Let’s face it. For every solid video game film, half a dozen feel like they were stitched together straight from a fan wiki. They throw in some green screen and call it done.
But every so often, a gem emerges. A show or movie that gets it.
The best ones bottle the spirit of the game and its fans—without trying to turn Mario into a dark antihero.
Check out this gamer-approved list of the best video game adaptations. It’s made for anyone who’s ever fumed over a bad cutscene or felt grateful for a smooth 22Bit login.
If you’re here to support Minecraft: The Movie, please take a moment to rethink your choices. (I say this with love. But also fire.)
Arcane
Picture League of Legends reimagined as a prestige drama worthy of golden statues.
Imagine a world where a MOBA, known for causing rifts in bot lane, leads to an Emmy-winning animated show.
Arcane is beautifully animated and deeply emotional. Proof that Vi and Jinx’s wild sister act makes my KDA look like a family-friendly bedtime story.
This isn’t a good video game adaptation. This isn’t top-tier for gaming adaptations—it’s one of the greatest animated shows, period.
The Last of Us
Tune in for the spore-ridden apocalypse; stick around for the heartbreak that wrecks you by episode three.
HBO got it right with this one. They adapted a favorite video game story and cast Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. By episode 3, we were all in tears.
Faithful and thoughtful, The Last of Us shows that the true monsters are often the people whom we hurt.
Fallout
Vault 33, but make it yee-haw.
Somehow, Fallout pulled off what few expected. It nailed the games’ mix of grim wasteland, twisted humor, retro-future style, and pure chaos. Yet, it wasn’t a direct adaptation.
Walton Goggins’ irradiated cowboy energy? Peak.
The Brotherhood of Steel struts around like high-budget LARPers—and honestly, it works.
And Lucy? Lucy’s the vault-next-door type you’d happily face down a swarm of radroaches for.
Castlevania
Think gothic anime, generational Dracula baggage, and more blood than a Belmont family reunion.
Netflix’s Castlevania mixes a vampire game with Shakespearean style and a bit of spice.
And they did. Oh, they did.
With awesome voice acting, vivid, gory animation, and a plot that oddly makes Dracula seem sympathetic.
Castlevania turned out to be the brooding vampire love story we never knew we craved.
Werewolves Within
Turns out Ubisoft’s best adaptation came from the project with the least Ubisoft fingerprints.
This horror-comedy film is inspired by a forgotten VR game. It mixes elements of Clue and Hot Fuzz, creating something truly delightful. Everyone wants to play it now!
It’s a whodunit with teeth.
Sam Richardson should be cast more often as the lovable guy who could end up on the werewolves’ menu. Just saying.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
It’s surprisingly good!
After 30 years of forgetting the other Mario movie, Nintendo has given us a colorful animated adventure. It oozes nostalgia and gives us a Jack Black performance that could easily snag a Grammy.
Does it reinvent storytelling? No.
Does it transport you back to being 10, buzzing on Fanta, ready to ruin a friendship with a blue shell? Absolutely.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners — where Night City never shuts down, and neither do the tears.
This neon-soaked anime hit is stylish, brutal, and emotionally gut-wrenching.
Think Studio Trigger chaos poured straight into the neon grit of Cyberpunk 2077. Plus, the soundtrack will hit you hard when you least expect it.
David and Lucy’s arc is arguably even sadder than Cyberpunk’s infamous launch disaster.
The Witcher
Sure, the source material is the novels—but let’s not kid ourselves, the fandom showed up for the games.
Henry Cavill was a gift. Give a coin to that man. Don’t forget the sword choreography, the monsters, and those funny bathtub moments, too.
The Witcher series mixes timelines and wigs, yet it still brings strong fantasy vibes. Plus, there are plenty of Geralt’s grunts to keep fans happy.
Season 1, especially? Chef’s kiss. Season 3? Well… moving on.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Arrive for the creepy animatronics, stay because the doors won’t let you out.
Did this horror flick shatter box office expectations? Absolutely.
Did it leave anyone outside the FNaF lore vortex utterly baffled? Without question.
It’s bizarre, campy, and dripping with cursed Chuck E. Cheese energy. Cheese energy, and exactly what fans want.
Is it the best horror film? Nah.
The real question: is this the peak of animatronic bear nightmares on film? Undoubtedly.
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV
A prequel that somehow dials up the drama beyond the original storyline.
Kingsglaive is beautiful. Genuinely jaw-dropping CGI.
Basically two hours of Sean Bean cutscene energy—always a gamble, for obvious reasons. Sean Bean.
If you haven’t played the game, good luck piecing it together—though even players might be lost. Still, it’s a visual feast that adds emotional depth to FFXV’s world.
Bonus points for the magic parkour.
Once upon a time, video game adaptations were nothing but punchlines.
Now, they’re legitimately some of the best genre content out there.
Studios should choose people who know what made the games great. If they let them be creative, we could enjoy a golden age of adaptations.
Grab your popcorn, controller, and plushie. Forget your Steam queue—your backlog now lives in your streaming watchlist.
What did we miss? Toss your favorite adaptations in the comments—just don’t say Minecraft.
Final Thoughts
Video game adaptations are thriving now. They surprise us and even change how we see great storytelling in the genre. From moving dramas to intense anime, these projects prove that when creators honor the source material and fans, magic happens. And honestly? If this is the new standard, we’re more than ready to hit “continue.”
