20 Games With Photo-Real Food You’ll Want To Eat

Many games, from grand role-playing adventures to detailed cooking simulators, now feature incredibly realistic food. Here are twenty titles that showcase dishes, ingredients, and kitchens with impressive attention to detail, including where to find them and how the food-related gameplay works. We’ve also included the development studio behind each game, so you can appreciate the creators of these visually appealing experiences.

‘Final Fantasy XV’ (2016)

Traveling with your companions involves enjoying beautifully prepared meals that restore your team’s health and abilities. These meals are often cooked by Ignis in detailed scenes after you’ve gathered ingredients from hunting or buying them from shops. The game features incredibly detailed visuals, using realistic textures and lighting to make food look amazing, whether you’re eating at a campsite or a restaurant like Galdin Quay. You can discover new recipes by trying different combinations or by sampling local specialties at diners throughout the world of Lucis. The game was created by Square Enix using their Luminous engine.

‘Monster Hunter: World’ (2018)

Before heading out to hunt, you can order food from the Meowscular Chef which gives you special buffs depending on whether you choose a meat, fish, or veggie platter. The food is visually impressive, with detailed models of dishes like roasts and skewers, and realistic effects like steam and grease that react to the light in Astera and Seliana. As you progress, you’ll unlock better ingredients to create customized platters with even more powerful bonuses. The game was built using an upgraded version of Capcom’s MT Framework engine.

‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ (2018)

When Arthur is in the wilderness or at camp, he cooks hunted meat into simple, seasoned, or restorative dishes that boost his health and stamina. You can see everything – coffee, cooking pots, and animal carcasses – and the way food looks changes depending on the time of day and weather. In towns, you can order and eat full meals at restaurants, complete with proper table service and utensils. The game was created by Rockstar Games using their own RAGE engine.

‘Yakuza: Like a Dragon’ (2020)

Throughout Yokohama and other cities in the game, restaurants serve real-world meals that give your characters temporary boosts and trigger special conversations when you order the right combinations. Many of these restaurants are based on actual places, and their in-game menus feature dishes you can really find, like ramen and curry. When you eat, you’ll see a short cutscene, and the game keeps track of everything you’ve tasted. The game was created by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio using the Dragon Engine.

‘Cooking Simulator’ (2019)

Okay, so I just got to try this cooking sim, and it’s seriously different! You’re in the kitchen, seeing everything from your own eyes, and the ingredients actually feel real. They have temperatures, and how cooked they are totally changes how they look and feel. You’re trying to make dishes like soups, steaks, and desserts based on what the ticket asks for, and then you get to compare what you made to a picture to see how close you were. What’s really cool is how the appliances work – the fryer actually browns things, and the oven gives you that nice sear. They even have timers and thermometers to help you out! It’s made by Big Cheese Studio, and honestly, it feels super realistic.

‘Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator’ (2023)

You own and operate a bistro, handling everything from menu creation and ingredient sourcing to food preparation and beautifully plating each dish. Your recipes use traditional cooking methods like sauces and emulsifications, and a recent update focuses on achieving a consistent, high-quality presentation, similar to Michelin-starred restaurants. The game realistically simulates serving these finalized dishes with meticulous detail. Cyanide Studio created the game, and Nacon published it.

‘Food Truck Simulator’ (2022)

You’ll manually build burgers, tacos, and fries, carefully layering ingredients and keeping track of how well they’re cooked. As you drive around the city, you’ll find legal parking spots, take customer orders, and keep your ingredients fresh, with the game visually showing you what’s in stock. Upgrading your equipment improves how quickly you can work and changes the appearance of your cooking area as you expand your delivery routes. The game was created by Drago Entertainment.

‘Starfield’ (2023)

Players can find packaged snacks, noodles, and baked goods in hab modules, space diners, and vendor stalls – these items can be collected or displayed in their personal housing. Each food item has a unique appearance and name, and the game’s physics allow you to arrange them realistically on surfaces like shelves and tables, letting you customize your living spaces. Eating food provides minor benefits that help with exploring and creating new items. The game was created by Bethesda Game Studios using the Creation Engine 2.

‘Cyberpunk 2077’ (2020)

In Night City, you can find food and drinks at street stalls and bars that temporarily boost your abilities. The game features incredibly detailed environments – diners and ramen shops, for example, have fully rendered food and packaging you can closely examine. Even vending machines and convenience stores are stocked with branded products featuring readable labels and distinctive designs. The game was created by CD Projekt Red using their REDengine 4.

