Best Historical Video Games: 10 Picks From Ancient Egypt to 1933 Berlin

Published · By Alehundred Studios

The best historical video games drop you into a real place and time and leave you curious enough to read about it afterward. Our top picks are Assassin's Creed Origins for Ancient Egypt, Ghost of Tsushima for the 1274 Mongol invasion of Japan, Kingdom Come: Deliverance for medieval Bohemia, Red Dead Redemption 2 for America in 1899 and Valiant Hearts: The Great War for World War I. Below you will find all ten picks sorted from the oldest era to the newest, which video games are based on real historical events, how to choose one, and which historical games you can play online with friends.

What makes a historical video game great?

A great historical video game gets three things right: a real setting worth exploring, details that show real research, and play that stays fun from start to finish.

Fun is not optional. Historian Robert Whitaker, who studied the archives of The Oregon Trail's publisher as a research fellow at The Strong National Museum of Play, put it bluntly: "if the game isn't fun, no one is going to care about the history."

Research matters just as much, but no studio copies the past one to one. A 2025 study of the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series in Acta Ludologica, based on interviews with the developers, found that the studio relies on "in-depth research of historical sources, from topography and urbanism to sacred buildings and ethical and cultural patterns of everyday life." The same study notes that "certain game mechanics, such as fast travel, visual guidance of the player, and simplification of dialogues and clothing details, are necessary for smooth and intuitive interaction."

So when we picked the list below, we looked for games where the era is the star, the research shows on screen, and the compromises serve the fun.

What are the best historical video games to play?

These are the ten best historical video games we recommend, ordered by era from the oldest to the newest.

  1. Assassin's Creed Origins (Ancient Egypt). Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed Origins invites you to "Explore Ancient Egypt in this action-adventure game." You travel "from the Mediterranean Sea to the tombs of Giza" and sail down the Nile. It is the best pick if you want a huge ancient world to wander.
  2. Ghost of Tsushima (Japan, 1274). In Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR'S CUT you play the samurai Jin Sakai as the Mongol fleet lands on Tsushima Island. Engadget reported that the game starts "nine days into the first Mongolian invasion of Japan back in the year 1274."
  3. Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Bohemia, 15th century). Warhorse Studios' Kingdom Come: Deliverance asks you to "Explore castles, forests, villages and other realistic settings in medieval Bohemia!" You play Henry, a blacksmith's son caught in a civil war. If it hooks you, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II continues Henry's story in "15th century Medieval Europe," and its official page notes that Henry's friend Hans "is based on a real historical figure of the same name, a hereditary lord of the town of Rattay."
  4. Age of Empires IV (the Middle Ages to the Renaissance). The real-time strategy pick. Age of Empires IV offers "4 distinct campaigns with 35 missions that span across 500 years of history from the Dark Ages up to the Renaissance," and lets you "Live the adventures of Joan of Arc in her quest to defeat the English."
  5. Pentiment (Bavaria, early 1500s). Obsidian's Pentiment is a murder mystery set "in early 16th century Bavaria." Its look is the history lesson: "Art inspired by great illuminated manuscripts and the earliest printed books becomes a living, breathing world in Pentiment."
  6. Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag (the Caribbean, early 1700s). Black Flag is still the best pirate game set in the Caribbean's Golden Age of Piracy. You sail "From Kingston to Nassau" and "Stand amongst legendary names such as Blackbeard and Calico Jack."
  7. Assassin's Creed Unity (Paris, 1789). Unity rebuilds revolutionary Paris so you can "Experience key events, from the storming of the Bastille to the execution of King Louis XVI."
  8. Red Dead Redemption 2 (America, 1899). Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 opens with "America, 1899." and follows Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang across "the rugged heartland of America." It is one of the richest Wild West worlds in games.
  9. Valiant Hearts: The Great War (World War I). Ubisoft Montpellier's Valiant Hearts is a hand-drawn puzzle adventure that "takes you back to famous WW1 locations, like Reims or Montfaucon, revisiting historical battles on the Western Front, such as the Battle of the Marne or the Battle of the Somme!"
  10. Through the Darkest of Times (Berlin, 1933). Paintbucket Games' Through the Darkest of Times puts you in charge of "a small resistance group in 1933's Berlin, of ordinary people." It is a strategy game "focusing on conveying the somber mood of the period," and one of the most thoughtful history games for adults.

Which video games are based on historical events?

Several of the best historical games are built around real events, not just real backdrops.

A useful rule: the game tells you a story inside real events, and you fill the gaps by reading about them. That habit is half the fun.

What are the best historical games on PC?

Every game on this list is on PC through Steam, so PC players get the whole lineup in one place.

