These 17 Movies and TV Shows Bring Your Favorite Video Games to Life, From “Borderlands” to “The Last of Us”

From series like ‘Fallout’ and 'The Last of Us' to 2024's 'Borderlands,' there are some fantastic video game adaptations out there

Hollywood has been adapting video games for both the big and small screens for decades — and there seems to be no end in sight.

In recent years, movies and TV shows based on video games have become wildly popular. Both Amazon Prime's 2024 show Fallout and HBO's 2023 series The Last of Us gained so much acclaim that they've been nominated for several Emmy awards, and 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed over $1.3 billion at the box office, turning it into one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

The latest video game to get the Hollywood treatment is Borderlands, which hit theatres in August 2024. Cate Blanchett leads the cast as space outlaw Lilith, who teams up with a band of outcasts to save the universe.

“I’ve never been happier on a set than I was with Borderlands,” the actress admitted at CinemaCon in April 2024. “I have a great support system around me and that’s the key to staying sane, so I can play insane characters.”

From award-winning series to hit film franchises, here are the best movies and TV shows based on video games to watch now.

The Last of Us

The 2013 video game The Last of Us is loosely inspired by the real fungus Cordyceps, which infects an insect, slowly eating away its body and manipulating its brain until it grows so large it literally sprouts out of the insect’s body. In The Last of Us, a new form of this fungus has started infecting people, leading to a zombie apocalypse (well, fungal apocalypse). The series adaptation was praised for having great action but also deep emotion – seen especially in the third episode, which earned Nick Offerman an Emmy award. The show stars Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, and both are slated to return for season 2 in 2025.

Twisted Metal 

Peacock’s Twisted Metal is based on the classic PlayStation video game of the same name. Set in a post-apocalyptic alternate timeline, the series follows a “milkman” (Anthony Mackie) who needs to cross the war-torn wasteland of America to earn his freedom. Along the way, he meets lots of foes and a few allies, all with some wildly tricked-out cars and trucks that are designed for bloodshed. Twisted Metal is kind of like if Mad Max and the WWE decided to join forces. The series also has a surprisingly robust cast with Neve Campbell, Will Arnett and Thomas Haden Church joining Mackie.

Resident Evil

In 1996, Resident Evil changed video games forever. Not only did it spawn one of the largest franchises in gaming history, but it also perfected the survival horror genre, popularizing it for a global audience. In 2002 a film adaptation was made starring Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez. The plot follows an elite team who investigate an underground facility known as the Hive after a contagion leak caused everyone to become bloodthirsty zombies. The film was a hit and eventually led to five sequels.

Fallout

Based on the popular Bethesda action role-playing game, Amazon’s Fallout picks up 200 after a series of nuclear bombs rendered the world’s surface virtually uninhabitable. In the show, a young “vault dweller” is forced to leave the safety of her bunker and explore the surface wasteland after her father (Kyle MacLachlan) is kidnapped. The series has been praised for its fantastic setting and great worldbuilding, which is set in an alternate timeline that utilizes a great retrofuture aesthetic. Joining MacLachlan was a fantastic cast, including Yellowjackets’s Ella Purnell and Justified’s Walton Goggins.

Sonic the Hedgehog

After a string of games and animated series throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, the Sonic franchise received its first live-action film in 2020. Jim Carrey voiced a CGI-sonic while Tika Sumpter and James Marsden also starred. A sequel followed in 2022 and a third film is scheduled to release in late 2024.

Knuckles

After the success of Sonic the Hedgehog and its sequel, Knuckles received his own spinoff series on Paramount+. The show follows Knuckles and Deputy Wade Whipple as they make their way to a bowling tournament ... but they’re soon followed by an evil duo who wants Knuckles’ power. The series leaned heavily into humor and didn’t take itself too seriously, making it an enjoyable, breezy miniseries. Knuckles also had some great supporting performances by acting legends like Stockard Channing and Christopher Lloyd.

