This page is a list of film adaptations of video games. These include local, national, international, direct-to-video and TV releases, and (in certain cases) online releases. They include their scores on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the region in which they were released (for foreign adaptations), approximate budget, their approximate box office revenue (for theatrical releases), distributor of the film, and the publisher of the original game at the time the film was made (this means that publishers may change between two adaptations of the same game or game series, such as ''

Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a ...

''). Also included are short films, cutscene films (made up of cutscenes and cinematics from the actual games), documentaries with video games as their subjects and films in which video games play a large part (such as ''

Tron ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action- adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer ...

'' or ''

WarGames ''WarGames'' is a 1983 American science fiction techno-thriller film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film, which stars Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, and Ally Sheedy, follow ...

''). Many films based on video games have often received generally mixed-to-negative reviews, often for their screenplays, casting choices, and lack of originality or loyalty to the source material. From 2019 to 2022, only four video game films had a "fresh" (60% or above) rating on Rotten Tomatoes: ''

The Angry Birds Movie 2 ''The Angry Birds Movie 2'' is a 2019 computer-animated action comedy film based on Rovio Entertainment's '' Angry Birds'' video game series, produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, and Rovio Animation, and distributed by Sony Pi ...

'' (2019), '' Detective Pikachu'' (2019), ''

Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers m ...

'' (2020), and ''

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 1992 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. It follows Sonic as he attempts to stop Doctor Eggman from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his space stationnamed The Death Egg. Like the first ''S ...

'' (2022). However, '' Werewolves Within'' (2021) became the best-reviewed film based on a video game. In the video game film adaptation box office, only five films had a tremendous box office gross with more than $400 million worldwide as of July 2022; ''Warcraft'' (2016), '' Rampage'' (2018), ''Detective Pikachu'' (2019), ''

Uncharted ''Uncharted'' is an action-adventure video game franchise published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. Created by Amy Hennig, the ''Uncharted'' franchise follows a group of treasure hunters who travel across th ...

'' (2022), and ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' (2022).

Theatrical releases

English-language

Live-action

Animated

Japanese

Live-action

Animated

Mandarin/Cantonese

Live-action

Animated

Television films

Direct-to-video

Live-action

Animation

Short films

Listed below are original short films produced, commissioned or licensed from a game publisher.

Documentaries on video games

Theatrical releases

Television

Other releases

Films with plots centered on video games

* ''

'' (1982) – Kevin Flynn, an

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade vi ...

designer, gets sucked into the video game world he created and has to fight his way back to the real world. * ''

Nightmares A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...

'' (1983) – The segment "Bishop of Battle" stars

Emilio Estevez Emilio Estevez (; born May 12, 1962) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the son of actor Martin Sheen and the older brother of Charlie Sheen. Emilio Estevez started his career as an actor and is known for being a member of the acting Br ...

as a video game wizard who breaks into the arcade at night to get to the 13th level, in doing so he becomes part of the game. * ''

'' (1983) – Computer hacker breaks into military intelligence computer to play games, which almost starts a thermonuclear war. * '' Joysticks'' (1983) – When a top local businessman and his two bumbling nephews try to shut down the town's only video arcade, arcade employees and patrons fight back. * '' Cloak & Dagger'' (1984) – A young boy has secret plans given to him in the form of a video game cartridge, which he must protect from spies. * ''

The Last Starfighter ''The Last Starfighter'' is a 1984 American space opera film directed by Nick Castle. The film tells the story of Alex Rogan ( Lance Guest), a teenager recruited by an alien defense force to fight in an interstellar war. It also features Robe ...

'' (1984) – A boy, who is very good at a video game in his trailer park, finds himself recruited to be a pilot for an alien defense force just like the game he plays. * ''

The Dungeonmaster ''The Dungeonmaster'' (originally ''Ragewar: The Challenges of Excalibrate'' and ''Digital Knights'') is a 1984 American anthology fantasy film produced by Charles Band, and is split up into seven distinct story segments, each written and direct ...

