History Main / OminousFloatingCastle

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': In the ''Giantslayer'' adventure path, the BigBad is a tyrannical storm giant who has taken over the flying castle of a clan of cloud giants by slaughtering its old rulers with the aid of a few traitors, and afterwards filled it with his minions and servants and converted it into a flying base of operations for his plans to conquer as much of the world as he is able.

* ''Anime/CastleInTheSky'': Laputa isn't an evil castle per se, but lots of bad things happen there.
%%* ''Anime/ElCazadorDeLaBruja'' has one first seen in the title sequence. [[spoiler: And '''only''' seen there, since it [[TrailersAlwaysLie doesn't show up in the series at all.]]]]
%%* ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'': The Star of Bethlehem and Radiosonde Castle.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Schneizel's ''[[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/codegeass/images/c/cc/Damocles_4.JPG Damocles]]'' fortress is basically an amalgamation of the earlier airships with a Britannian-style palace, using float systems and energy shields introduced earlier in the series. [[spoiler:knowing [[MagnificentBastard Schneizel]], who had those technologies commissioned, this was all a part of the plan]]. True to its [[MeaningfulName name]], it's not only shaped like a hovering sword, but also [[spoiler:houses a stockpile of FLEIJA warheads that could be launched on any city at Schneizel's whim, thus enforcing peace]].

* ''Animation/GuardianFairyMichel'': The Black Hammer Gang use a floating castle as transportation.

%%* ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'': The first game takes place in a giant floating stone castle called Aincrad.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' has the Ark Cradle, Z-ONE's fortress [[spoiler: which is constructed from the ruins of the destroyed Neo Domino City in the future, and is [[ColonyDrop set to crash into]] [[TemporalParadox and destroy the present day version of the city]].]]

* ''ComicBook/DisneyKingdoms'' has the Museum Of The Wyrd, which is located on a floating island in the middle of nowhere.

* ''ComicBook/{{ElfQuest}}'' begins with a magical fairytale castle appearing in midair... above a group of terrified neanderthals, who promptly attack its elfin occupants when it comes crashing to the ground moments later.
* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'': Knowhere is a fortress made from ''a Celestial's head'', discovered by the Guardians and located near the Rip, the extreme outer edge of all existence. (Who killed it? Pretty much everyone hopes they never find out. [[spoiler:It was later revealed it was [[ComicBook/{{Venom}} Knull]], god of the symbiotes and the ComicBook/KingInBlack.]]) It serves as base for those who study the Rip and the space-time abnormalities of the location. (It also appeared in [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 the movie]] and [[WesternAnimation/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2015 the animated series]].)
* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'': Prometheus, a villain, lives in a crooked house version of this in his "Ghost Zone", which may or may not also be the Phantom Zone or Limbo.

* ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'': The boon that [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nihilus]] asks for in exchange for serving [[BigBad Titan]] is a floating fortress, something her CoDragons General Esteem views as tacky and cliche. [[spoiler: nd true to form, it collapses when Nihilus is defeated by the Elements of Harmony.]]

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* ''Literature/CastleInTheAir'' by Creator/DianaWynneJones: The eponymous castle is the villain's base of operations.

* ''Literature/TheElderScrolls'': Umbriel is a massive chunk of land in a downward pointing conical shape. Everything that falls in it's shadow is turned into mincemeat.

** In the old days of ForTheEvulz style villainy, these were a big thing, especially under [[TheEmperor Dread Empress Triumphant]] ([[TheDreaded may she never return]]). The [[PragmaticVillainy current leadership]] of [[TheEmpire Praes]] has stopped using them, due to the fact that they both take up valuable resources and have a tendency to crash, making them extremely inefficient.
** In book three, [[spoiler:[[AristocratsAreEvil Diabolist]] performs a ritual to raise the city of Liesse above the clouds to buy time for her time to finish her work on a MysticalPlague.]][[spoiler: It doesn't stick and the city eventually ends up in [[LandOfFaerie Arcadia]] and becomes key part of Twilight Ways]]
** In book seven [[spoiler: Praesi mobilise some of the mothballed flying fortresses against the Dead King. They turn out quite useful, though it is noted that [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome they're easy to destabilize from the inside and become unescable deathtraps if it happens]].]]
* ''Shah Guido G.'', a Creator/IsaacAsimov short story, features the titular despot ruling future Earth from his flying city before it is destroyed by piling on too much weight. (The title, when pronounced [[ShaggyDogStory correctly]], warns the reader that the entire story is a set-up for a [[{{Feghoot}} truly hideous pun]].)

