Of the countless fictional locations video games have explored, many feature cities that push the boundaries of why anyone would remain living there. Players often like to imagine what life would be like in their favorite games, but no one should live in the worst video game cities.
As games have progressed from 2D toys to realistic, immersive experiences, their developers have provided players with truly fascinating and imaginative game worlds to explore. These range from colorful and welcoming to dark and foreboding - sometimes to the point where that immersion is broken. Many video game locations are places where citizens supposedly live out their lives, but some are so blatantly dangerous that they make players question how anyone is still there.
The following video game cities are far from the ideal living locale. Notably, however, these are still well designed, and they provide a good sense of identity for the games they're presented in. Here are the five worst video game cities that no one should live in.
#5 - Los Santos (Grand Theft Auto Series)
Los Santos is one of the few cities that manages to put citizens in danger without them do anything in particular. Tasks like swimming, jogging, and driving are all a life risk, as there's always a Grand Theft Auto character shooting or blowing everything up. Living in Los Santos would simply too exhausting to maintain - not to mention the millions of dollars in property damage the city faces every hour of every day. It's almost impossible that Los Santos' economy could retain itself while dealing with constant theft and destruction.
#4 - Rapture (BioShock Series)
Built only for humanity's most prestigious and meant to be free from government rule, BioShock's Rapture is an underwater city. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. A civil war broke out, and those who didn't die went insane due to a drug called ADAM. Because of this, anyone and anything left there will attempt to kill all who enter.
Creatures like the Spider Slicer and Big Daddy only make things worse, as players must constantly battle to survive another horrific day in this wretched city. There's even the terrifying Little Sisters, who will forever haunt anyone who looks into their hollow, tear-filled eyes. All in all, Rapture is less a city than a broken-down civilization.
#3 - New York City (Any Game It Appears In)
New York City has seen its fair share of disasters, as well, in games and in movies. The city is continually being invaded and destroyed, becoming an alien warfront or a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Games like The Division, Marvel's Spider-Man, and Prototype all showcase how terrible it would be living in a video game version of New York. The city's real-world costliness is bad enough, but living there in a video game brings with it the potential of losing everything one holds dear.
#2 - Raccoon City (Resident Evil Series)
Resident Evil's Umbrella Corporation didn't quite think things through when it decided to build a secret biological research operation beneath a populous city. One stupid decision later, and the whole town is infected by the T-Virus, causing a disastrous outbreak. Zombies and mutants roam the streets of Raccoon City, with monsters like giant spiders killing anything that moves. Not to mention the terrifying Mr. X and Nemesis bioweapons, designed to destroy everything in their path.
#1 - Arkham City (Batman: Arkham Series)
Arkham City is a dark, gritty and depressing location that no one should ever have to live in. In the Batman: Arkham series, the city has never seen a peaceful day. Its whole purpose is to serve as a "jail city" for criminals, terrorists, and some very monstrous creatures. While it's great that Batman is watching over Arkham, the caped protector isn't of much comfort when the city is stuffed with murderers roaming the streets.