Published Aug 1, 2026, 5:41 PM EDT
Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts.
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There are many reasons why people play video games. Some enjoy a cozy comfort game like Animal Crossing: New Horizons to sit back, relax, and de-stress. Others prefer an intense action extravaganza where the fight just doesn't stop, such as God of War. There are also gamers who like a masterfully written narrative that pushes the bounds of storytelling in video games, including The Last of Us.
No matter what type of game players like, including those three examples, they all had to have taken place in some sort of world. Game worlds encapsulate everything the title defines, from mechanics to design to narrative to the setting itself. Since it is such an important and immersive part of a game, this list will rank the best video game worlds of all time based on how iconic they are, design, influence, storytelling, interactivity, identity, originality, importance, lore, worldbuilding, scale, polish, detail, relevance to the game, and overall quality.
10 Kamurocho
'Yakuza 0' (2015)
Image via SEGAJust because they are called video game worlds doesn't mean they have to be sprawling continents. Some prove their excellence through a tight, citywide design, like Yakuza 0 and other games in the franchise. Set in Kamurocho, a neighborhood based on Tokyo's real-life Kabukicho district, this eccentric chunk of the city is home to bright lights, gambling, host clubs, and rampant crime.
Most games within the Yakuza franchise are set within Kamurocho, so by the time players get caught up to the most recent entry, they will have memorized the layout, knowing the district at heart. It slowly evolves and changes over time, adding to the skyline, some businesses closing down, and changing styles to fit the decade. Kamurocho is a dynamic world with plenty of flashy things to do, creating a sense of home.
9 Sinnoh Region
'Pokémon Platinum' (2008)
Image via the Pokémon CompanyIf fans were to choose what video game world they would want to live in, most people would select some sort of region in Pokémon, and that is because all of them are full of childlike wonder and nostalgia. First introduced in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the world was perfected in Pokémon Platinum, with gamers traveling around the northern terrain in order to catch the temporal legendaries and defeat the Champion.
Even though this list is selecting Sinnoh, any Pokémon region deserves to be on this list. Sinnoh was always a fan-favorite ever since the first games, boasting unique lore that established ancient history within the franchise. But after Pokémon Legends: Arceus came out and introduced Hisui, the world became that much better, allowing players to explore an open-world variant which they can compare to the modern one, proving why it is such a replayable Pokémon video game.
8 Los Santos
'Grand Theft Auto V' (2013)
Image via Rockstar GamesGrand Theft Auto VI is the most anticipated video game of all time, and fans finally get to play it sooner than ever. While it is taking players back into Vice City, for now, the best setting in the franchise is Los Santos from Grand Theft Auto V. This city is a parody version of Los Angeles, with Trevor, Franklin, and Michael all teaming up to pull off a series of high-stakes heists throughout the city.
All the Grand Theft Auto games have incredible worlds, but as the most recent one, Los Santos is bigger and better than ever in terms of scale, polish, graphics, and things to do. As a sandbox game, one of the main selling points is its city full of emergent gameplay, with players mixing their curiosity with guns, cars, unique physics, and whatever landmark they see. It facilitates player freedom and chaotic choices while also being revered for its detailed depiction of Los Angeles.
7 Night City
'Cyberpunk 2077' (2020)
Image via CD Projekt RedMike Pondsmith created Night City for his board game, and while it was already excellent, Cyberpunk 2077 brought it into video game format for all fans to enjoy. Night City is in no shortage of criminals and punks, but that seems to be the only way to make a living in this futuristic hellhole. V is one such punk who tries to get a microchip with the mind of a terrorist out of their brain before it is too late.
Cyberpunk 2077 features some of the most fascinating worldbuilding in video game history and the implications of capitalism and greed on the future and how it affects the city itself, and in turn, the people. Night City can be looked at as a character itself, mainly because it is directly used as a character development and narrative tool to progress the story. The vertical design and dense world offer a jam-packed feeling that is the pinnacle of cyberpunk, highlighting its excellence through societal divides and cultural influences.
6 The Lands Between
'Elden Ring' (2022)
Image via FromSoftwareFantasy video games have some of the best worlds in the medium because they always offer a grand sense of adventure with no shortage of worldbuilding and lore. The Lands Between from Elden Ring is no different. This perilous world is home to a rich history and terrifying monsters, including the demi-god children of Queen Marika, who claimed the shards of the titular object for themselves.
