The best fictional places to live

What is it that draws us to fictional worlds? If there's one thing to be said for human imagination, we love to create, build, and invent imaginary worlds and cities to inhabit. Some of these are full of fantasy and whimsy, providing us with fun escapes from the real world. Others are dark and dangerous places, liable to swallow us whole if we put a foot wrong. Living in these worlds is challenging, yet we have always found reasons to love them both.

Working on a country-by-country basis, we have calculated the most famous fictional worlds overall. This ignored whether they were books, movies, or games; we simply wanted to know which imaginary place was the most popular in each country.

1. Marvel’s Wakanda comfortably topped our chart here. The dominance of the MCU in the last fifteen years has shown millions of cinemagoers what a great science fiction utopia can look like.
2. Narnia came second (a distant second when ranked by pure popularity). The Narnia books have been translated into dozens of languages and are estimated to have sold over 100 million copies. This worldwide reach of this fantasy series has earned it the number two position.
3. In third place is Skyrim. Bethesda’s fifth Elder Scrolls game has been on the market for over a decade now and has earned a worldwide following thanks to its rich, open world to explore. In terms of popularity, it scored only three countries fewer than Narnia, making it a close run for third place.

See our table below for the full top ten.

Some countries selected multiple favorite worlds, so we adjusted our top ten to account for this.

Between them, the North and South American countries are strongly drawn to just three properties: Baldur’s Gate, Wakanda, and Wonderland. Baldur’s Gate is no surprise on this particular list. The third game in the series has recently received a warm welcome from fans, even those who needed to upgrade their storage to play it.

Asian and the Oceanic countries are almost as diverse as Europe when it comes to selecting their favorite fictional places. Wakanda was popular throughout the Pacific Rim. The two most populous countries in the world, China and India, each chose a different science-fiction themed world. Outside of these two countries, games and books dominated our findings.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the afro-futurist world of Wakanda is the clear favorite in both Africa and the Middle East, although Skyrim certainly has some fans in the north of the continent. More variety can be found in the Middle East, but fantasy books are clearly the popular choice here.

Our study was based on 53 unique fictional places, and our research shows that fantasy worlds are more popular than science fiction places when we factored this into our overall scores. Most of our worlds (26) are fantasy-based, and 23 have a foundation in science fiction. Only four of our fictional worlds are variations on the ‘real’ world, based on actual places like the Wild West of “Red Dead Redemption” or Jane Austen’s Pemberley.

We divided our list of fictional places into four categories: Books and comic cooks, TV shows, movies, and video games. We wanted to see which medium captured our imaginations the most. Some fictional worlds and cities appear in more than one category. 

Video games are the most common home of our fictional world study. Imaginary worlds appear in games 34 times among our sample of 55. There are several reasons for this. One is that video games are currently riding high as popular entertainment. Another is the visual detail possible in these worlds, which is greater than it has ever been. System upgrades like PlayStation 5 SSDs and good-quality graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD can render incredible detail and visual fidelity. 

Games check a lot of the boxes we discussed above — they allow us to escape, explore and be empowered. Their interactive nature also means we can be immersed and really affect these worlds. Books fuel our imagination, movies and TV are passively consumed, but games acknowledge that you are a part of that world for as long as you care to visit.

People have been writing books for centuries, and some of our earliest written works were of fantastical and far away places. We noticed a slight bias toward idyllic and utopian worlds in books than we saw in games and movies. The  term “Utopia” comes from a novel published by Thomas More in 1516. In his book, More described an idealized society. The poet Coleridge also described a wonderful fictional place, Xanadu, in his 1797 poem Kubla Khan. In Xanadu, the ruler’s pleasure domes exist in an earthly paradise. 

Books still invite us to live in their worlds; Harry Potter is a popular recent example from western literature, but Japanese works like “My Hero Academia” (僕のヒーローアカデミア) and “Sword Art Online” (ソードアート・オンライン) are two popular works with legions of fans. “Sword Art Online” is also a good example of how these properties develop across mediums. The story is a light novel series, but it is set in a video game world, and it has also received TV and video game adaptations. 

That’s a common finding across many of our fictional worlds. As stories are adapted for new mediums, we find books become movies (Harry Potter, all superhero movies), movies become TV shows (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Stargate SG1”), games become books (“Halo,” “Warhammer”), and so on. That means many of our fictional places exist in more than one place. 

Books accounted for 32 of our 53 fictional worlds.

Movies and TV shows are probably where we find the broadest appeal. Popular movies transcend cultures, languages, and ages in a way that books and video games don’t. Watching a movie demands little more from the viewer than a couple of hours of passive activity, which means anyone can enjoy it. That’s partly why some of the most popular results overall are from movies.  

