A lot of developers choose to base their games on real-life locations to add a sense of immersion and groundedness, offering players a sense of authenticity that is hard to achieve otherwise. While most simply take light inspiration from real places, some choose to go the extra mile and take painstaking care to try to replicate reality with a 100 percent accuracy.

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In some cases, the real-life equivalents to in-game locations are immediately obvious to anyone who picks up the game, like New York City in the Spider-Man games. In other instances, the similarities are not so readily apparent, especially in games that are based on real-life locations that are themselves not very well-known. Finding out that a game one might have thought was purely fictional was actually based on a real place is a shocking feeling, especially for players who have invested a lot of time into those titles.

Alan Wake 2

Exploring the Pacific Northwest Through A Surreal, Terrifying Lens

• **Location: **Astoria, Oregon and North Bend, Washington

In Alan Wake 2, players experience the Pacific Northwest region of the United States in the form of the fictional town of Bright Falls, Cauldron Lake, and Watery. Remedy has stated that much of the inspiration for Bright Falls’ infrastructure and layout came from Astoria, a port city in Clatsop County, Oregon which has a notable population of Finnish immigrant communities. In particular, Suomi Hall was modeled after a location by the same name that was first founded in 1886, located under the Astoria Megler Bridge.

The main part of Bright Falls appears to be heavily influenced by various parts of North Bend, Washington, a city on the outskirts of Seattle that also inspired the town in the Twin Peaks television series. Other real-life equivalents present in Alan Wake 2 include the Gorge Powerhouse (Bright Falls Light & Power), the Diablo Dam (Bright Falls Dam), Cauldron Lake (Crater Lake), and the Lake Quinault Lodge (Cauldron Lake Lodge).

Where Winds Meet

A Wuxia Epic Set in One of China’s Oldest Capital Cities

• **Location: **Kaifeng, China

Where Winds Meet is a wuxia open-world action-adventure MMO that takes players to seemingly fantastical locations of Qinghe and the ancient city of Kaifeng. What many players may not realize is that Kaifeng is actually a real place in China, currently serving as a tourist hotspot showcasing authentic ancient Chinese culture to visitors. The Kaifeng from Where Winds Meet* *is actually a faithful recreation of ancient Kaifeng from real life, a fact acknowledged by the local authorities.

Located in the Henan province of China, Kaifeng is one of the eight ancient capitals of China, which served as a real-life capital city for emperors in the Northern Song dynasty nearly a thousand years ago. Although the current Kaifeng is modernized to an extent, locations shown in Where Winds Meet, like the Iron Pagoda, the Daliang City Gate, and the Dragon Pavilion, still stand.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Medieval Bohemia’s Real Villages and Castles, Revived for Modern RPG Fans

• **Location: **Czech Republic (Bohemia)

Like its predecessor, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 takes players to medieval Bohemia, allowing them to experience that world through the eyes of a person who might’ve actually lived in the region at the time. What may come as a surprise to some players is the fact that the regions and places depicted in *KCD2 *are not fictional at all but are based on real locations.

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Kuttenberg, the large city at the center of the game’s storyline, is known today as Kutna Hora, and Trosky Castle can be found in the Czech Republic in the Bohemian Paradise region. Other iconic locations like the Nebakov Fortress, the Italian Court, and the Sedlec Ossuary are all real places featured in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Even smaller towns like Semine, Tachov, and Troskowitz (Troskovice) have real-life equivalents, all known by the similar names in modern-day Czech Republic, located northeast of Prague.

Interestingly, according to official sources, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s release had a significant impact on tourism in the region, increasing foot traffic in Kutna Hora, Trosky, and Suchdol by a considerable margin.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

A Fictional Valley Crafted From Real Polish Landscapes

• **Location: **Pilchowice, Poland

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person mystery game that takes place in a fictional town in Wisconsin, USA called Red Creek Valley. While not a one-to-one recreation entirely, most of the in-game map and locations shown in Red Creek Valley are based on a real-life town in Poland called Pilchowice, present in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.

The wooden bridge that players take to enter Red Creek Valley for the very first time is based on Most na Bobrze w Pilchowicach, a dilapidated bridge on the outskirts of the town, and the dam the serves as a central set piece for the game is based on Pilchowice Dam (Zapora Pilchowice/Bobertalsperre), the second-oldest hydroelectric dam in all of Poland. Other locations like the train station and the town itself are also inspired by the landmarks in the surrounding region.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was developed by an indie Polish developer based in Warsaw, which is why most of the inspirations for the game come from Poland instead of the USA, where the game takes place.

Death Stranding

A Harsh New World Inspired by One of Earth’s Most Alien Landscapes

• Location: Iceland

Death Stranding’s landscape may ostensibly depict a post-apocalyptic version of the United States, but anyone with basic knowledge of the local geography will immediately realize that the game’s terrain is almost entirely based on Iceland. The stunning vistas that Sam Porter experiences in Death Stranding bear a stark resemblance to the wild Icelandic landscapes that are hard to deny.