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E13LastOfTheTimeLords "Last of the Time Lords"]], the AirborneAircraftCarrier ''Valiant'' serves as one of these for {{the Master}} during his year-long rule of Earth.

** "The Rock", the Fortress Monastery of the Dark Angels chapter of Space Marines, is all that remains of their homeworld of Caliban, a literal castle on a jut of rock floating in space. It has since been sealed against the void and equipped with engines to travel the stars, moving from world to world to find new recruits. Unlike a lot of other examples though, this also qualifies as DarkIsNotEvil. [[spoiler: [[DarkSecret Well]], [[FallenHero mostly...]]]]

* ''VideoGame/AceOnline''[=/=]''Air Rivals'': Not exactly owned by the villain, but the Advance Base Rakion at the Mesos Floor can look rather intimidating to inexperienced pilots. It doesn't help that it's the largest map in the entire game and that players from ANI and BCU must fight for control of the Advance Base to put it into use. The [[AllThereInTheManual official website]] says it is a spy satellite of the Shrines, AKA [[AliensAreBastards the evil aliens that want to conquer the planet]]. ANI and BCU just borrow it during their skirmishes.

* ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'': Comstock House is the biggest and most intimidating structure in Columbia, even without the thunderstorm and the gigantic statues of the Founding Fathers it rests upon. In addition to being the house of the BigBad, it [[spoiler:becomes an asylum run by the inmates in the future of 1984.]] Concept art makes the building look even more Gothic (as in the architecture with sharp towers and flying buttresses).

* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWarDarkCrusade'': Necron Monoliths. The only Necron building that can produce units, once fully upgraded they fly, teleport decent distances, and bring enormous firepower to bear on anything unfortunate enough to get in their path. If one ends up being severely damaged, it teleports back to its original location. Not really ominous, as that implies that your doom is merely impending, Monoliths are the final seal on your tomb.

* ''Franchise/DragonAge'': The Black City, which supposedly was the home of [[{{God}} The Maker]] and the location of heaven before it was corrupted by the hubris of mortals, appears as a vaguely city shaped blob of darkness in the otherwise empty sky of ''[[SpiritWorld The]] [[DreamLand Fade]].'' Interestingly enough, the Black City is the only permanent landmark in the fade, with [[AlienGeometries all points in the fade somehow appearing to be equidistant from the city.]]

%%** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'': The [[{{Magitek}} highly technological]] Tower of Zot, Golbez' personal base of operations until he moves to the [[EvilTowerOfOminousness Tower of Bab-Il]].
%%** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'': The Lonka Ruins, sustained by the [[CosmicKeystone Earth Crystal]].

%%* ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'': The KGB 'floating war factory' in the third game.

** ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand2'': Dark Castle is the last of the Rainbow Islands and the source of the clouds that are covering them. The area boasts 7 stages (with almost half being [[RemixedLevel harder versions of the first 3]], a battle with a [[DemonicPossession sleeping King Dedede]] and, if you got all the Rainbow Drops, a showdown with [[spoiler: [[TrueFinalBoss Dark Matter]]]].
** ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'' has Royal Road, a fancy castle found at the top of the Dreamstalk. It is the destination of Dedede's kidnapper Taranza and the home of his boss [[spoiler: [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Sectonia]]]].
* ''VideoGame/LandOfIllusion Starring WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse'' has the Phantom's Cloud Castle, which serves as the game's fourteenth and final level. To access it, Mickey must first plant [[BeanstalkParody a beanstalk]] on the island below it so he can climb his way to the top. This level houses the Phantom, who has stolen the magic crystal and cast spells upon Mickey's friends, turning them into his henchmen. The Phantom serves as the game's FinalBoss, and when Mickey defeats him, he recovers the crystal.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManX1'': Sigma Palace is shown to be a futuristic castle on a floating island in the game's ending. Curiously, the remake ''Maverick Hunter X'' makes it a regular island instead.

* ''VideoGame/PokemonRangerGuardianSigns'': The Sky Fortress serves as the setting for the climax of the game against [[spoiler: the Societea]] and also an extra mission involving [[spoiler: Purple Eyes]].

