History AnachronismStew / VideoGames

** The Maltese are arguablly one of the biggest examples of this trope, as most of their unique units wear outdated armor. Of these, the biggest offender is the Hospitaller, which wears a mail surcoat and tabard straight out of UsefulNotes/TheCrusades while similar units wear only slightly more period-accurate suits of armor. It doesn't end there, for if certain cards or techs are sent, the Hospitaller can end up wearing either a great helm or an even more egregious top hat and pistol (the latter of which did not exist during the timeframe their armor comes from).

** A good portion of the Soldier's domination lines towards the Sniper have him insultingly refer to him as Bilbo Baggins, a nod to how ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings Trilogy'' was filmed in New Zealand despite Sniper being from Australia. Nevermind the fact that not only does the game take place roughly half a century before said films were made, but New Zealand in the TF2 universe has ''sunken beneath the sea''[[note]]Nevermind the fact that said lines were recorded long before Sniper was revealed to be born a Kiwi rather than an Aussie[[/note]].

* ''VideoGame/AnnieLastHope'' have a flashback of Annie's childhood, where she sneaks into Jack's room to have a conversation with him. A Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation (debuting 1994) is somehow in Jack's room, despite the flashback being somewhere in the late-70s or mid-80s.

* ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' takes place in the mid 1980s, but features items and Sega franchises that wouldn't be invented until the 1990s: Ryo can get figurines based on ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' and ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' from gacha machines and play video games on a UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn.

* ''[[VideoGame/SixtyFourthStreetADetectiveStory 64th Street: A Detective Story]]'' is allegedly set in 1939, but the mooks harassing you are dressed up as punks from the 1980s. There are also pirate enemies lifted from the Age of Piracy (somehow) and a futuristic robot boss.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series contains many references to various pop culture icons such as Franchise/DoctorWho, Franchise/StarTrek and Franchise/IndianaJones, despite the fact that Fallout takes place in an alternate timeline where history diverged after World War II, which would logically make those references out of place in Fallout's own universe.
** In the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' DLC ''Operation Anchorage'' has Vertibirds in the simulation, which according to [[UniverseBible in-universe history]] were still in the prototype phase at the time of the Anchorage liberation. Information on computer terminals in the game imply that the simulation is [[InvokedTrope vastly different from what "actually" happened.]]

* ''VideoGame/ChimpsOnABlimp'': Takes place in the [[TheRoaringTwenties 1920s]]; yet includes skateboards, snowboards, and [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot floating cyborg chimpanzees.]]

* Caleb, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', makes [[ShoutOut very frequent pop-culture references.]] The problem is, the game is set in 1928, decades before most of the things he references came into existence. Even worse when you consider that Caleb is actually from the Civil War era and spent the entire intervening half-century as a buried corpse. The expansion for the second game is even worse; its levels are supposedly flashbacks to before the group joined the Cabal around the 1850s or so, but save for Caleb's first level (a reenactment of the beginning of the first game's second episode), they are nearly indistinguishable from the TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture setting of the base game; even ignoring the skyboxes, computers, and weapons taken from the base game, there are things like the very [[TheFifties 1950s-esque]] sorority house from the second level and one of the new weapons being a combat shotgun from [[TheEighties 1987]].

* ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' supposedly takes place in TheEighties, and while there is some stuff that is relevant for the time such as pay phones, [=ATMs=], and transit trains, a lot of the setting is notably far more rural in many areas and certain house designs look very old and dated, to the point it somehow feels more like a mishmash between TheEighties and TheGayNineties.

* Granophones are rather commonplace in ''Videogame/WestOfLoathing'' despite it being set in the [[TheGayNineties 1890s]], a time in which audio recording technology was still a relatively new thing. And that's not even going into the fact that the game shows many characteristics of a wild west setting despite those dating back to the 18'''60s''', not the 1890s. But then again, this game ''is'' set in the same fantasy world as ''Videogame/KingdomOfLoathing'' (you know, the one that uses meat as a currency and is not even an actual planet, it's an asteroid with two moons), so this actually kind of {{Justified|Trope}}.

