The 5 Best Movies You Think Are Based On Video Games (But Aren’t)
Although often unsteady in their formation, the video game movie has become a staple of cinema.
2026 alone has countless films based on video games all being released, with titles including Return to Silent Hill, The Mortuary Assistant, The Super Mario Bros. Galaxy Movie, and Mortal Kombat II. Despite having already played as the characters from these games and having been immersed within the computer generated worlds, audiences can’t resist seeing these games transplanted onto the big screen.
Of course, some viewers have no idea of a movie's links to the video game world, the reveal coming as a happy surprise. Sometimes, though, the opposite happens, where the audience will be watching a film that appears to have had video game origins, but research reveals it to be its own unique property.
This demonstrates just how popular the video game market and movie adaptations are, with filmmakers – either consciously or not – replicating the tone, energy, or feel of classic games. In some instances it is simply a mechanic of the narrative that is familiar to a seasoned game player, such as Hardcore Henry’s first-person perspective. For others, like Battle: Los Angeles, it is the overall vibe of the movie that conjures up memories of playing a particular game.
This sensation can be hard to pinpoint when watching, but here is a guide to some of the most interesting movies that capture the spirit of popular video games.
Narratively, The Fast and the Furious is Point Break with cars, as LAPD officer Brian O’Conner goes undercover on the street racing circuit to infiltrate the crew of wanted criminal Dominic Toretto. The film is also a clever mix of two popular game genres: the crime game and the racing game. Although the racing falls by the wayside as the franchise takes things to absurd new levels, the original few films, particularly this first one, revolve around illegal street racing. This is a world brought to consoles in the Need for Speed series, which has the player competing in a variety of street races.
As for the crime game portion of the story, Dom and his crew use their cars to commit heists on trucks. Driving around stealing things is an integral component of the exceptionally popular Grand Theft Auto game series. That game tasks the player with running guns and drugs, among other criminal enterprises, in exchange for money and notoriety, which is a long way from the far less intense bounty seen in The Fast and the Furious – the humble DVD player. Either way, there’s no denying that Rob Cohen’s film leans into the target audience's history of gaming to create a shorthand that negates some clunky exposition.
In Edge of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise’s character, Cage, gets stuck in a time-loop. Set during an alien invasion, the story follows Cage as he tries to save the world with the help of a key military soldier played by Emily Blunt. Each time Cage awakens, he must live out the same day over and over again as he tries to complete his mission. Unlike those around him, Cage retains his memories of the previously lived day, using that knowledge to edge closer to the destruction of the alien invaders.
Although not based on a game, Cage’s constant ‘respawning’ after death totally lends itself to the video game format. Modern games have a variety of automatic save points, but should the player die, they will respawn at the last checkpoint. From here the gamer must learn from their previous mistake to progress to the next section of the game.
Just like horror movies, horror games are big business. The leaders in the genre are the Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises, both of which have been adapted to the big screen with mixed results. The elements that make a horror film and game effective are the same, with both formats relying on atmosphere and the expert execution of a scare sequence. There is an argument that a lot of horror movies, especially those that rely heavily on tension and investigation from the characters, could have stemmed from a game. There is one film, however, that shines the brightest in that regard, and that is Mickey Keating’s Offseason.
Right from the opening premise, which finds lead character Marie receiving a mysterious letter, Offseason wears its video game influence on its sleeve. The letter summons Marie to a desolate island town shrouded in some Silent Hill-level mist, and soon after arriving, she finds herself stranded, hunting by nightmarish imaginings.
Not only does Offseason perfectly capture the look and atmosphere of the likes of Silent Hill, right down to roads suddenly disappearing, Marie wanders through the movie much like a Harry Mason or James Sutherland type of character. She encounters a stream of creepy townsfolk, all of whom impart some sort of cryptic wisdom, forming puzzle pieces in a jigsaw that Marie has to solve if she wants to get off of the island. Offseason is so close to Silent Hill that it might as well be a secret entry into the film series.
The assassin archetype has been a mainstay character of video games forever. Games such as the highly controversial Hitman have had the movie adaptation, but sadly, despite earning a sequel, neither film quite captured the essence of what made these games fun – the wanton destruction of enemies and the satisfaction of completing a job. Enter, John Wick.
John Wick not only resurrected the career of Keanu Reeves, it also demonstrated how to do a movie about an assassin really effectively. The story sees retired hitman John Wick drawn back to the criminal underworld after some thugs break into his house, steal his car, and kill his dog. What follows is a series of intense fight and gunplay-heavy sequences that any avid gamer would be itching to play a video game version of.
The film also follows the level structure, with each battle taking place in new surroundings and often ending with the dispatch of new henchmen as John slowly works his way from the lowest drone to the big boss behind everything in the final battle. John Wick gets bonus points for featuring vibrant video game colours and a techno score that could be lifted straight out of a beat ‘em up.
In 2024 Bill Skarsgård temporarily left the world of horror behind to star in action-comedy Boy Kills World. Set in a dystopian future, Boy Kills World had Skarsgård playing a nameless mute man named Boy. After witnessing his family being massacred by the country's evil dictator, Boy was taken into hiding by a Shaman who trained him to become a precise tool of aggression. As Boy Kills World begins, the eponymous character begins his quest to take down those responsible for the death of his loved ones.
Not only does Boy Kills World follow the level structure of video games, it is also steeped in the look and feel of the arcade beat ‘em up. Several of the fights have a Streetfighter, Tekken, or Mortal Kombat vibe to them, the rest of the movie playing out like Streets of Rage with Boy taking on hordes of enemies.
If this didn’t make it evident enough, director Moritz Mohr reveals his video game devotion via more of Boy’s backstory. Although mute, Boy does have an internal monologue and it is this voice that narrates the film. Unable to recall what his real voice sounded like, Boy has adopted a voice from the last video game he played, an announcer for a beat ‘em up game. The fighting game influence is further referenced during a battle with a character named VDK Dawe. Their encounter is prolonged and even comes broken down into ‘rounds’ with the ultimate victory being announced as a KO.