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosWonder'': Castle Bowser - yes, Bowser now takes the form of a castle after merging with Prince Florian's castle with the help of a Wonder Flower - is the TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon in this game.

* ''VideoGame/UltimaUnderworldII'': Killorn Keep, suspended above a desert, serves as an outpost to the BigBad and a MirrorUniverse to Britannia. It's kept afloat by two brain creatures, and if you kill them it comes crashing to the ground.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': In the season two finale, "[[Recap/AmphibiaS2E36TrueColors True Colors]]", [[spoiler:upon using the Calamity Box to reactivate the land's LostTechnology, while at the same time revealing he was EvilAllAlong, King Andrias transforms the royal castle of Newtopia into this, intending to use it as a fortress as he becomes a MultiversalConqueror.]]
%%* ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons1983'': "Merlin" [[spoiler:actually Venger]] has one in "The Day of No Tomorrow".

* ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'': Master Cyclonis upgrades her Terra Cyclonia into one of these with massive [[PowerCrystal crystals that allowed it to fly]]. [[spoiler:She didn't get to enjoy it long before the heroes blew up said crystals in the finale and sent it all crashing to the ground]].
%%* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'': Magneto's fortress Asteroid M..

* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeague'': Prometheus, a villain, lives in a crooked house version of this in his "Ghost Zone", which may or may not also be the Phantom Zone or Limbo.

* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'':
** Knowhere is a fortress made from ''a Celestial's head'', discovered by the ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy and located near the Rip, the extreme outer edge of all existence. (Who killed it? Pretty much everyone hopes they never find out.) It serves as base for those who study the Rip and the space-time abnormalities of the location. (It also appeared in [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 the movie]] and [[WesternAnimation/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2015 the animated series]].)
** The archenemy of ComicBook/DoctorStrange, the Dread Dormammu, is typically depicted sitting on a throne floating in the middle of a swirling chaotic void that is the Dark Dimension.
%%* ''Franchise/XMen'': Asteroid M.

* ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'': The boon that [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nihilus]] asks for in exchange for serving [[BigBad Titan]] is a floating fortress, something her {{Co Dragon}}s General Esteem views as tacky and cliche. [[spoiler: nd true to form, it collapses when Nihilus is defeated by the Elements of Harmony.]]

%%** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'': Bowser's Castle and Reactor.

''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' has a couple. The Floating Castle is a creepy location in the Realm of Chaos, doubtless home to daemons. There is also a rare good example -- the Palace of Hothar the Fey -- a powerful High Elf mage prince's palace that drifts gently through the clouds of the Elven province of Saphery.

* Schneizel's ''[[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/codegeass/images/c/cc/Damocles_4.JPG Damocles]]'' fortress from ''Anime/CodeGeass'' may count as this. It's basically an amalgamation of the earlier airships with a Britannian-style palace, using float systems and energy shields introduced earlier in the series. [[spoiler:knowing [[MagnificentBastard Schneizel]], who had those technologies commissioned, this was all a part of the plan]]. True to its [[MeaningfulName name]], it's not only shaped like a hovering sword, but also [[spoiler:houses a stockpile of FLEIJA warheads that could be launched on any city at Schneizel's whim, thus enforcing peace]].
* Digimon Kaizer's flying fortress in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02''.
* In ''Animation/GuardianFairyMichel'', the Black Hammer Gang use a floating castle as transportation.
* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'': the BigBad's castle floats in a void of "space".
* In the ''Anime/MonsterRancher'' anime, Moo used his castle as transportation to wherever he needed to go.
* The [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Gravekeepers' Palace]] in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', the base of operations of Kosmo Entelecheia during Ala Rubra's time. As Rakan said, "Now that's what I call a [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Final Dungeon]]!!"
* Hellywood in ''Anime/NowAndThenHereAndThere'' is one of these, but we don't actually see it fly until the final two episodes of the series.
* Lawrence III's ''Hikōkyū'' (translation: Flying Palace) from ''[[{{Anime/Pokemon2000}} Pokémon 2000]]'', a mechanical flying fortress the size of a city. Unfortunately for Lawrence, its only weaponry was on the bottom; when Moltres and Zapdos began quarreling around the central area of the ship, Lawrence was powerless to stop them, sending the palace crashing down.
%%* In ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'', [[AntiHumanAlliance Fairy Tale's]] headquarters is one of these.
* Episode 6 of ''Anime/TheSoulTaker'' is aptly named "The Malevolent Stratosphere Castle" for its location. It was a safe haven for a mutant who had become jaded with his work for the Hospital and sought to end his life in peace.
%%* In ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'', the first game takes place in a giant floating stone castle called Aincrad.