Uncharted

The PlayStation exclusive Uncharted has been wildly popular since its first game released back in 2007. In 2022, the film adaptation premiered and roughly follows the plot of the games. The young Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) joins seasoned treasure hunter Sully (Mark Wahlberg) on an adventure because Sully says he might know where Drake’s long-lost brother is. Some call Uncharted “Tomb Raider with guys,” but the added emotional component is what really makes the games (and movie) stand out above other adventurous tales. Uncharted was a hit, topping the box office two weeks in a row, ultimately grossing over $407 million. In July 2024 Variety confirmed that a sequel is in development.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie saw Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad team up with Donkey Kong and his gang to save the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser. The movie was praised for staying true to the game’s vibe while also having lots of great humor along the way. Plus, the film had an all-star voice cast that included everyone from Anya Taylor-Joy to Chris Pratt, Jack Black and Seth Rogen.

Halo

Another wildly different take on a classic is Paramount+’s Halo. Based on the popular Xbox franchise, Halo follows an epic war between humans and a coalition of fanatically religious aliens known as the Covenant. The two groups battle to reach and secure giant ringworlds known as Halos, which, if in the wrong hands, can be used as universe-destroying weapons. The Halo series diverts heavily from the game franchise, but even diehard fans will love seeing Master Chief, Cortana and the Arbiter brought to life.

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Anyone who has been to Chuck-E-Cheese knows the secret fear of wondering what happens to those animatronics at night. 2023’s Five Nights at Freddy’s preys upon this fear and offers a glimpse at how the animatronics act after the lights go down: they become murderous monsters. Audiences loved the scares and the film grossed almost $300 million at the box office, becoming Blumhouse’s highest-grossing movie ever. Variety reports that a sequel is on the way and is expected to hit theaters in late 2025.

Pokémon

There are now three generations of kids who grew up with Pokémon. The game was originally released in Japan in 1996, but in September 1998, both the game and anime series were launched simultaneously in the United States. Pokémon follows Ash Ketchum as he collects, raises and trains Pokémon, competing against other trainers around the world. As everyone probably already knows ... Pokémon was a massive hit, becoming a cultural phenomenon that spawned movies, merchandise (including the equally popular trading card game) and a series of sequels and spinoffs that are still being released to this day.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

In 2019, Pokémon got its wildest spinoff yet with Detective Pikachu. The movie takes place in the gritty underworld of Ryme City, where humans and Pokémon live side-by-side. A young man named Tim discovers that his father has died, and when he goes to his apartment to investigate, he meets Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) who thinks Tim’s father is still secretly alive. The dichotomy between the adorable Pokémon and the noir setting is hilarious, and the film became a box office hit, grossing more than $433 million.

Alien vs. Predator

Long before the two iconic sci-fi titans battled it out in theaters, the xenomorphs and Predators were already duking it out in video games. The first AVP game was released in 1993 for the Super Nintendo and by the time the 2004 film was released, six more AVP games had already been released. In the movie, a group of explorers discover an ancient temple buried beneath the ice on a small island near Antarctica. But they soon learn it’s actually a Predator hunting ground where they breed xenomorphs so they can battle them and prove their skills to the tribe.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is inspired by the iconic 1996 video game, but the movie crafted its own original plot. In the film, Croft (Angelina Jolie) discovers that her mansion holds a secret artifact that, when combined with other lost pieces, can control time. She’s forced to race against the Illuminati to find the missing pieces scattered across the globe, hoping to ensure the device doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

The Witcher

Based on the video game franchise of the same name, Netflix’s The Witcher follows monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, who ventures through a dark fantasy world filled with challenges. Henry Cavill played Geralt in seasons 1 through 3, and Netflix revealed that Liam Hemsworth is taking over the role for the upcoming fourth and fifth seasons.

Mortal Kombat

In 1995, the Mortal Kombat movie hit theaters. Based on the popular (and at the time controversial) fighting game of the same name, the film centers around a group of fighters who are gathered together to compete in a mysterious tournament that has world-altering consequences. Mortal Kombat brought iconic game characters to life, like Johnny Cage, Sonya, Sub-Zero and Scorpion.

Borderlands

After its debut in 2009, Borderlands has gone on to become a seven-game franchise. The film, which premiered in August 2024, sees stars like Ariana Greenblatt, Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis team up to bring the hit game to life.

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