City at night wallpapers

Night views of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo were among the most linked pictures on the old site. Most were photos by other people, so we don't show them. What makes those pictures work is easy to rebuild, though: thousands of small lights against a dark sky, warm street lamps, a few neon signs and the blur you get when the lens isn't focused on any of them.

The bokeh style below does exactly that. It scatters soft circles of amber, orange, ice blue and pink over a near-black background. Keep the palette warm for old streets under sodium lamps, push it toward blue and white for an office district late at night, or add magenta and cyan for a neon look. The low-poly mountain style with dark blues turns into a skyline-like ridge if you want a horizon.

Dark city wallpapers are kind to tired eyes in the evening and make light icons and widgets stand out. On a dual-monitor or ultrawide setup the lights spread across the whole width like a view from a high window; on a phone, shuffle until the brightest lights gather below the clock.

There are no landmarks or famous buildings drawn here, just the light. Pick the colors of the city you love and it will look like that city to you.