Skip to main content

The best video game movies of all time

For as long as video games have existed, film producers have adapted them for the big screen. The rationale behind these decisions is clear, as big-name video game properties have the potential to bring a lot of fans into the theater. But they have seen limited success over the years.

Some video game movie adaptations have managed to capture the spirit of their source material and deliver an exciting take on the franchise. Others, however, have treated the video games as a vague reference point, resulting in underwhelming films that disappointed the average moviegoer, as well as longtime players.

Related Videos

Two newer films, Sonic the Hedgehog and Detective Pikachu, earned top spots on our list, and there is even an animated Super Mario film in the works by the masters at Illumination. It has never been a better time to be a video game movie fan. These are the best video game movies.

Further Reading

1. Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu

The Pokémon anime series never fully translated to the big screen despite countless attempts, but Pikachu couldn’t be kept from box office glory forever. The first live-action Pokémon movie, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, uses brilliantly detailed CG Pokémon alongside humans to create a vibrant world that fans have dreamed of since playing Red and Blue on the original Game Boy. Its noir-mystery story is predictable and just scratches the surface of the universe, but it feels like it was created by longtime fans who grew up as the franchise evolved.

The element that puts it over the top is Ryan Reynolds, who delivers his famous sarcasm and wit at a rapid-fire pace as the titular character. Such an adorable creature having the voice of a grown man never loses its novelty, especially when he has to interrogate another Pokémon during his missing-person investigation.

2. Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider review

Angelina Jolie starred in two big-budget Tomb Raider films as titular hero Lara Croft in 2001 and 2003, but these leaned into the cheesy elements that defined early video games. When Alicia Vikander took over the role for 2018’s Tomb Raider, it was the rebooted, down-to-earth 2013 game that served as source material.

A few of the film’s most harrowing moments were pulled directly from the game, but this was done in a way that felt natural and fitting for the film rather than mere fan service. Vikander fit perfectly into the role of Lara Croft, and she was joined by the always entertaining Walton Goggins as villain Mathias Vogel. A sequel is currently in the early stages of pre-production.

3. Rampage

Rampage Movie

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appears in more than one of the movies on our list, but Rampage is likely the one he’ll want his audience to remember the most. Based on the classic Midway monster arcade game series, it’s just as ridiculous as it needs to be to remain entertaining.

An enormous gorilla is joined by a bizarre wolf-like monster and a sea creature as they cause havoc in a city filled with skyscrapers to climb and destroy, and only Johnson can put a stop to the madness before it’s too late. It’s light on memorable dialogue or storytelling, but it’s dumb fun from beginning to end.

4. Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic Movie

The deck was stacked against Sonic the Hedgehog from the very beginning. The video game series has been mediocre at best in recent years, and picking now to release a new movie felt like a desperate cash grab. When the first trailer revealed a disturbing design for Sonic himself, the internet revolted, leading to Paramount Pictures actually delaying the movie in order to fully redesign the character.

The delay paid off in a big way, as the new Sonic design resembled the game character and had fans optimistic for the final film. That film was made with a younger audience in mind — there are several fart jokes — but it’s carried by energetic performances from James Marsden and Jim Carrey, as well as Ben Schwartz as Sonic himself. References to game mechanics from the Genesis games and other famous characters are sure to please ’90s kids looking for some nostalgic fun, and Sonic doesn’t kiss a single human woman in the whole movie.

5. Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat Movie
Movieclips Classic Trailers

Despite its violence and gory Fatality moves, the Mortal Kombat series has always kept a sense of humor about its seemingly endless battles between good and evil. The original Mortal Kombat film directed by Paul W.S. Anderson was the only piece of live-action Mortal Kombat media to understand this, keeping the flashy action of the games alongside its campy tone.

Putting Christopher Lambert in the role of Raiden — spelled “Rayden” in the film — should tell you all you need to know about it. Oddly, it contains none of the gore of the video games, making it appropriate for slightly younger viewers. It showed that Mortal Kombat’s cheese is not limited to violence alone, and its bizarre mythos can stand on its own. The sequel, however, didn’t seem to understand what made the first film successful, and as the games got better, the adaptations surrounding them, unfortunately, did not.

6. Resident Evil: Damnation

Resident Evil Damnation

The second film in the animated Resident Evil film series, Resident Evil: Damnation sets up the video game Resident Evil 6. The animated films are filled to the brim with action, but this approach works better than when it was done in Capcom’s video games, which rely on elements of quiet tension to enhance the scares.

Prolific voice actor Matthew Mercer stars in the lead role as Leon S. Kennedy, and you’ll also see familiar faces like Ada Wong and the “Tyrant” monster. Unlike the live-action films starring Milla Jovovich, Resident Evil: Damnation feels like it was created by people familiar with the source material, treating the characters with respect rather than using them as mere window dressing for a story that has very little to do with the games’ themes or setting.

7. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Prince of Persia Movie

Among the most notable blockbuster video game films ever produced, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was an odd film from the very beginning. It was based on a game series that had already begun losing popularity in favor of Ubisoft’s newer Assassin’s Creed games, but with an enormous budget and star power from Jake Gyllenhaal, it managed to exist as a successful action movie in its own right.

What helped Prince of Persia succeed where so many others have failed? Aside from its all-star cast, which also included Ben Kingsley, it kept its focus on the high-flying stunts and gorgeous environments at the center of the game series. This gave it the leeway to deviate from the source material when necessary without abandoning it outright.

8. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Final Fantasy Spirits Within

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within had the potential to forever change not just video game adaptations, but the film industry. The CG-animated film was nothing short of gorgeous, blowing away longtime Final Fantasy fans who had become used to the rendered cinematics of the games on PlayStation systems. It also promised to deliver the first artificial actress with Aki Ross.

The voice cast included everyone from Alec Baldwin to Steve Buscemi, but without a satisfying story to tie it all together, it lacked the mass appeal that Square was hoping for. This didn’t stop producers from releasing a Final Fantasy VII companion film later down the line, but the animated movies’ large budgets and lukewarm reception made it easy to see why they didn’t continue for years. After the poorly-received Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, they could be dead for good.

9. Doom

Doom
Movieclips Classic Trailers

If there is one thing that doesn’t matter at all in the Doom franchise, it’s the story. 2016’s rebooted Doom game understood that, and it even thumbed its nose at certain characters’ attempts to explain what was happening. The Doom film tried to make the universe horrifying instead of silly, and we were left with something that felt very unlike the classic PC shooters. It most closely resembles Doom 3, a game that was acclaimed at the time for its technical achievements, but ultimately led to a creative roadblock for the series that would continue for over a decade.

Dwayne Johnson turning into a demon in the film’s closing moments was one of its few bright points, as was a very goofy first-person shooting sequence that was clearly included to appease the series’ fans who were wondering why they paid money to see the movie. A few minutes aren’t enough to save even mediocre movies, however, so perhaps Doom should have gone the Hardcore Henry route and shot the film entirely in first-person.

10. Warcraft

Warcraft Movie

Warcraft has a long and complicated history spanning multiple real-time strategy games, novels, and the mega-successful World of Warcraft. The decision to adapt it to film seemed like an impossible task, but Moon director Duncan Jones did his best by limiting the Warcraft film to the events of the original game.

An enormous clash between Orcs and Humans leaves both civilizations on the brink of collapse, but with the plot jumping around so frequently, we are left with very little reason to care about the heroes on either side. Despite an enormous budget, it’s also downright comical how poor some of the characters look. A half-Orc and half-human woman at the center of the film’s conflict is simply painted green and given tusks, while all other Orcs are computer-generated. Oversized human armor that looked a little silly in the games looks even more ridiculous in the movie, undercutting some of the more dramatic moments.

11. Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter Movie

The only thing the Monster Hunter movie had to do was give a decent reason for giant monsters to exist and for our protagonist to need to hunt them. That’s as much as the games do, and no one complains there. Instead, we get a convoluted story of a military unit from Earth, yes our Earth, that is swept away into an alternate universe full of giant monsters. The only way to get home is to fight through the monsters protecting a place called the Sky Tower, which is the source of the portals between the two dimensions. The movie meanders around for way too long in a very boring location without even a whiff of monster-hunting action.

When the action does start, it does at least look decent. The monsters are big and intimidating, if not a little underwhelming compared to their video game counterparts in terms of actual design, and there’s a decent amount of tribute paid to the source material. The problem is, this is all backloaded into the very ending of the movie, leaving a very lopsided experience.

12. Assassin’s Creed

Assassin's Creed movie review

Assassin’s Creed took a very different approach than Warcraft, but was ultimately met with a similar reception. Rather than adapt one of the games, the film instead told an original story centered around an assassin (played by Michael Fassbender) with ties to an ancestor who lived during the Spanish Inquisition period of the 15th century.

Fassbender starred in both roles, a strange and novel approach, and an all-star cast included actors like Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, and Michael K. Williams. Assassin’s Creed was flashy and fit the tone of the series well, but it also felt wholly detached from the games’ storylines. This resulted in something that was confusing for general audiences, and unnecessary for the games’ fans.

13. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

The original ’90s Street Fighter movie is horrendous, but it’s nothing compared to the mess that is 2009’s Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. The decision to take the popular fighting game franchise into a police drama probably wasn’t the best decision, and the actors look downright confused about how they’re supposed to be playing their characters. Chris Klein at least has some fun hamming it up as Charlie Nash, though you wouldn’t know he’s supposed to be that character unless you hear someone address him as such. At the very least, we got Michael Clarke Duncan as Balrog, so it isn’t a total loss.

