New York City is burning. The famous American metropolis is a popular playground for video games, but more for destruction than just admiring its skyscrapers.

The city that never sleeps is often virtually reimagined in the world of video games. Shooter games turn it into a battleground, while others fast forward to the future, transforming it into an apocalyptic wasteland.

See also: 15 Vintage Video Games You Can Play on Your iPhone

Here are six games that have annihilated the Big Apple.

1. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Set 150 years into the future, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is an apocalyptic journey through a destroyed yet ethereally beautiful Earth. Protagonists Trip and Monkey journey to the ruins of New York City, on a mission to get Trip back to her village.

2. Ghostbusters: The Video Game

If there's something strange in your neighborhood, maybe think twice about calling the Ghostbusters.

Based on the comedy of the same name, the game follows three paranormal experts as they run around New York trying to rid the city of ghosts. Sometimes, they do more damage than good, leaving chaos in their wake.

3. Grand Theft Auto IV

Set in the fictional Liberty City, closely modeled after New York, GTA IV is all about wreaking irresponsible havoc, 24/7. Characters run around the city stealing, killing and indulging in their wildest whims. The heart-pumping, open-world game is full of arson attacks, gunfights and car chases.

4. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Originally slated for release in late 2001, stealth action game Metal Gear Solid 2 was bound to virtually annihilate New York City. But when the Sept. 11 terror attacks occurred, the game's developers had to reverse some of MGS' features, including the terrorism-heavy plot and the scenes where half of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty get brutally crushed. One of the characters, Raiden, even had to have his name changed in the game's Japanese version, because it closely resembled "Bin Laden."

But the game still had a little appetite for destruction after that, with characters waging battles all over Manhattan.

5. Rampage: World Tour

Less intense than the other games on this list, Rampage is an arcade-style game where characters run around the world destroying major cities. Naturally, New York is one of them.

Causing the main destruction are three monster characters: a gorilla named George, a Godzilla-like creature named Lizzie and a werewolf named Ralph. Smash your way through major landmarks and skyscrapers with the retro 1997 game.

6. Crysis 3

Like Crysis 2, the third installment in this video game series is set in the city in the semi-distant future of 2047. Swampy and dystopian, New York is transformed into an overgrown, dark wonderland under the rule of a corrupt power.

Main protagonist Prophet sweeps through the streets in the shooter game, seeking to get revenge against CELL, an evil military organization controlling the city.

BONUS: PIXELS

This isn't a real video game, but we wish it were. Artist Patrick Jean created this short film, called PIXELS, in which classic video games such as Pac Man and Tetris are unleashed on the city streets, turning everything into a mess of pixelated rubble.