Driver: Miami to San Francisco

In the first Driver, Miami is where Tanner arrives and proves his driving in a parking garage before becoming the gangsters' getaway driver. Driver 3 brings Tanner and Jones back to investigate the "South Beach" cartel headed by Calita Martinez. The real Ocean Drive runs through South Beach, the neighbourhood the cartel is named after. It is known for its Art Deco hotels, bars and restaurants, and forms the centre of the Miami Art Deco District, which contains about 900 preserved buildings. Many of these places have appeared in films.

Location precision: The game recreates Miami as a whole and names South Beach; the pin marks Ocean Drive at its centre.

Visitor guidance: Ocean Drive is a public street through South Beach, lined with Art Deco hotels, bars and restaurants.

In Driver, Castaldi's syndicate moves to Los Angeles, where Castaldi plans to assassinate FBI agent Bill Maddox. The city is one of four in the original game, each only partially faithful to its real layout. The real Los Angeles is the most populous city in California and the commercial, financial and cultural centre of Southern California. It is also the oldest and one of the largest hubs of film and television production, despite a decline in film production. The game turns the city into a condensed driving playground rather than a street-by-street replica.

Location precision: The game condenses Los Angeles into a drivable map; the pin marks the city centre.

The syndicate moves to New York, where Castaldi plans a high-profile assassination. In the finale, Tanner learns the target is the President of the United States; tasked with driving the President's car, he ignores instructions and takes the President to safety. The real New York is the most populous city in the US, spread across five boroughs. It also leads the world in urban automobile traffic congestion. The game's New York is a condensed map, and the pin marks Manhattan rather than a single chase location.

Location precision: The game condenses New York into a drivable map; the pin marks Manhattan.

In Driver 2, the officers track Lenny to Havana, where Tanner disrupts Vasquez's operations before Lenny escapes by ship. The real Havana is Cuba's capital and largest city, and its coast is lined by the Malecón, an 8 km esplanade, roadway and seawall. Construction began in 1901 to protect the city from the sea. Old Havana, at the eastern end, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. The game recreates the whole city; the pin marks the seafront rather than a specific mission address.

Location precision: The game recreates Havana as a whole; the pin marks the Malecón seafront.

Visitor guidance: The Malecón is a public seafront; walk it from Old Havana towards Vedado.

In Driver 2, Tanner travels to Las Vegas with Jones to negotiate a truce with Caine. While there he uses his driving skills to assist Caine's operations, eventually destroying Vasquez's supply depot. The real Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. It is about 4.2 miles long, runs through the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester, and holds many of the largest hotel casino and resort properties in the world. The pin marks the Strip, not one casino.

Location precision: The game recreates Las Vegas as a whole; the pin marks the middle of the Strip.

Visitor guidance: The Strip is a public road; most of the resorts and casinos along it are open to visitors.

Driver 2's climax takes place in Rio de Janeiro, at the base of the Christ the Redeemer statue; Caine has learned that both Lenny and Vasquez are in the city. The real statue is an Art Deco figure of Jesus, 30 metres high with arms stretching 28 metres wide, standing on the 700-metre Corcovado mountain in Tijuca National Park. It opened on 12 October 1931 and overlooks Rio. The game stages its final scene here, making the statue the one exact landmark in Brazil.

Visitor guidance: The statue is in Tijuca National Park above Rio; check opening times before going.

In Driver 3, the South Beach cartel relocates to Nice after The Gator's presumed demise, to secure the remaining cars on its list. Tanner works with Interpol there and rushes to rescue Dubois after the cartel captures him. The real Promenade des Anglais runs for about 7 km along the Mediterranean coast of Nice, from the airport to the Quai des États-Unis. It is popular with cyclists, families, skateboarders and in-line skaters. The pin marks the promenade, since the game recreates Nice as a whole.

Location precision: The game recreates Nice as a whole; the pin marks the Promenade des Anglais.

Visitor guidance: The promenade is a public seafront walk, popular with cyclists and skaters.

Driver 3 ends in Istanbul. Learning that Jericho will likely leave by train, Tanner cuts him off, forcing him to flee through the streets; cornered in an alleyway, Tanner is shot when he turns his back. The real Istanbul is Turkey's largest city, spread across two continents, with about two-thirds of its people in Europe and the rest in Asia. Its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The game recreates the whole city, so the pin marks Istanbul rather than the nameless final alley.

Location precision: The game recreates Istanbul as a whole; the pin marks the city centre.

Visitor guidance: The historic centre and waterfront are open to visitors; the city spans both sides of the Bosphorus.

Driver: San Francisco recreates the city, Marin County and Oakland, including the Golden Gate and San Francisco–Oakland Bay bridges. Jericho stages a breakout from his prison convoy on the day of his trial; Tanner falls into a coma, and the story unfolds in a dream world where he can Shift into other people's bodies while keeping his own memories and skills. The real Golden Gate Bridge spans the one-mile strait between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific. It opened on 27 May 1937 and has a 1,280 m main span; it carries pedestrians and cyclists as well as traffic.

Visitor guidance: The bridge is open to pedestrians and cyclists as well as vehicles; walk or ride across from the San Francisco side.