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There are all kinds of locations in gaming that become simply iconic for one reason or another — regardless of how big or small it actually is to the plot itself. Whether it's simply a spot in the game or the central setting, it will become remembered in gaming's hall of fame.
Castles are no different to this, especially as they've been a place used in stories for ages.
The various castles we can visit in gaming have either served as a simple map, a key location to the story, or they're the core of the games themselves. Either way, they've become popular within their own respective fandoms, but are even heard of outside of them, to where players of all kinds know of these locations.
Not to mention, they're just architectural beauties and are worth appreciating for that alone.
Salazar Castle
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 is already one of gaming's shiniest icons, and for good reason — and as far as the various places you can go throughout the game, they end up becoming just as iconic. The game follows a three-act structure, with the second act taking place entirely in Salazar's Castle.
Salazar's Castle is as massive and sprawling as you can imagine (in both the original and remake), and it doesn't get easier with the more advanced enemies that you'll be dealing with. It's even more terrifying when you have to go through a portion of the area as Ashley, where you don't have any weapons to get you out of a bind.
Not to mention, Salazar himself is a treat, and you get to see all aspects of it in his (not at all) humble abode, all the way up until his boss at the end of the second act. Some of the most fun (and equally iconically difficult) parts of the game are here in this castle, so have all the fun possible.
While Castle Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village is also well-known (and arguably far more of a gothic beauty), there's something about Salazar's Castle that just can't be beat.
Blue Palace
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
If you played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and hung around in Solitude for longer than five minutes, you've very likely heard the iconic roast-turned-side-quest from one of the high elves from the Radiant Raiment: "If you're headed to the Blue Palace, you might want to rethink that outfit."
The Blue Palace is a central location of the game, where the Civil War had started long before the start of the game where you show up. It's where the High King was murdered by Ulfric Stormcloak, and yet, it feels like the least influential thing that happens there by the time you're done with the game, depending on which side of the Civil War you take (which should always be the Imperials).
The world of Skyrim is already warm and rich, but you can feel the history in every building. As a matter of fact, in one of the game's Daedric side quests, you end up going through a locked, historical wing in the Blue Palace and end up in a mad king's dream.
Not to mention, you'll find yourself visiting to get side quests from Elisif the Fair anyway, so get acclimated before you have to start coming over for serious business.
Icecrown Citadel
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Of all the different expansion packs that World of Warcraft brought to the table, Wrath of the Lich King is one of the most beloved and iconic of the entire game. In this, you and your friends go through vast winter tundras before the final raid, where you take on the titular Lich King Arthas in his fortress, a massive castle of ice known as the Icecrown Citadel.
Being the literal final boss arena, it left a mark on the community, with both the expansion and the castle becoming one of the most well-revered in the fandom.
It's just a bummer that this expansion is still on classic servers and the only way to play it is through WoWClassic — it's been something the community has been begging to have brought over for a while now. Hopefully, it will come soon, allowing fans to relive the glory days in this icy fortress.
But even then, your WoW subscription gets you access to Classic, so it's well worth playing just to experience this in full.
Masyaf Castle
Assassin's Creed
Sometimes I think back to the early days of Assassin's Creed, back when we had no idea how things were going to turn out for the franchise. Back then, it was a simple premise: you are an assassin, first and foremost, and your oath is to the creed — in the very first game, we see this brotherhood at Masyaf Castle, an isolated mountainside fortress.
Many significant events happen in this castle while you're seeing things through Altaïr's eyes, but even after the events of the first game, you haven't seen the last of this place.
You revisit the location in Assassin's Creed: Revelations, this time as Ezio, walking through Altaïr's footsteps during the dusk of his own life. This castle is key in regard to the Apples of Eden (with which, we end up seeing the final days of the castle while it was a haven for the brotherhood).
And yet, now, it's become lost to time; as far as we know, the last of the brotherhood stepped inside hundreds of years prior. However, players have not forgotten this fortress nor the importance it had in the slightest.
Castle Wolfenstein
Wolfenstein Franchise
The Wolfenstein franchise was born in Castle Wolfenstein, dating all the way back to the first game (ironically called Castle Wolfenstein), and even if you aren't back in every game the series has, it's maintained its status as a symbol both in-game and out.
You do end up returning to the castle in Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, so you get to see a more modern, up-to-date version of the fortress rather than trying to fill in the blanks standard 1980s graphics leave with your imagination. Even then, you didn't have to play the original Castle Wolfenstein in order to understand what was happening in the modern titles.