%%* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', Infidel lives in such a palace. It's actually something of a prison, though one he resides in voluntarily.

* Prometheus, a ComicBook/JusticeLeague villain, lives in a crooked house version of this in his "Ghost Zone", which may or may not also be the Phantom Zone or Limbo.
* In ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast1992'', [[https://zelda.gamepedia.com/File:Ganon%27s_Tower_(comic).png Ganon's Tower]] looks like an absolutely massive floating sphere with massive spikes protruding all over its stony surface.

* The giant's castle in "Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk". In some versions, it is implied that there's a whole world of giants up in the clouds.

* ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'': The boon that [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nihilus]] asks for in exchange for serving [[BigBad Titan]] is a floating fortress, something her [[CoDragons Co Dragon]] [[BloodKnight Esteem]] views as tacky and cliche. [[spoiler: And true to form, it collapses when Nihilus is defeated by the Elements of Harmony.]]
* In ''Fanfic/TheLionOfIvalice'', [[spoiler: Bethla Garrison first becomes an EvilTowerOfOminousness after Altima is revived and sets up shop there. When the combined armies of Ivalice lay siege to her tower, she simply opts to devote her power into tearing Bethla out of the earth and into the skies.]]
%%* In the ''WebVideo/MegaManEddieLebron'' FanFilm, Dr. Wily's castle happens to be one of these.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisMilosReturn'', deranged former millionaire Erik Hellstrom ([[NapoleonDelusion who is under the impression that he is the god Odin]]) uses the power of a stolen Atlantean artifact to make his castle (appropriately called Asgard even before) and the mountaintop it's on float in the air above the mountain itself.
* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTalesTheMovieTreasureOfTheLostLamp'' has a great example when the evil sorcerer Merlock uses the Genie's magic to turn Scrooge's money bin into a Floating Castle that is ''very'' ominous. It's not floating by design though; Merlock specifically wished to "return home in his new home". Scrooge just defeats him before they get to the destination.
* Bowser's castle in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' certainly looks foreboding with its lava dripping out the sides onto the ground, and it doubles as a ship, floating from location to location.
%%* The film version of ''Literature/ThePhantomTollbooth'' has one of these, although it's merely surrounded by an [[DeathMountain evil region]] rather than being evil in and of itself.

* ''Film/{{Black Widow|2021}}'': [[spoiler:The Red Room facility itself is a variant of this, being a modern spy fortress rather than a castle, but it still maintains the spirit of this trope. Going into the third act, the facility is revealed to be airborne, which is how [[BigBad General Dreykov]] kept off the radar for so long. At the film's climax, the Room is sent crashing to Earth, culminating in Natasha and [[TheDragon Taskmaster]] getting into a FreefallFight.]]
* The Childlike Empress' castle ends up like this in ''Film/TheNeverendingStory''.
* Etelgar's fortress in ''Film/UltramanGingaSTheMovieShowdownThe10UltraBrothers'', which descends above Tokyo early in the film. The Ultras have to infiltrate the fortress in the finale, with three of them (Series/UltramanTiga, Series/UltramanDyna and Series/UltramanGaia) staying at ground level to do battle against Etelgar's first summon, Five King, while the remaining heroes (Series/UltramanNexus, Series/UltramanMax, Series/UltramanMebius, Franchise/UltramanZero, Series/UltramanCosmos and Series/{{Ultraman Ginga}}-Victory) goes through the fortress, one level at a time (and each holding a summon for an Ultra to stay behind to battle) before confronting Etelgar at it's very tip.