PC also has two strengths for history fans. First, strategy: Age of Empires IV and other real-time and grand strategy games play best with mouse and keyboard. Second, big screens and settings: the PC version of Ghost of Tsushima lists support for "Ultrawide (21:9), Super Ultrawide (32:9) and even 48:9 Triple Monitor support," which is a great way to soak in a 13th-century landscape.

If PC is your main platform, our guide to historical games PC players love goes deeper, genre by genre.

Can you play a historical game online with friends?

Yes. Several historical games let you play together online, from strategy to open-world action.

If you want history and friends at the same time, check the features list on the store page for Online Co-op.

How do you choose the best historical game for you?

Start with the era you love, then match the genre to how you like to play.

  1. Pick an era first. Ancient worlds point to Assassin's Creed Origins, feudal Japan to Ghost of Tsushima, the Middle Ages to Kingdom Come, the frontier to Red Dead Redemption 2.
  2. Pick a pace. Open-world action for exploring, strategy for big-picture history, narrative games like Pentiment, Valiant Hearts and Through the Darkest of Times for story and atmosphere.
  3. Decide how much realism you want. Kingdom Come leans hard into realism; Assassin's Creed mixes real places with a fictional conspiracy.
  4. Check how long it takes. Game Studies researchers point out that "a game typically takes longer to play than a film does to watch, a museum to visit or a book to read." A long open world is a big commitment.
  5. Check if you can play with friends. If co-op matters, look for Online Co-op in the features list.

Where does Coins Catcher: Co-op Lands fit?

Coins Catcher: Co-op Lands is a different kind of historical game: an online co-op 3D platformer for up to 8 players, built by solo developer Alehundred with Unreal Engine 5. You are about 4 inches tall and travel through magic portals into giant dioramas of seven real historical eras, played from newest to oldest: Italy 1956 (Riomaggiore), Wild West 1885, Caribbean 1704 (Hispaniola), Kyoto 1503, York 1062, Hatra 201 AD and Alexandria 300 BC.

Each diorama has 8 signs with real historical curiosities, 56 in total, written like a tour guide for adventurers. You and your friends collect themed coins and spend them on talents such as jump height and run speed, defeat the enemies and the giant beast of each era, and when the group gathers 100 coins the era's tower opens for a race to the top. The first to arrive takes the Magic Gem that opens the next era. Everyone has voice chat, and PC, mobile and VR players share the same match. It is on Steam in Early Access.

FAQ

What is the best historical video game?

There is no single winner, but Assassin's Creed Origins, Ghost of Tsushima, Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Red Dead Redemption 2 are the strongest all-round picks. Choose by era: Ancient Egypt, feudal Japan, medieval Bohemia or the American frontier.

What are the best historical games on PC?

All ten picks on this list are on Steam. For strategy, Age of Empires IV is the standout; for open worlds, Ghost of Tsushima, Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Is there a historical game you can play online?

Yes. Age of Empires IV and Ghost of Tsushima list Online Co-op on Steam, and Red Dead Redemption 2 includes Red Dead Online. Coins Catcher: Co-op Lands is an online co-op platformer set in seven historical eras.

What video games are based on historical events?

Ghost of Tsushima is based on the 1274 Mongol invasion of Japan, Assassin's Creed Unity on the French Revolution, Valiant Hearts on World War I battles such as the Marne and the Somme, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance on the conflict in Bohemia after King Sigismund seized his half-brother.

Are historical video games accurate?

They are accurate in places and simplified in others. Studios research buildings, landscapes and daily life, then simplify things like travel, dialogue and clothing to keep the game playable, as the Acta Ludologica study of Kingdom Come: Deliverance shows.

Sources

  1. Whitaker R. Playing in the Past. The Strong National Museum of Play, 2019.
  2. Pravdová H, Cihlářová M. From Chronicles to Quests: Integrating Historical Sources into the Digital Games Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Acta Ludologica, 8(2), 2025.
  3. Hartman A, Tulloch R, Young H. Video Games as Public History: Archives, Empathy and Affinity. Game Studies, 21(4), 2021.
  4. Tarantola A. 'Ghost of Tsushima' sent its developers to Japanese History 101. Engadget, 2018.
  5. Deep Silver, Warhorse Studios. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Official game page.
  6. Ubisoft Montreal. Assassin's Creed Origins. Steam store page.
  7. Sucker Punch Productions, Nixxes Software. Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR'S CUT. Steam store page.
  8. Warhorse Studios. Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Steam store pages.
  9. World's Edge, Relic Entertainment. Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition. Steam store page.
  10. Obsidian Entertainment. Pentiment. Steam store page.
  11. Ubisoft. Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Unity. Steam store pages.
  12. Rockstar Games. Red Dead Redemption 2. Steam store page.
  13. Ubisoft Montpellier. Valiant Hearts: The Great War. Steam store page.
  14. Paintbucket Games. Through the Darkest of Times. Steam store page.