Video games are the most immersive forms of entertainment, which is why many creators have adapted them into films and television series over the past thirty years. Thanks to technological innovations and stellar voice acting, the quality of video game narratives has drastically improved since that time.
Even with all the video game adaptions currently in development, there remain scores of epic titles creators can tap into. Some of these narratives better fit a television series, due to the sheer time required to tell their stories. Others will benefit from the feature landscape, bringing beloved plots to a whole new audience.
10 Red Dead Redemption: Grand Theft Auto Goes Western
Red Dead Redemption is a 2010 action-adventure game set in early nineteen-hundreds America. With the game’s western backdrop, players take on the role of John Marston, a former outlaw forced to work with the United States government. In exchange for his wife and young son’s freedom, he must bring justice to members of his old gang.
Westerns frequently receive critical acclaim when released. Films like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Revenant, and True Grit are just a few examples. With Red Dead Redemption, viewers will be treated to a masterful story about a determined protagonist on a journey to get his family back and correct the wrongs from his past.
9 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard: A Fresh Start To The Tired Series
The Resident Evil franchise has received seven live-action film adaptations, one live-action series, and four animated films. With its phenomenal success, fans wonder what the next adaptation will be, and there’s no better choice than Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.
This game takes the series in a new direction, focusing more on a Texas Chainsaw Massacre aesthetic. Additionally, each chapter incorporates multiple horror subgenres, like monster horror and body horror. Many gamers feel Resident Evil 7′s fresh take on the beloved franchise has been a step in the right direction. If it’s ever adapted to film, audiences can expect a similar result
8 Returnal: Alien Meets Lovecraft
Returnal is a brutal 2021 science fiction shooter with a ton of horrific elements. The game is extremely punishing, but that’s all part of the game’s Happy Death Day formula. Players take on the role of Selene, the agile protagonist plagued with exploring the deadly Atropos, an alien planet home to some of the most vicious Lovecraftian inspired creatures.
With a haunting soundtrack and an atmosphere like Ridley Scott’s Alien, this game has potential within the horror film community. While live-action may be tricky for this type of story, rotoscoping may be the best option, as seen in the widely acclaimed Amazon series Undone.
7 The Evil Within: Classic Formula With A Saw Twist
The Evil Within is a survival-horror game released in 2014. Created by Shinji Mikami, who also created the Resident Evil video game series, it’s become one of the most adapted franchises of all time. The Evil Within follows the protagonist, Sebastian Castellanos, a police detective investigating the brutal mass murder at a mental hospital.
However, shortly after arriving, Sebastian finds himself thrust into a haunting world of the supernatural. Fans of the Saw franchise will be thrilled by a The Evil Within adaption thanks to its focus on deadly traps. Similarly, fans of supernatural horror will be treated with grotesque creatures and nightmarish settings.
6 Control: Stranger Things Meets Twin Peaks
Control is a 2019 video game set within a science fiction universe surrounding The Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), a place that contains otherworldly phenomena that threaten reality. Players take on the role of Jessie Faden, its newest director, in a search for her missing brother.
Armed with unique abilities, Jessica fights off waves of enemies known as the Hiss, which have invaded and corrupted reality. Heavily inspired by the works of David Lynch, Control will become a hit with fans who enjoy quirky characters, a tight story with a unique setting, and plenty of twists that continue to leave audiences theorizing.
5 Dishonored: Beware The Rats!!
Dishonored is a 2012 action-adventure game set within the plague-filled industrial streets of Dunwall, a whaling community overwhelmed by a rat infestation and extreme oppression. Players take on the role of Corvo Attano who, after being framed for killing someone he was chosen to protect, becomes an assassin with supernatural abilities to get his revenge.
The Dishonored boasts a stellar voice cast, featuring talents like Chloë Grace Moretz, Susan Sarandon, Brad Dourif, and Lena Headey. All of them would be a welcome sight for fans of the series if they returned for a film adaptation.
4 Dead Space: A Brutal Space Horror With Haunting Visions
Dead Space is a 2008 science fiction horror game that follows systems engineer Isaac Clarke and his battle against a hostile alien threat known as Necromorphs, that has taken over the USG Ishimura. Armed with a variety of weapons designed to dismember the Necromorphs, Isaac sets out to help retrieve the Ishimura‘s crew and find his girlfriend.
Films like Alien and Life are incredibly successful partly because of their derelict settings, and Dead Space is no exception to this. There are jump scares around every corner, creating a tense atmosphere throughout. With the remake of Dead Space coming in early 2023, fans may see the franchise adapted one day.
3 Far Cry 3: A Little Slice Of Paradise
Far Cry 3 deserves to be made into a film for many reasons, but there’s one that stands out above the rest: Michael Mando. Mando is terrific as one of the central antagonists to this 2012 shooter video game set on a dangerous island.
Players take on the role of Jason Brody, a thrill-seeking adventurer who quickly finds himself in a fight to free his friends and escape the island’s perils and violent inhabitants. Mando’s convincing and menacing performance is easily translatable to film. While not serving as the final antagonist of the game’s story, Mando should become the film’s sole antagonist if the game gets adapted.
2 Batman: Arkham Asylum: The World Needs More Batman
Batman is a character fans can’t seem to get enough. It seems like every few years a new Batman movie pops up, which isn’t a bad thing. However, the DC Extended Universe is currently missing out on one of the greatest stories ever centered around Batman and his biggest foes. 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum takes place at the infamous Arkham Asylum, and Batman must battle through waves of infamous villains to reach his arch nemesis: Joker.
Films like Dredd and The Raid are some of the most entertaining action films because they follow a relentless protagonist navigating through a single location to reach the final boss. Batman: Arkham Asylum has a similar concept, only with more familiar faces sprinkled throughout.
1 Death Stranding: A Delightfully Convoluted Sci-Fi Horror
Death Stranding is a game that’s basically already a movie thanks to its creator, Hideo Kojima. With a stacked cast featuring Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux, and Mads Mikkelsen, the 2019 video game is primed and ready to be adapted into a film.
The game features plenty of science fiction elements, including Timefall, a time accelerator in the form of rain, snow, or hail that heavily deteriorates anything it comes in contact with. The game’s themes on loneliness, environmentalism, existentialism, and addiction beg to be explored through film. Helping create its haunted setting, there exists a host of enemies known as Beached Things (BTs), terrifying enemies that present themselves when it rains.