* In ''Literature/CastleInTheAir'' by Creator/DianaWynneJones, the eponymous castle is the villain's base of operations.
* In the ''Franchise/CthulhuMythos'', [[EldritchAbomination the Daemon Sultan Azathoth]] is said to sit on his black throne in the center of the universe (or possibly the multiverse), surrounded by the Ultimate Void.
%%* Castle Black in Steven Brust's ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'', a non-evil example. Of course, the Empire is littered with the ruins of castles that fell out of the sky the last time [[TheMagicGoesAway The Magic Went Away]].
* The Flying Citadels in the ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' novels are this, and they also come with the benefit of being able to go ''to'' their supply lines rather than having to make them come to you.
* Umbriel fulfills this function in ''Literature/TheElderScrolls''. It is a massive chunk of land in a downward pointing conical shape. Everything that falls in it's shadow is turned into mincemeat.
* The original Laputa appears in Jonathan Swift's ''Literature/GulliversTravels'', where it is a floating island inhabited by scholars. Their relationship with the peasants who live below is often strained, but they are not out-and-out evil.
* In ''Literature/TheLegendsOfEthshar'', there are magical tapestries used for transportation -- you weave a picture of where you want to be. One highly advanced magician makes a tapestry of a "in a void of nothingness" castle and thereby brings into being a little pied-a-terre (pied-a-void?) for himself and his mistress... but when the return route gets blocked, said mistress ends up trapped in said castle for a few centuries. Said magician also created a flying castle in the skies, which was brought down by a FantasticNuke.

* The Castle in the Air from Norman Juster's ''Literature/ThePhantomTollbooth'' is actually a floating prison, inhabited by a couple of captive princesses.
* Literature/APracticalGuideToEvil:

* Creator/IsaacAsimov wrote a short story entitled ''Shah Guido G.'' which features the titular despot ruling future Earth from his flying city before it is destroyed by piling on too much weight. (The title, when pronounced [[ShaggyDogStory correctly]], warns the reader that the entire story is a set-up for a [[{{Feghoot}} truly hideous pun]].)
* The floating castle made of clouds from Creator/PiersAnthony's ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'' series counts as it is currently the home of the Demon Xanth, his consort Chlorine and their son. Somewhat subverted in that the Demon currently in residence isn't actually evil.

* In ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'', the Cylon Colony was floating in empty space during "The Plan", but by the time of "Daybreak" it had been moved to the accretion disk of a black hole so that it would be hard for anyone but a Cylon to 1) find it and 2) be able to enter it. Extra points for being a [[http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs43/f/2009/083/e/a/Overview_of_The_Cylon_Colony_by_Tar_Minastir.jpg black techno-organic construct]] with eight arms, each one miles long.

* The titular space station in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' was this to the Bajorans before the Cardassian occupiers deserted, when it was known as Terok Nor. It was eventually moved out of orbit to the terminus of the Bajoran Wormhole to claim it.

** In ''[[TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors Return to the Tomb of Horrors]]'', the demilich Acererak has the gigantic Fortress of Conclusion hovering at the edge of the Negative Energy Plane, an infinite expanse of pure entropy and decay.
** Several in ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'', most notably the Doomguard citadels which float on the borders between the Negative Energy Plane and the Quasielemental Planes; and Orcus's crumbling fortress of Tcian Sumere also in the Negative. These all likely inspired the Fortress of Regrets in ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment''.
** The Githyanki capital Tu'Narath is a fortress-city in the timeless void of the Astral Plane, built out of the petrified corpse of a forgotten god.

* ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'': Mobile floating castles were used in the War of the Lance.

%%** The (now ruined) Flying Fortress of Bagrash Köl, as well as the Titan fortresses. Which can quite cheerfully wipe a city off the map.

* Not exactly owned by the villain, but the Advance Base Rakion at the Mesos Floor in ''VideoGame/AceOnline''[=/=]''Air Rivals'' can look rather intimidating to inexperienced pilots. It doesn't help that it's the largest map in the entire game and that players from ANI and BCU must fight for control of the Advance Base to put it into use. The [[AllThereInTheManual official website]] says it is a spy satellite of the Shrines, AKA [[AliensAreBastards the evil aliens that want to conquer the planet]]. ANI and BCU just borrow it during their skirmishes.
%%* The Sky Palace in ''VideoGame/AlisiaDragoon''.
* The Floating Palace in ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart'', which is where the final battles take place.
* The Mana Fortress of ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' is another example of an ending in a floating castle.
* The first ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos'' has [[spoiler:Cor Hydrae]], TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon.
* In ''VideoGame/BillyHatcherAndTheGiantEgg'', Giant Palace initially comes off across this way in its first mission. It's subverted though when Billy and his chums boot [[BigBad Dark]] [[FinalBoss Raven]] out, [[CueTheSun bringing morning]]. As a result Giant Palace becomes a much nicer place.
* Comstock House in ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' is the biggest and most intimidating structure in Columbia, even without the thunderstorm and the gigantic statues of the Founding Fathers it rests upon. In addition to being the house of the BigBad, it [[spoiler:becomes an asylum run by the inmates in the future of 1984.]] Concept art makes the building look even more Gothic (as in the architecture with sharp towers and flying buttresses).
* The Soda Fountain from ''VideoGame/BraveFencerMusashi'' is the capital of the evil [[FoodThemeNaming Thirstquencher]] [[TheEmpire Empire]]. It's presumably kept aloft by the gigantic [[GreenRocks Binchotite crystals]] jutting out of the bottom, given that the ones you normally encounter in game constantly spin in midair.
%%* Agua from ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireI''. Obelisk too, but only after Tyr is released.

