Best Of Britain: The 10 Greatest Video Games Developed In The UK
[List] Picking out a top 10 from the UK's storied games industry.
You wouldn’t think it today but in the not so distant past the United Kingdom stood apart from the rest of Europe and shoulder to shoulder with Japan and the USA as one of the big 3 centres of video games development. Fuelled by legions of hobbyist programmers and the massive popularity of 8-bit computers like the ZX Spectrum and the Amstrad CPC as well as the popularity of both Sega and Nintendo, the UK’s love for video games runs deep as does its pool of expertise.
There was no video games crash in Europe. While the USA suffered its crash and Japan’s console industry hadn’t yet expanded beyond the home islands, British and other European gamers were playing and making games all through the 1980’s.
I’ve had this idea cooking for about a year so I’m looking forward to finally publishing this patriotic-themed list. Here are the very best games this soggy, grey, industrious little island has to offer.
10: Project Zomboid
I’m sure we’ve all heard of Zomboid by now but in case you’re unfamiliar, Project Zomboid is a zombie game that sits somewhere between classic Fallout, survival titles and RuneScape, combining RPG-style stats and character building with an isometric perspective, bleak-tone, survival elements and base building. It’s set in the late 1990’s in Tennessee during a zombie apocalypse that gradually wipes out civilisation and basic infrastructure sending you (and some friends should you choose) back to the pre-industrial age. According to The Indie Stone’s About Us page it is a multi-national team developing the game but considering the team have given talks in the UK and make a joke about Newcastle on this page I’m going to guess it is a majority British effort.
In my recent poll quite a few of you requested that I cover more indie games so here I want to make it known that I have been a big Zomboid fan for years and plan to write about it in future.
At over 9 million copies sold and as a long-time occupant of a top 20 most-played spot on Steam, Project Zomboid is among the most successful British indie games ever made; the project started development in 2010 showing Indie Stone’s extreme dedication and the loyalty of long-time fans.
Zomboid makes my list because it is one of very few games of its type that I actually enjoy. I’ve made it clear in the past that these survival-y, craft-y games aren’t really for me… but I’ve been enamoured with Zomboid since I first discovered it. For a while, for me and a group of friends I used to play with, this was the multiplayer game of choice and I’ve made so many memories from slipping over while sprinting and getting eaten alive to living through an enormous storm that obscures the sound of approaching undead; that moment that comes in every playthrough: the day when power and water shut off gives you such a wonderful pit in your stomach. Project Zomboid inspires dread, creates thick tension and rewards attentiveness in a way that few titles can manage.
9: Kenshi
I’ve already reviewed Kenshi but I published that review back when my audience was substantially smaller than now. If you’d like to know my deeper thoughts on this game then you can read that review here.
Kenshi was trending on YouTube a while ago and has become a highly-regarded cult-classic but if you’ve not heard of Kenshi then it is billed as the ultimate RPG sandbox; the closest game to it, in my opinion, is Mount And Blade. Kenshi has no main quest, no tutorial dungeon, no essential characters and no directions, in what I can only assume was a metaphor for Bristol itself, you are coughed up into a world with crumbling architecture, funny clothes, bizarre artwork and downtrodden peasants and told to make a go of it by any means necessary. Combat is tough, wounds are often fatal, the local laws are arbitrary and everyone hates you but if you persevere with Kenshi it can be an extraordinarily rewarding experience.
Kenshi has sold over 2 million copies and has a sequel on the way, though given that Kenshi 1 took 12 years to make… I wouldn’t expect it soon.
After spending some time with Kenshi I eventually came to the conclusion that the game isn’t for me but it deserves a place in my top 10 for two reasons, first: there is nothing else like Kenshi on the market and secondly: for a select few of you, for those of you who love RPG’s and crave a true sandbox, for those of you willing to grind out combat skills and to work out all your faction’s logistics and outposts, this will be a 2000 hour game. Kenshi earned my admiration despite my own gaming tastes.
Every game seems to be a Survivors-like or a farm builder today, dare to cut the player’s limbs off and peel their flesh like a tangerine, dare to leave the reviewer a broken heap in the bottom of a rusty cage, dare to be different, dare to be Kenshi.
8: No Man’s Sky
While an infamous 2019 YouGov survey revealed that over half of Brits would refuse a trip to the moon, Hello Games shows that some of us still dream of the stars.
