There are many powerful reasons to include treasures inspired by the real world in video games. They enrich the experience and add depth to the game world. A treasure rooted in myth or history instantly brings a sense of believability. Chasing a legendary object you’ve heard of before feels far more thrilling than pursuing a purely fictional one.

Searching for El Dorado, for instance, feels more grounded than hunting an entirely made-up city. Humanity is driven by a desire to uncover the unknown. Real-world-inspired treasures ignite this instinct, letting players live out the same legends explorers have chased for centuries. They give the game an authentic sense of adventure and discovery.

The Lost City of Arkngthamz is an optional side quest in Skyrim’s Dawnguard DLC, centered around the discovery of a long-lost Dwemer city. The Dwemer were a technologically advanced and mysterious civilization whose sudden disappearance closely parallels the legend of Atlantis. Their vast underground cities resemble the “subterranean palaces” of Sumerian and Babylonian mythology, particularly those associated with the god Enki.

The dungeon’s design—hidden passages, deadly traps, and ancient mechanisms—evokes real-world archaeological sites like Petra, Hattusa, and Machu Picchu. Far more than a game level, Arkngthamz serves as a rich tribute to humanity’s enduring fascination with lost civilizations, forgotten technologies, and the treasures that might still lie buried beneath the earth.

Call of Juarez: The Cartel’s main story plunges players into the modern world of drug cartels and corruption, centered around an ancient secret: the legendary treasure of Aztec Emperor Montezuma. Key antagonists linked to the cartel are also hunting this treasure, which drives characters’ motives, conflicts, and conspiracies. Players search for the treasure across the Mexico–US border, exploring abandoned mines, ancient ruins, and hidden locations. The in-game Montezuma’s Treasure is inspired by the real-life legend of Montezuma II’s lost riches.

In the early 16th century, the Aztec Empire was immensely wealthy, especially in gold and silver. Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes looted vast amounts of Aztec treasure during his conquest. To this day, treasure hunters and archaeologists seek Montezuma’s lost treasure, adding to its legendary allure.

In God of War (2018), the Nibelung treasure is woven into Niflheim’s toxic maze, where players collect rare artifacts to forge mighty armor for Kratos. Inspired by the Nibelungenlied, a 12th-century Germanic epic, the treasure evokes a cursed hoard of gold, including a magical ring, hidden by dwarves beneath the Rhine.

This myth, rooted in Norse and Germanic lore, tells of wealth that brings power but dooms its owners. The game’s Nibelung treasure mirrors this, blending allure with peril. Real-world searches for Rhine’s lost riches, possibly linked to ancient Germanic tribes, echo the legend’s enduring mystery.

In Sid Meier’s Pirates!, players take on the role of a pirate or privateer in the Caribbean, with one of the biggest goals being to capture the Spanish Treasure Fleet. This fleet consisted of galleons carrying gold, silver, and precious gems looted from the New World by the Spanish Empire, transporting these riches back to Europe. Players gather clues, find map pieces, and interrogate other pirates or merchants to learn the fleet’s route and timing.

Successfully capturing the fleet brings immense wealth, allowing upgrades to ships and crew, and increasing the player’s fame. The Lost Spanish Treasure concept is inspired by real historical Spanish treasure fleets and their legendary shipwrecks, such as those off Florida and Colombia, which continue to fascinate treasure hunters and archaeologists today.

In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the Ruinous Treasures are four legendary Pokemon—Wo-Chien, Chi-Yu, Ting-Lu, and Chien-Pao—sealed across the Paldea region. Players must find and remove 32 sealed stakes scattered at four locations to unlock access to these powerful beings. These Pokemon are feared remnants of Paldea’s ancient history, sealed away for causing great destruction. While not traditional treasures of gold or jewels, they represent powerful, mysterious relics of the past that players must discover and capture.

The Ruinous Treasures concept draws heavily from East Asian mythology, especially the Chinese legend of the Four Fiends—cursed or sealed ancient entities whose release brings disaster. These Pokemon embody dangerous, mythical forces waiting to be uncovered.

The Heart of the Dragon is a legendary treasure central to the story of Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb. The action-adventure game follows Indiana Jones in 1935 on a global journey from China to Istanbul, Hong Kong, and Mount Penglai. The treasure is a key MacGuffin, reflecting the classic historical-mystical spirit of the Indiana Jones series. The quest begins with Indy searching for the jade Heart of the Dragon, hidden in the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

According to legend, the jade possesses immense mystical powers. Inspired by Qin Shi Huang’s tomb and the symbolism of jade in Chinese mythology, the treasure draws from real history. Qin’s tomb in Xi’an, famous for the Terracotta Army, is said to hold vast riches and traps, but its main chamber remains unopened due to mercury hazards, preserving its legendary mystery.

In Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Captain Kidd’s Treasure is a legendary hidden hoard that players can uncover through a series of side missions. Though not essential to the main story, this quest enriches the pirate theme and invites players to chase one of history’s most infamous legends.

By collecting map fragments and exploring islands like Isla Providencia, players eventually discover Kidd’s treasure, which unlocks his powerful sword and a unique outfit. Inspired by the real-life pirate William Kidd, the in-game treasure mirrors the enduring myth of his buried riches. Though Kidd was captured and executed in 1701, tales of his hidden fortune still spark fascination and adventure centuries later.

In the original Tomb Raider (1996) and its remake Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007), the Scion is a powerful artifact central to the storyline. It is an ancient relic from the lost civilization of Atlantis, split into three pieces hidden in Peru, Greece, and Egypt. The Scion grants immense power, including the ability to alter genetics and create new life forms.

Lara Croft must retrieve the artifact before Jacqueline Natla, an exiled Atlantean and antagonist, uses it to raise a mutant army and restore Atlantis. Inspired by Plato’s legend of Atlantis, the Scion represents mythical remnants of a forgotten world—advanced, dangerous, and buried beneath time and sea.

The Pieces of Eden are the most central and mysterious treasures in the Assassin’s Creed universe. These ancient and powerful artifacts appear in many forms and are featured in nearly every main and spin-off game. First introduced as the Apple of Eden in Assassin’s Creed (2007), they have included the Staff, Sword, and Shroud of Eden in later titles. Created by the advanced First Civilization known as the Isu, these artifacts grant abilities like mind control, healing, illusions, and even immortality.

The centuries-long conflict between Assassins and Templars revolves around controlling them. Many Pieces draw inspiration from real-world myths, such as Excalibur, Moses’s staff, or Leonidas’s spear, tying fictional power to historical legends and ancient astronaut theories.

Iram of the Pillars is the central focus of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Nathan Drake, obsessed with this legendary city since childhood, ventures into the Arabian Desert to find it. In the game, Iram is not just a treasure-filled city but a mystical, eerie place fraught with dangers from a hallucinogenic substance in its water.

The city’s destruction and Drake’s pursuit drive the game’s themes of obsession and truth. Known as the “Atlantis of the Sands,” Iram is a mythical lost city in Arab mythology and the Qur’an, built by the Ad people with grand pillars. Destroyed by a sandstorm for defying God, it remains a potent myth, possibly linked to Ubar’s 1990s discovery.