It may not be the first thing that players think of before diving into a new pixelated adventure, but fire has played a huge part in the gaming industry. From burning braziers to campfires, used as a weapon or resulting as the consequence of some great carnage, fire is as important to games as it has been to movies, literature, and the arts. A symbol of danger and aggression yet also a provider of warmth, light, and life.
Getting this tempestuous mistress right isn't as easy as it might seem. Just as developers and creatives have spent years collectively trying to recreate the movements and nuances of water as it shimmers and dances, so too has time and craftsmanship been dedicated to authentically replicating the movement, mechanics, and proclivities of this most vital mechanic. Some have had more success than others, but even now, it seems that many have found fire a tough element to master.
11 Team Fortress 2
It might not be the most in-depth or complex fire system in the entire industry, but Team Fortress 2 knows how to make fire fun. Only really available if using the pyro class, there is something uniquely enjoyable about running around with a flamethrower and sending dozens of enemies into a burning panic as they’re cartoonishly set ablaze.
The Pyro’s ‘Meet the’ video is also possibly the funniest, and most disturbing, of all the game’s many character introductions, envisaging the aforementioned fire-wielder as a warped, cruel figure who deludedly believes that he or she is spreading joy and laughter from the tip of their terrifying flamethrower. Utterly hilarious and extremely unsettling.
10 Uncharted 3
Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series built a legacy on spectacular, pre-rendered set pieces rather than organically open-ended gameplay, but that is in no way to damn it with faint praise. As far as cinematic AAA adventure franchises go, the Uncharted games are among the very finest. The third game in the quadrilogy doesn't always garner as much acclaim as its contemporaries, but its eye for spectacle is in no way diminished.
Nowhere is this better demonstrated than near the beginning of the game wherein Nate and Sully travel to a French château in search of clues relating to the location of the lost city of Ubar, only to be ambushed and have the château set ablaze. In arguably the game's most exhilarating sequence, Nate must climb and scramble through the burning manor as it crumbles around him. Thrilling as it is, the seamlessly rendered flames and the ways in which they authentically damage and char everything around them makes for another layer of authenticity and excitement.
9 Call Of Duty: World At War
While World at War ended up being somewhat overshadowed by its predecessor, Call of Duty 4, reappraisals of Treyarch’s WW2 shooter have been favorable, especially with regard to its single-player campaign. World at War takes players through the various theaters of the deadly conflict, from the defense of Stalingrad to the fall of Berlin.
One of the most memorable sequences takes place in the Japanese theater wherein the player, fighting as an American soldier, has the choice of using a flamethrower in order to burn out the enemy. The way the fire bursts from the device, not to mention the sound and fury of the thing is something that players can’t easily forget, resulting in an experience as exhilarating as it is terrifying from a game that was quite exceptional at providing both in equal measure.
8 Red Dead Redemption 2
Everything in Red Dead Redemption 2 is done with obsessive forensic attention to detail, from the way that settlements and train tracks are actually built over time to the real-time hair growth that Arthur experiences every time he ducks the barber’s razor.
Among this fine eye for the minute is the game’s use of fire, something that no true cowboy could do without. The Braithwaite Manor mission is an obvious example of some beautifully pre-rendered fire animations, but the game’s actual fire physics are exceptional, spreading naturally and organically and destroying anything in its path or leaving charred and ruined remains. As a tip for new players, don’t play with Molotovs inside a wooden building.
7 Breath Of The Wild
Fire is a central feature of the brilliant open-world adventure Breath of the Wild. Link’s reliance on his campfire is of course a central feature of the game when players are roaming the vastness of Hyrule, but it features in numerous other exciting ways.
What’s great about the fire in Breath of the Wild is that there’s so many ways to utilize it, from exploding barrels to fire arrows and swords or the use of red chuchu jelly. There are also innumerable ways of starting a fire, from using flint to using wood from an existing campsite. With Breath of the Wild, experimentation and exploration makes for the most rewarding experience.
6 Alone In The Dark
Alone in the Dark did not quite, pun intended, set the world alight, but what it did do was introduce some fire mechanics that not only elevated the game itself but felt as though they were operating far ahead of their time when the game dropped in 2008.
The whole point of Alone in the Dark, obviously, is that it places its protagonist Edward Carnby in pitch blackness for much of the game’s runtime, meaning that light and fire become incredibly important against the dim and unlit backdrop. What’s more impressive is how blazes look and feel, interacting with objects naturally until they either char them to a cinder or burn through them entirely.
5 The Last Of Us Part 2
TheLast of Us 2 is easily one of the most visually impressive games to have debuted in the last couple of years. Naughty Dog’s usual attention to detail is plastered all over its acclaimed sequel.
Fire plays a huge part in the game, from slowly smoldering cars to an entire sequence set on a burning island settlement. It also features heavily when Ellie is wielding Molotov cocktails which explode so authentically and burn their victims so aggressively that using them can often feel like some sort of horrible cheat code. Like everything else in TLOU 2, fire is more disturbing to use than it is satisfying.
4 BioShock
Bioshock changed the game when it was released in 2007, bringing levels of immersion and deep, philosophical storytelling on a scale that had rarely been seen before or since matched. Part of this immersion was Bioshock’s commitment to authentic physics engines, in particular its use of a peerless water engine that made the sub-aquatic world come to life.
More underrated was when Bioshock became incendiary. When wielding the Incinerate plasmid, protagonist Jack is able to set enemies and objects ablaze, creating fire that feels alive, dangerous and capable of spreading wildly. Character reactions are equally impressive, as alight enemies will run screaming in order to find areas of water to put out the blaze, often setting fire to objects as they go.
3 Noita
It may not exactly look AAA, but Noita’s technical achievements are pretty spectacular. Mechanically, the game is a marvel, a fantastical rogue-lite wherein every pixel of the playable is physically simulated, meaning that every single pixel reacts organically and naturally in a way that is so rarely seen in games.
What this means is that the game’s emphasis on natural elements, be they ice, water, heat, or of course fire, has a unique impact on the world depending on the individual pixels affected. The way that fires spread throughout Noita is almost completely unique, catching ablaze as each single spot catches alight in a way that is sometimes truly mesmerizing.
2 Teardown
The small indie title Teardown is perhaps as well known or as acclaimed as some AAA entries on this list, but some of its technical achievements, especially considering the small size of its development team, are utterly remarkable.
Released in 2022, Tearbox takes the form of a sandbox puzzler in which each level tasks players with completing timed objectives that players can achieve by making the proper adjustments and preparations for the game world. In what is essentially organized destruction, the role of fire plays a big part. The way that Teardown’s blazes light, spread and can destroy practically anything in a completely authentic, utterly revolutionary way is at times almost unbelievable.
1 Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2, alongside perhaps Far Cry 3, may still boast the title of having the best fire mechanics in all gaming. Having decent pyrotechnics was so important to the game’s development that Ubisoft did extensive research regarding how it is propagated and spreads, resulting in an active fire system that feels authentic, alive, and sometimes utterly terrifying.
It’s no surprise that the fire mechanics are so great in Far Cry 2 considering the game's setting and tone. The entire composition has a rusted, burnt-out feeling of oppressive heat, so the idea that a single spark could easily ignite everything is no stretch of the imagination. As a metaphor for the spark that triggers Far Cry 2’s in-game civil war, it's surprisingly apt.