No Man’s Sky is another game like Project Zomboid that seems to cover about 5 different genres; this is a space sim, survival-crafting experience and an MMO all rolled into one. No Man’s Sky is perhaps more famous for what it represents than for its actual properties as a video game. Sean Murray and Hello Games not only redeemed themselves after a catastrophic launch but have gone above and beyond and went on to supplant both Elite: Dangerous and Star Citizen at the apex of the niche space sim genre.
No Man’s Sky blurs the lines between indie and Triple-A development since it was pushed by Sony but if you consider it an indie project like me then it is the second most successful one to ever come out of the UK behind Fall Guys: which is a free game and therefore not an entirely fair comparison. No Man’s Sky sold somewhere in the region of 10-11 million copies by 2023.
Considering the absolutely seismic hype No Man’s Sky drummed up prior to launch I’m sure I’m not the only one who looked at this and said “That’s my dream game.” Years of watching the likes of The Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space 9 will give you that hunger for deep space exploration. No Man’s Sky didn’t live up to the hype then but it certainly does now. The loop of base-building, fetch-questing and scanning with some light combat and raids here and there won’t be for everyone but I can guarantee you one thing: this game will give you a new potential screensaver every time you log on; if you’re anything like me, you’ll be sold from the moment you compulsively mutter “Engage.” aboard the bridge of your capital ship.
7: Fable II
I’m trying to stick to individual games with this list but just know when I pick titles like Fable II and other sequels later that they’re a stand-in for the whole IP.
The Fable series is set in Albion (which is just an ancient name for Britain) a fantasy world at a roughly late-medieval to Napoleonic technology level where many of the British cultural touchstones and humour have been dialled up to 11. Fable is an RPG of a different sort. Instead of levelling up stats and reading books you spend a lot of your time solving petty squabbles between villagers with deep Somerset accents; rather than picking options from a dialogue wheel and wooing your prospective mate with the gift of the gab you will instead spam emotes in front of her and potentially lead a carousel of maidens back to your house… yes, you can own property and yes, you can also get STD’s in Fable. It’s like playing a story book laced with the kind of humour the UK does best.
The Xbox consoles were always the most popular in the USA, UK, Brazil and Mexico; although I would argue that Bethesda’s RPG’s (which always ran best on Xbox 360 compared to PS3) filled this role, the Xbox 360 wasn’t really known for having a flagship RPG series so Fable II was the stand-in, selling at least 3.5 million units but likely more.
The 360 was my console during that formative 9-12 years old period; I started with the PS2, Xbox and GameCube but it’s this console I have the most nostalgia for. Back then it was borderline state-mandated that every Xbox 360 owner had Fable II, Halo 3 and either Skyrim or Oblivion in their library; everyone I knew loved this game, we all played CO-OP one time or another and let me tell you, all criticisms you may have fall apart when you and a friend are competing to rack up STD’s or are farting in villager’s faces. Fable II is the best of the trilogy.
6: Batman: Arkham City
Once again, consider this a shoe-in for Rockstar’s entire Arkham series. The Winter of 2011 was the Xbox 360’s last big hurrah and a time in gaming I have massive nostalgia for; Skyrim, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Batman: Arkham City all came out in the same 5 week span, it was glorious and Britain’s Rocksteady was leading the way.
The Arkham games made several innovations that would shape the next decade of gaming: Geralt’s Witcher Senses are derived from Arkham Batman’s Detective Mode, the simple melee combat system (you know the one: Y/Triangle to counter and B/Circle to break shields) used in Arkham was aped by every mid-budget and superhero game released since. Arkham City’s city-prison setting cleverly explained away hardware constraints and allowed for an almost post-apocalyptic feeling world full of crime and a staggering roster of villains to defeat. Throw in an incredibly fun gliding mechanic, excellent presentation, a second playable character and those trademark Arkham stealth sections and you have one of the best games of the generation.
Arkham City sold a massive 12.5 million units, likely more given that it has since been remastered.
Late 2011 was a magical time, a time of extreme hype and looking forward to the great games ahead, I can’t tell you how many hours 11 year old Scanlines spent watching and re-watching the trailers for both Arkham City and Skyrim. Not only did Arkham City deliver on the hype but in my opinion it surpassed the original, even if it was missing the hint of gothic horror I so enjoyed in Asylum.
5: Forza Horizon 4
I chose Forza Horizon 4 not because it’s the fan-favourite but because it is the best of the 3 Horizon games I have played and represents something rarely seen in gaming: a British developer depicting British culture in a British setting; Top Gear, classic British cars and the turbulent weather all made it in.
