United Kingdom in video gaming

United Kingdom in video gaming

Location of the United Kingdom (shown in dark green)
"Union Jack", the de facto National Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Basic Information
Type	Information
Video gaming in United Kingdom in video gaming

The United Kingdom has one of the largest concentrations outside of the United States of video game development studios, and this has naturally led to consistent British representation in video game titles.

Locations[ | ]

The United Kingdom has rarely been the chosen country for video game terrain or urban environments. However, DMA Design used London as inspiration for their Grand Theft Auto mission packs: London 1969 and London 1961.

Additionally, Watch Dogs Legion takes place in a fictional representation of London.

Geopolitical[ | ]

In video games that include factional representation from other nations (real, or fictional), the United Kingdom is almost universally portrayed as a protagonist faction.

In the alternate timeline of Command & Conquer: Red Alert, the United Kingdom could be invaded by the Soviet Union.
In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the player can take part in missions as a member of the SAS, an elite special forces corp of the British Army.

Voice talent[ | ]

Due to the geographical location, many British developed video games had strong British voice talent representation, such as Beneath a Steel Sky.

The United Kingdom in video gaming[ | ]

The United Kingdom (as either "United Kingdom" or "British") can be selected as a playable nation or government in the following video games:

Democracy 3
Democracy 4
Freeciv (as part of the "Extended" set of nations under "British")
Hearts of Iron IV

The following video games are directly set in whole or in part in the United Kingdom:

Forza Horizon 4
Grand Theft Auto: Mission Pack #1 - London, 1969
Grand Theft Auto: Mission Pack #2 - London, 1961
Watch Dogs Legion

Additionally, the country can be seen or observed in the following video games:

Is it also not uncommon to see the individual nations of the United Kingdom represented separately in video games.

Freeciv also has the English, Scottish, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh factions
In Europa Universalis IV, England and Scotland start the game as independent nations.
Sid Meier's Civilization has an English faction with a default ruler of Elizabeth I.
Sid Meier's Civilization II and Civilization II, Civilization II: Multiplayer Gold Edition and Civilization II: Test of Time have an English faction with a default ruler of either Henry VIII or Elizabeth I.
Sid Meier's Civilization III has England as a faction with the ruler Elizabeth I, titled Queen Elizabeth.
Sid Meier's Civilization IV has the English Empire as a faction with a ruler choice of either Elizabeth I or Victoria.
Sid Meier's Civilization V has the English as a faction (with the tagline Sun Never Sets) with the ruler Elizabeth I.
Sid Meier's Civilization VI has an English faction (under the name Pax Brittania) with the ruler Victoria.
While Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth did not launch with a related faction, the Rising Tide expansion provided the North Sea Alliance, a faction comprised of the British Isles and Scandinavia.

The following video games feature either the British or constituent national teams in sport.

Football Manager 2005, and the subsequent versions of 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, 2022 have all featured the England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales national teams.
Microsoft Football features the England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales national teams.

Lore from video games[ | ]

Plague Inc: Evolved[ | ]

A rich, urban country. Typically has a cold, humid climate.

The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith in the 19th century, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two world wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a founding member of NATO and the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. The UK is also an active member of the EU, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999. The latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace progress, but devolution was fully completed in March 2010.