Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
Ghost of Yotei gameplay showing Atsu sitting on her horse between bright pink cherry blossoms, looking at a distant fortification built against a mountain
Open World Games Best open world games to play in 2026 and completely forget real life exists
Best Ps5 games
Games Best PS5 games: The 25 greatest PlayStation 5 games in 2026, ranked
Peak
Co-op Games Peak devs originally borrowed from Zelda Breath of the Wild's climbing, but "everything changed" 1 week into development
Mass Effect 2 - Garrus
Adventure Games The 25 best video game stories of all-time
A header image for the Best Games 2026 list with a GamesRadar+ logo, showing Pokemon Pokopia, Romeo is a Dead Man, Demon Tides, and Resident Evil Requiem
Games The best games to play in 2026, so far
Peak
Co-op Games Xbox lead says the "return to fun" we've seen from games like Peak makes him "hopeful" for the industry
A picture of a Nintendo 3DS console next to several of the best 3DS games and Nintendo cards.
Games The 25 best Nintendo 3DS games of all time
Ghost of Yotei screenshot of Atsu with her arms raised as she wields a katana
Open World Games I wish I'd learned to read Ghost of Yotei's open world before I got lost in it
Tom, recently saved from drowning, looks groggily up at Jerry in a Tom and Jerry cartoon
Games Shigeru Miyamoto said Tom and Jerry's cartoon reality was "vital fuel" for Nintendo's early games
Light No Fire
Survival Games No Man's Sky player discovers new planet that looks a whole lot like Hello Games' upcoming survival sandbox
Ghost of Yotei
Open World Games After 70 hours with Ghost of Yotei before the game even launched, it's now my only platinum trophy of 2025
Best of 2025: open world games, featuring Ghost of Yotei
Open World Games From Assassins Creed Shadows to Pokemon Legends: Z-A, here are the best open world games of 2025 that will take you to new heights
Big Walk
Games 6 years after Untitled Goose Game's viral success, its devs seek solace in a chill co-op puzzler
Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda Forget another Ocarina of Time remake – Nintendo needs to get weird with Zelda's 40th anniversary
Fatal Frame: Crimson Butterfly 2 remake screenshot showing protagonist twins Mio and Mayu Amakura who both have shoulder length dark hair
Fatal Frame It was niche and nearly forgotten, but horror fans begged devs for a Fatal Frame 2 remake and got it
  1. Games

9 iconic video game skies, 'artistically' improved with wolf-moons

Features
By David Houghton published 14 January 2015

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

A modern classic

A modern classic

Of all the new art spawned by human minds over the last decade, the legendary three-wolf moon is perhaps the most affecting. Powerful, poignant, rousing, and not at all tacky enough to make a person's eyes burst, its early, not at all ironic success as an Amazon top-selling t-shirt has spawned a bona fide cultural phenomenon. Everyone worships the moon-wolf. All aspire to its natural, raw emotion and endlessly yearning purity.

So many games these days claim to be artistic, to contain depth and meaning beyond the mere pushing of buttons and killing of baddoes. But without moon-wolves and wolf-moons, all are mere charlatans. Shallows jokes in comparison. So I've decided to improve them by adding that which they lack. Click on. You'll see. Spellbound, you'll be, spellbound.

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
Batman: Arkham Asylum

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Because sometimes, standing alone on a rooftop, staring grimly into the night just isn't poignant enough on its own.

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Grand Theft Auto 5

Grand Theft Auto 5

A skyline to make any Mirror Park-listening hipster weep with ironic joy.

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Twilight Princess cross-over confirmed!

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky

I sort of hate to do this to such a beautiful game, especially before it's out, but any game whose screenshots contain so damn many moons is asking for it.

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat

Perform a double-flawless followed by a Fatality when a wolf howls at the moon in order to unlock secret character, Lupine. Don't worry though, he'll be in the main roster in part two.

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
Portal 2

Portal 2

Still alive. And howling.

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Destiny

Destiny

Because even if you're an ambiguous, silent, interstellar entity of unknown origin, hovering in vigil above the last human city in the galaxy, you can always be a bit more poetic if you put in the effort.

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
To the Moon

To the Moon

Surely a wolf-moon can only make such a game even more heartfelt and emotional? Oh sorry, it can utterly wreck it too? Oh right. Let's click on then...