The Forza series occupies the ‘simcade’ niche in the racing genre: not realistic enough to be called a simulator and not wacky enough to be thrown in with the likes of Out Run and Mario Kart. Horizon veers more into the arcade-style of racer than Forza Motorsport by adding an open world with all sorts of collectibles, challenges and secrets alongside the standard racing; cars in Horizon are generally easier to drive than in Motorsport too. Set between Northern England and Southern Scotland the map sprinkles in iconic elements of Britannia like rugged coastline, rain, beautiful Edinburgh, rain, and rugged countryside villages… where it rains a lot.
There are no lifetime sales available for Horizon 4 but according to Skynet, it reached at least 24 million players; anecdotally speaking, I’ve always felt that Forza Horizon was the only Xbox franchise left still going strong.
The console simcade space had been dominated by Gran Turismo for decades by the time the first Horizon came out but no doubt in thanks to its cross-platform availability, strong pick up and play factor and the upbeat, festival-like atmosphere of the game compared to the sterile, James May-like Gran Turismo 7, the Horizon sub-series has gone on to dominate both the console and PC racing game markets for more casual fans. It’s not Assetto Corsa or I-Racing but the Horizon games are great value for money and fun to play for those who aren’t motorsport fiends.
4: Total War: Medieval II
We’re getting into the upper reaches now so these games are all genre-defining classics. I’m choosing Medieval II because this is by far the most beloved in the fracnhise.
Without Total War, the RTS genre would probably have gone extinct, it is the IP around which the rest of the genre has revolved since the year 2000. Total War sees the player taking command of a major empire across a range of historical periods, with a focus on the military and economics, in an attempt to cement their chosen nation as the foremost world power. The crusades and papacy mechanics, late arrival of the Mongols and the superb Stainless Steel mod that fleshes out the map make Medieval II one of the premier entries in the franchise. The series has gone astray in recent years with an increasing focus on fantasy elements and stat-based combat but even so it remains the very pinnacle of the genre.
It’s hard to say exactly how many copies Medieval II sold since the game predates the widespread adoption of Steam as the standard for PC games distribution but on that platform alone it has sold several million.
Total War seems to be in its final years with Sega reportedly dissatisfied with Creative Assembly behind the scenes and French developer Eugen Systems, in my opinion, making the best RTS games on the market at the moment but I hope CA can get their act together soon, losing Total War wouldn’t just be catastrophic for gaming but for the British video games industry as a whole.
3: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto is one of the United Kingdom’s most successful cultural exports, at over 225 million units sold GTAV is one of the best selling games ever and most likely generates the lion’s share of the UK’s £7.6 Billion games industry. Grand Theft Auto VI’s hype is a gravitational pull around which the entire industry is swirling, nobody wants to release around it and every games company on the planet is watching and waiting for its impact; of all the games in this franchise though, San Andreas has to be the most highly regarded.
I think we’ve all played this one but in case you haven’t, GTA San Andreas sees you controlling CJ: Carl Johnson in the city of Los Santos which is basically a knock-off Los Angeles. The game is set in 1992 and draws heavily from the West Coast rap scene with characters like Big Smoke and Ryder clearly modelled after the likes of The Notorious B.I.G and Eazy E. San Andreas introduced a whole suite of life sim elements that allowed you to personalise your CJ, you could hit the gym and bet buff, eat nothing but burgers and become a fat bastard and cycle everywhere to upgrade your stamina. Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City may have pioneered the open-world sandbox but San Andreas set the bar and shaped the series into what we today recognise as triple-A development at its most expensive, expansive and decadent.
San Andreas was the best-selling PlayStation 2 game and the 10th best selling game on the original Xbox at 27.5 million copies sold.
We all played it when we were too young, we all loved it and we will all continue loving San Andreas. Before GTA got high on its own supply, San Andreas was cutting edge, controversial and brilliant fun… except for that train.
2: TimeSplitters 2
It’s inevitable that Rare and their alumni take the top spots of any best of British video games list; GoldenEye or Perfect Dark could have also lived in this spot but I chose TimeSplitters 2 because it takes everything those classic Rare FPS games did and polishes it to a mirror sheen.
TimeSplitters 2 is the ultimate Nintendo 64 shooter… but for PS2. The specific style of FPS that Rare pioneered was being superseded by Halo and Call Of Duty by the time that TimeSplitters 2 released in 2002, so Free Radical sent that classic era of console FPS games off with a bang. TimeSplitters 2 has the GoldenEye/Perfect Dark gameplay but refined to perfection and takes you on a campaign spanning the past, present and future; the humour is sublime, the weapons roster is perfect and when you’re done with the missions, this game offers the greatest bot multiplayer mode ever created with an additional challenge mode thrown in. You will be kept occupied for weeks playing TimeSplitters 2.
