How Many Video Games Use the Philippines as a Location?

Many people play video games to escape reality. Some of the most popular ones are set in fantasy worlds and involve magic or the supernatural. 

But lots of other video games take place in the real world, in real-life locations that exist somewhere on the planet. Apparently, developers can’t resist setting their games in actual locations like cities, deserts, and jungles to add a touch of realism, and, in the process, more excitement in the gameplay.

This has led some people to wonder which real-life countries and cities are the most commonly featured in video games.

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To find the answer, the website Guide Strats parsed the relevant Wikipedia pages to figure out the total number of video games in each specific location. After going through a total of 15,378 games, the researchers discovered that, with 2,516 games, the United States is the top video game setting worldwide. In addition, New York City is the setting of 501 games, which is more than any other city in the world. 

Games set in the U.S. include Red Dead Redemption (2018), which is one of the bestselling video games ever; The Last of Us; Resident Evil; Spider-Man; and the Grand Theft Auto series.

Photo by Guide Strats.

Next to the U.S., Japan has the most number of video games set in its borders, with 860. These include Okami, Persona 5 Royal, Ghosts of Tsushima, Judgment, and The World Ends With You.

Other countries where the most number of video games are set include Canada with 672 games, the United Kingdom (653), France (510), Italy (396), Australia (362), China (354), and Russia (350).

Breaking the data down further, the city with the most number of video games are set is New York with 479 games, followed by London (238 games), Tokyo (212), Los Angeles (179), San Francisco (145), and Las Vegas (84 games).

With 212 games, Tokyo leads as the most popular setting for video games in Asia and Oceania, followed by Hong Kong (105 games) and Shanghai (49 games).

And what about the Philippines?

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It’s not a lot compared to the other countries but the Philippines is the setting for at 36 games, according to Wikipedia. That’s good enough for seventh place in Southeast Asia. Some games where the Philippines is featured as a location are Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, Call of Duty: World at War, and Medal of Honor: Rising Sun.

In the region, the top country is Vietnam where at least 73 games are set, followed by Cambodia (67), Malaysia (63) Thailand (61), Laos (54), and Singapore (46).