Highlights

• Food in video games can have a significant impact on the player, whether it is through creating detailed and realistic renditions or conveying deliciousness through character reactions.
• Some games utilize food as a means of healing or buffing, while others use it to enhance gameplay or simply make the game more visually appealing.
• Regardless of the purpose, if food looks appealing, it can make the player's stomach growl and create a desire to try out the virtual delicacies in real life.

No matter the reason for the implementation of food in video games, it is hard to deny the impact these tasty treats can have on the player. Some modern games will attempt to create detailed and realistic renditions of cuisine, but sometimes deliciousness can be conveyed through a character's reaction after taking a bite.

The utilization of food in video games has always been a fascinating one. Some games allow the player to create an array of delectable meals, while others choose to implement foodstuffs as a means of healing or buffing one's status. Even if food serves no purpose in a game, if it looks appealing; its presence alone is enough to make one's stomach growl.

Updated February 15, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Most people assume that food in video games isn't all that detailed, looking more like low-poly afterthoughts than anything else. While this is true for most video games where food isn't a huge part of the game, other titles make it a point to make their virtual delicacies look as tasty as possible. Suffice it to say, most people would salivate at the prospect of trying out some of these tasty items in their respective games.

1 Crab Risotto

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Cooking plays a huge role in both Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild, with players needing to interact with this system if they want to maximize the potential of their foodstuffs. Players can form some great recipes if they combine certain ingredients, with the combination of a crab of any kind along with goat butter, Hylian rice, and rock salt.

The result is a delectable dish that players will love to scarf down both in the game and in real life. The soft meat of a crab pairs perfectly well with arborio rice, making it clear why this combination makes for the perfect seafood risotto.

2 Chef's Choice Platter

Monster Hunter World

Watching the Palicoes whip up a dish in Monster Hunter World makes for a great time, with the love that goes into rendering this food and the animations involved in cooking the same being quite interesting. It helps that food gives valuable buffs that help hunters during their missions considerably.

The Chef's Choice Platter is a painless way to whip out a quick meal that hunters can devour to enjoy some buffs. It helps that this dish looks incredibly tasty, to the point where most people would drool at the prospect of eating such a dish in real life.

3 Brisky-Breezy Toastie

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

When Xenoblade Chronicles 3 came out, fans were disappointed to find out that the cooking was glitched. This made it a worthless mechanic to interact with, but a patch restored its functionality and made it worthwhile to prepare some nice dishes that could give players a useful effect.

One of the meals players can enjoy at rest spots is the Brisky-Breezy Toastie, which is a simple yet tasty-looking dish that players can use to enhance enemy drops. To gain access to this recipe, players must purchase the Fish-Fillet Toastie from the Colony 30 Canteen first.

4 Toast

I Am Bread

As a crucial breakfast staple and a go-to midnight snack, toast is arguably one of the most universally favored foods in the world. With the premise of I Am Bread being as bizarre as it is, the player must spend a great deal of time staring at a slice of bread as it journeys to become toasted.

The main goal in I Am Bread is for the player to examine their surroundings to deduce the most efficient route to the toaster. If their journey is completed successfully, the bread will become a mouthwatering piece of toast. Though there is nothing overly special about this particular slice of bread, watching as its color darkens makes it incredibly desirable.

5 Cake

Minecraft

Though the Minecraft Cake is not as aesthetically stimulating as other modern food depictions, the process of baking it is just enough to make one hunger for it. Requiring wheat, eggs, milk, and sugar, the player must properly prepare this cake before it can be consumed.

Unlike many other foods in the game, a cake can only be eaten when placed on a flat surface, forcing the player to look directly at it before they take a slice. The longer this pixelized block is stared at, the more the viewer will come to hunger for its icing-covered, strawberry jam filling.

6 Mushrooms

Super Mario Bros.

