For such a beautiful place—with such infinite narrative potential—the video game scene is surprisingly lacking in titles set in Rome, Italy. Whether you’re a history buff with a soft spot for ancient civilizations or a traveler who believes all roads truly do lead to Rome, your options for exploring the Eternal City from the comfort of your couch are unfortunately limited at the moment.
That’s not to say, however, that you have no options. This list of intriguing video games set in Rome—both historic and contemporary—will hopefully give you a few new titles to add to your to-play list.
Disclaimer: I normally don’t spotlight games I haven’t played (or at least watched playthroughs of) on this blog. In this case, however, I’ve had to make an exception, due to the sheer lack of Rome-centered games on my own shelf.
Video Games Set in Rome (in the Past)
For a lot of us, just the word “Rome” evokes a mental image of gladiators and chariots, gleaming swords and laurel crowns. If you’re looking for a video game set in ancient Rome, one of these games might be your golden ticket to those bygone days of blood-drenched glory.
1. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
There was no way Assassin’s Creed wasn’t going to make it onto this list. One of the most beloved entries in the series, Brotherhood isn’t technically set in ancient Rome. Rather, it takes place in the 16th century, during the ill-fated reign of the Borgias. Probably the most immersive title on this list, Brotherhood’s open-world setup lets you explore the city at your own leisure, making it ideal for anyone looking to really lose themselves in the so-called Capit Mundi.
Platform(s): PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2. Rome: Total War
A classic entry on any Rome-inspired game list (and in the world of strategy games in general), Rome: Total War is lauded by many as one of the best games of all time. Set between the Republican and imperial periods (270 BC to 14 AD), this game lets you take control of one of three powerful families: the Julii, the Brutii, or the Scipii. Alternatively, you can be Alexander the Great himself with the Alexander expansion.
Platform(s): Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Classic Mac OS
3. Ryse: Son of Rome
A third-person hack-and-slash starring Roman centurion Marius Titus, Ryse: Son of Rome is set in an alternate version of the Roman Empire during Nero’s reign. While much of the game takes place outside of the city proper, you do get some time in Rome itself—and it just happens to be one of the visually prettiest games on this list.
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
4. Gladiator: Road to the Colosseum
A choice-based interactive fiction game written by Foong Yi Zhuan, Gladiator: Road to the Colosseum lets you roleplay as a gladiator of any sex or gender. It’s also one of the few entries on this list that features romance as well as bloody battles, and an endlessly replayable branching storyline.
Platform(s): Android, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS
5. Caesar III
There’s a whole series of Caesar games, and Caesar III isn’t quite the last of them—but by all accounts, it may be the best of them. A city-building game that harkens back to the golden age of Sierra On-Line, this franchise puts you in the sandals of a Roman governor struggling to build a thriving city while under threat of enemy invasions, natural disasters, and divine interventions. There’s also an official editor that allows players to make their own scenarios, and it’s still available (for free!) on various fan sites.
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, Classic Mac OS, Macintosh operating systems
6. Gladius
Gladius is an indie fighting game that’s still in development—and looks it, to be honest—but it oozes potential. Especially as it is the only VR game on this list. That’s right, you get to be a Roman gladiator in virtual reality. And it’s playable now on Oculus.
Platform(s): Oculus Quest
7. Blood & Laurels
Blood & Laurels is a text-based interactive fiction game that technically no longer exists. Set in ancient Rome and written by Emily Short, it won a few awards—and a lot of praise from the lucky few who got to play it—before it was removed from circulation due to legal issues with Versu, the unique IF engine in which it was built. If you’re lucky enough to find a copy still floating around somewhere, it’s likely to be worth more than one playthrough.
Platform(s): iOS
8. Legio Clicker
Probably the most casual game on this list, Legio Clicker is a fun little indie clicker-style game with a lovely ancient Rome aesthetic. It’s not exactly immersive, but it’s a fun way to pass the time—and seems to be pretty addictive if you’re into clicker games.
Platform(s): Windows
Games That Take Place in Modern-Day Rome
As relatively short as the list of video games set in ancient Rome may be, the list of games set in contemporary Rome is even shorter. While there are likely some titles floating around out there that I simply may not be aware of, I really only know of two that take place in the current era…
9. Magari
The only visual novel to make it onto this list, Magari is a beautiful slice-of-life F/F romance set in contemporary Rome. Originally (partially) released for free as an entry for the NaNoRenO 2019 game jam (the same year as The Dragon’s Last Flight!), the official page states that the game remains incomplete but will be updated with the full version “soon.”
Platform(s): Windows, macOS
10. chiaroscuro
chiaroscuro is a free text-based interactive fiction novella set in modern-day Rome, but with a low fantasy twist. This branching narrative puts the player in the shoes of a young American artist searching for inspiration in the Eternal City, and will feature up to five unique endings determined entirely by the player’s choices throughout the game. Yes, I wrote this one myself. It’s currently in development, with an optimistic estimated release of “sometime later this year… maybe.”
Platform(s): Windows, macOS (and others, possibly—TBD)
Taking a Video Game Vacation in Rome
This list isn’t exhaustive—there are other games set in Rome out there, if you know where to look—but these seem to be the cream of the current crop (that last entry notwithstanding 🙂 ). There are also a few good-looking games out there inspired by Rome, like The Age of Decadence, but they aren’t included here because they aren’t actually set in the Eternal City.
Video games are a medium like no other when it comes to transporting us to distant destinations, whether real or fictional. Here’s hoping we’ll see more video games set in Rome released in the coming years.
Kim Berkley is a fantasy author and narrative designer. Her upcoming interactive fiction novella, chiaroscuro, is a text-based video game set in Rome and inspired in part by the works of many of the classical artists whose works hang in the gallerias there to this day. Click here to learn more.
