List of films based on video games
This page is a list of film adaptations of video games. These include local, national, international, direct-to-video and TV releases, and online releases. They include their scores on Rotten Tomatoes, the region in which they were released, approximate budget, their approximate box office revenue, distributor of the film, and the publisher of the original game at the time the film was made. Also included are short films, cutscene films, documentaries with video games as their subjects and films in which video games play a large part.
Films based on video games have often received negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes's 2020 list titled Video Game Movies Ranked Worst to Best included only 3 films that received a fresh Tomatometer rating.
Theatrical releases
Hollywood (live-action)
Hollywood (animated)
Japanese (animated)
| Title | Release date | Worldwide box office | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | Distributor | Original game publisher |
| ' | November 10, 1999 | $172,744,662 | 15% | 35/100 | Toho Warner Bros. Pictures | Nintendo |
| ' | July 21, 2000 | $133,949,270 | 19% | 28/100 | Toho Warner Bros. Pictures | Nintendo |
| ' | April 6, 2001 | $68,411,275 | 21% | 22/100 | Toho Warner Bros. Pictures | Nintendo |
| Pokémon 4Ever | October 11, 2002 | $28,023,563 | 16% | 25/100 | Toho Miramax Films | Nintendo |
| Pokémon Heroes | May 16, 2003 | $20,867,919 | 17% | 27/100 | Toho Miramax Films | Nintendo |
| ' | $71,143,529 | Toho | Nintendo | |||
| ' | $80,268,947 | 80% | Toho | Level-5 | ||
| ' | $58,850,969 | Toho | Level-5 | |||
| ' | July 9, 2016 August 19, 2016 | $6,550,000 | 13% | 35/100 | Aniplex Stage 6 Films | Square Enix |
| ' | November 5, 2017 | 43% | TBA | Toho | Nintendo | |
| ' | October 14, 2017 | $19,027,568 | TBA | TBA | Aniplex | Type-Moon |
| ' | November 24, 2018 | $23,740,788 | 60% | TBA | Toho | Nintendo |
| ' | January 12, 2019 | $19,790,000 | TBA | TBA | Aniplex | Type-Moon |
| ' | March 28, 2020 | TBA | TBA | TBA | Aniplex | Type-Moon |
| ' | July 10, 2020 | TBA | TBA | TBA | Toho | Nintendo |
| Title | Release date | Japan box office | Original game publisher |
| ' | July 20, 1986 | Nintendo | |
| Running Boy: Star Soldier no Himitsu | July 20, 1986 | Hudson Soft | |
| ' | July 16, 1994 | SNK | |
| ' | August 6, 1994 | $16,000,000 | Capcom |
| ' | December 22, 2001 | Sega | |
| ' | July 19, 2003 | ¥4,500,000,000 | Nintendo |
| ' | July 17, 2004 | ¥4,380,000,000 | Nintendo |
| Air | February 5, 2005 | Key | |
| ' | July 16, 2005 | ¥4,300,000,000 | Nintendo |
| Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea | July 15, 2006 | ¥3,400,000,000 | Nintendo |
| Animal Crossing | December 16, 2006 | ¥1,700,000,000 | Nintendo |
| ' | July 14, 2007 | ¥5,020,000,000 | Nintendo |
| Clannad | September 15, 2007 | Key | |
| ' | July 19, 2008 | ¥4,800,000,000 | Nintendo |
| ' | October 18, 2008 | ¥43,000,000 | Capcom |
| ' | July 18, 2009 | ¥4,670,000,000 | Nintendo |
| ' | October 3, 2009 | ¥84,549,987 | Bandai Namco Games |
| Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva | December 19, 2009 | ¥610,000,000 | Level-5 |
| ' | January 23, 2010 | ¥280,000,000 | Type-Moon |
| ' | July 16, 2011 | ¥4,330,000,000 | Nintendo |
| ' | July 26, 2011 | Bandai Namco Games | |
| ' | February 11, 2012 | Electronic Arts | |
| ' | July 14, 2012 | ¥3,610,000,000 | Nintendo |
| ' | October 27, 2012 | ¥184,756,932 | Capcom |
| ' | July 13, 2013 | ¥3,170,000,000 | Nintendo |
| ' | November 23, 2013 | Sega | |
| ' | November 23, 2013 | ¥201,886,754 | Atlus |
| ' | January 25, 2014 | ¥772,973,700 | Bandai Namco Games |
| ' | March 8, 2014 | Takara Tomy | |
| ' | June 7, 2014 | ¥152,752,386 | Atlus |
| ' | July 19, 2014 | ¥2,910,000,000 | Nintendo |
| Aikatsu! The Movie | December 13, 2014 | ¥560,000,000 | Bandai Namco Games |
| ' | March 7, 2015 | ¥100,000,000 | Takara Tomy |
| ' | April 4, 2015 | Atlus | |
| ' | July 18, 2015 | Broccoli | |
| ' | July 18, 2015 | ¥2,610,000,000 | Nintendo |
| ' | August 22, 2015 | ¥130,000,000 | Bandai Namco Games |
| ' | October 24, 2015 | Takara Tomy | |
| King of Prism by PrettyRhythm | January 9, 2016 | ¥800,000,000 | Takara Tomy |
| ' | January 23, 2016 | ¥42,981,563 | Atlus |
| PriPara Minna no Akogare Let's Go PriPari | March 12, 2016 | ¥45,000,000 | Takara Tomy |