* The Black Omen in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' floats in the air for thousands of years, such that when it appears, people comment on it regardless of the time period you visit. In fact, it's been around so long that people aren't even scared of it anymore, even though it is a gigantic obsidian floating {{Magitek}} imposing ''thing'' that's even named the ''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Black Omen]]''.
* Sky Dragon's Isle takes to the skies and transforms into Terra Tower, aka Dinopolis, in ''VideoGame/ChronoCross''.

* The Moonflower Palace of ''VideoGame/DarkChronicle'' used to be one, until it engaged the heroes' own flying fortress, [[HumongousMecha Paznos]], and it was sent hurtling right towards [[DoomedHometown Palm Brinks]]. Paznos' robot mode was barely able to ground it elsewhere.
* Necron Monoliths in ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar: Dark Crusade''. The only Necron building that can produce units, once fully upgraded it flies, teleports decent distances, and brings enormous firepower to bear on anything unfortunate enough to get in its path. If it ends up being severely damaged, it teleports back to its original location. Not really ominous, as that implies that your doom is merely impending, Monoliths are the final seal on your tomb.
* The Arcane Sanctuary of ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}} II'' floats in space.

* The Fortress of Doom from ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'' orbits Earth and serves as the Doom Slayer's less than humble [[HubLevel abode]].
* In ''Franchise/DragonAge'' the Black City, which supposedly was the home of [[{{God}} The Maker]] and the location of heaven before it was corrupted by the hubris of mortals, appears as a vaguely city shaped blob of darkness in the otherwise empty sky of ''[[SpiritWorld The]] [[DreamLand Fade]].'' Interestingly enough, the Black City is the only permanent landmark in the fade, with [[AlienGeometries all points in the fade somehow appearing to be equidistant from the city.]]

** The Floating Fortress in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' is a castle floating in the sky. The castle itself is not evil; it was constructed by the Lefeinish before Tiamat the Wind Fiend screwed them over and seized the castle.
** The Castle of Emperor Palamecia in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' is kept aloft by a massively destructive Cyclone, and can only be reached with the help of a flying dragon.
%%** The [[{{Magitek}} highly technological]] Tower of Zot of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', Golbez' personal base of operations until he moves to the [[EvilTowerOfOminousness Tower of Bab-Il]].
%%** The Lonka Ruins of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'', sustained by the [[CosmicKeystone Earth Crystal]].
** Ultimecia's castle in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''. It's so floaty that it has to be held down with improbably huge chains.
** Sky Fortress Bahamut from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' is both a floating fortress and an EvilTowerOfOminousness, tall enough to reach the clouds with its upper decks while its bottom floats just a few hundred feet above ground level.
** Mt. Gulg from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' is an unusual example: It's a huge mountain that was quite literally ripped off the ground and sent floating in the sky thanks to the powers of the [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Lightwarden Innocence]]. However, as you start reaching the peak, the 'castle' part of the area starts to show itself, with huge white walls and pillars giving the players the feeling like they just stepped in the Pearly Gates! The 'ominous' part is that its utterly filled with [[LightIsNotGood Sin Eaters]].
* Freeport 7 in ''VideoGame/{{Freelancer}}'' counts to some degree: It explodes in a million pieces at the very beginning of the game, and it looks like the only base in the entire system (there's an unofficial mod that lets you enter the Freeport 7 system, which is indeed completely empty except for the remains of Freeport 7).