** Also, there's enemies who use guns, or [[DemBones skeletons]] riding '''motorcycles'''. On the other hand, the ones in ''Symphony of the Night'' used muskets, which were around back then (even though it still falls under this, since we see them reloading their "muskets" from the breech). The gatling guns in ''Bloodlines'' make sense too, as it takes place right before World War II anyways.

* The normal gameplay in the ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'' series is fairly accurate. However, one anachronism has been introduced for combined RuleOfFunny and RuleOfCool: you can get a car in [[VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII the second game]] by entering the cheat code "how do you turn this on." Try it.
** A car that ''[[RuleOfCool shoots bullets]]'' and can level entire cities. That and tricycle-riding babies with bazookas in the first game.

** The series gets pretty insane with the sheer weirdness of how they reconcile most of SchizoTech, though usually the base level of technology (at least for humanity) is about on par with that of ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam''. However, past that bare minimum the mecha range anywhere from uber futuristic to looking like an escapee from a museum, and their fuel sources range anywhere from plain gasoline to fusion engines to outright AppliedPhlebotinum. It also kinda helps that in the case of series with a definite anachronistic touch, like ''Anime/TheBigO'', ''Anime/TurnAGundam'', ''Manga/GiantRobo'', or ''Anime/{{Xabungle}}'', there is generally [[DeusExMachina a good reason]] why such dated looking tech exists in the same universe as the futuristic stuff. To say nothing of series such as ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' (which takes place in the early 1900s) and ''Anime/NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater'' (which takes place in the ''late 19th century'').

* ''VideoGame/SlapsAndBeans'' have your characters referencing ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' during a cutscene (by mugging a mook while telling him you need his "boots, pants and motorcycle") despite the game being set in the 1970s, ''before'' the franchise even existed. There's also references to ''Series/MrBean'', ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' despite the setting. And then the game throws a MiniMecha from out of nowhere as it's last boss.

''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'' added trains, steam-powered tanks, turrets, and throwaway jokes about films and electric bills.

** When Keiji's Warrior Skill is activated his dialogue comes up 'Set your faces to stunned!' [[JustForPun Pretty funny,]] but then you realise that this samurai warrior from Sengoku Period pre-unification Japan ''has just made a Franchise/StarTrek reference.''

** The series is ostensibly set in a world in MedievalStasis. It also happens to have boomerangs, telephones, photography, electric switches and motors, rockets, remotely-detonated bombs, crane games, complex mechanisms in a simple clock tower, {{grappling hook pistol}}s, pipelines, hydroelectric power plants, ''Franchise/StarWars''-esque holograms, 17th-18th Century pirates, modern-looking mines (for mining), electromagnets, combination operated safes, sumo, steam-ships, and motorboats. Oh yeah, and ''infrared lasers''. ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'' added trains, steam-powered tanks, turrets, and throwaway jokes about films and electric bills. All this being said, [[SubvertedTrope the Zelda franchise has never been intended to be set in a ye olde setting from the start]]. One of the earliest concepts for the Triforce, the franchise's signature holy triangles, was that they were ''computer chips'', and there were going to be sci-fi aspects intergrated into the story. Link to the Past's original storyline also involved a more literal interpretation of the title, incorporating Link travelling to a futuristic, sci-fi hyrule (artwork left over from this concept is even shown in Hyrule Historia, including Zelda garbed in a sci-fi style outfit). The first few games were simply downgraded to a generic ye olde fantasy setting both because that was the norm for the time, and because made for the easiest open world to implement. The series just stuck with this idea, turning it into a vague medieval setting although remnants of the original intentions remain in everything mentioned above and below.
** And [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime a neon sign and jukebox]].

