Games That Take Place In The Victorian Era

The Victorian era took place from June 20, 1837, to January 22, 1901, in the United Kingdom. It got its namesake from the ruler at the time, Queen Victoria. The era is long gone, but modern imagination is fascinated by these particular times. It was the era of Jack the Ripper, the first Industrial Revolution, Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, and much more.

Modern imagination integrating with the bygone era often produces works of fiction and even fantasy. Video games love to combine the Victorian era with stories of eldritch horrors, werewolves, and vampires in combination with the commonalities of famine, murder, and plague. Most games that take place in the Victorian era tend to be dark. While most Victoria-era games can have a dark edge to them, there is variety in terms of genre, style, and the story they tell.

Updated December 4, 2024, by Hamza Haq: The Victorian Era is one of the most interesting times in history, and works wonderfully as a setting for a video game. The iconic architecture, the distinct way that people dressed, and its unique tonality are not things that have been seen before or since. The industrialization age went by quickly and while the effects it had on the entire world are apparent today, its effect on the culture of the time, especially Victorian London, sparks curiosity. Games that take place in that era tend to favor a style that’s a mixture of technology, tradition, and steam engines.

25 80 Days

Recreate Jules Verne’s Classic Story In The Victorian Era

Around the World in 80 Days is one of the most popular stories penned by Jules Verne that helped him become one of the best writers around who focused on adventurous stories. The ability to replicate this journey via a video game is something that players would love to check out, and 80 Days is an excellent video game for players who want to enjoy the same.

The striking art style and choice-based gameplay lend a ton of weight to every decision that players make, which can either aid them in their goal or prevent them from accomplishing this hefty task. The game encourages replayability and uses the Victorian era to make its storytelling more engaging than ever before.

24 Arcanum: Of Steamworks And Magick Obscura

Combines Victorian Aesthetics With Magical CRPG Goodness

One of the most underrated CRPGs back when the golden age of this genre was drawing to a close, the beloved Troika Games crafted one of the most unique worlds to every feature in a video game to date with the advent of Arcanum: Of Steamworks And Magick Obscura. The title may not have aged that well from a gameplay standpoint (something that fans of Troika Games are begrudgingly familiar with) but people willing to give its lack of gameplay fidelity a pass will love what Arcanum brings to the table.

The way magic and technology work against each other makes the world and its inhabitants more unique, with players being encouraged to choose one over the other to make their build as effective as possible. This, coupled with a deep story that accommodates player choice in new and interesting ways, makes Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura an excellent title for players who want to check out a game with shades of the Victorian era smattered here and there.

23 Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs

A Sequel To A Breakout Horror Game Set In The Same Time Period

Following the massive success of The Dark Descent, it was clear that Frictional Games had finally settled on a formula that would guarantee success for them. This led to A Machine For Pigs riding hot on the coattails of its predecessor, with the time period being similar too.

Both games are set in the Victorian era, with A Machine for Pigs set two years before the rule of Queen Victoria drew to a close. The game is about as horrifying as one would expect from a Frictional Games product, and Amnesia continues to be one of their most successful franchises despite this title disappointing some fans for its lack of innovation.

22 American McGee’s Alice

A Dark, Twisted Take On Alice In Wonderland’s Tale

It’s a shame that getting one’s hands on a working copy of American McGee’s Alice is such a harrowing task. The game deserves to be hailed as a classic of its time that created a beautiful and haunting world where players could get lost.

The combat in the game was pretty serviceable, but it was the amazing visual design and tone of the narrative that made it such an underrated gem. Players who manage to get their hands on American McGee’s Alice will love its dark aesthetic and engaging levels, which will keep fans encapsulated till the end of a memorable adventure.

21 Steelrising

French Revolution Meets Victoria Era Steampunk

Steelrising is a relatively recent Soulslike entry from Spiders, the game company credited with creating the worlds of GreedFall and GreedFall 2. The setting for Steelrising is an alternate iteration of the French Revolution set in Paris, but with heavy influences from the Victorian Era, if the technology tree of civilization had gone down the steampunk route instead of gas and electricity.

While gameplay can feel a little bit too similar to other Soulslike titles, the atmosphere is impeccable, conveying the essence of the time period it sets out to portray with startling accuracy. Both the NPCs and the environment are reflections of this era.

20 Sunless Sea

A Unique Take On Victorian London That Has Retreated Under The Earth’s Surface

Sunless Sea is an excellent title that combines exploration and storytelling in one neat package. The game does have its scary moments, but players mostly love this title for the many unique islands and stories that players can explore as they journey across the unterzee and uncover the wealth of content present in the world.