'' (1985) – A computer whiz is drawn into a series of realistic simulations by a demonic wizard who considers him a worthy adversary. Armed with his wrist-mounted X-CaliBR8 computer, he must solve the puzzles and rescue his girlfriend. * ''

Hollywood Zap ''Hollywood Zap!'' is a 1986 American comedy film written and directed by Canadian filmmaker David Cohen (no relation to David X. Cohen) and distributed by Troma Entertainment, a company known for its low-budget exploitation films. In the film, ...

'' (1986) – Tucker Downs tires of his boring job selling bras to fat ladies in Mississippi and heads for Hollywood to look for his long lost father. En route, Downs hooks up with wasted video game addict/hustler Ben Frank who is seeking a title match with "The Zap," holder of the record score in

Zaxxon is an isometric shooter arcade game, developed and released by Sega in 1982, in which the player pilots a ship through heavily defended space fortresses. Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki is also credited for having worked on the de ...

. * '' Kung Fu Master'' (1988) – A love story between a 40-year-old woman ( Jane Birkin) and a 15-year-old boy addicted to the arcade game '' Kung-Fu Master''. Directed by

Agnès Varda Agnès Varda (; born Arlette Varda; 30 May 1928 – 29 March 2019) was a Belgian-born French film director, screenwriter, photographer, and artist. Her pioneering work was central to the development of the widely influential French New Wave film ...

. * '' The Wizard'' (1989) – A boy with mental problems decides to run away to compete in a video game contest and his brother helps him hitchhike to the tournament. Features numerous NES video games, primarily ''

Super Mario Bros. 3 ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released for home consoles in Japan on October 23, 1988, in North America on February 12, 1990 and in Europe on ...

'' before its American release. * ''

The Lawnmower Man "The Lawnmower Man" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the May 1975 issue of ''Cavalier'' and later included in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''. Plot summary Harold Parkette is in need of a new lawn mowing service. The ...

'' (1992) – A mentally handicapped man is turned into a genius through the application of computer science and

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), edu ...

. * ''

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

'' (1993) – A teenager has to battle inside of a deadly virtual reality video game, in order to save her friends. * '' Brainscan'' (1994) – A teenager is sent a mysterious computer game that uses hypnosis to make the game the most horrifying experience imaginable. He stops playing, only to find evidence that the murders depicted in the game actually happened. * ''

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...

'' (1997) – A computer game designer, finds that his latest video game has a virus which has given consciousness to the main character of the game, Solo. * '' eXistenZ'' (1999) – plot centered around a virtual reality game. * '' How to Make a Monster'' (2001) – An evil video game comes to life and hunts the group of developers. * ''

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

'' (2001) –

Science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

film centered on a war-themed, virtual reality MMO under the same title. Directed by

Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including '' Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), '' Angel's Egg'' (1985) ...

. * '' Game Over'' (2003) – Uses footage from five different

Digital Pictures Digital Pictures was an American video game developer founded in 1991 by Lode Coen, Mark Klein, Ken Melville, Anne Flaut-Reed, Kevin Welsh and Tom Zito. The company originated from an attempt to produce a game for the failed VHS-based NEMO g ...

games. * '' Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over'' (2003) – Carmen Cortez is caught in a virtual reality game designed by their new nemesis, the Toymaker. Juni, her little brother, goes into the game to save her as well as beta players and the world. * '' GameBox 1.0'' (2004) – A video game tester must fight to escape from a video game that has become all too real. * Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005) - Features a MMORPG based on the

Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's 1986 novella ''The Hellbound Heart''. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. Its plot invol ...

mythology. * '' Grandma's Boy'' (2006) – A 35-year-old game tester develops a game in secret only to have someone at work try to steal it. * '' Stay Alive'' (2006) – Friends start dying just like they did in a video game they all played. * ''

Ben X ''Ben X'' is a 2007 Belgian-Dutch drama film based on the novel '' Nothing Was All He Said (Dutch: Niets Was Alles Wat Hij Zei)'' by Nic Balthazar, who also directed the film. The film is about a boy with Asperger syndrome (played by Greg Timmer ...