The juxtaposition of charming fantasy wonder and grotesque monster horrors is what sets Elden Ring apart from other fantasy games, somehow capturing both feelings of darkness and whimsy. Without any map markers, players are taught to get lost in this world, with curiosity driving them to new landmarks and puzzles. Pair this with immensely detailed and intriguing lore, and Elden Ring proves why it is such a masterpiece, especially because of how visually stunning The Lands Between is.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you'd actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
TEST YOUR SURVIVAL →
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
APull on every thread until I understand the system — then figure out how to break it. BStop asking questions and start stockpiling — food, fuel, weapons. Questions don't keep you alive. CKeep my head down, observe carefully, and trust no one until I know who's pulling the strings. DStudy the patterns. Every system has a rhythm — learn it, and you learn how to survive it. EFind the people fighting back and join them. You can't fix a broken galaxy alone.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
AKnowledge. If you understand the system, you don't need resources — you can generate them. BFuel. Everything else — movement, power, escape — runs on it. CTrust. In a world of fakes and informants, a truly reliable ally is rarer than any commodity. DWater. And after water, information — the two things empires are truly built on. EShips and credits. The galaxy is big — you survive it by being able to move through it freely.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of.
AThat reality itself is a lie — that everything I experience has been constructed to keep me compliant. BA raid. No warning, no mercy — just the roar of engines and then nothing left. CBeing identified. Once someone with power decides you're a problem, you're already out of time. DBeing outmanoeuvred — losing a political game I didn't even know I was playing. EThe Empire tightening its grip until there's nowhere left to run.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
How do you deal with authority you don't trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
ASubvert it from the inside — learn its rules well enough to weaponise them against it. BIgnore it and stay out of its reach. The further from any power structure, the better. CAppear to comply while doing exactly what I need to do. Visibility is the enemy. DManoeuvre within it carefully. You can't beat a system you refuse to understand. EResist openly when I have to. Some things are worth the risk of being seen.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn't just tactical — it's physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
AUnderground bunkers and server rooms — cramped, artificial, but with access to everything that matters. BOpen wasteland — brutal sun, no shelter, constant movement. At least the threat is honest. CA dense, rain-soaked city where you can disappear into the crowd and nobody asks questions. DMerciless desert — extreme heat, no water, and something enormous living beneath the sand. EThe fringe — backwater planets and busy spaceports where the Empire's attention rarely reaches.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
AA tight crew of believers who've seen behind the curtain and have nothing left to lose. BOne or two people I'd trust with my life. Any more than that and someone talks. CNobody, ideally. Alliances are liabilities. I work alone unless I have no choice. DA community bound by shared hardship and mutual survival — people who need each other to last. EA ragtag team with wildly different skills and total commitment when it counts.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they're actually made of.
AI won't harm the innocent — even the ones who'd report me without hesitation. BI do what I have to to protect the people I've chosen. Everything else is negotiable. CThe line shifts depending on who's asking and what's at stake. DI draw a long-term line — nothing that compromises my people's future, even if it'd help now. ESome lines, once crossed, can't be uncrossed. I know which ones they are.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
AWaking others up — dismantling the illusion so no one else has to live inside it. BFinding somewhere — or someone — worth protecting. A reason to keep moving. CAnswers. Understanding what I am, what any of this means, before time runs out. DLegacy — shaping the future in a way that outlasts me by generations. EFreedom — for myself, for others, for every world still living under someone else's boot.
REVEAL MY WORLD →
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You'd Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You're a systems thinker who can't help but notice the seams in things.
- You're drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
- You'd find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines' worst nightmare.
- You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
- The Matrix built an airtight prison. You'd be the one probing the walls for the door.
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn't reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That's you.
- You don't need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
- You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you're good at all three.
- You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
- In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Blade Runner
You'd survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
- You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
- In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
- You're not a hero. But you're not lost, either.
- In Blade Runner's world, that distinction is everything.
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
- Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they're survival tools.
- You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
- Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You'd learn its logic and earn its respect.
- In time, you wouldn't just survive Arrakis — you'd begin to reshape it.
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn't have it any other way.
- You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
- You'd gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire's grip can be broken.
- You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn't something you're capable of.
- In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
5 Vvardenfell
'The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind' (2002)
Image via BethesdaThe Elder Scrolls takes players to new provinces within the continent of Tamriel in each new game, and while all of them are magnificent, many will agree that Vvardenfell from The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is the best. Vvardenfell is the main island where the game is set, but Morrowind is the entire province, meaning this list basically uses them interchangeably.