Soon enough, players will slowly understand how the game works and get over its massive difficulty curve with relative ease. Getting the best ship and destroying enemies that were giving players a hard time early on never ceases to be satisfying!

19 Shadow Hearts

A Gothic, Lovecraftian JRPG That Is Unlike Most Games In The Genre

There aren’t many JRPGs that focus on the Victorian setting and Lovecraftian horror, so it’s amazing to see that Shadow Hearts checks both these boxes! The games in this genre are notorious for being a bit too lengthy for their good, so fans were glad to see that Shadow Hearts didn’t overstay its welcome as it absorbed players in a unique and engaging tale.

Players have to maintain a sanity meter along with HP and MP, making for a fun balancing act as players try to wipe out enemies as soon as possible before a party member frenzies out of nowhere. Shadow Hearts may have its rough edges, but this game’s concept is truly exhilarating and goes to show just how important it is to play through JRPGs that aren’t steeped in the usual high fantasy setting that some fans have grown bored of.

18 The Order: 1886

A Short, Sweet Thrill-Ride Across A Version Of Victorian London Steeped In The Supernatural

Released in 2015, The Order: 1886 is a third-person game in the action-adventure genre. The setting is in 1886, but it’s not the same Victorian era as ours. It takes place in an alternate history that gives London a far more steampunk-oriented style. The player takes the role of Sir Galahad, a member of the Knights of the Round Table whose job is to protect London from vampire and werewolf half-breeds as well as any government rebels.

The game got mixed reviews, but many loved its Victorian atmosphere and creative touches to the alternate history. The gameplay is lacking, sometimes feeling more like a walking simulator than an action-adventure title.

17 The Sherlock Holmes Series

Capturing The Famed Detective’s Best Stories In Victorian London

Like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the stories of Sherlock Holmes are a major staple of Victorian-era stories. Its most major video game series has eight titles so far, and they all stick to the Victorian era. The first title of the series, The Mystery of the Mummy, was released in 2002 and its most recent title, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, came out in 2023.

Depending on the game, players do not just explore London. Some of the titles have Sherlock take trips to New Orleans, Scotland, and Switzerland.

16 Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate

A Brilliant Depiction Of Victorian London In An Assassin’s Creed Game

The Assassin’s Creed series has a love for setting its games in different times in human history. The times explored include the Third Crusade, 15th century Florence, colonization of the United States, the 18th century, the Seven Years War, the French Revolution, the Peloponnesian War, and of course the Victorian era.

Syndicate takes place in London and follows twin assassins taking back the city from Templar control. It was released for the PS4, Xbox One, and Windows in 2015. It was not known to be the best Assassin’s Creed game, but it still got higher-than-average reviews.

15 Alice: Madness Returns

A Sequel To A Highly Underrated Dark Fantasy Action Game With Shades Of The Victorian Era

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published by Lewis Carroll right in the middle of the Victorian era, and it’s both a product of its time and timeless in terms of playing with the logic of conformity and being a proper lady in a proper society through the eyes of a little girl. The famous children’s story has gone through many adaptations, and that is certainly true in the video game world as well.

Arguably the best of them is Alice: Madness Returns. This dark twist has an older Alice in a psych ward after a fire killed her family. Due to her horrific experiences, Wonderland becomes a horrific and twisted place. The game is quite action-oriented with Alice having to combat her way through Wonderland to discover the truth of her trauma.

14 The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

A Duology Focused On Phoenix Wright’s Ancestor, Set In Victorian London

This game is Ace Attorney but in the Victorian era. Players take on the role of Phoenix Wright’s ancestor, Ryunosuke Naruhodo. Ryunosuke travels to study law in England and befriends the famous detective Herlock Sholmes.

The game drew some controversial attention for how it portrayed racism against the Japanese characters in the game. Some believed it was a raw portrayal of the Victorian era and how people thought in those times while others saw it as tone-deaf and upsetting. Due to this, the localization of the game has had some censorship.

13 Lies of P

A Soulslike Retelling Of Pinocchio Set In An Alternate Victorian London

Lies of P, a Soulslike developed by Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio, took the stage as one of the best games of 2023 and was nominated multiple times in the Game Awards. The game takes place in an alternate version of London where P, the protagonist, is a puppet come to life tasked with figuring out the secrets of the Krat Hotel, the world he lives in, the mysterious mineral Ergo that powers all puppets, and the Petrification disease.

