in the Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) games, Insomniac chose iteration over reinvention for its New York City, along with some changes. These include the addition of Brooklyn and Queens on top of the existing Manhattan map. So, if ever you feel like taking a selfie in-game, don’t be afraid to swing your way to the top of the One World Trade Building or the now-finished Fisk Tower.
Grand Theft Auto 4
Grand Theft Auto 4’s Liberty City is one of the most accurate video game adaptations of New York to date, even if it doesn’t call itself New York. If you try to drive around, you can find all the major landmarks, such as Central Park and Times Square. And let’s not forget about that satirical representation of The Statue of Liberty that’s holding a coffee cup instead of a torch.
The fourth installment brought many more side activities for play around, which was revolutionary then. It showed the city’s violent and gritty underbelly, from interacting with bowling-obsessed fanatics to receiving unwanted/spam phone calls.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Much like the movies on which it’s based, Ghostbusters: The Video Games takes place in New York. It’s the continuation of the Ghostbusters story that ended in 1989—a third movie we never got. With most of the original cast reprising their roles, like Harold Ramis and Bill Murray, the OG ghostbusting group’s slapstick humor can be seen throughout the game.
As a fresh-faced rookie looking to prove himself as a worthy addition, the missions take place in the ghost-infested New York during the early 90s. In iconic locales, you can use your proton beam to gobble up various ghouls, ghosts, and marshmallow creatures. Throughout your playthrough, you’ll visit iconic locations, including the New York Public Library, the Natural History Museum, and Central Park. The original game is a bit aged at this point, but the remastered version still renders a clean and relatively crisp representation of New York.
Tom Clancy’s The Division
Tom Clancy’s The Division’s rendition of New York isn’t where you want to be. While it’s visually recognizable, this version completely differs from the real-world location. After a virtual outbreak decimated the population, the city has transformed into a desolate quarantine zone filled with chaos and disorder as lawless thugs and bands of scavengers fight for resources and territory. You and your merry band of agents must liberate post-apocalyptic New York and bring order again.
The Rockefeller Center and Trump Tower are just two of the many landmarks in this game. Thanks to the incredible detail and atmosphere, the snowy version of NYC is a treat to run around in—especially with all the looting and shooting.
Assassin’s Creed 3
Before the streets of New York were filled with yuppies from Wall Street and towering skyscrapers, it was just an up-and-coming port town that was considered the heart of trade and commerce. If you want to experience what New York was like before, Assassin’s Creed 3 has an 18th-century version of the city.
You’re taken back to the right at the start of the American Revolution. As you roam around British-occupied streets in Manhattan as Conner, you can take out those pompous British redcoats using brutal finishers and assassination takedowns the AC series is known for.
Max Payne
Max Payne is a timeless classic set in a film noir take on New York. The game takes place throughout three evenings, with the city covered in snow. As a detective, you spend most of your time in shady-looking drug dens and expensive, high-rise apartments. You won’t find any skylines here, as that takes a backseat in exchange for a glimpse of the seedy underbelly of New York.
The weather plays a massive role in creating the mood. A blanket of darkness covers much of the atmospheric shots in the OG game and its sequel, complemented by the heavy rain showers. Max Payne takes inspiration from hard-boiled detective novels and New York-based classics like Taxi Driver, so it makes sense the game would go for a neo-noir tone.
Have Fun in New York
Exploring fictional universes can be fun, but sometimes gamers feel the desire to visit somewhere closer to home. While players might want to walk around Gielinor hoping they’ll stumble upon an Infernal Cape, nothing beats the feeling of walking around a city you’ve visited, or hope to visit in the future, which is what makes these virtual depictions of New York City so compelling.