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
Ghouls 'n' Ghosts

Ghouls 'n' Ghosts

LOL THE OTHER KIND OF MOON LOL IT IS A JOKE

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
That's no moon...

That's no moon...

So those are my current efforts in making video games more legitimately artistic. But what about you? Are there any other video game skies you think are just begging for the awe and majesty that only a wolf-moon can impart? Let me know.

And while you're here, why not check out some of our other, ridiculous, Photoshop whims. I'm a particular fan of 12 game characters face-swapped with Nic Cage, myself, and I'm also rather partial to Solid Snake doing mundane, everyday jobs.

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Wii U Nintendo PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms
David Houghton
David Houghton
Social Links Navigation
Former GamesRadar+ Features Writer

Former (and long-time) GamesRadar+ writer, Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Read more
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild blood moon in a red sky
The Legend of Zelda A total lunar eclipse will cause a real blood moon tonight, exactly 9 years after Zelda: Breath of the Wild's blood moon
 
 
Coven of the Chicken Foot gameplay screenshot
Adventure Games Ex-Naughty Dog director says Zelda: Wind Waker was the main inspiration for his new game's art style
 
 
The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword screenshot
The Legend of Zelda Challenges in emulating Zelda titles demonstrates the series' knack for reinvention
 
 
Mass Effect 2 - Garrus
Adventure Games The 25 best video game stories of all-time
 
 
Arc Raiders automaton medical vendor Lance
RPGs Arc Raiders and The Alters would have been my GOTY picks, until I discovered the depressing thing they have in common
 
 
Cabernet screenshot
Games Vampire games were neglected in 2025, but that only proves my point: this was the year of the underdog bloodsucker
 
 
Latest in Games
A character in power armor talks to Dogmeat in Fallout 4
Fallout Bethesda vets "wouldn't be surprised" if Fallout 5 was outsourced
 
 
Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy 1,200 hours in, Final Fantasy 14 fan trying to beat the MMO under RuneScape's Ironman rules clears biggest obstacle yet
 
 
A woman in a underwater machine waving during the cinematic teaser for Subnautica 2.
Survival Games Fired Subnautica 2 CEO must be reinstated, judge rules, and "may proceed with the early access"
 
 
Leon exits his Porsche into streets at night in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem's Leon actor doesn't know who he's married to either
 
 
Crimson Desert
Games PSSR 2 is finally here, and the tech promises a big PS5 Pro upgrade for Crimson Desert this week
 
 
Kora in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Monster Hunter Monster Hunter Stories 3 hits a record player count on Steam for Capcom's cozier spin-off RPG series
 
 
Latest in Features
Future Games Show
Games Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2026
 
 
Artwork showing Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, a remake of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, with protagonist Edward Kenway looking out from the side of ship
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced – Everything you need to know about the Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake
 
 
The Talking Flower toy sitting next to its box.
Toys & Collectibles The Super Mario Talking Flower told me the "ocean tastes like tears" but I like this Nintendo toy
 
 
Resident Evil accessories and merch on a forest background
Toys & Collectibles It's been 30 years since we first entered the Spencer Mansion, so I'm building the ultimate Resident Evil starter kit
 
 
A still from Kiki's Delivery Service featuring Kiki and her feline familiar Jiji flying on a broom with some seagulls, with a Big Screen Spotlight logo ini the corner
Anime Movies Kiki's Delivery Service's return to theaters proves we need hand-drawn animation now more than ever
 
 
In Collector's Cove, the collector protagonist who has short brown hair and wears a jumper with cherries on it hugs the Fable Fin companion who wears a witch hat. GamesRadar+'s Indie Spotlight series logo can be seen in the top right-hand corner
Adventure Games If you're feeling Pokemon Pokopia FOMO, this farming adventure lets you explore on the back of a Lapras-like companion
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. A character in power armor talks to Dogmeat in Fallout 4
    1
    Bethesda vets "wouldn't be surprised" if Fallout 5 was outsourced
  2. 2
    Exclusive: Jhin joins Riftbound with absurdly powerful cards
  3. 3
    Resident Evil Requiem's Leon actor doesn't know who he's married to either
  4. 4
    1,200 hours in, Final Fantasy 14 fan trying to beat the MMO under RuneScape's Ironman rules clears biggest obstacle yet
  5. 5
    The best new shows and movies streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, and more (Mar 16–Mar 22)

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...