The original castle is so iconic, and the series simply would not be what it is without it.
The castle itself is honestly gorgeous, so it's truly a shame that it's occupied by actual Nazis. Thankfully, you can remedy that by just blowing the whole place up by the end of the respective games it appears in.
Stormveil Castle
Elden Ring
There are countless, absolutely gorgeous castles that are featured throughout the Souls games. It genuinely doesn't matter which one you're diving into, because the castles you're going to be exposed to are absolutely stunning, both inside and out — and typically, they're pretty tethered to their respective games.
However, if you were to ask any Soulsborne player what the best castle they have experienced was, nine times out of ten, they're going to point to Stormveil Castle in Elden Ring.
Stormveil Castle is the home of Godrick the Grafted, and it's where you will fight his boss (and likely die trying countless times). Not to mention, it's a very elegant and beautiful castle (so long as you're willing to look past all the corpses), and it's going to be one of the more memorable places you go through.
Elden Ring is already a genre-defining open world game, and yet, the more you walk through the castles and see all the careful detail added in, it'll be a no-brainer why it won Game of the Year.
Bowser's Castle
Super Mario Bros. Franchise
Throughout the entirety of the Super Mario Bros. franchise, Bowser's Castle makes an appearance (typically, as the final boss location, because ... well, obviously Bowser is there with Princess Peach). Normally in these games, your entire adventure leads to Bowser's Castle and the final showdown you're going to have there.
Bowser's Castle is always the same at its core, regardless of the differences in level design or architectural design: it always sits atop a moat of lava, filled with fire and all the possible bad guys you can encounter.
This castle is so iconic, it became a reoccurring location in other Nintendo games, not just Super Mario Bros. directly. It became a map in Mario Kart, with various iterations depending on the game you're playing (my preference is for Mario Kari Wii, which is what I grew up playing).
It is even a location in the Super Mario Bros. movie, which should tell you everything you need to know about how well-known this lava-surrounded fortress is to gamers everywhere.
Dracula's Castle
Castlevania Franchise
Ever since the very first Castlevania game, Dracula's Castle has been the frequent setting, where you often take on Dracula himself (and find some delectable-looking wall chicken). It doesn't matter if you're playing as his son or if you're playing as a Belmont; you take on Dracula in his own lair, and then again once he flips the place upside down.
The most iconic look the castle has comes from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which is the main inspiration the Castlevania Netflix show follows how the castle was designed. In the show, we actually get to see how the castle was a warm and loving home before it became Dracula's tomb.
Then again, that's if you're just a show-watcher and didn't play the games — but either way, everyone can agree on two things: one, the castle design is amazing, and two, Alucard still remains the coolest.
Hyrule Castle
The Legend of Zelda Franchise
The Legend of Zelda is already deeply rooted in high fantasy, so it's no surprise that there's going to be a stunning castle that the princess lives in — and it doesn't matter which game you're playing in the series, Hyrule Castle is genuinely beautiful.
Whether you walked through its corrupted halls in Breath of the Wild, ascended its towers in Ocarina of Time, or dove into the ocean to revive the ruins in Wind Waker, Hyrule Castle is a pivotal point in nearly every single game. Each design is equally gorgeous, and I will never tire of reaching the castle in whichever title I'm playing.
Zelda herself obviously resides in this castle, but as far as Link's involvement with the royal family and their home typically varies based on the game (often he's unrelated at all and will end up there by circumstance).
It's probably my personal favorite castle in all of gaming, and it's easily one of the most iconic that players could possibly know.
Peach's Castle
Super Mario 64
Bowser's Castle isn't the only reoccurring castle in Mario games, as Peach's Castle is actually the most iconic gaming has to offer. That's thanks to one simple title where the castle is the focal point of the whole experience: Super Mario 64.
In Super Mario 64, you're invited to Peach's Castle after she baked and decorated a delicious-looking cake to share. However, when you get there, Peach has already been abducted by Bowser, who has taken control of the castle. The way to beat him is to have enough stars to open the door, and you get those stars by doing various levels — which are located in the castle's various paintings.
This set the standard for 3D Mario games ever since, with Super Mario Galaxy following a similar formula (the only difference is that Peach's Castle literally gets taken with Peach herself). Not to mention, her castle also makes an appearance in countless other titles, but the Super Mario 64 design is the most infamous of the franchise.
In fact, it's easily the most iconic castle in all of gaming, because for many of us gamers, regardless of our likes and dislikes, almost all of us started at Peach's Castle.