14. Alone in the Dark

Alone In The Dark
NecroVMX

German director Uwe Boll has become the stuff of legends for his low-budget and often embarrassing video game film adaptations. These include Postal, House of the Dead, and BloodRayne, but Alone in the Dark stands, well, alone, as the low point of Boll’s career.

Rated as one of the worst movies of all time on Metacritic, it’s a horror film that does nothing we haven’t seen before, using tropes like evil spirits and a remote, creepy island. The film isn’t memorable for its predictable plotline, but for its utter failure to execute a sense of suspense or even a surprise scare scene.

15. Super Mario Bros.

Mario Bros. Movie

Without the very low expectations that we now have for video game movies, perhaps viewers didn’t realize the mess they were walking into when Super Mario Bros. was released in 1993. This film was such a bust because it didn’t accurately portray any of the characters, the settings, or overall thematic authenticity that anyone who’s played these games was expecting. 

Despite concerted efforts from a star-studded cast of actors including Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper as Bowser, Super Mario Bros. misses the mark by a long shot and disgraces the franchise in the process. Yoshi is turned into a horrifying monstrosity, and few other characters look remotely close to their video game counterparts. Illumination is turning the games into an animated film as we speak, and with any luck, it will be a whole lot better.

Editors' Recommendations

Bowser attacks in The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s first trailer
super mario bros movie first trailer bowser

Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment finally gave us our first glimpse at the animated Mario movie, which is officially titled The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The trailer reveal came during New York Comic Con and got a special Nintendo Direct of its own. 
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Nintendo Direct kicks off with an introduction from Shigeru Miyamoto, Chris Meledandri, Chris Pratt, and Jack Black, who confirmed that the animation will be complete next week, although there are still other things to do, and hyped up the trailer. The trailer itself begins with Bowser attacking a city of Penguins before cutting to Mario finding himself in the Mushroom Kingdom and going on an adventure with Toad. We even see a little bit of Luigi at the end.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie | Official Teaser Trailer
Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment -- the Universal Pictures animation studio known for creating Despicable Me, Sing, and The Secret Life of Pets -- first announced a movie based on the iconic Super Mario Bros. video game series in 2018. While series creator Shigeru Miyamoto was a producer on the film from the start and Nintendo acquired a film studio during this movie's production, the announcement that really turned heads was the September 2021 Nintendo Direct, where its shocking all-star cast was revealed. 
During its segment in that Direct, we learned that Chris Pratt is Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy is Princess Peach, Charlie Day is Luigi, Keegan-Michael Key is Toad, Seth Rogan is Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen is Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson is Kamek, Sebastian Maniscalco is Foreman Spike, and Jack Black is Bowser. They all felt like odd choices at the time of the announcement, and from this trailer, we learned what Kamek, Bowser, Mario, Toad, and Luigi will all sound like. 
While The Super Mario Bros. Movie was originally going to come out this year, you can now expect the animated feature to hit theaters on April 7, 2023 in the United States and April 28, 2023 in Japan. 

Read more
The best fighting games for PS5
the best fighting games for xbox one mortal kombat 11

There's an entire generation of gamers out there who cut their teeth in the old arcades. Standing side by side with your opponent was the only option for real player-versus-player competition back in the day, and the king of the competitive genres was undoubtedly fighting games. The simple premise of two fighters squaring off against each other spawned some of the most popular and successful gaming franchises of all time. To this day, games that once made their debut in arcade cabinets are releasing new sequels for your home consoles to play from the comfort of your own sofa.

Whether it's against the computer, online, or playing locally on your couch, fighting games offer a pure test of skill that many compare to games like chess. Unlike chess, though, each fighting game has its own rules, systems, matchups, and more to learn. Factor in things like pure 2D versus 3D fighters, extra modes, and character rosters, and any two fighting games can look almost entirely different. Plus, there's always the art style to consider, too. The PS5's hardware is perfect for running fighting games, which demand rock-solid performance, and it's home to all the biggest franchises, from legacy series like Street Fighter and Tekken to one-offs like Dragon Ball FighterZ. If you want to throw down in a one-on-one test of skill, there are the best fighting games for PS5.

Read more
The best games like Pokémon [Ultimate 2022 List]
Main character and Familiar from Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.

Pokémon never really went out of style, but the franchise has been on people's minds thanks to the mobile phenomenon Pokémon Go and the recent release of Pokémon: Legends Arceus for Nintendo Switch.

The Pokémon series is essentially like any other turn-based RPG, such as Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, and Dragon Quest. You assemble your party, level them up, customize their abilities, and engage in random battles against enemies while exploring your world. The real draw of Pokémon has always been collecting tiny creatures that populate the world and battling them against one another.

Read more