Mountains, by virtue of what they are, are a pretty big deal. They dominate any horizon they are part of, reaching up past the clouds, standing the test of time. It’s no surprise that they have become the go-to metaphor for overcoming life’s challenges, personal growth, or a journey towards some sort of enlightenment or understanding. This is just as true for mountains in video games as it is for real life, and for the last few years, they have been on the rise.
With the release of The Game Makers’ Cairn, it felt like the appropriate time to look back over the decades and pick the most iconic mountains in video games!
Before we set off from base camp, it’s important to set some ground rules:
- Firstly, we will not be including real mountains in this list, like Mt. Yotei from Suckerpunch’s Ghost of Yotei.
- Secondly, we won’t be including mountains that come from other forms of media. Mt. Doom from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, for example.
- Finally, we are looking at individual mountains, not mountain ranges or other geographic formations, but it does not need to be named. That means games like Death Stranding and Jusant won’t be making the cut.
Alright with all of that out of the way, let’s start our ascent through the 10 Most Iconic Mountains in Video Games!
10.
Spiral Mountain (Banjo-Kazooie)
Kicking off this list is one of the most fondly remembered mountains in video games, at least by a certain generation: Spiral Mountain.
If you grew up in the 90s and played on an N64, there is a very good chance that you played Rare’s seminal platforming/collect-a-thon masterpiece, Banjo-Kazooie. What makes Spiral Mountain so memorable is its positioning as the centrepiece of the game’s starting zone, which was both a hub and a tutorial area to learn the Bear and the Bird’s basic moveset.
I imagine nearly everyone who has played Banjo-Kazooie remembers the first time they climbed up, crossed the rickety rope bridge, and left the area through the cave that resembles the evil witch Gruntilda’s vile visage. While it is far from the most impressive mountain on this list, Spiral Mountain’s design, location, and a hint of nostalgia earn it a spot.
9.
PEAK Mountain (PEAK)
PEAK climbed its way onto many a Top Ten list in 2025, starting as a joint game jam project between Aggro Crab and Landfall Games.
The mountain in PEAK stands out from the rest on this list due to its multi-tiered, wedding-cake-like structure, with each section defined by a different biome. After forging a path through humid rainforest criss-crossed with poisonous vines and slick with tropical storms, you could end up dodging the boiling sun while crawling through a desert or jumping between giant mushrooms in a murky swamp.
Of course, the most memorable parts of playing PEAK are what happens to the players along the way, but the strange nature of the mountain provides the perfect environment for these shenanigans. PEAK’s mountain may not stand for something greater than itself, but it’s probably the best embodiment of “It’s all about the journey, not the destination”.
8.
Celeste Mountain (Celeste)
You can’t have a list of video game mountains without mentioning indie darling, Celeste, a pixel art precision platformer about growth, healing, acceptance, and climbing a mountain.
You play as Madeline, a young woman who wants to challenge herself and reach the top of Celeste Mountain, a fictionalised mountain located in British Columbia, Canada. Broken up into sections of intense 2D platforming where a single pixel makes all the difference, Celeste’s gameplay mirrors Madeline’s struggles with her own mental health.
Designed to challenge players, Celeste also has a suite of accessibility features that make the game much easier and approachable, allowing a wider audience to experience Madeline’s beautiful and very relatable journey. Perhaps that’s why climbing Celeste Mountain stays with people long after they see the summit, because many of us are climbing our own Celeste Mountain.
7.
Baby Steps Mountain (Baby Steps)
It’s not the first mountain on our list that isn’t named, but it’s undoubtedly the one with the most personality. The most recent game from the mind of Bennet Foddy, Baby Steps tasks the player with getting the game’s protagonist, Nate, to the top of the mountain, one step at a time.
The mountain’s looming size, coupled with the player’s micro-managing of Nate’s footsteps, would already be enough to drive home the messages of perseverance and personal growth. But sometimes life isn’t fair, and neither is Baby Steps.
Baby Steps is packed with moments of hilarity and frustration, two staples of Foddy’s portfolio. Whether it’s Nate slipping on a perfectly placed rock for the twelfth time or getting unceremoniously slapped by a cactus, losing hard-earned progress, Baby Steps’ mountain will have you crying tears of rage and joy.
Check out our review of Baby Steps!
6.
Mt. Silver (Pokémon Gen 2)
There are few better settings for a showdown than on a mountain, and there is no showdown on a mountain more epic than the one at Mt. Silver in Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver.
Not only is Mt. Silver home to some of the toughest Pokémon you’ll encounter throughout your journey to become a Pokémon master, but it is also where you find and battle a previous Pokémon master: Red, the player character from Pokémon Red/Blue!
At the snowy peak, surrounded by howling winds, you face off against your predecessor and their team of Pokémon, all high-level, including the three original starter Pokémon from Red/Blue, and of course, Pikachu. For those who played the first generation and then went straight into 2nd gen, this moment on Mt. Silver is truly unforgettable.
5.
Mount Kami (Cairn)
There isn’t a mountain on this list that you will become more intimately knowledgeable of than the great Mount Kami.
Kami is the focus of The Game Makers’ new mountaineering adventure game, Cairn, and easily wins the award for “mountain in a video game that is most like a real mountain”. You don the climbing boots of professional climber Aava in her quest to be the first person to reach Mount Kami’s summit.