No sales figures have ever been released but considering the series tops the list on every ‘franchises that should come back’ post on the internet and that this game was released across all 3 major platforms back in its day… I have to guess it was successful.
TimeSplitters was my GoldenEye. When friends came over after school, this was my first choice for some CO-OP fun, same with cousins and extended family, I’ve probably played more TimeSplitters 2 and Future Perfect than any other shooter in my life. Throughout my childhood, when I didn’t know what to play, this was the game I would always reach for and even now in the second half of my 20’s I can count on it to deliver me from a bad mood.
Seeing TimeSplitters 4 again and again get cancelled and not make it to shelves every few years has been heart-breaking.
Honourable Mentions
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is an iconic British franchise and truly deserving of all the praise it gets. This one hasn’t made my list simply because it just isn’t for me; I’ve tried quite a few times to get into classic Tomb Raider and always flaked off and the modern ones are like Uncharted but worse. I’m anticipating a lot of gnashing teeth about this omission.
Worms
The Worms games are a stalwart, fun British classic. Despite my deep fondness for this funky little series I decided to omit a Worms game because I don’t feel they had much of an impact on the wider industry and because they are the same thing every time if we’re being honest. Great fun though.
Elite: Dangerous
The Elite series is one of the grandfathers of British video games, it inspired GTA, practically founded the space sim genre and has influenced a countless number of games since; the mastermind behind the franchise, David Braben, was even made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in Her Majesty the Queen’s 2014 Birthday Honours for his work in the industry. I decided to omit Elite though because it has been mishandled and underbaked into irrelevance. It took them so long to reach the climax of Dangerous’ Thargoid War storyline that most of the player base had left by then; the seeds of the conflict were sewn in 2017 and the war wasn’t wrapped up until late 2024.
1: Donkey Kong Country
The Donkey Kong Country series is my pick for the greatest video game(s) developed on British soil. Before Rare took on the IP DK was a novelty and an arcade relic preserved only in a slot on the Super Mario Kart roster, Rare took Kong and gave him the tie, his attitude, his friends, his jungle island home: everything that makes the character who he is today; Nintendo’s characters are now more recognisable than Disney’s and one of them was essentially made in the UK.
Donkey Kong’s SNES adventures outdid Super Mario World, the first 2 are the best 2D platformers of all time in my opinion and sit at the pinnacle of that console’s library. DKC took us across Kong Country: underwater, through the jungle, underground and flying off many a minecart rail, it was frustrating, sometimes unfair but the challenge was always worth it.
With somewhere in the region of 9.5 million copies sold, Donkey Kong Country was the 3rd best selling video game for the Super Nintendo and it was well-worthy of that accolade; it sported an on-board Super FX chip that propelled its presentation ahead of everything else on the system.
Rare, in my mind, are undoubtably the greatest British video game developer of all time. They almost outshined Nintendo’s first party offerings on their own console: the N64 and have had an enormous effect on pop-culture with the direction they took Donkey Kong in; who can forget those soundtracks too? Groundbreaking stuff for the industry. Rare’s example should be celebrated in the UK as a triumph for the arts but instead, video games remain lambasted by the mainstream media and we have allowed this legendary developer to become nothing more than the studio that churns out Sea Of Thieves updates.
Thank you very much for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed today’s post, as always I’ll be happy to chat in the comments below and please like and subscribe to the Journal for more.
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Loved this! I hate flag shagging patriotism; this is the sort of thing that makes me proud to be a Brit. Our ingenuity and creativity in the gaming sphere is a thing to be celebrated! You’ve reminded me about a lot of games I didn’t realise were British made, especially GTA and Arkham.
My personal list would probably include Psygnosis / Studio Liverpool for Lemmings, WipEout and plenty of other fun titles that made my childhood a blast.
My wife took a chance a few years ago and bought me a video game for my birthday. She had never done that before because she's not a gamer and she knew how difficult it would be to pick something I liked. She took a chance nonetheless.
She bought me this game that I had never heard of before. It looked awful, to be quite honest. I installed it and started it out of politeness. I really, really didn't like it. I pretend to play for a bit until my wife had left the room, then I uninstalled it.
Years later I was looking for something to play and for no clear reason, I decided to give this thing another go. Today, Kenshi is my most played game on Steam (more hours on this than on Elden Ring or Factorio), quite possibly my second favorite game of all time and I regularly search to see when the sequel is coming out.
Thank you, Britain! Absolute magic.