Most sources agree that Hideo Kojima got the inspiration for *Death Stranding’*s landscapes and terrain from his vacation to Garður, a small port town in Iceland that he visited in August 2014, years before the idea of Death Stranding had even taken shape when he was still with Konami. Comparing screenshots from Iceland’s wilderness to those of Death Stranding, it is easy to see the similarities.

Dying Light

A Parkour Playground Inspired by a Real Turkish City

• **Location: **Istanbul, Turkiye

In Dying Light, Harran is depicted as a Turkish city with a long and storied history. What many players may not realize is that Harran is based, in large part, on Istanbul, the former capital city of Turkiye and its surrounding regions. The building structures, the dense layout of the cityscape, and all the minute details that make a city feel lived in come from these inspirations. Some have also spotted that the old town in particular bears a stark resemblance to the skyline of Mardin, another Turkish city located near the Tigris River in real life.

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Another point that lends credence to the fact that Dying Light’s Harran is actually based on Istanbul is that various location markers and signboards pointing to the other districts of the main city seem to be misspelled versions of real districts of Istanbul. Names like Ancyrra, Siyrran, and Chaldekoy are likely references to Ankara, Sariyer, and Chalcedon, respectively, all real places present in current-day Istanbul.

Interestingly, Harran is actually the name of a real town in Turkiye, notable for its historical significance. It does not, however, bear any similarities with the Harran from Dying Light, which has led some to believe that Techland may not even have known that there was a real place called Harran before they made the game.

The Last of Us Part 2

A Real American City Rebuilt With Uncanny Accuracy

• **Location: **Seattle, Washington, USA

Most players know that The Last of Us Part 2 takes place in Seattle, USA, taking inspiration from real-life locations present in the city today. What many may not realize is that Naughty Dog has given an absurd amount of attention to detail to make sure that in-game locations match their real-life counterparts in Seattle exactly.

Notable locations like the Seattle Central Library, Space Needle, Lumen Field (known in-game as WLF Stadium), Seattle Great Wheel, and others have been meticulously recreated in The Last of Us Part 2 to give players as authentic an experience as possible.

Even smaller locations like overrun cafes by the side of the road, parking garages, and other abandoned buildings that Ellie cannot actually go into in the game bear resemblances to real-life structures in present-day Seattle that are uncannily accurate.

Firewatch

A Solo Adventure Set in an Authentic American Forest

• **Location: **Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming, USA

Firewatch is a story-driven first-person mystery adventure that puts players in the shoes of a park ranger alone on a lookout tower in the wild Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming, USA. What players may have failed to realize is that Shoshone National Forest exists as a real tourist destination in Wyoming, located right next to the famous Yellowstone National Park, which the state is known for.

The Shoshone National Forest in *Firewatch *is not a one-to-one recreation of its real counterpart. The developer, Campo Santo, has taken some liberties with the layout of the forest and the locations of where certain landmarks are placed to make the game’s campaign a more engaging single-player experience. That said, players can still find exact replicas of certain places in-game.

Days Gone

A Post-Apocalyptic Ride Through the Real Trails of Oregon

• **Location: **Oregon, USA

Days Gone is one of the most notable examples of real-life locations appearing in a game, but because these locations aren’t famous places everyone knows, many players may not realize that this is the case. In fact, almost the entire map of Days Gone is based on real locations and places that players can visit in real life in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of the United States, mostly from Oregon.

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Some of the most notable real locations depicted in Days Gone are Mount Thielsen, Crater Lake, Mount Bachelor, Rainbow Falls, Three Fingered Jack, Diamond Lake, Highway 97, and many others. Even minor locations like the Burger Mart (called Burger Stop in reality) are copies of real places.

Bend Studios, the developers behind Days Gone, are from Bend, Oregon, which makes it easy to see why so much of the inspiration for their open-world adventure comes from the PNW wilderness.

The Division 2

A Hyper-Accurate Washington Turned Into a War-Torn Playground

• Location: Washington, D.C.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 takes place in Washington, D.C., where players have to help defend and rebuild the city after the devastation wrought by the Green Poison. For an accurate depiction of modern-day Washington, Ubisoft took pains to ensure that from the large set pieces to the smaller details, every part of the city shown in the game is as close to reality as possible.

Places like the Ronald Reagan Building, the International Trade Center, the Department of Commerce, the Federal Credit Union, the Lincoln Memorial, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the Washington Monument are all essentially one-to-one replicas of what’s present in reality.

Even the roads, intersections, and parks are nearly identical to places from real-world D.C., giving the game a sense of immersion that would be hard to achieve otherwise.

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