RPGs are synonymous with detailed worlds and heavy storylines. Their settings play a huge role in developing stories, atmosphere and characters. It's no surprise then that one of the most atmospheric eras in history is home to a number of great RPG titles. Some of these games take liberties in representing the Victorian time period, mixing fantasy with history — but that's exactly what makes an RPG world so immersive.

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22 Games That Take Place In The Victorian Era

The Victorian Era can make for a great setting for a game, but not many titles utilize its setting. These are some games that do.

There's something special about the Victorian era, from its huffing steam engines and civilized buildings, to societal representation and a focus on the gothic. Developers can mix these attributes with numerous creative liberties to create captivating and intriguing worlds that seem so familiar yet so distant. From vampires and werewolves to royalty and assassins, these Victorian RPGs are great examples of the genre, delivering compelling gameplay every step of the way.

8 Koudelka

Turn-Based Gothic Horror Delivers Complex Characters

Koudelka is a 1999 RPG that released on the PlayStation. It's an innovative RPG title that leans heavily into the gothic horror genre and fully embraces its Victorian roots. The game is set in Nemeton Mansion and takes clear inspiration from the original Resident Evil in terms of gameplay. Players can explore the mansion and find puzzles to solve as well as interesting encounters.

Koudelka mixes the RPG genre with elements of survival horror, creating a highly effective atmosphere. Whether players love it or hate it, combat is initiated through random encounters, where battles take place in an innovative tactical grid that works extremely well. The turn-based mechanics are some of the best out there! This is an extremely unique game that expertly combines two genres with a fantastic, spooky Victorian atmosphere.

7 The Sinking City

Choice-Heavy Lovecraftian Horror With Victorian Sensibilities

While The Sinking City technically takes place in a post-Victorian era, it's only by a few years, and it certainly feels like more of a Victorian setting than other Victorian video games. This is a detective-based RPG with a focus on cosmic horror and the deep sea. Players assume the role of Charles Reed, a private investigator who is on a mission to get to the truth of the visions haunting the fictional city.

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Said city is Oakmont, a very Victorian-esque location, drenched in gothic design. The Sinking City actually features one of the most unique open worlds in gaming, as half of Oakmont has been completely lost to the sea in a series of floods. The town isn't quite as it seems, with washed up cosmic creatures plaguing the streets, and a series of strange-looking residents wander the city. It's a great setting that takes pieces of Lovecraftian and gothic horror and merges them into one fantastic RPG experience.

6 Sunless Sea

Survival Exploration Set In Fallen London's Post-Apocalypse

Following on from the tremendous success of the browser game, Fallen London, Failbetter Games released Sunless Sea, a survival RPG set in the same, lost fictional world. This is almost as Victorian as it gets, taking place in the late 1800s and featuring every Victorian aspect one would expect from the era. Failbetter Games have taken the best literature from the time, and replicated the style of prose effectively in order to make the Victorian setting even more immersive.

Gameplay takes place through bird-eye-view boat exploration, narrative and combat encounters presented through a card system, and various puzzles with unique user interfaces. It's a conglomeration of styles and game design, but it works surprisingly well, effectively paying homage to Fallen London but also defining itself as its own title.

5 Vampyr

Your Choices Determine The Fate Of The Atmospheric Victorian City

Vampyr is another title that is actually set just after the end of the Victorian era but utilizes everything from a traditional Victorian setting. When players picture a Victorian open world, this is exactly the type of image they might conjure, as the game features fog-drenched streets, illuminated by the dim glow of gas lamps, and arching Cathedral spires standing in contrast against the dark, moonlit sky. And then there's the small matter of vampires.

Victorians had a strong fascination with the supernatural and the macabre, which paved the way for the conception of gothic literature. Vampyr uses this gothic setting to create one of the most atmospheric worlds in gaming. Players control Jonathan Reid, a doctor turned vampire who has to make moral choices in his search for revenge. Players can fight their vampiric urges or completely give in to it. The choice is theirs alone in this immersive Victorian RPG.

4 Arcanum: Of Steamworks And Magick Obscura

Steampunk World Explores The Complexities Of Mixing Magic & Technology

This top-down RPG from 2001 might go under the radar for many gamers, but those who have played it know exactly how good Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura really is. While it does take place in the fictional world of Arcanum, it is essentially a fantasy-themed Victorian world which shares parallels to the Industrial Revolution.

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The main concept of this game is the dichotomy of magic and technology, which reflects the industrial revolution's impact on society at the time. It's the age-old formula of modernization vs tradition and all the moral complexities that come in between. Cities are packed with Victorian architecture, ranging from cobblestone streets and gas lamps to churches and spires. It's a great fictional take on the era, and it's a fantastic RPG experience with rich lore, complex characters, and a great narrative.

3 Dishonored

Immersive 'Whalepunk' Setting With Elaborate Level Design

Dishonored won the hearts of gamers due to its engaging and extremely fun gameplay. The aspect that was perhaps the most effective, however, was it's immersive world-building, which brought the gothic feeling of the Victorian era to a fictional city ripe with magic, notes of Steampunk, dystopian guards, and everything in between. Dishonored is a dreary game, and it's possibly one of the most depressing worlds in gaming, but that's contrasted by its fun, experimental gameplay that gives players complete freedom.

Gamers can teleport to nearby ledges, summon devouring swarms, take possession of animals, and blast enemies into the sea. The way players can choose to go about levels is endless, allowing for a lot of creative exploration that can often result in some interesting results. It's always great to give players a sandbox to just experiment with, and that's enhanced even further when it takes place in such a fleshed-out setting.

2 Shadow Hearts

Deep Characterization & World-Building Define This Victorian JRPG

Shadow Hearts is the game that followed up from Koudelka, taking all the great things about the original title and adding several better features. Players take control over shape-shifting protagonist Yuri Hyuga, who effectively embodies the Victorian fascination with the supernatural. Akin to many other Victorian RPG titles, Shadow Hearts creates a dark, gloomy atmosphere in a Victorian world filled with bleakness and spooky supernatural creatures.

What makes Shadow Hearts an exceptional RPG, however, is it's extremely rich and detailed storyline that expertly blends history with fantasy. The characters are some of the most complex in any RPG, and the sheer level of detail in their moral agendas and complexities swamps most modern releases today. With a fantastic combination of gothic visuals, haunting music, and outstanding writing, Shadow Hearts is truly one of the best Victorian RPGs to ever exist.

1 Bloodborne

Gothic Horror Meets Lovecraftian Nightmare

Bloodborne is an extremely dark game. And that's largely down to its Victorian architecture and atmosphere, which combines Lovecraftian and gothic horror in one beautiful, twisted nightmare. There's a wide variety of enemies present here, from strange, corrupted humanoid creatures to otherworldly, cosmic horror monstrosities. The Victorian atmosphere is integral to the dreamlike, surreal story, and it effectively captures one of the best and most unique environments in gaming. It's also got one of the best stories out of all the Souls games.

Make no mistake, this game is not easy, but its RPG gameplay is compelling and addictive. Gamers will want to carry on pushing themselves, defeating enemies and bosses while they level up their character and gain new abilities, items, and weapons. It's one of the best games that FromSoftware has made — and certainly one of the most memorable worlds in video game history. There's nothing else quite like Bloodborne, which speaks to the magnitude of its influence.

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