Celebrate Cinco de Mayo With These Culturally Rich Games

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

For those who don't know, Cinco de Mayo is an annual American celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Today, the day is honored to celebrate Mexican cuisine, culture, and music. On this beautiful holiday, we want to take the time to uplift and showcase the video games that showcase Mexican culture. If you know where to look, you'll find some of the best games in the medium are steeped in Mexican culture.

• Developer: DrinkBox Studios
• Release Year: 2013, 2018
• Platform(s): PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows
• Indie Title

Guacamelee! is a Metroidvania action platforming series inspired by Mexican music and folklore. Its strong melee combat design allows players to enjoy the game solo or with a friend through its same-screen multiplayer. The series features a Lucha libre protagonist, the lore of Día de Muertos, and vibrant Mexican village artwork.

• Developer: Lienzo
• Release Year: 2018
• Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Windows
• Indie Title

Mulaka is a 3D action-adventure game based on the Indigenous culture of the Tarahumara. The Tarahumara are from northern Mexico, and this Indigenous group heavily inspires this title. The main character, Sukuruame, is a Tarahumara shaman. The creatures in the game are based on Tarahumara myths, and many of the environments are based on Tarahumara land. The developers are even donating a portion of the sales to the preservation of the Sierra Tarahumara.

• Developer: Meta Studios
• Release Year: 2025
• Platform(s): Windows
• Indie Title

Mictlan: An Ancient Mythical Tale is an upcoming open-world action-adventure game set in the 16th-century Spanish conquest era. It is being developed by a Mexican-American studio expressly to represent Aztec culture. Its Steam page boasts that it is the first video game entirely based on Mesoamerican history and culture.

• Developer: LucasArts
• Release Year: 1998, 2015
• Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows
• AAA Title

Grim Fandango and its remaster are incredible noir adventure games filled with Mexican Día de Muertos imagery. The characters are skeletal calaca figures, and the levels mix Day of the Dead imagery with Aztec architecture.

• Developer: Bromio
• Release Year: 2015
• Platform(s): Wii U, Nintendo Switch, and Windows
• Indie Title

Pato Box is a boxing action game by a Puebla-based studio. While it does implement more surreal imagery, it still uses Mexican-inspired visuals. The game also makes many references to Mexican pop culture.

• Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
• Release Year: 2011
• Platform(s): PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
• AAA Title

Shadows of the Damned is an action-adventure video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, the developers of Killer7 and No More Heroes. The title follows Garcia Hotspur, a Mexican demon-hunter. Despite the Latino lead and Aztec motifs, some people consider the character stereotypical; however, it's best to make your own opinions regarding the portrayal of culture.

• Developer: Playground Games
• Release Year: 2021
• Platform(s): Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Windows
• AAA Title

Forza Horizon 5 is a racing game set in Mexico. It does a good job of showcasing authentic Mexican locales such as deserts, jungles, volcanoes, and towns. The art team even captured photography and local references to showcase Mexico's diverse regional culture.

• Developer: Techland
• Release Year: 2013, 2018
• Platform(s): PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and Windows
• AAA Title

The Call of Juarez series all occur in Mexico at some point throughout their run time. The titles are western shooters and explore Mexican culture and its influence on the wild west. These products have had mixed reception, but you'll find at least one you enjoy out of the four titles.

• Developer: 2D Nutz
• Release Year: 2015
• Platform(s): IOS and Android
• Indie Title

Viva Sancho Villa is an action-platformer set during the Mexican Revolution and Día de Muertos. Folk motifs and imagery are present throughout this indie title, making it a decent mobile game to showcase Mexican culture. You play as Sancho Villa and use machetes and revolvers to liberate Magico's land.

• Developer: Team Colorblind
• Release Year: 2017
• Platform(s): Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Indie Title

Aztez is a stylish beat-em-up strategy title set in the Aztec Empire before the Spanish conquest. The game's art and narrative draw from pre-Columbian Aztec history. While this game and others on the list pull from Aztec culture, it's important to distinguish that Aztec and Mexican cultures differ. The Aztec or Mexica people were dominant in central Mexico before the Spanish conquest, and modern Mexicans are descended from a mix of Indigenous peoples (including the Mexica), Europeans, and Africans.