'' (2007) – The main character Ben is an autistic boy obsessed with an

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

called '' ArchLord''. He plays the game to escape being bullied and has one online friend named Scarlite. He considers suicide until he meets Scarlite in person. * '' Press Start'' (2007) – Average suburban youth Zack Nimbus is recruited by an ill-tempered ninja and a tough-as-nails space soldier to save the world from a tyrannical, but comically insecure, sorcerer. References to many classic video games. * '' WarGames: The Dead Code'' (2008) – is a sequel to the 1983 thriller film WarGames. * ''

Gamer A gamer is a proactive hobbyist who plays interactive games, especially video games, tabletop role-playing games, and skill-based card games, and who plays for usually long periods of time. Some gamers are competitive, meaning they routin ...

'' (2009) – A man has to save humanity from being enslaved by an MMO. * ''

Assault Girls is a 2009 Japanese science fiction action live-action feature film written and directed by Mamoru Oshii. It was released in Japan on December 19, 2009. The movie was developed as a spiritual sequel to the '' Assault Girl: Hinako The Kentucky'' an ...

'' (2009) – Three girls in an MMO team up to win a boss battle. Directed by

. * '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'' (2010) – Action comedy film rife with video game references and plot

conceit An extended metaphor, also known as a conceit or sustained metaphor, is the use of a single metaphor or analogy at length in a work of literature. It differs from a mere metaphor in its length, and in having more than one single point of contact bet ...

similar to

fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as blocking, grappling, counter-attacking, and chaining atta ...

s. * '' Tron: Legacy'' (2010) – Kevin Flynn's son Sam finds his missing father in a new version of the virtual game world and has a similar journey as his father did fighting to get back to reality. * ''

Black Heaven , also referred to as ''The Legend of Black Heaven'' and ''Kacho-Ōji'', is a Japanese anime television series conceptualized by Hiroki Hayashi and produced by Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer LDC Inc., AIC and A.P.P.P. It is directed by Yasuhit ...

'' (2010) – An innocent young man becomes enamored with a mysterious girl. He is lured into "Black Hole" – a dark, obscure video game world of avatars with deadly serious intentions in the real world. * '' RPG: Metanoia'' (2010) * '' Ra.One'' (2011) – Indian

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...

superhero film A superhero film (or superhero movie) is a film that focuses on the actions of superheroes. Superheroes are individuals who possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature action, advent ...

, where a

video game developer A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...

creates an unstoppable villain for his son which becomes all too real. * '' .hack//The Movie'' (2012) – Japanese

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

film based on ''

.hack ''.hack'' (pronounced "Dot Hack") is a Japanese multimedia franchise that encompasses two projects: Project .hack and .hack Conglomerate. They were primarily created and developed by CyberConnect2, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. ...

'', a franchise of anime, video games,

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

s and

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

that debuted in 2002, about a virtual reality MMORPG. * ''

Wreck-It Ralph ''Wreck-It Ralph'' is a 2012 American Computer-animated film, computer-animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The List of Walt Disney Animation Studios films, 52nd Disney animated f ...

'' (2012) – An

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. '' Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a charact ...

who dreams of being a hero decides to leave his game in order to become one. Features cameos by multiple licensed video game characters like

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...

Ryu is a Japanese masculine given name and family name meaning "dragon", "noble", "prosperous", or "flow". Ryū, Ryu, or ryu may also refer to: Fiction * ''Ryū'' (manga), a 1986 series by Masao Yajima and Akira Oze * , a 1919 book by Ryūnosuke Aku ...

. * '' Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie'' (2014) – Based on the web series of the same name. * ''

Pixels In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device. In most digital display devices, pixels are the sm ...

