Just for Fun · 6 min read · September 11 2026

Video game destinations we wish we could visit

Don't forget to pack a health potion.

Short on time? Let us summarise this guide for you.

These are the video game destinations we'd book in a heartbeat, if only someone could sort out the flights. From the sunshine of Isle Delfino and Wuhu Island to Skyrim's snowy mountains, gaming has given us some seriously tempting holiday spots. There are Disney neighbours, ancient ruins, neon-lit beaches and the occasional enormous monster to deal with. And if you'd rather stick to somewhere you can actually visit, Super Nintendo World is ready when you are.

To celebrate National Video Games Day, we've put together a list of the best holiday spots in gaming. Don’t forget to fill your inventory and pack a health potion.

Super Nintendo World | Universal Studios Japan, Hollywood and Epic Universe

We'll start with somewhere you can actually visit. Or three places, to be exact.

Step through a giant green pipe and you'll find Peach's Castle, Bowser's Castle, familiar characters and question blocks practically begging to be punched. Power-Up Bands let you collect digital coins and take on interactive challenges, while Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge puts you behind the wheel for a race against Team Bowser.

Universal Studios Japan and Universal Epic Universe in Orlando also have their own cool areas. Mine-Cart Madness sends you flying through the jungle on a track that leaps across gaps. It's just like the games, but falling into a bottomless pit would create a crazy amount of paperwork.

It might not technically count as going on holiday to the Mushroom Kingdom, but until somebody adds it to the departures board at Gatwick, we'll take it.

Isle Delfino | Super Mario Sunshine

If our next holiday came with a choice of video game beaches, we'd be heading straight for Isle Delfino. Just remember your shades, because this place gets brighter than a suitcase full of Shine Sprites.

Mario, Peach and Toadsworth arrive expecting a relaxing tropical break. Instead, they discover the island covered in colourful goop and Mario gets blamed for it. Once the island has had a good pressure wash, though, you can see why they picked it.

Delfino Plaza has waterfront cafés and market stalls, Pinna Park has a rollercoaster, and Gelato Beach brings the sand and sea. Head further out, and there are lakes, windmills, waterfalls and towering cliffs to explore. It's sunny, colourful and (unfortunately) completely fictional, which is probably the only thing stopping us from checking the flight prices.

Wuhu Island | Wii Sports Resort

Some people go on holiday to relax. Wuhu Island is for people who apparently find sword fighting more restful.

There are 12 sports to try across the island, covering land, sea and air. You can start gently with bowling, golf or table tennis before moving on to archery, cycling and basketball. Then there's canoeing, wakeboarding and power cruising, because sitting beside the pool for an afternoon clearly wasn't an option.

And then there's the skydiving.

Away from the sports, Wuhu Island has beaches, villages, woodland, waterfalls, ancient ruins and a volcano looming over everything. You could explore the whole place, or just spend your entire holiday trying to beat your family at bowling.

Croft Manor | Tomb Raider

For a UK break, we'd like to put forward a gorgeous stately home in the Surrey countryside. There is just the small matter of persuading Lara Croft to put it on Airbnb.

Don't let the grand halls and towering brick facade fool you. Croft Manor has never been designed for sitting quietly with a cup of tea and biscuits. Different versions have included indoor gyms, swimming pools, assault courses, ziplines, a hedge maze, secret rooms, a shooting range and a quad-bike track.

The manor originally gave players somewhere to learn Lara's moves before heading off on an adventure, but over the years it became an attraction in its own right. Puzzles hide secret rooms and treasures from Lara's travels, which is considerably more exciting than finding a spare pillow in the wardrobe.

Winston the butler is usually somewhere nearby, too. Treat him kindly. He’s been through enough.

Dreamlight Valley | Disney Dreamlight Valley

Imagine moving somewhere where Mickey Mouse is your neighbour, Remy cooks dinner, and Moana is available for a spot of fishing.

That's everyday life in Dreamlight Valley.

It sounds fun until you discover that everyone has jobs for you. Between catching fish, growing vegetables, mining, crafting, decorating and gathering wood, this may be the only Disney holiday that sends you home with a whole new CV.

The Valley keeps growing too, with new characters and places giving you even more excuses to wander off and see what's around the next corner. You can ride horses through Wishblossom Ranch, visit Winnie the Pooh and friends in Honeyglow Woods and even bump into Wreck-It Ralph.

Leonida | Grand Theft Auto VI

Golden beaches, pastel hotels, palm trees and neon-lit nights. Leonida has all the ingredients for a brilliant city break.

Unfortunately, it's also in Grand Theft Auto.

Rockstar’s fictional take on Miami returns in Grand Theft Auto VI, bringing its beaches, nightlife and unmistakable Florida feel into a much bigger version of the city. Based on what we’ve seen so far, it’s the sort of place where you could spend the morning on the sand, the afternoon exploring, and the evening discovering exactly why the hotel recommended you didn’t wander too far after dark.

Skyrim | The Elder Scrolls V

If sitting beside a swimming pool for a week sounds a little too easy, there's always Skyrim.

Snow-capped mountains, pine forests, waterfalls, lakes and ancient ruins make it one of gaming's great outdoor destinations. You can wander the streets of Solitude, browse Whiterun's market, explore Riften's canals or leave civilisation behind and head towards the mountains.

There are quieter ways to spend the day too. Find a fishing spot beside a lake, ride between remote villages or stop at a cosy tavern while somebody in the corner talks about dragons. Don’t worry, they’re not real. We think.

The roads can be dangerous, but at least fast travel saves arguing over directions.

The Forbidden Lands | Shadow of the Colossus

No traffic. No crowds. No souvenir shops. No phone signal. In fact, almost no people whatsoever. The Forbidden Lands might be gaming's ultimate digital detox.

The world of Shadow of the Colossus is filled with windswept plains, ruined temples, sunlit forests, waterfalls, caves, beaches and silent deserts. Travelling on horseback with Agro is a peaceful way to take in the scenery, right up until an enormous colossus appears.

There are 16 colossi hidden across the landscape. Most seem perfectly happy to be left alone, so we'd recommend doing exactly that. Leave only hoofprints, take only photos and do not climb the local wildlife.

Still, few gaming worlds feel this peaceful, mysterious and gloriously remote. We'd go for the scenery, and we'd stay because we couldn't find the fast-travel button.

Game over

Until someone works out how to get these places onto a departures board, we'll have to settle for visiting them from the sofa.

Given the dragons, colossi, criminal activity and suspicious amounts of goop involved, that's probably for the best.