Cairn aims to create a realistic climbing experience, having the player meticulously manage their resources, from pitons to medicine, carefully choosing their path upward with control of each limb, all while braving the unrelenting elements. Climbing Mount Kami is gruelling, pushing you to your limits and then past them, but the payoff is worth it. Also, it’s the inspiration for this article, so it has to be on here!
Check out our review of Cairn!
4.
Mt. Nibel (Final Fantasy VII)
Jagged and unwelcoming in appearance, home to many dangerous monsters and dark secrets, Mt. Nibel is one of the most important locations in Final Fantasy VII.
The staging ground for many important events and discoveries, fans of the legendary JRPG have seen Mt. Nibel and its points of interest fully realised with the second instalment of the FFVII remake trilogy, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. The region’s atmosphere is heavy despite the altitude, with the history and secrets it holds bearing down on the party, and nowhere else is this better demonstrated than in Nibelheim.
Isolated, surrounded by untamed wilds, and nestled under the mountain’s sharp peak, Nibelheim is small, unassuming, and feels trapped in time. The childhood home of the lead characters Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart, it feels as though the town is being held captive by the mountain itself, caught in its clutches. Other mountains conjure up feelings of awe and wonder; Mt. Nibel strikes fear into the hearts of gamers, just like a certain silver-haired swordsman.
3.
Mount Chiliad (Grand Theft Auto Series)
To be frank, Mount Chiliad would have probably made it onto the list just by virtue of being THE mountain in GTA V, one of the largest, most popular, and most successful video games ever made. But it has a lot more going for it than just popularity.
Alongside being the tallest peak in Blaine County, and thus a magnet for walkers, hikers, cyclists, and thrill seekers, Mount Chiliad is one of the most lore-rich mountains in video games. Many gamers, even some who haven’t played GTA V, have heard of the Chiliad Mystery, which involves a strange mural that suggests alien activity.
Mount Chiliad is rife with mysteries, from references to Bigfoot and ghosts to strange sounds that have no source, some of which are still only just being solved over a decade after the game’s release. So remember, next time you go for a walk up the side of Mount Chiliad and take in the view, you might not be doing it alone!
2.
Death Mountain (Legend of Zelda Series)
If you are looking for the video game mountain with the largest aura, then look no further than Death Mountain from the Legend of Zelda series.
For many, there won’t be a more iconic mountain, having featured in more releases than any other mountain on this list. In earlier entries of the LoZ series, Death Mountain was depicted with a large, ominous halo of ash above it, but in more recent entries, it has swapped its halo for rivers of molten lava cascading down its rocky slopes.
Yes, Death Mountain is, in fact, a volcano. I didn’t clarify at the start of this article whether or not volcanoes would be considered for this list, but it has come to my attention that, according to science, volcanoes are indeed mountains. It’s an “all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares” situation, or so I’m told.
Honorary Monetions
Keeper Mountain (Keeper)
There are some pretty weird mountains in video games, but I think the mountain in Keeper takes the biscuit.
A lot of this is due to Keeper’s incredible art direction, a calling card of all Double Fine’s imaginative work, with certain set pieces and cutscenes playing out like a psychedelic trip, all centred around this strange, enigmatic mountain.
Check out our review of Keeper!
Mt. Gelmir (Elden Ring)
The fact that Mt. Gelmir, a giant volcano in The Lands Between, is an entirely optional area in FromSoftware’s Elden Ring should be taken as a statement on the game’s scale and not Mt. Gelmir’s importance. It happens to be the home of one of Queen Marika’s children, Prince Rykard, and the arena for one of the studio’s most visually stunning boss fights.
It is another volcano (we already went over that), but it also has a manor house inside it, which is pretty cool!
Your Mountain (Mountain)
Who doesn’t wish they had their own mountain? Well, with indie game Mountain, you can!
All you have to do is answer a few questions and then watch as the game generates your mountain based on your responses. There isn’t much else you can do once you’ve created your mountain, but it is remarkably relaxing just watching time pass and letting nature run its course.
1.
The Throat of the World (Skyrim)
Skyrim. The game that brought us the immortal quote: “You see that mountain? You can climb it.” It seems fitting that we finish our list of the most iconic mountains in video games with the highest mountain in Tamriel, The Throat of the World.
Ascending the 7,000 steps to High Hrothgar, home of the Greybeards, silently studying the Way of the Voice, and meeting their leader, the dragon Paarthurnax, is high fantasy at its most captivating. Looking out over the vast expanse of trees, rivers, and lakes, watching as settlements shrink away with every step, it’s impossible not to feel a sense of awe and even trepidation.
Towering at the centre of the snow-covered lands of Skyrim, The Throat of the World is a constant presence, regardless of where your adventures may take you. Wreathed in mist, bearing aeons of history, and the source of incredible power, The Throat of the World is the most iconic mountain in video games!
That was our 10 Most Iconic Mountains in Video Games! Did we miss a mountain on our list? Which mountain do you think is the most iconic? Let us know in the comments below, and join the Gamer Social Club Discord and chat with others about your favourite games, play in community game nights, take part in giveaways, and more!
