Summary
- Players explore real-life districts in RPGs like Yakuza 0, offering a virtual tour experience of accurate locations.
- The Division 2 sets the stage in a ruined Washington, D.C., ensuring a great looter shooter RPG experience for players.
- Prague in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided impresses with detailed verticality, making it a fascinating open-world hub to explore.
Role-playing games are a blast to play, since the vast majority of these titles tackle massive fantasy and sci-fi settings that are as imaginative as they come. However, some RPGs decide to buck this trend and take place in real life, instead.
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This leads to players exploring real-life cities and districts in their favorite RPGs that do a great job of replicating these locations. Players will love going on what essentially feels like a virtual tour as they explore the detailed cities of these games.
Yakuza 0
Sotenbori And Kamurocho Are Nigh-Exact Recreations Of Real-Life Districts
Yakuza 0
- Released
- January 24, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Yakuza 0 is one of the greatest video games ever made and a perfect entry point into this long-running franchise. Players love controlling Kiryu and Majima in their origin stories as they become the Dragon of Dojima and the Mad Dog of Shimano, respectively.
The districts of Kamurocho and Sotenbori are almost exact replicas of Kabukicho (Tokyo) and Dotonbori (Osaka), respectively. The sheer accuracy with which these locations have been replicated is genuinely impressive and goes a long way in adding to Yakuza 0's authenticity as an action-packed RPG set in Japan.
Tom Clancy's The Division 2
An RPG Shooter Set In The Ruins Of Washington, D.C.
Tom Clancy's The Division 2
- Released
- March 15, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Massive Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
The Division 2 learned from its predecessor's problems and ensured that players would have a great time with this looter shooter RPG from the get-go. The ruined setting of Washington, D.C., makes for the perfect backdrop for this title's missions.
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Players must improve their loot and take out a slew of challenging enemies, with the PvP being especially engaging because of how sweaty things can get. All of this takes place in a city that shows why Ubisoft is great at crafting open-world environments, even if they may falter in other departments.
Persona 5
Tokyo Is Recreated Faithfully In This Game
Persona 5
- Released
- September 15, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
The Persona series focuses on adventures set in modern Japan, although Inaba and Tatsumi Port Island are fictional locations that take inspiration from real-life locations. In contrast, Persona 5 makes no attempt to hide the fact that it is unapologetically based in Tokyo.
The slice-of-life gameplay takes place in this city and its iconic districts as players warm up to Confidants and engage in a bit of shopping, all while living the life of a regular high-school student. However, things are different at night, with players taking on the role of the Phantom Thieves in the Metaverse as they force corrupt adults to have a change of heart after giving their ego a much-needed thrashing.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Retreads Old Locations And Lets Players Explore Honolulu In Hawaii
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Released
- January 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Simulated Gambling, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Infinite Wealth expands on the turn-based gameplay of its predecessor while adding Kiryu to the mix. Familiar locations like Kamurocho and Isezaki Ijincho can be found here, with both of them replicating real-life Japanese districts (Isezakicho in the case of the latter).
Along with this, the biggest selling point in Infinite Wealth is the inclusion of Honolulu, Hawaii, which makes no effort to disguise itself. All these locations are a joy to explore and ensure that Infinite Wealth will leave a lasting impression on players long after they're finished with the experience.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
Players Explore The Hubs Of Santa Monica, Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, And Chinatown
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
- Released
- November 16, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Troika Games
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is one of the greatest RPGs ever made that was criminally underappreciated back when it came out, although the reasons are understandable. The game was incredibly buggy, and the limited budget of this title could be seen in how the hubs scaled things back as players made progress in the story.
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Various locations in Los Angeles are present here, with Santa Monica being the most fleshed-out of the lot. Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood are great in their own right, even if the latter is noticeably smaller. However, once players reach Chinatown, the game's budgetary constraints are clear as day, even if this location is wonderful to explore in its own right.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Prague Is One Of The Most Detailed Hub Worlds In Gaming History
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
- Released
- August 23, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Eidos Montreal
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Mankind Divided has its issues, but the open-world hub of Prague makes for one of the most fascinating locations to explore in a video game. The verticality of this place is impressive and compels players to explore every nook and cranny of this location to uncover everything it has to offer at different points of the day.
Along with this, players also head to Dubai and London during their missions. This ensures that players will have a blast with Mankind Divided as they enjoy a dystopian, cyberpunk take on these real-life cities.
Judgment
Players Will Love Exploring Kamurocho, A District Modelled After Kabukicho In Tokyo
Judgment
- Released
- June 25, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Judgment is yet another Yakuza spinoff that lets players control a character on the side of the law, for once. Yagami may not be the greatest protagonist to control in a series known for its infectious characters, but that should take nothing away from the amazing combat and fun exploration of this world.
Kamurocho makes a return as players investigate cases, participate in drone races, go on dates, and participate in many goofy substories. All of this helps Judgment stand out as a great spinoff that is right up the alley of Yakuza fans.
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