Men's Health September 18, 2026 0 Comments

Unlock the Secrets Behind the 10 Best Video Game Movies That Surprised Everyone — Are You Ready to Be Blown Away?

In the sprawling universe of intellectual property, video games have long stood as an uncharted wilderness begging for exploration. Hollywood’s incessant hunt for fresh, standalone stories has landed squarely in the vibrant world of gaming—a realm that’s been flourishing like never before, especially as the superhero film craze shows signs of fatigue. But here’s the kicker: Why has it historically been such a mission impossible to translate the electric thrill of playing a video game into a compelling movie or TV series? Is it the simplicity of the game plots, the challenge of crafting rich characters, or something else entirely? Well, buckle up, because with powerhouse adaptations like The Last of Us, Fallout, and the latest Resident Evil, it’s clear that the tide has turned. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill, forgettable flops anymore; they are prestige projects that prove video games can conquer the screen as much as they do the console. So, grab your controller and dive into our celebration of the top ten video game adaptations that truly hit the mark—each one a testament to the magic that happens when gaming meets storytelling brilliance. LEARN MORE

7 min read

IN THE WORLD of intellectual property, video games feel like the last great frontier. As Hollywood looks for new material that can stand alone outside other franchise and IP fare, the expansive, booming gaming industry has become a veritable goldmine for studios to explore, especially over the last decade or so as comic book and superhero films have waxed and waned.

For a while, it felt like adapting a game into a movie or television series could only result in a failed project. It turns out it’s hard to adapt these kinds of titles when most of the story is either simplistic in its execution or not deep enough to support the kind of deep characterization needed to engage audiences. No matter, with projects like The Last of Us, Fallout, and even Zach Cregger’s brand new adaptation of Resident Evil, prestige gaming adaptations are here and here to stay.

In honor of the aforementioned Resident Evil, we’re celebrating the ten best video game adaptations of all time. Doesn’t matter if it’s film or TV, as long as it communicates the feeling of what it’s like to either play the game it’s based on, tell a compelling story using the settings of its world, or provide memorable characters, it’s up for inclusion on this list. So grab your controller, press start, and check out our full list of picks below.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2024)

Universal

Now that the fervor over the Chris Pratt casting has calmed down, can we admit that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is pretty fun? After the original 1993 film failed, Nintendo smartly realized the best way forward for the iconic plumber was the animated route, which brought the cotton candy-colored worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom to life. Directors

Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, alongside writer Matthew Fogel, refashioned the game’s threadbare narrative into a personal tale that smartly fashioned Luigi as the damsel in distress and Mario as an in-over-his-head hero who has to figure out how to save the day. Gorgeously animated by the folks at Illumination, The Super Mario Bros. Movie proved that the beloved character could, in fact, have a second life on the silver screen when executed in a way that’s better-suited to the original material.

Watch It Here

Arcane (2021 – 2024)

Netflix

Hero-based games like Overwatch or League of Legends often draw fan excitement and attachment because each hero’s personality shines through in the gameplay. French animation studio Fortiche took that a step further with Arcane, leveraging the tragic story of two sisters, Jinx (Hailee Steinfeld) and Vi (Ella Purnell), into something that absolutely transcended its (admittedly) bare-bones source material. As the women end up falling out and falling into two opposing sides of a major conflict, Fortiche’s painterly animation style renders the tragedy with the heart-wrenching drama it deserves. Arcane is more than just a great gaming series; it’s a great series—full stop.

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Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, and 3 (2020, 2022, 2024)

Paramount

Yes, I’m cheating. No, I don’t care. The trio of Sonic the Hedgehog movies has gotten more and more willing to wear the humor, silliness, and action of its storied history on its sleeve with each passing and subsequent installment. Stacked with a truly wild cast that includes Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Idris Elba, and Keanu Reeves (!!!), the series keeps getting better with each entry, leading into the soon-to-be-released fourth movie, which will add Kristen Bell to the mix as Amy. That’s to say nothing of Jim Carrey, who, despite public claims that he’s going to retire, continually returns for each new entry, walking away with the movies each and every time. Imagine what may have happened with these films if Ugly Sonic had actually come to fruition.

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Werewolves Within (2021)

IFC Fillms

Adapted by Josh Ruben of CollegeHumor fame, Werewolves Within draws its narrative from an Ubisoft virtual reality game of the same name, which was, at the end of the day, a fancy version of Mafia. But under Ruben’s direction, Within becomes an exceedingly clever horror comedy that toes the line between both genres without sacrificing one for the other, just like how Clue managed mystery and comedy in equal measure. Plus, it’s a great comedic showcase for some beloved performers like Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, Harvey Guillén, and Michaela Watkins. Fire Werewolves Within up this Halloween if it’s somehow escaped your watch list.