* The ''VideoGame/{{Glider}} PRO'' house "Castle o' the Air."
* While no one is entirely sure if its inhabitant is evil or not, the floating Wizard's Tower in ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' and ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' has an ominous air about it. In the latter, while the nearby town is protected by elementals charmed by its inhabitant, the townsfolk are still fairly doubtful of the elementals despite praising the wizard.
* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', there's the Covenant capital of High Charity, a giant mobile space station built over a detached chunk of the Prophets' homeworld. It is first seen in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}''.
%%* The KGB 'floating war factory' in the third ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' game.
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' we have the villain's hideout, the Castle That Never Was, which is right next to the Realm of Nothingness.

** In ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand2'', Dark Castle is the last of the Rainbow Islands and the source of the clouds that are covering them. The area boasts 7 stages (with almost half being [[RemixedLevel harder versions of the first 3]], a battle with a [[DemonicPossession sleeping King Dedede]] and, if you got all the Rainbow Drops, a showdown with [[spoiler: [[TrueFinalBoss Dark Matter]]]].

%%* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'', most of the ancient Wingly cities were like this until the Dragon Campaign.
* Both ''VideoGame/LegendOfLegaia'' and its sequel do this, although the first one does score extra points for [[spoiler:having the tower being a piece of junk made to fly ''specifically'' to invoke this trope and lure the player's to a LoadBearingBoss fight.]]

** In the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Ganondorf's castle]] floats above a [[LavaAddsAwesome lava pit]] just north of the ruined Hyrule Castle Town.
** The Palace of Twilight in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' floats alone in the void that is the Twilight Realm.
%%* Roper Klacks' castle in ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney''.
* Daos in ''VideoGame/LufiaIIRiseOfTheSinistrals'' had his castle on top of what was aptly named The FloatingContinent.

** The [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Collector Base]] floats in deep space. It and the [[PortalNetwork mass relay]] to access it are the only landmarks in the area at all. Of course, there's not ''nothing'' around - there's [[DerelictGraveyard the ruins of thousands upon thousands of ships]] that have tried and failed to enter Collector space over the millennia.
* Sigma Palace in ''VideoGame/MegaManX1'' is shown to be a futuristic castle on a floating island in the game's ending. Curiously, the remake ''Maverick Hunter X'' makes it a regular island instead.
* The Oubliette from ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters'' is a prison structure stored in a pocket dimension to ensure [[SealedEvilInACan Gorea]] can't escape. Samus ends up pulling it out of the pocket dimension late in the game, at which point it floats in normal space.
* This is a somewhat popular model of base to build in ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}''. Due to gravity not working on most blocks, it can be made out of dirt, stone, brick, wood, metal or even, theoretically, [[SerialEscalation water and ice]].
* The Ivory Tower in ''VideoGame/NiNoKuni: Wrath of the White Witch'' floats above a mountain range in the Summerlands once the White Witch makes her existence known to the world.
* ''VideoGame/{{Perimeter}}'' has the Frames - ominous floating cities housing what is left of Mankind.
%%* The Air Castle was this in ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarI''. It re-appeared in ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIV'' as a space floater, given that the planet it was on was [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroyed]] in ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarII''.
%%* The Fortress of Regrets at the end of ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment''.
* ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger: Guardian Signs'': The Sky Fortress serves as the setting for the climax of the game against [[spoiler: the Societea]] and also an extra mission involving [[spoiler: Purple Eyes]].

* The first stage of ''VideoGame/RagingBlades'' is the Castle of Immortal, a fortress on floating rocks above the skies of Atranart.

%%* The Mana Fortress in ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'', which once destroyed the world.

* In ''[[VideoGame/{{Something}} Something Else]]'', [[spoiler:Else Castle in the void-like special world. It is Ballser's new base after Mario beat him in Something.]]
* The final stage of ''VideoGame/{{Slashout}}'', Diablo's Keep, is a floating castle in the air with Diablo's foetus-like form incubating in it's heart. The walkways suspended in mid-air contains various LivingShadow enemies, and you'll need to find a way to reach the castle's top to destroy Diablo.

** In ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', Castle Bleck is a floating, glowing castle in monochrome colours set in the middle of a void that is actually ''called'' "The Void" (which [[BigBad Count Bleck]] created for his SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum).
** In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', Smithy's Factory starts out as a series of platforming elements floating in a dark blue void of nothingness, but Mario and friends eventually discover that it's a giant factory floating in said void.
** Bowser's Castle and Reactor in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy''.
** And Bowser's Galaxy Generator in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' is a castle bigger than the actual galaxy inside it.
** Bowser's castles in many of the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' and ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' games can fly, and it usually has some sort of giant cannon with which he terrorizes the citizens on the ground. In some games, sabotaging its flight mechanism is necessary to StormTheCastle, but in others, Mario and friends will fly up to it or find other means to board it while it's still airborne.
** In ''VideoGame/YoshisIslandDS'', the castle must be reached by space rocket (although it's shown in the clouds in the intro). Like most Mario examples, it crashes to the ground after the FinalBoss is defeated.

