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PC and Console Games Set in San Francisco's Chinatown

We have seen plenty of TV episodes and movies set in Chinatown. How about games? 

Turns out there are not that many. PLENTY of games have San Francisco as a level, but Chinatown is MUCH harder to find. In fact, I've only counted... maybe 4 or 5. 

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (and its remake) has a Chinatown map with the TransAmerican pyramid in the background. It is actually a remake of the COD/COD2's MP map Carentan. So while it looks right, the layout is in no way related to the real SF Chinatown. This one is a bit of "meh".  

Rockstar's game GTA: San Andreas has a version of San Francisco called "San Fiero" where there is a reduced version of Chinatown. 

NOTE: GTA has a mobile game called Chinatown Wars, but it's based on LA's Chinatown, not San Francisco's. 

Driver: San Francisco has a very good representation of San Francisco in general, but almost nothing of Chinatown. Guess the streets are a bit too narrow for all the drifting and chases.  In fact, I am having a hard time locating a proper shot of Chinatown in-game. It's simply not there. 

Watch Dogs 2 has a pretty accurate representation of Chinatown, esp. the Chinatown gate, if a bit compressed. 

And finally, there is... Jet Li's Rise to Honor, which was set in multiple places around Chinatown... One just outside the Stockton Tunnel. The promo photo, on the other hand, featured Waverly Pl.  

Jet Li Rise to Honor Magazine Spread Ad
courtesy of  vgprintads.tumblr.com/image/159703629347

This shot was on Waverly Pl. You can recognize the old Utopia Cafe sign behind him, with the English name and phone number airbrushed out. 


Stay tuned for more trips into the Hidden Chinatown of San Francisco. 


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About the author

Kasey is a professional tour guide and amateur historian who specialized in Chinatown History and Tours. You will often find him guiding groups sampling delicious food and learning interesting historical tidbits about Chinatown most weekends.

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