Video Games Based on Historical Events: What Is Real, What Is Fiction and How to Check

Published · By Alehundred Studios

Video games based on historical events are games built around something that really happened, like a medieval civil war, a World War I battle or a 1942 assassination, using real places, dates and often real people. Strong examples are Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Valiant Hearts, Age of Empires IV, Attentat 1942 and This War of Mine.

Below you will find which games are built on real events, how accurate they are, why studios mix in fiction, a simple way to check what is real, and which history games you can play online with friends.

What does based on historical events mean in a video game?

A video game is based on historical events when its story or missions follow something that actually happened, not just when it borrows a period look.

That is the key difference from a game with a historical setting. A setting game can drop an invented hero into a beautiful old city and never touch a real event. An event game puts you inside a war, a siege, a revolution or an assassination that you could read about in a history book. If you are looking for great eras to explore, our guide to video games with historical settings covers that side. This article is about the events.

Most event-based games fall into four groups:

Which video games are based on real historical events?

The games below are built around documented events, and each official page says what part of the history it uses.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Bohemia, 15th century). The Steam page describes an action RPG "set in 15th century Medieval Europe," and the official Deep Silver page says the story is "Set amid the chaos of a medieval civil war." Your hero Henry lost his home village of Skalitz to a raid by the forces of Sigismund, a real king. The villain is real too: Markvart is "Based on a real historical figure of the same name, he was a German noble," and he serves "As the leader of the Cuman and Prague armies serving Sigismund."

Valiant Hearts: The Great War (World War I). Ubisoft Montpellier's Valiant Hearts follows soldiers and civilians through the Western Front, including the Battle of the Marne and the Battle of the Somme. Researchers writing in Game Studies point out that the game works like an archive, with in-game objects and a Historical Facts menu, and that it features "letters written during the war by the grandfather of the creative director, Yoan Fanise."

Age of Empires IV (the Middle Ages to the Renaissance). The real-time strategy pick. Its Steam page invites you to "command mighty Mongol troops as Genghis Khan in his conquest across Asia" and covers "500 years of history from the Dark Ages up to the Renaissance."

Attentat 1942 (Prague, World War II). This adventure from Charles Games starts from a precise event: "It's 1942 and Reinhard Heydrich, the ruler of the Nazi occupied Czech lands appointed by Hitler, was assassinated." Both its Steam page and the Charles Games page call it "a historically-accurate adventure told through the eyes of World War 2 survivors," and both say it was "Written and made by professional historians."

This War of Mine (a besieged city). 11 bit studios flips the war game around. On its Steam page, "you do not play as an elite soldier, rather a group of civilians trying to survive in a besieged city." The game lists itself as "Inspired by real-life events" instead of naming one city, which is a useful signal: it is about the experience of a siege, not a replay of one.

Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour (Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, the Viking Age). Ubisoft's Discovery Tour turns its game worlds into guided tours. Ubisoft says the tours are "Curated by historians, professors, and experts" and cover topics "ranging from art and architecture to philosophy, politics, and religion."

Are video games based on historical events accurate?

They are accurate in the parts that can be checked, like places, dates, buildings and named people, and simplified or invented in the parts that keep the game playable.

A 2025 study of the Kingdom Come series in Acta Ludologica set out to identify the aspects that "maintain the highest degree of verifiable authenticity in game development" and to reveal "areas where significant compromises have been made to enhance playability." That is the honest picture for almost every game on this list: deep research on the world, practical shortcuts in how you move and talk through it.

Researchers in Game Studies go further: "a historical game should never be mistaken for a perfect representation of an actual time or place." They also note that studios like to point to their historians, which "suggests that the public is deeply invested in the idea of historical accuracy."

Getting it wrong has consequences. Historian Robert Whitaker, researching the archives of The Oregon Trail's publisher at The Strong National Museum of Play, found that MECC's 1992 game Freedom! "was pulled from the shelves by MECC in 1993" after complaints about its insensitive depiction of Black Americans. A focus group member later summed up the lesson: "whenever you try to recreate history, there's a lot of hostility that comes out."

Why do historical games mix real events with fiction?

Historical games mix real events with fiction because the record has gaps, because players need choices, and because a personal story makes a big event easier to feel.

  1. The record has gaps. Chronicles name kings and battles, rarely what an ordinary blacksmith's son did on a Tuesday. Kingdom Come fills that space with Henry while keeping Sigismund and Markvart real.
  2. Games need choices. Age of Empires IV says it openly: "every decision you make will determine the outcome of history."
  3. People connect with people. Game Studies researchers describe "historical empathy" as one way games create "an emotional resonance and personal connection to the past." Valiant Hearts and This War of Mine work because you care about the characters, not because you memorize dates.
  4. Some stories need distance. This War of Mine stays "Inspired by real-life events" instead of naming a real city, which gives it room to show the experience without putting words in real survivors' mouths.

The useful habit is to sort what you see into two boxes: what the game presents as fact (dates, places, named people, objects) and what it invents to tell the story (heroes, dialogue, your choices).

How can you check what is real in a historical game?

Check the game's own sources first, then test one or two facts against an archive or museum page.