These games are always critically acclaimed for their NPCs and side quests, which make the world feel more real, immersive, lived in, and moving forward with or without the player. Morrowind was impactfully influential for the future of open-world games, creating the blueprint that so many titles use now. With its political factions, rich lore, and almost alien-like design, Vvardenfell was a truly unique fantasy world.
4 Rapture
'BioShock' (2007)
Image via 2K GamesSome players like a fun and exciting video game world to explore; others prefer an atmospheric and tense experience, which is exactly what the first two BioShock games offer in Rapture. After the protagonist finds safety on a lighthouse, they descend into it only to learn they are in more danger, as it is filled with genetically spliced humans and political turmoil.
Columbia from BioShock: Infinite is just as captivating a world, but Rapture from the original BioShock still has it beat, even if just barely. Rapture is a failed utopia brought to ruin by political ideals, specifically Randian objectivism. This world encapsulates those political ideas by using the themes and design to portray why they will fail. The narrative flawlessly seeps into the design of the world, using its underwater art-deco style to create a striking visual identity. Rapture isn't just a distinct setting; it is a narratively relevant world that adheres to the main themes.
3 The Wild West
'Red Dead Redemption 2' (2018)
Image via Rockstar GamesRockstar Games earns a second game on this list, proving how prolific they are when creating immersive video game settings. Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place in the Wild West, even if it is during the dying era, set in 1899. The American Frontier is slowly evolving to be a more civilized place, and when Arthur Morgan realizes his own mortality, he tries to redeem himself in a world that doesn't acknowledge him.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is mostly known for displaying one of the best examples of character development in video game history, but it also houses an expansive world. The Wild West is arguably the most polished and detailed world in video games, using its immersive mechanics like shaving, hunting, and fishing to ground the player as an actual human. Not only that, but the daily lives of the civilians create a further sense of realism. Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Wild West reflect the narrative of Arthur while also being a massive sandbox to explore.
2 Milky Way Galaxy
'Mass Effect Trilogy' (2007–2012)
Image via Electronic ArtsA lot of the entries on this list are only for a single game, but the Mass Effect trilogy is entirely set within a version of the Milky Way Galaxy, meaning each of those three versions is here on this list. Controlling Commander Shepard through the three video games, players must stop a race of biomechanical aliens from devouring the galaxy by uniting the colonies and planets of the galaxy.
In terms of worlds in video games, it doesn't get much bigger than a galaxy, but Mass Effect is more than just a large star system; it is an interconnected political and personal narrative that ties the story into the worldbuilding. They build the world through the characters and races, which include emotional struggles, racial debates, and controversies. The Milky Way is massive, but Mass Effect still manages to make it a personal and intimate world where player choices affect the ancient worldbuilding in meaningful and engaging ways.
1 Hyrule Kingdom
'The Legend of Zelda Franchise' (1986–Present)
A lot of game franchises decide to take their next entry into different unique worlds, and while The Legend of Zelda does this occasionally, as seen in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, more often than not, all the games are set within Hyrule. Zelda games usually follow the typical format where Ganondorf kidnaps Princess Zelda and Link must travel around Hyrule Kingdom, beating dungeons, and getting ready to defeat the evil Gerudo King.
It is probably unfair to include Hyrule in general instead of choosing one specific version, but there are so many whimsical and charming adaptations that all of them had to be featured. The reason Hyrule is number one is because of its versatility, being able to meld and shift into whatever the game requires it to be. Ranging from an open field that leads to distinct areas to the ruins of the kingdom sunken underwater to a dark and bleak version to a massive open-air country full of lore, worldbuilding, and references to past versions of Hyrule. Simply put, no video game world has as much exposition and adaptations as Hyrule, and all this work put into it proves how incredible a video game masterpiece Zelda is. There is a version of Hyrule for everyone, with each fan preferring a specific version, whether they enjoy a whimsical vibe or an interactive landscape with a built-in physics system where players can experiment with the world. Every version is fresh to explore, and it encourages and rewards this curiosity and exploration through lore, challenges, items, and environmental storytelling. One specific design detail they included was to have at least three landmarks visible from every location in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, proving Hyrule doesn't just look cool and have compelling lore, but also that it is intentionally and masterfully designed.
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