'' (2015) – When aliens misinterpret video-feeds of

Arcade video game An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an arc ...

s and

console game A console game is a type of video game consisting of images and often sounds generated by a video game console, which are displayed on a television or similar audio-video system, and that can be manipulated by a player. This manipulation usually ...

s as a declaration of war, they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults to fight aliens such as

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

and

Mega Man ''Mega Man'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese science fiction video game franchise created by Capcom, starring a series of robot characters each known by the moniker "Mega Man (character), Mega Man". Mega Man (video game), The original game w ...

. * '' Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale'' (2017) – Japanese anime film based on ''

Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. The series takes place in the then-near future and focuses on protagonists Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki as they play through various vir ...

'', a novel, manga and anime franchise that debuted in 2002, about a virtual reality MMO, with ''Ordinal Scale'' being about an

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be de ...

MMO. * '' Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'' (2017) – Teenagers find a vintage video game version of ''

Jumanji ''Jumanji'' is a 1995 American fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston from a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain. Loosely based on Chris Van Allsburg's picture book of the same name, the film is the first ...

'' and get sucked into its jungle setting. * ''

Ready Player One ''Ready Player One'' is a 2011 science fiction novel, and the debut novel of American author Ernest Cline. The story, set in a dystopia in 2045, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality gam ...

'' (2018) – Based on the 2011 novel of the same name, it is set in a

dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

n future and is about the search for an

easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tr ...

in a virtual reality game. * ''

Ralph Breaks the Internet ''Ralph Breaks the Internet'' is a 2018 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The 57th animated film produced by the studio and the sequel t ...

'' (2018) – Sequel to ''Wreck-It Ralph'', and part of the ''

'' franchise. * '' Serenity'' (2019) – Midway through the film, it is revealed that the story is occurring inside a virtual world. * ''The King's Avatar: For the Glory'' (2019) – animated film based on the Chinese web novel of the same name. * '' Jumanji: The Next Level'' (2019) – Sequel to ''Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle''. * ''

Boss Level ''Boss Level'' is a 2020 American science fiction action film directed by Joe Carnahan and written by Carnahan and Chris and Eddie Borey, from a story by the Boreys. It stars Frank Grillo as a retired special forces soldier who tries to escape a ...

'' (2021) – A retired soldier is trapped in a never-ending

time loop The time loop or temporal loop is a plot device in fiction whereby characters re-experience a span of time which is repeated, sometimes more than once, with some hope of breaking out of the cycle of repetition. The term "time loop" is sometimes us ...

that repeatedly results in his death. It adapts video game tropes in film format. * ''

Free Guy ''Free Guy'' is a 2021 American science fiction action comedy film directed and produced by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, and a story by Lieberman. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Ut ...

'' (2021) – Guy, a

non-player character A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster ...

, becomes aware of his world being a video game called Free City. * ''

8-Bit Christmas ''8-Bit Christmas'' is a 2021 American Christmas comedy film directed by Michael Dowse, from a screenplay by Kevin Jakubowski based upon his novel of the same name. It stars Neil Patrick Harris, Winslow Fegley, June Diane Raphael, David Cross, an ...

'' (2021) * ''

Choose or Die ''Choose or Die'' (formerly titled ''CURS>R'') is a 2022 British horror thriller film directed by Toby Meakins in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Iola Evans, Asa Butterfield, Robert Englund and Eddie Marsan. ''Choose or Die'' was ...

'' (2022)

References

Notes Footnotes

External links

Video game adaptation comparison
at

Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo is an American website that tracks box-office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. The site was founded in 1998 by Brandon Gray, and was bought in 2008 by IMDb, which itself is owned by Amazon. History Brandon Gray be ...

Theatrical releases

English-language

Live-action

Animated

Japanese

Live-action

Animated

Mandarin/Cantonese

Live-action

Animated

Television films

Direct-to-video

Live-action

Animation

Short films

Documentaries on video games

Theatrical releases

Television

Other releases

Films with plots centered on video games

See also

References

External links