  1. Look for the experts. Credits, store pages and official sites often say who helped. Attentat 1942 says it was "Written and made by professional historians." Ubisoft's Discovery Tour FAQ says its tours "have been created with the support of external specialists of the corresponding time period and setting to make sure the content is accurate and adapted for educational purposes."
  2. Read the in-game history. Codex entries, letters, fact menus and signs are where the researched details live. Valiant Hearts' Historical Facts menu is a good example.
  3. Use a simple analysis routine. The U.S. National Archives teaches four steps for any primary source: "Meet the document," "Observe its parts," "Try to make sense of it" and "Use it as historical evidence." They work just as well on a letter you find inside a game.
  4. Check names and dates. If a character is described as a real person, look them up. If an event has a date, check it against a museum, university or archive page.
  5. Notice the framing words. "Based on," "inspired by" and "historically accurate" promise different things. "Inspired by real-life events" is a looser promise than "historically-accurate adventure."

If you want to go deeper on learning with games, our guide to video games that teach history covers what the research says.

Can you play a historical game online with friends?

Yes. Some games based on history let you play together online.

Age of Empires IV lists Online Co-op among its Steam features, so you can play it with friends instead of alone. Most narrative event games, like Valiant Hearts, Attentat 1942 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, are single-player, so they work best as games you play on your own and then talk through with friends. If co-op matters, check the Features list on the store page before you buy, and look for Online Co-op.

What are good video games about history for adults?

Good video games about history for adults are the ones that treat events seriously, show their sources and leave you curious enough to read more.

From this list, Attentat 1942 and This War of Mine are the most serious, focused on civilians and the human toll of war. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is the deepest open world. Age of Empires IV is best for the big picture, and the Discovery Tour is best when you just want to walk around a reconstructed past. For more ideas, see our guide to history games for adults.

Where does Coins Catcher: Co-op Lands fit?

Coins Catcher: Co-op Lands is not a war game or a reenactment. It is an online co-op 3D platformer for up to 8 players, with voice chat for everyone and crossplay between PC (Steam), mobile and VR, built by solo developer Alehundred in Unreal Engine 5. The history comes in a different form: real events written on signs.

You are 10 cm (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, like a tour guide written for adventurers. Many of them are events. In Hatra, a sign tells you the city withstood two sieges by the Roman Empire, in 116 and 198 AD. In York, you learn that the Vikings captured the city in 866 and renamed it Jorvik. In Kyoto, you find out that the Onin War of 1467 destroyed most of the city, which was still rebuilding in 1503.

The fiction is clearly labeled as fiction. The story is inspired by the Brothers Grimm tale The Seven Ravens, twisted on purpose: a curse traps a princess and turns her seven brothers into seven giant beasts, one per era, from a wolf in Italy to a giant spider in Alexandria. You and your friends collect coins, spend them on talents and on unlocking the next eras, defeat the enemies and the beast of each era, and race up its tower for the Magic Gem once the group gathers 100 coins. It is on Steam in Early Access and open to suggestions from the community.

FAQ

What video games are based on historical events?

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (a 15th-century civil war in Bohemia), Valiant Hearts (World War I), Age of Empires IV (campaigns across 500 years of medieval history), Attentat 1942 (the 1942 assassination of Reinhard Heydrich) and This War of Mine (civilians in a besieged city) are strong examples.

Is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 based on real events?

Yes. It is set during a medieval civil war in 15th-century Bohemia, and characters such as Markvart and Hans are based on real historical figures of the same name. Henry, the hero, is fictional.

Are video games based on historical events accurate?

They are usually accurate about places, dates, buildings and named people, and simplified or invented in dialogue, travel and the hero's story. Researchers say no historical game should be mistaken for a perfect picture of the past.

What is the difference between a historical setting and a historical event in games?

A historical setting is a real time and place used as a backdrop; a historical event is something that actually happened, like a battle or an assassination, that shapes the story or missions.

How can I check if a history game is accurate?

Look for historians in the credits or official page, read the in-game history entries, then check names and dates against a museum, archive or university page.

Is there a historical game you can play online?

Yes. Age of Empires IV lists Online Co-op on Steam, and Coins Catcher: Co-op Lands is an online co-op platformer for up to 8 players set in seven real historical eras.

Sources

  1. Ubisoft. Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour. Official page.
  2. Warhorse Studios, Deep Silver. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Steam store page, 2026.
  3. Deep Silver, Warhorse Studios. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Official game page.
  4. Pravdová H, Cihlářová M. From Chronicles to Quests: Integrating Historical Sources into the Digital Games Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Acta Ludologica, 8(2), 2025.
  5. Ubisoft Montpellier. Valiant Hearts: The Great War. Steam store page, 2026.
  6. Hartman A, Tulloch R, Young H. Video Games as Public History: Archives, Empathy and Affinity. Game Studies, 21(4), 2021.
  7. World's Edge, Relic Entertainment. Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition. Steam store page, 2026.
  8. Charles Games. Attentat 1942. Steam store page, 2026.
  9. Charles Games. Attentat 1942. Official studio page.
  10. 11 bit studios. This War of Mine. Steam store page, 2026.
  11. Whitaker R. Playing in the Past. The Strong National Museum of Play, 2019.
  12. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Document Analysis Worksheets. National Archives.