%%** In ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'', the Glorious Land of Eldrant crashes to earth ''before'' the BigBad is defeated when he attempts to [[ColonyDrop squash the party]].
%%** Also from the Tales series, ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' has the Ancient Tower of Tarqaron.

%%* Valen's Fortress in ''VideoGame/ThreadsOfFate'' manifests itself as a floating, pointy fortress.
* Killorn Keep in ''VideoGame/UltimaUnderworld II'', suspended above a desert, serves as an outpost to the BigBad and a MirrorUniverse to Britannia. It's kept afloat by two brain creatures, and if you kill them it comes crashing to the ground.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Valfaris}}'', the titular Valfaris is an ancient, corrupted citadel floating in space. Valfaris was home to the disappeared Emperor Vroll, a despot driven mad by his dark experiments into travelling to other dimensions and now it's a breeding ground to disgusting monsters and rogue war machines.
%%* The end cutscene of ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe 2'' shows one of these, allegedly the source of the Black V-Watch and Black Film. [[OrphanedSeries However...]]
* The ([[SceneryPorn spectacular]]) Chaos capital in ''VideoGame/WarhammerOnline'', the Inevitable City, is located on the edge of a vast crater beneath a seething hole in reality. The Eternal Citadel, the fortress where the BigBad lurks, sits on one of many floating chunks of rock hanging beneath the AlienSky.
%%* While not so much ominous or a boss level, ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt'' has Airytale Castle, Prism Prison and possibly Launchpad Labryinth in this kind of floating building.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': Tempest Keep and its satellite structures in ''The Burning Crusade'' float over the edge of Outland, above a drop into the Twisting Nether.

* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'', Prison Island is a fortress that floats above Eryth Sea and sticks out against the clean High Entia structures and natural scenery with its dark, medieval appearance. Late in the game, it is [[spoiler:drawn into a void by the game's BigBad and serves as his stronghold.]]

* [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030630 Castle Wulfenbach]] from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' is actually an [[AirborneAircraftCarrier extra-large airship]].
* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', [[spoiler:[[BigBad Xykon]] the Epic sorcerer]] builds a "[[BuffySpeak fortress tomb-thingy]]" in the [[VoidBetweenTheWorlds Astral Plane]], where he can [[spoiler:safely keep his [[SoulJar phylactery]]]]. It's only [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0833.html briefly seen]], but it looks like a place [[AlienGeometries M. C. Escher would have fun in]].

%%* Darigan's Citadel in ''Website/{{Neopets}}''.

* In the season two finale of ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'', [[spoiler:upon using the Calamity Box to reactivate the land's LostTechnology, while at the same time revealing he was EvilAllAlong, King Andrias transforms the royal castle of Newtopia into this, intending to use it as a fortress as he becomes a MultiversalConqueror.]]
* "Merlin" [[spoiler: actually Venger]] has one in the "The Day of No Tomorrow" episode of the ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons1983'' cartoon.
* This trope is probably what the Magus from ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' had in mind, when he froze them in their stone form "until the castle rises above the clouds". The possibility that ''buildings'' would one day be tall enough for the place to become a clouddeck penthouse didn't occur to him.
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': [[spoiler: During [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Weirdmageddon]], [[EldritchAbomination Bill Cipher]] creates an enormous floating pyramid to serve as his castle.]]

* Master Cyclonis ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'' upgraded her Terra Cyclonia into one of these with massive [[PowerCrystal crystals that allowed it to fly]]. [[spoiler:She didn't get to enjoy it long before the heroes blew up said crystals in the finale and sent it all crashing to the ground]].
%%* Magneto's fortress Asteroid M. from ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution''.

* ''TabletopGames/YuGiOh'' has a handful of these with varying degrees of ominousness, such as the Castle of Dark Illusions, Cloudcastle, and Skyfaring Castle of the Black Forest.

%%* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': The Star of Bethlehem and Radiosonde Castle.

%%* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', the first game takes place in a giant floating stone castle called Aincrad.