Twenty-six of our fictional places are found in movies, and 21 exist in TV shows.

We looked at global search interest to compile this data, so let’s see what different parts of the real world have to say about their favorite fictional worlds. We obtained search data for 153 counties, with only three: Russia, Syria, and the UAE, not returning enough data to be useful.

Escapism is still the most popular option around the world. Only 3% of countries surveyed prefer a ‘real’ fantasy world, while 81 countries would like to live in a science-fiction based fictional place. The other 67 favor a fantasy world. 

Our shortlist included 77 unique fictional places. Some of these existed in the same fictional world. For example, we have several locations with the Star Wars and Middle Earth universes. Here, we have ranked the top ten fictional worlds across all media.

In the next section, we reveal each medium's most popular fictional places. As we have seen, it's now common for these worlds to exist across books, games, and movies, so we have restricted our entries to show the worlds where they are most closely associated with that medium. You won't find any Star Wars novels here because the world of Star Wars is defined by movies. Likewise, you won't see something like the Halo TV show represented because it is predominantly associated with video games.

Thirty-four fictional places appeared on our games list, but topping the table was the fictional city of Baldur's Gate, set in the Forgotten Realms of the “Dungeons & Dragons” universe. 

Games have always pushed the boundaries of technology in the push for more realistic graphics and richer open worlds.

The 2023 release of “Baldur’s Gate 3” by Larian Studios is responsible for the game’s recent popularity, and it is already a strong contender for game of the year. The city has featured in video games for the last 25 years. The first Baldur’s Gate game was released in 1998 by Bioware, and it has received expansions and sequels ever since. 

Dungeons and Dragons has existed since the 1970s as a tabletop role-playing game and has always offered a playground for the imagination. Players are free to explore and shape the world around them, and as the game grew in popularity, more modules and game worlds were added. The Forgotten Realms is the most well-known of these, and it is here that the great city of Baldur’s Gate sits, ready to welcome, and possibly consume, any visitor. 

Baldur’s Gate is, first and foremost, a city of adventure and the endless possibilities open to those who want to live there. Crucial’s range of NVMe SSDs are the perfect way to level up your gaming rig to handle an adventure of this size.

Joint first on our list of games is the northern Tamriel province of Skyrim, part of Bethesda’s world of the Elder Scrolls. First released in 2011, Skyrim showcases a detailed open world where, if you feel so compelled, you can climb every mountain and forge every stream. You can side with the faction of your choosing (or all of them if you want) and make a home for yourself among the towns and villages that fill the map. And, of course, there are the dungeons to explore. Skyrim offers a well-realized fictional world with the comforts of home and community, plus the dangers and excitement of a world of thieves and dragons. No wonder it is so popular. 

In the world of 2K’s spectacular “Bioshock,” the underwater city of Rapture is the failed social experiment of visionary Andrew Ryan. So, what could draw people to want to live in or visit a failed utopia? Rapture’s idealistic foundation is the belief that with enough freedom, great men can do great things to benefit the world. While that may have failed in the game, the ideal of freedom to work for the betterment of the world are easy to understand. But Rapture and the world of Bioshock have even more to offer. You might come for the retro-futuristic design aesthetic, but you want to stay for the plasmid superpowers.

Rounding out the top five are Mass Effect’s Citadel and Batman’s Gotham City. The Citadel is a hub for aliens, space adventures, and occasional dancing in nightclubs. It is a literal gateway to far corners of the galaxy and a home away from home for travelers from a dozen worlds. With an array of sci-fi weapons and equipment, the N7 organization, and the power of Biotics, Mass Effect’s Citadel, is a very popular place to go.

Gotham City needs no introduction. Ever since Bob Kane introduced it in his comic strips back in 1939, it has been known as a place of crime and heroics. Its modern incarnations stem from the Arkham City games produced by Asylum. Thanks to Batman, the appeal of Gotham as a fictional place to visit is driven as much by wish fulfillment to become the caped crusader as it is a place to live. If you are going to live in one of the more dangerous fictional cities on our list, you could do worse than taking on the role of a well-armed billionaire.

Thirty-two fictional places had their roots in literature. The worlds of the top five books have been expanded to other media, but they began on the page. The lineup is mostly fantasy. Superman’s Metropolis could also be considered a fantasy story, but these days, it sits more comfortably in the sci-fi/superhero niche. Another thing they have in common is community. These works tend to not be driven or founded on conflict, although the potential is always there. Star Wars movies have conflict at their very foundation — it’s literally in the name, but Narnia, Hogwarts, and Camelot are fundamentally about unity, friendship, and camaraderie. Let’s have a closer look. 