‘Hitman 3’ (2021)

Within the game’s missions, you’ll find fully-equipped kitchens and bars staffed by characters who prepare and serve food based on your progress. You can mess with the food – like adding poison – or even disguise yourself as a cook to get into secret areas. The realistic details of the food and cooking stations aren’t just for show; they’re used for stealth and to tell the story of the environment. The game was created by IO Interactive using their Glacier engine.

‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’ (2022)

The game’s story missions take place in believable locations like cafes, bars, and kitchens, filled with detailed food and drinks that look just like the real thing. Beautiful lighting and reflections highlight the textures of everything from glass to pastry. The multiplayer maps include restaurants and markets with objects you can interact with for cover and to help you move around. Infinity Ward built the game using their IW Engine 9.

‘A Plague Tale: Requiem’ (2022)

In the game, medieval markets and feasts are filled with realistic details like breads, cheeses, fruits, and cured meats displayed on stalls and tables. The artists focused on making the textures of these items – like crusts and cuts – very clear, so they look good whether you’re seeing them by torchlight or in daylight. You’ll also find these same details throughout the game world, helping to create an authentic medieval setting as you move through crowds. Asobo Studio is the developer.

‘Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’ (2024)

Throughout the towns and resorts, you’ll find restaurants and food vendors serving local specialties made with regional ingredients. The game also encourages you to sample these dishes through side quests and activities – eating certain foods can give you temporary boosts or open up new conversations. Visually, this version of the game is improved with updated graphics and more detailed environments compared to previous remakes. Square Enix is the developer.

‘Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’ (2024)

Explore Honolulu and its Japanese-influenced areas to find restaurants, diners, and cafes where your characters can regain health and trigger fun conversations. Completing the restaurant menus by trying different dishes is a challenge, and specific food combinations will even unlock special dialogue. The game features realistically named and presented dishes at licensed eateries. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio built the game using the Dragon Engine.

‘Black Desert Online’ (2016)

Cooking in the game lets you make a wide variety of foods and drinks – from simple teas to hearty stews and complete meals – by combining ingredients using your kitchen. The finished dishes are shown as detailed icons and can also be seen in the game world during events and when you’re at taverns. The better you become at cooking, the more powerful the buffs from your food will be, so making large quantities and trading with others is encouraged. This MMORPG was created by Pearl Abyss using their own unique game engine.

‘Ghostwire: Tokyo’ (2022)

The game features realistic convenience stores selling Japanese rice balls (onigiri), lunch boxes (bento), and sweets, all with authentic packaging. Eating these foods restores your health in specific ways. You can also find unique items at street stalls and bakeries that represent the local culture and add to the feel of each area. Because the game is played from a first-person view, you can closely inspect the details on packaging and food items while you shop. Tango Gameworks is the development studio behind the game.

‘Hogwarts Legacy’ (2023)

Okay, so exploring Hogwarts is awesome! The Great Hall and each house’s common room are filled with these incredible, magically refilling feasts – seriously, tables piled high with bread, roasts, and desserts that just keep reappearing. And when you wander around Hogsmeade or the castle grounds, all the shops and carts are decorated with realistic-looking pastries and sweets. It’s not just for show either – grabbing a snack helps keep your energy up as you explore. Avalanche Software built the whole thing using Unreal Engine 4, and it looks amazing!

‘Judgment’ (2018)

The restaurants in Kamurocho offer food like ramen and grilled meat that not only restore your health but also give you temporary advantages in fights. The game keeps track of the dishes you’ve tried, and eating at certain restaurants can even trigger special events with characters, unlocking new services. You’ll find real-world restaurant chains in the game, recreated with their authentic menus and appearances. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio built the game using the Dragon Engine.

‘Dragon’s Dogma 2’ (2024)

Camping allows you to cook raw meat into more valuable meals that restore stamina and offer resistance to negative effects. You’ll see visual changes as your food cooks! You can also buy regional foods from inns and shops, but these items will spoil over time, affecting how helpful they are. The game’s lighting makes items look realistic when placed near fires. The game was created by Capcom using the RE Engine.

‘The Order: 1886’ (2015)

Throughout London in the game, you’ll find detailed Victorian-era dining rooms, pubs, and cafés. These locations are decorated with realistic food – breads, pies, and full meals – that doesn’t change. The close-up camera and high-quality textures really showcase the details of the food, like crusts and shiny glazes. Food also helps make the game’s alternate history feel real, especially during slower moments of exploration. Ready At Dawn was the development team behind the game.

Tell us about the most impressively realistic food you’ve seen in a video game! Share your favorite dishes in the comments and let us know which one was so good-looking it made you stop playing just to admire it.

2025-11-16 03:16