The best video game movies are an eccentric bunch, offering multiple genres and bringing some of the most beloved series to the big screen. Whether you are a horror fan with a soft spot for Pyramid Head or a Nintendo kid looking for a family movie night offering, there's something for everyone in the world of video game adaptations.
While video game movies generally have a bad reputation, thanks to a new generation of filmmakers who grew up playing the best horror games and the best shooters ever made, the days of cheap spin-offs seem to be behind us. Big studios are finally investing time and money in giving game worlds the adaptations they deserve. In terms of upcoming video game movies, the likes of Minecraft, Until Dawn and Street Fighter are now on their way. Basically, it seems like Hollywood is moving away from superheroes and that gaming is the next big trend. So, while we wait on the influx of new flicks, it's time to revisit 10 of the best video game movies that paved the way for this new silver screen era.
Our rules for best video game movies are firm but fair. They need to be based on a specific game – not just set in a fictional game world like Free Guy or Ready Player One – and do justice to their subject matter. Whatever you like to play, there will be a movie on this list that is worth putting down the controller for and picking up the popcorn instead. Enjoy!
10. Silent Hill
Year: 2006
Director: Christophe Gans
Sure, it's needlessly clunky in places, but it certainly brings the chills. In hindsight, Silent Hill was a perfect fit to cut through the thicket of below-average video game movies that seemed to come out every few months in the mid-'00s. Packed with a decent cast (including a rare sight: Sean Bean surviving!) and more than its fair share of scares, Silent Hill may not stack up to its horror peers, but for a video game effort, it's more than good enough.
Bonus points for including Pyramid Head; just as terrifying (perhaps more so) than its video game counterpart and a sight that will be sure to have you hiding behind the sofa long after the credits roll. While we can't recommend most of this film's sequels, you can check out our list of the best Silent Hill games if you are still hankering for more thrills.
9. Mortal Kombat
Year: 2021
Director: Simon McQuoid
The 2021 adaptation of Mortal Kombat scores a place on the list for the fight scenes alone and has enough gore splashing around that fake blood supplies must have plummeted during production. Protagonist Cole Young (Lewis Tan) is a new addition to the Mortal Kombat universe, but his fate to fight in Mortal Kombat competition means we get to see fan favorites like Sub Zero and Sonya Blade in action.
Sure, the dialogue is a little clunky, but these characters get hit in the head a lot, so it's perhaps understandable they're not spouting Shakespeare. If you're a fan of the fighting series or just want to disconnect your brain and relax in front of some brutal fatalities, this is the movie for you.
Read our Mortal Kombat review for more details!
8. Warcraft
Year: 2016
Director: Duncan Jones
World of Warcraft was just ripe for being picked up by Hollywood. Being brushed aside as Lord of the Rings-lite, Blizzard's jewel in the crown is packed with lore in abundance and it’s all guided under the steady hand of indie darling Duncan Jones. It's not only the best-performing video game adaptation at the time of release, grossing $433m, but it chooses to give the world of Warcraft (heh) a pedestal to stand on – and it is beautiful.
The film does fall down by over-egging the pudding under the creaking weight of its ensemble but it's still an outlier in the video game movie world: a movie that isn't scared to take a chance, chuck a massive budget at an acclaimed director and just letting him run riot with the world. More of that, please.
Read our Warcraft review for more information on this misunderstood gem.
7. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Year: 2023
Director(s): Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic
Now, we wouldn't be doing this list any justice without including one of the most well-executed video game-themed movies of the past few years, and better yet, this one is suitable for the whole family. The Super Mario Bros. Movie takes everything we know and love about all the best Mario games and transports it onto the big screen, giving our beloved Mushroom Land inhabitants personalities like never before.
The film follows Brooklyn plumbers and brothers Mario and Luigi, who, while at work one day, are transported through a mysterious pipe to a magical new world. The pair are soon separated, and each sets off on equally epic adventures. The star-studded cast really round this movie off nicely, with Chris Pratt leading the way as Mario, Jack Black as Bowser, Charlie Day as Luigi, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach.
Read our The Super Mario Bros. Movie review if you're after more Mushroom Kingdom fun.
6. Werewolves Within
Year: 2021
Director: Josh Ruben
Werewolves Within has no right to be as entertaining as it is. Based loosely on Ubisoft's 2016 VR game, it takes the central theme - a small group where anyone could be the monster in disguise - and weaves a smart and funny horror film around it. Forest Ranger Finn arrives in Beaverfield just as a storm hits, power generators are sabotaged, and a dead body or two turns up. Only one of a handful of residents could be responsible, and the group starts to give in to paranoia and suspicion.
