

The plot was significantly altered from its original story in the 2016 mod with the setting of a Dwemer ruin being shifted towards that of ancient Rome as well as much as the script being updated and rewritten. The player is able to re-enter the portal they had entered from and restart the time loop if the Golden Rule is ever enacted, allowing them to keep both physical and mental objects such as important items and information. The specific sins that are criteria for the Golden Rule to be enacted are not clear to any resident of the city, with numerous records of contradictions. These gold statues, depicting previous inhabitants and residents, can be heard by seemingly only the player whispering towards them. As the plot progresses and the player continues exploring it's elaborated that the city is under the conditional protection of the gods, where if anyone is to commit sin, all citizens of the city would be equally punished and turned into gold in a system referred to as the Golden Rule (originally Dwarves' Law). As the player explores said ruins, they are sent towards the era of the Roman Empire towards the now-restored city. Karen asks them to look for her friend, Al Worth, who disappeared whilst investigating some nearby ruins.

The game begins with the protagonist waking after being rescued from floating down the Tiber River by a woman named Karen. In both the full 2021 game and the 2016 mod, the story of The Forgotten City explores the existential relationship between humanity and its laws. A cloud-based version launched in September 2021 for the Nintendo Switch.

Initially released in 2016 as a mod, the full game was released in July 2021 for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. It is a full video game adaptation of the critically-acclaimed The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim mod of the same name. The Forgotten City is a mystery adventure role-playing game developed by Australian developer Modern Storyteller and published by Dear Villagers with additional support from Film Victoria.