The mystical land of Narnia has enthralled generations of children and adults for over half a century. Narnia embodies a world of adventure, wonder, and fascination with its enchanted forests, breathtaking landscape of raging rivers, verdant rolling hills, majestic mountains, and diverse inhabitants like clever fauns, mighty centaurs, and brave talking beasts. It is a place of comfort and hope, and its values of loyalty, honor, faith, and fortitude inspire all who enter. Narnia feels like a home worth longing for, not simply because of its beauty or magic but for the way it elevates and nurtures our souls.

Hogwarts represents the real-life fantasy so many of us longed to manifest in childhood dreams – an invitation to a special world where bookish kids can discover they, too, have untapped greatness and a sense of belonging. Here, young witches and wizards can learn amazing magical secrets but also find lasting friendships and wise mentors to help in difficult times. Hogwarts is worlds away from our day-to-day lives, and its simple charm has a universal appeal.

As a city in the DC comic universe, Metropolis represents home and optimism, unlike its equally famous neighbor, Gotham City. The glittering, sometimes retro-futuristic City of Tomorrow represents human idealism overseen and guarded by the heroic character of Superman. Metropolis symbolizes the ever-forward march towards progress with its gleaming beacons of industry, innovation, and unbridled optimism shining even in the dead of night.

Wonderland is the fantastical realm from Lewis Carroll's beloved novels. It’s not a world bound by the predictable strictures of logic and conventional reason, and perhaps that is its appeal for many — it is a world of possibilities. Alice explores a nonsense world of “what if…?” It may not be somewhere you want to live, but it would certainly be a fun place to visit.

The mythical city of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a legendary realm of magic, nobility, romance, and adventure. Camelot seems to exist in an eternal state of glory and grandeur, yet its real allure comes from the ideals it represents —  a brotherhood of equals united by honor, justice, camaraderie, and service to the greater good. There resides a sense of purpose and meaning derived from championing what is virtuous and upright, regardless of personal risk or sacrifice.

Twenty-six of our popular fictional places are from movies, and are a mix of science fiction and fantasy worlds. The big-screen experience is an ideal way to lose yourself in a fictional world for a short time, but as you can see, plenty of people want to stay there. Here are our top five fictional worlds from movies.

It’s something of a surprise to find the city of Zion — the last human city — appears so popular as a place to visit. It can’t be the scenery as it exists deep underground. It can’t be the safety because genocidal machines are trying to destroy it, and it can’t be the food because we saw how gross that looked when Neo first woke up in the real world. So what makes it popular? Zion represents freedom in a world of absolute control. It may not be a perfect place, but that is a price worth paying for everyone who lives there. The ability to jack in to the Matrix and have excellent kung fu and gun battles may be part of it, too.

The fictional African country of Wakanda first appeared in the Black Panther comic books, but it was the Marvel Cinematic Universe that brought to worldwide attention through two Black Panther movies and “Avengers: Infinity War.” Wakanda is presented as one of the most high-tech societies on earth while being surrounded by unspoiled African countryside. Barring the occasional alien invasion, Wakanda is a peaceful society with just, thoughtful rulers in charge. It’s not hard to see why this utopian ideal ranked so highly on our list of movie worlds and was ranked number five overall.

The Death Star is the first of three entries from the Star Wars movies in this list. In 1977, the original Star Wars movie (sans subheading and series number) showed audiences the future of Hollywood movies and special effects. The Death Star was one of these. A battle station the size of a small moon with the firepower to destroy a whole planet will draw attention. It may not be an ideal place to live, especially with its now well-known design flaws, but it would be an amazing place to visit. Just be careful on the high walkways.

Tatooine was the first planet we saw in the Star Wars universe, and it has repeatedly shown up in movies, games, and TV shows. As a desert world, it might not seem to have much to offer, but the promise of alien gangsters, dangerous wildlife, pod racing, and risky cantina encounters add a familiar and exciting thrill to a planet that is basically nothing but sand.

The third Star Wars entry on our movie list is Coruscant, the capital world of the Galactic Empire or Republic, depending on which era you’re watching. Technically, Coruscant was first introduced in a book as part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, but it finally made its big screen debut in “The Phantom Menace” (1999), which is where most people first experienced it. Coruscant is a world which has been entirely consumed by a city, to the point that the only parts of the surface visible are the tops of mountains. So what’s the appeal? Coruscant is the center of the Star Wars universe, and with that comes the Jedi, political intrigue, all the Star Wars technology you could want, and by far the biggest city you could hope to explore from everything in our list.