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A Minecraft Movie (2025)

Warner Bros.

You can’t deny the cultural force that is A Minecraft Movie. Adapted from the omnipresent game created by Mojang Studios, the Jared Hess-helmed film became a legitimately overwhelming cultural event upon release—especially for those who have grown up playing the exploration and build-crafting game since its release in 2011. With its charming cast that includes Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Hansen, and Jennifer Coolidge, A Minecraft Movie often feels like an Internet meme come to life. But if that’s what it takes to get younger folks to the movies, I’ll take all the Chicken Jockies in the world.

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Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)

Warner Bros.

Sure, Pokémon existed on TV and even in cinematic form long before Detective Pikachu, but the Rob Letterman-directed movie has the distinction (and difficulty) of telling an original Pokémon story. Pikachu sets a strong bar for how it handled the hybrid approach to live-action and CGI creatures, rendering a world where Pokémon looked and felt real. That’s a trickier approach than it seems on paper, and it’s supported by a clever premise and a legitimately inspired performance by Ryan Reynolds, who turns down the dial on the fourth-wall-breaking persona that’s come to define so much of his Deadpool-era works. While it’s geared more towards kids, that doesn’t make it any less entertaining or fun to watch.

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Gangs of London (2020 – )

AMC

There’s a non-zero chance you may not have known that Gangs of London started out as a video game, let alone that it was a title on the PlayStation Portable system, let alone that it’s actually the third (!) installment in the (then) long-running The Getaway franchise. Nevertheless, filmmaker Gareth Evans—he of The Raid and The Raid 2 fame—adapted the game into a critically beloved Sky series in the UK, which airs here in the US on AMC+. The show follows the, well, titular gangs of London as they all jockey for power in The Big Smoke’s criminal underworld. Kinetic and action-packed, it’s absolutely worth watching for its action sequences alone, the majority of which are helmed and overseen by Evans himself.

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Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022 – )

Netflix

There was very much a reality in which having any sort of Cyberpunk-related media might have felt like you were being punked. The much-anticipated game, Cyberpunk 2077, arrived with a litany of technical errors that rendered the game’s release a disaster and made the franchise a punchline. That is, until game developer CD Projekt RED vowed to do right by its audience and pour a significant investment of time and money into fixing the game. As CDPR worked on fixing the game, the Netflix release of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime was so well-received that it actually drove sales of the game as a result. The series focuses on a street kid named David Martinez who begins a rags-to-riches tale as he ascends the ranks of Night City’s criminal underworld to become a legendary mercenary, or edgerunner. Animated by legendary studio Trigger, the story pulls no punches in depicting the brutality and difficulty of survival in the world of Cyberpunk, while also introducing and developing an iconic cast of characters who stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the game’s protagonists. With a second season on the way later in 2026, it’s going to be hard to resist taking another visit back to Night City, whether in game or show form.

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The Last of Us (2023 – )

HBO

HBO’s famed and beloved adaptation of the famed and beloved PlayStation game is just as heart-wrenching, action-packed, character-driven, and compelling as its original pixeled source material. Showrun by Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin, the series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they survive in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by scary, fungus-based zombies and even more terrifying humans, driven to the brink to make it through the day. The show and the game are near one-to-one adaptations, but the show has a bit more pace and space to expand on the original narrative, providing staggering standalone episodes like season one’s “Long, Long Time” among others. No list worth its salt would be complete with The Last of Us; here’s to hoping the upcoming third season is just as compelling as what’s come before.

Fallout (2024 – )

Amazon Prime

Prime Video’s smash adaptation of Fallout is one of the few titles on its list that’s actually using the property to advance the in-world narrative. The long-running Bethesda Games series takes quite a while to produce, so while fans wait for the next game, the show unfurls all kinds of fun, engaging developments. But it also stands alone for how it smartly adapts and translates the surreal humor and violence of its post-apocalyptic world, anchored by a truly stellar cast led by Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, and others, alongside great humor and a staggering production design that brings the world gamers have spent so much time exploring to life.

William Goodman is a freelancer writer, focused on all things pop culture, tech, gadgets, and style. He’s based in Washington, DC and his work can also be found at Robb Report, Complex, and GQ. He’s yet to meet a jacket or cardigan he didn’t love. In his free time, he’s probably on Twitter (@goodmanw) or at the movies.