| ' | July 16, 2016 | ¥2,150,000,000 | Nintendo |
| Monster Strike The Movie | December 10, 2016 | ¥740,000,000 | Mixi |
| ' | December 17, 2016 | ¥3,260,000,000 | Level-5 |
| ' | May 27, 2017 | ¥150,000,000 | Capcom |
| King of Prism: Pride the Hero | June 10, 2017 | ¥600,000,000 | Takara Tomy |
| ' | December 16, 2017 | ¥2,040,000,000 | Level-5 |
| ' | October 5, 2018 | ¥364,672,100 | Mixi |
| ' | December 14, 2018 | ¥1,250,000,000 | Level-5 |
| ' | July 12, 2019 | ¥2,980,000,000 | Nintendo |
| August 2, 2019 | ¥1,420,000,000 | Square Enix |
Japanese (live-action)
Chinese (live-action)
Chinese (animated)
| Title | Release date | China box office | Original game publisher |
| Seer | June 28, 2011 | ¥44,078,000 | |
| Seer 2 | June 28, 2012 | ¥31,219,000 | |
| ' | January 31, 2013 | ¥69,536,000 | Tencent |
| ' | July 12, 2013 | ¥76,502,000 | |
| Roco Kingdom 3 | July 10, 2014 | ¥47,883,000 | Tencent |
| Seer 4 | July 10, 2014 | ¥62,331,000 | |
| ' | July 31, 2014 | ¥57,409,000 | Nexon |
| ' | July 23, 2015 | ¥56,623,000 | |
| Roco Kingdom 4 | August 13, 2015 | ¥76,985,000 | Tencent |
| Dragon Nest 2: Throne of Elves | August 19, 2016 | ¥25,113,000 | Nexon |
Taiwanese (live-action)
The following is a list of Taiwanese feature films based on video games. The Taiwan box office gross figures are given in million New Taiwan dollar.| Title | Release date | Taiwan box office | Original game publisher |
| Detention | September 20, 2019 | NT$260 million | Red Candle Games |
Television films
Direct-to-video
Animation
| Title | Release date | Original game publisher |
| Tengai Makyō Jiraia Oboro Hen | August 21, 1990 | Hudson Soft/Red Entertainment |
| Ninja Gaiden | November 22, 1991 | Tecmo |
| ' | April 11, 1995 | Midway |
| Battle Arena Toshinden | June 21, 1996 | Sony |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | May 31, 1996 | Sega |
| ' | 1997 | SNK |
| ' | January 21, 1998 | Namco |
| ' | December 22, 1999 | SNK |
| ' | April 26, 2000 | Capcom |
| Sin: The Movie | October 24, 2000 | Ritual |
| ' | March 1, 2001 | Konami |
| Nakoruru ~Ano hito kara no okurimono~ | May 25, 2002 | SNK |
| Welcome to Pia Carrot - Sayaka’s Love Story | October 19, 2002 | Cocktail Soft |
| ' | April 24, 2004 | ASCII |
| ' | September 14, 2005 | Square Enix |
| ' | September 14, 2005 | Square Enix |
| ' | October 25, 2005 | Capcom |
| ' | October 17, 2008 | Electronic Arts |
| ' | July 12, 2009 | Capcom |
| ' | February 9, 2010 | Electronic Arts |
| Halo Legends | February 16, 2010 | Microsoft Game Studios |
| ' | January 25, 2011 | Electronic Arts |
| ' | December 14, 2012 | Electronic Arts |
| ' | July 29, 2014 | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| Heavenly Sword | September 2, 2014 | Sony Computer Entertainment America |
| ' | March 30, 2016 – September 17, 2016 | Square Enix |
| Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn – Prologue | February 16, 2019 | Square Enix |
| ' | April 14, 2020 | Warner Bros. Interactive |
Live-action
Short films
Listed below are original short films produced, commissioned or licensed from a game publisher.| Title | Release date | Original game publisher |
| ' | August 6, 1993 | Bandai |
| Front Mission | December 20, 1994 | Squaresoft |
| Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard | October 21, 1995 | Squaresoft |
| Grand Theft Auto 2: The Movie | September 30, 1999 | Rockstar Games |
| Run the Gauntlet | 2004 | Atari |
| ' | 2004 | Rockstar Games |
| ' | December 2, 2005 | SNK |
| Crash Bandicoot: No Use Crying | 2007 | Naughty Dog |
| Crash Bandicoot Monster Truck | 2007 | Naughty Dog |
| Crash Bandicoot – Titan Idol | 2007 | Naughty Dog |
| Crash Bandicoot – Have Another | 2007 | Naughty Dog |
| Deep Dive | March 2007 | Square Enix |
| Halo: Landfall | October 30, 2007 | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Heavenly Sword | November 29, 2007 | Sony Computer Entertainment America |
| ' | November 21, 2008 | Sega |
| Kijujud ayo | 2009 | Capcom |
| ' | October 26, 2009 | Ubisoft |
| Red Dead Redemption: The Man from Black Water | 2010 | Rockstar Games |
| Bright Falls | April 26, 2010 – May 13, 2010 | Microsoft Game Studios |
| ' | May 6, 2010 | Capcom |