The world of Lies of P is dripping with character at every step, its inspirations on full display. The references to real-life characters from the Victorian Era, the direct comparison to Pinocchio, and the steampunk genre are easy to spot if players know what to look for.

12 MediEvil 2

Venture Into A Victorian Gothic Revival Third-Person Adventure

Picking up five hundred years after the events of MediEvil 1, MediEvil 2 is set in Victorian-era London in 1886, following the protagonist of the previous game, Sir Daniel Fortesque. In accordance with the time, Dan adopts new weapons to his arsenal, ranging from the simple pistol to the terrifying Gatling gun. It is a third-person hack-and-slash action-adventure game with occasional breaks for puzzle-solving and platforming to add variety to the gameplay loop. Fans of the first game will find it a comforting continuation of the story of their favorite skeletal protagonist.

The inspiration from the Victorian era is clear in MediEvil 2. So much so that one of the main antagonists in the game is Jack the Ripper, the infamous serial killer. The architecture also has that neo-gothic vibe of 19th-century England, with cathedrals, towers, and spires all distinctly inspired by it.

11 Sunless Skies

Steampunk Trains In The Sky

A sequel to Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies is a top-down narrative RPG that follows in the original footsteps but builds on it in all the right ways. It takes place in the same world as Sunless Sea, a world that’s deeply inspired by the Victorian Era, only ten years after the events of the first game’s ending.

The core gameplay loop of Sunless Skies involves venturing out into the sky aboard a small flying steam train that players control from a top-down perspective, managing the fuel needed to keep the train running while looking for interesting spots and things to do. The environment details are top-notch, the sound design is excellent, and the OST is soothing and immersive. How the ship handles has been massively improved from the first game and the UI is much, much cleaner and polished. The narrative events are similar to what the original offered, with players choosing to roll dice that depend on stats and attributes.

10 The Dishonored Series

A Series That Starts In 1837, Which Is Around The Start Of The Victorian Era

This series begins in the year 1837, which is known to be the beginning of the Victorian era. The first-person stealth game is certainly rooted in the era but takes a lot of creative initiative in the politics and social classes of its fictional city of Dunwall. There are supernatural elements as well.

Most gamers already know about this famous series, as it got overwhelmingly positive reviews from publications. It won awards for Environmental Design, Art Direction, Game Direction, Best Game, Best Narrative, and so on.

9 The Victoria Series

An Accurately-Titled Grand Strategy Game

Not all games have to be action adventures. For those who prefer strategy and numbers, Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun, Victoria 2, and Victoria 3 are there. The first title was released in 2003, the second in 2010, and the third in 2022. The base games cover every year of the Victorian era.

However, the game is not for everyone. It got mixed reviews for its steep learning curve. Players who are not used to strategy games can get overwhelmed by balancing the various resources, materials, profits, diplomatic relations, and the world market.

8 Fallen London

A Browser Game Set In The Same Universe As Sunless Sea

Fallen London is another alternative Victorian-era game, but it has a strong focus on narrative with minimalist designs. The lore is rich with subtle but fascinating horrors in the dark alleys. It is one of those games that cannot be won, but there are ways to lose. The game came out in 2009 but got a major update in 2018.

Due to the praise for its world-building, Fallen London’s popularity spawned other loved titles like Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies. While those are titles in stores, Fallen London is free to play online.

7 Dance Of Death: Du Lac & Fey

A Decent Adventure Game Set In 1888 London

Set in 1888 London, this adventure game was released in 2019. It takes real famous figures from history/legends such as Lancelot, Morgan le Fay, and Mary Jane Kelly, and follows them on the hunt for the infamous Jack the Ripper. In terms of mechanics, it is a point-and-click game from the third-person perspective. The three main characters are playable and can be switched in and out to use their different abilities.

The game puts some stock in the player’s choices and has a storyline with various branches and consequences. Also, each of the three characters offers a unique perspective since they come from different classes of Victorian society.

6 Koudelka

A Dungeon Crawler With Lovecraftian Elements Set During Victorian Times

Part of the Shadow Hearts series, Koudelka is an RPG released in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in other regions. The story takes place in 1898 in Wales. The protagonists are in a haunted monastery and uncover its secrets by exploring, solving puzzles, and doing some turn-based battles.

The game’s producer, composer, writer, and director was one man, Hiroki Kikuta. He was inspired by books of the British Victorian era such as ones written by Lord Dunsany, H.P. Lovecraft, and William Hope Hodgson.