Twenty-one of our favorite fictional places are predominantly known through TV shows. This was the only category where a realistic fictional location — Stars Hollow — made it into the top five. We had one fantasy entry, with the rest being science fiction.

The 90s science fiction TV show “Babylon 5” was a surprise winner here. Broadcast from 1993 to 1997, it was known for pioneering the use of computer graphics for visual effects, long-form storytelling, and strong world building. Babylon 5 was a space station intended to be like a galactic UN, where alien races could work out their differences in peace. Its idealistic nature was set against rumblings of an interstellar war and political upheaval, but it was a fascinating melting pot of cultures, and adventure was only ever a jump point away.

“Deep Space 9” is the only Star Trek entry on any of our lists, which is surprising considering the cultural impact the show has had over the years. On the other hand, the Deep Space 9 space station is one of the few stationary places in the show. Most Star Trek shows are based around travel. Only DS:9 is based around home. Like Babylon 5, the nature of a space station means that often, the adventure comes to you. Being sited on the edge of a wormhole tends to do that.

The unassuming town of Hawkins, Indiana, was first brought to our attention when a young boy, Will Byers, went missing. Then we learned that a parallel world, the Upside Down, existed just behind the real world. Demogorgons, monsters, mad scientists, and psychic powers have been terrorizing Hawkins ever since, so why on earth would anyone want to live there? It doesn’t seem safe, but danger and adventure are never far away. Plus, you can play D&D in your mom’s basement, just like you used to.

Not everyone wants to live in a fictional world of danger and adventure; for those people, we have Stars Hollow, Connecticut. This New England town is the home of the Gilmore Girls. People are drawn to live here for the cozy appeal of a quiet, small-town life. Nature is all around; there is a charming sense of community, and it exudes nostalgia, showing its viewers a world they really could move to. Stars Hollow is a fantasy world of idyllic simplicity within reach, and what could be more appealing than that?

George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy series is still being written as novels, but the HBO TV series brought the world of Westeros global fame. Westeros is another of our giant fantasy places people want to visit. It’s not always a safe place, and you don’t want to get on the wrong side of any rulers, but it offers a whole continent to explore, with a variety of cultures and climates. If the harsh cold and danger of the northern wall don’t appeal, you could head south and experience Dorne's sandy and sunnier environment. A big part of the appeal of Westeros is the wide range of peoples, towns, and cultures available to explore. Just avoid the occasional dragon or ice zombie, and you’ll be fine.

From J.R.R. Tolkien's elegant Elven citadel of Rivendell to far-flung space metropolises like Star Wars' Coruscant, these incredible worlds hold an incredible appeal for us. Many are full of danger, but that danger is always overcome. In others, the sense of wonder, exploration, and discovery draws us in and, for the rest, a sense of nostalgia and community. We want to call them home, but for now, we must be content with visiting. 

Video games are still the most immersive way to explore these amazing fictional worlds, so make sure you have enough storage on your PC or console to accommodate them all. 

We identified our shortlist of popular fictional worlds by using Google to collate a list of places that people most wanted to visit. We took a deep dive into the search data from this list to find out what places people were searching for, and looked at this on a country-by-country basis. This can still produce some odd results, as a fictional world might be the most popular in a particular country, but they may need more global interest in Google to make it to one of our overall lists. Neverland, for example, was the favorite fictional world of three countries (Hungary, Yemen, and Taiwan), but it was less popular overall than Camelot (chosen by Greece and Yemen). 

We also: 

·       Prioritized searches that specifically identified places by name, for example Pandora over Avatar, and Hawkins over Stranger Things, because they showed clearer intent. This gave us a list of 77 individual fictional places. Several of these existed in the same fictional world. For example, Rivendell and the Shire are both in Middle Earth, and Tatooine and Coruscant are planets in Star Wars.
·       Categorized our shortlist of fictional places into 53 distinct fictional worlds.
·       Assigned each one a broad genre term, either fantasy, science fiction, or real world, and noted the fictional universe that each place was from.
·       Calculated final scores based on adjusted search volume per capita, which we then ranked.
·       Tagged each place according to the media in which they are found, ensuring that we only use a fictional world once in each category, and that we biased each of our top-five results to the mediums that made them famous. This means you will only find Star Wars under movies, even though it also exists in video games, books, and TV shows.

All the images in this article have been generated with AI. We used the DALL-E 3 tool from Open AI which is built into ChatGPT. 

We used a combination of generic prompts, without reference to any specific IP, and author descriptions to create them. We also prompted an appropriate artistic style for the work we were trying to imagine. 

As Open AI have combined their image generation tool inside their Large Language Model (LLM) tool ChatGPT, all our prompts were actually rewritten by the language AI before being passed to the image generation AI.