Though few people would opt to eat raw mushrooms over a fully cooked meal that incorporated them, it is hard to deny the appetizing design of Mario's favorite fungi. Throughout the Mario series, mushrooms have served an array of different purposes.

By eating these mushrooms, Mario can receive a variety of buffs with the most notable being a major increase in his size. Their charming and colorful designs have made them one of the most delectable-looking foodstuffs in gaming.

7 Elegant Orange Cake

Final Fantasy 15

The events of Final Fantasy 15 task Ignis with protecting the prince of Insomnia to the best of his ability. To do this, Ignis fights by his side, lends emotional support, and, of course, prepares an array of scrumptious meals for him and his friends.

Throughout the story, Ignis' cooking skills are regularly highlighted. With the ability to craft a large selection of gourmet meals, his most appetizing may be the Elegant Orange Cake, a citrus-flavored dessert that improves health, spirit, and defense when eaten. Its simple yet realistic design makes it one of the most tantalizing foods in gaming.

8 Sea Salt Ice Cream

Kingdom Hearts 2

Kingdom Hearts 2 saw the introduction of the salty, but sweet, treat known as sea salt ice cream. Acting as a pivotal plot point that connects multiple characters, this ice pop is just as important as it is delicious.

Sea salt ice cream has reached a newfound level of popularity among fans of the series. Each appearance of this popsicle stick sees its purchaser discussing how much they love the mix of flavors; a tactic that causes the player to yearn for a small taste.

9 Fish And Chips

Overcooked

Overcooked is arguably one of the most rage-inducing yet enjoyable video games out there. This charming title forces its players to work together to promptly create a selection of cuisine for their many customers.

Though it might be due to the game's amiable aesthetic, the Fish and Chips dish could be the most visually appealing food present in the game. Introduced in the 3-1 level, the Fish and Chips are adorable in design, causing them to resemble a dessert more than a dinner.

10 Goat Cheese Wheel

Skyrim

Though the idea of devouring an entire cheese wheel in any scenario sounds questionable, the protagonist of Skyrim will usually opt to do so whenever given the chance. As one of the best sources of health restoration in the game, the Goat Cheese Wheel is a highly sought-after substance for all those who dwell in its world.

Being nothing more than a cylindrical-shaped block, it is difficult to understand why it looks as tasty as it does. Perhaps its easy availability alongside its health benefits and warm color is what makes it so appealing.

11 Fowlburger

Grand Theft Auto 4

Introduced in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the option to eat was one of the game's more impractical features. With health pickups spread largely throughout the world, opting for a bite to eat during a shootout should be the last thing on the player's mind.

Grand Theft Auto 4 allowed the player to purchase fast food whenever they liked, with the unfortunately named Fowlburger garnishing the most attention. Available to purchase from Cluckin' Bell, the Fowlburger was seemingly nothing more than a regular burger, but watching Niko as he horses it down can easily make the player jealous.

12 Butterscotch Pie

Undertale

Baked by Toriel, a loving creature with motherly instincts, the Butterscotch Pie is one of the most delicious-looking foodstuffs present in Undertale. Toriel offers to create this mouth-watering delicacy after inviting Frisk, a young boy who wandered into the Underworld, to her home.

Undertale's delightful aesthetic is more than likely the primary reason why this slice of pie seems so tasty. Its two-dimensional nature should restrict it to being nothing more than a few pixels and colors, but fans would disagree. Baked with loving hands, the Butterscotch Pie is a treat to look at, so imagine how it tastes.

13 Chocolate Frogs

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone

Set in a fictional world where eating live animals causes them no pain, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone uses chocolate frogs as one of Harry's main means of regenerating health. Spread throughout the vast land of Hogwarts, these unsuspecting frogs wait patiently for the boy who lived to come and devour them.

Though some may shudder at the thought of eating these living creatures, it is hard to ignore how tasty they look. Made entirely out of chocolate, these frog-shaped creatures may be the tastiest-looking treats in the Harry Potter universe.