** Link also gets a robot buddy in one game. [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword This same game]] also has a mechanic character who's building a washing machine, and where the robots come from, there is hover technology (complete with TronLines) and cloaking devices. Making this really hilarious is that this is supposed to be the ''earliest'' game in the timeline. Granted, though, the robots, hover tech, cloaking devices and whatnot are implied to be from a {{Precursor}} civilization that has long since been wiped out.
** Said precursors also built a wooden pirate ship with an electric engine and a cloaking device.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' got even ''bigger'' with the whole "Precursor" bit. One of the major aspects of the quest involves Link reclaiming the "Divine Beasts" from the control of Ganon. Said beasts are ''gigantic mechanical constructions'' that are {{Magitek}} and possess advanced weaponry, including the ability to conjure electricity and shoot high-powered lasers. The same game also features drone-like sentries, suits made entirely of vulcanized rubber, and the Sheikah Slate, a powerful electronic device that allows the user to unlock ancient doors and cast spells.

* ''VideoGame/BloodySpell'', a {{wuxia}}-themed game set in the Ming Dynasty, has plastic rakes and inflatable hammers as a NerfArm. And that's not getting into the alternate outfits like {{spy catsuit}}s, modern-day nurse uniforms, and UsefulNote/{{qipaos}}s you can unlock.

* The ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' series has this in spades, cheerfully throwing vending machines, electric devices and Elvis pins into the 17th century [[WelcomeToTheCaribbeanMon Caribbean]]. Given the tone of the series, this is often cheerfully {{lampshade|Hanging}}d, as in ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'' when Guybrush complains about the "shoddy, 17th century electrical wiring" during a puzzle involving stage lights.

* The primary setting of ''VideoGame/PrincessConnect'', Landsol, is a [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy fantasy kingdom vaguely based on Medieval Europe]]... that also happens to contain [[MoreDakka gatling guns]], VideoGames, and GiantRobots.

** The Italians can gain UsefulNotes/LeonardoDaVinci's Tank as one of their possible Imperial Age bonuses...after getting Risorgimento-era Bersaglieri the age before.

* Similar to the above, ''Franchise/StarTrek: Fleet Command'', a MobilePhoneGame from the minds that [[FollowTheLeader ripped off]] ''VideoGame/GameOfWarFireAge'', has a bunch of {{Continuity Snarl}}s: characters from all over the franchise are recruitable as crew for your ships. This wouldn't be a problem if the franchise didn't involve an AlternateTimeline started when Creator/JJAbrams decided to {{reboot}} the series. Thus, there are ''four'' versions of Spock, all of whom can be used at the same time: the instructor from the first half of the [[Film/StarTrek 2009 film]] and the familiar NumberTwo from the second two, both played by Creator/ZacharyQuinto; the NumberTwo played by Creator/LeonardNimoy; and the version of him from the Prime Timepline {{prequel}}s ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' and ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', played by Creator/EthanPeck. All three can serve alongside ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''[='s=] Deanna Troi (Creator/MarinaSirtis), ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''[='s=] Quark (Creator/ArminShimerman) and the ''cartoon character'' Ens. Beckett Mariner (Creator/TawnyNewsome) from the AffectionateParody ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'', even though these characters are separated from the Spocks by a 100-year TimeSkip.

* ''VideoGame/SlapsAndBeans'' have your characters referencing ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' during a cutscene (by mugging a mook while telling him you need his "boots, pants and motorcycle") despite the game being set in the 1970s, ''before'' the franchise even existed. And then the game throws a MiniMecha from out of nowhere as it's last boss.

* ''VideoGame/NineteenEightyX'', as the title states, is set in the 80s, and yet the GameWithinAGame you play contains references to ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' and ''VideoGame/SystemShock'', neither which existed at the time.

* ''AnachronismStew/{{Onmyoji}}''

* ''VideoGame/PirateHunter'' is set in the 16th Century, during the UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfPiracy. The food upgrade that grants your health to maximum? ''Pizza'' (not the type from the mid-1850s when pizza was first invented, but the type that looks like it's from a modern-day restaurant).