The director is Josh Ruben, who wrote and led Shudder's equally smart Scare Me, and he's a perfect fit. Star Sam Richardson - from Veep and The Tomorrow War - makes Finn equally funny and likeable, and What We Do In The Shadows fans will be happy to see Harvey Guillén thriving as one half of a tech millionaire couple. Honestly, this is one of the best comedy movies of 2021, so you won't want to miss it.
5. Sonic the Hedgehog
Year: 2020
Director: Jeff Fowler
The early signs for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie didn't look good. Fans reacted badly to initial designs for the blue blur, so much so that the filmmakers went back to the digital drawing board. When the movie was finally released in 2020, it won over audiences with Ben Schwartz's enthusiastic voice-over work and Jim Carrey hamming it up as Dr. Robotnik.
In fact, it has easily cemented itself as one of the best video game movies of all time, thanks to its understanding of Sonic as a character and perfect tone. The movie follows Sonic and a Montana sheriff as they try to evade Robotnik and track down Sonic's iconic rings. Since its release, we've had a stellar sequel (read our Sonic the Hedgehog 2 review here), and Sonic 3 is also currently in the works. The future is bright for our favorite blue friend.
Feel the need for speed? Well, read our Sonic the Hedgehog review.
4. Resident Evil
Year: 2002
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson
Resident Evil has so many movies (six by our count) that it's hard to pin a single one down to present a dead cert for this list. They range from the shambling effort that is Afterlife to this, the original and (probably) the best. It's streamlined and only pokes around at the edges of Resi's sprawling lore, and with good reason: the emphasis is on the action.
That may grate with some, but back in 2002, a slow-burn experience through a mansion just wouldn't have turned out as kinetic and overly entertaining as this first effort – and it still holds up well today. Milla Jovovich is exceptional in her role as Alice (and, honestly, doesn't get enough credit), and the set pieces come thick and fast. It's also notable in that it looks to set up sequels and sprawling universes long before Iron Man heard about the Avengers Initiative. Well worth a re-watch.
If you haven't played the source material yet, check out our list of the best Resident Evil games to play right now.
3. Assassin's Creed
Year: 2016
Director: Justin Kurzel
Assassin's Creed felt like the moment video game movies stepped into the spotlight for the very first time. Where others were dismissed as oddities or only for a certain audience, Assassin's Creed attempted to put that all to bed with a compelling take on the eternal struggle between the Creed and the Templar Order.
Starring Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, and Michael K. Williams, Assassin's Creed is a movie that doesn't lack stars. It gives the film real legitimacy, and it's flanked by an impressive-looking Animus adventure in 15th-century Spain. A parkour-heavy style featured throughout the flick pays homage to the best Assassin's Creed games without – as some movies do – going too far on the fan service. It may have disappointed some fans and filmgoers, but give it another go. It soars higher than you might think.
Read our Assassin's Creed review for more details!
2. Tomb Raider
Year: 2018
Director: Roar Uthaug
Following in the footsteps (and ice pick) of the 2013 rebooted game, Tomb Raider returns to the big-screen by giving us a newly-vulnerable Lara and a movie that – while it doesn't quite break out into an all-time great action flick – is a welcome homage to one of the finer games of its generation.
While the movie riffs on rather than directly pulls from the games, Alicia Vikander gives us a Lara who is bursting with life and, interestingly, a character who appears more at home in London than raiding the tombs of a lost kingdom. Tomb Raider certainly marks a watershed moment for video game movies: no longer content with being kept to the shadows, this is a forceful entry filled with star talent that might open up the door for even more video game treasures down the line.
Want more Lara Croft action? Read our Tomb Raider review.
1. Detective Pikachu
Year: 2019
Director: Rob Letterman
Here it is the best video game movie. The minute we found out Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool himself – would be voicing the fuzzy little yellow guy, we knew Detective Pikachu would do justice to the Pokemon brand. The movie focuses on 21-year-old Tim Goodman, who wants to find his missing private investigator dad, Henry, and teams up with Pikachu in the process. Cue lots of CGI, lots of sentimental stuff about family, and – most importantly – enough jokes to tickle a Snorlax.
Goosebumps director Rob Letterman is in charge of an eclectic cast that includes pop singer Rita Ora, Bill Nighy, Ken Watanabe, and DJ Diplo, but it's the love and care given to the Pokemon world at large that stands out most. Also, seeing those adorable Bulbasaur in live-action will make you cry and remind you to replay all the best Pokemon games as soon as the credits start to roll.
Read our Detective Pikachu review for more details on the very best video game movie of all time.
For more picks, check out our list of the best horror movies of all time. Or look toward the future with our guide on all the upcoming movies heading our way.