| ' | June 8, 2010 | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| Zombrex Dead Rising Sun | August 4, 2010 – August 25, 2010 | Capcom |
| ' | November 11, 2010 | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| ' | September 2, 2011 | Activision |
| ' | November 15, 2011 | Ubisoft |
| ' | October 11, 2011 | BioWare |
| ' | 2012 | Ubisoft |
| Diablo III - Wrath | May 8, 2012 | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Tekken Tag Tournament 2 | October 19, 2012 | Bandai Namco Games |
| Modern Warfare: Sunrise | October 27, 2013 | Activision |
| Expiration Date | June 17, 2014 | Valve |
| Shadow of Mordor | September 15, 2014 | Monolith Productions |
| Payday 2: Hoxton Breakout | October 18, 2014 | Overkill Software |
| The Night Juicer | November 5, 2014 | Nintendo |
| Treasure in a Bottle | November 5, 2014 | Nintendo |
| Occupational Hazards | November 5, 2014 | Nintendo |
| Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins | April 20, 2016 | Nintendo |
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands: War Within the Cartel | February 16, 2017 | Ubisoft |
| The Light Candle | December 7, 2017 | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Papers, Please - The Short Film | January 27, 2018 | Lucas Pope |
| Far Cry 5: Inside Eden's Gate | March 5, 2018 | Ubisoft |
| Conviction | February 14, 2019 | BioWare |
| PUBG - The Worst Player in the World | July 24, 2019 | Bluehole |
| The Division 2 - Warlords of New York | February 25, 2020 | Ubisoft |
Documentaries on video games
Theatrical releases
Television
Other releases
Films with plots centered on video games
- Tron – Kevin Flynn, an arcade game designer, gets sucked into the video game world he created and has to fight his way back to the real world.
- Nightmares – The segment "Bishop of Battle" stars Emilio Estevez as a video game wizard who breaks into the arcade at night to get to the 13th level, in doing so he becomes part of the game.
- WarGames – Computer hacker breaks into military intelligence computer to play games, which almost starts a thermonuclear war.
- Joysticks – When a top local businessman and his two bumbling nephews try to shut down the town's only video arcade, arcade employees and patrons fight back.
- Cloak & Dagger – A young boy has secret plans given to him in the form of a video game cartridge, which he must protect from spies.
- The Last Starfighter – A boy, who is very good at a video game in his trailer park, finds himself recruited to be a pilot for an alien defense force just like the game he plays.
- The Dungeonmaster – A computer whiz is drawn into a series of realistic simulations by a demonic wizard who considers him a worthy adversary. Armed with his wrist-mounted X-CaliBR8 computer, he must solve the puzzles and rescue his girlfriend.
- Hollywood Zap – Tucker Downs tires of his boring job selling bras to fat ladies in Mississippi and heads for Hollywood to look for his long lost father. En route, Downs hooks up with wasted video game addict/hustler Ben Frank who is seeking a title match with "The Zap," holder of the record score in Zaxxon.
- Kung Fu Master – A love story between a 40-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy addicted to the arcade game Kung-Fu Master. Directed by Agnès Varda.
- The Wizard – A boy with mental problems decides to run away to compete in a video game contest and his brother helps him hitchhike to the tournament. Features numerous NES video games, primarily Super Mario Bros. 3 before its American release.
- The Lawnmower Man – A simple man is turned into a genius through the application of computer science and virtual reality.
- Arcade – A teenager has to battle inside of a deadly virtual reality video game, in order to save her friends.
- Brainscan – A teenager is sent a mysterious computer game that uses hypnosis to make the game the most horrifying experience imaginable. He stops playing, only to find evidence that the murders depicted in the game actually happened.
- Nirvana – A computer game designer, finds that his latest video game has a virus which has given consciousness to the main character of the game, Solo.
- eXistenZ – plot centered around a virtual reality game.
- How to Make a Monster – An evil video game comes to life and hunts the group of developers.
- Avalon – Science fiction film centered on a war-themed, virtual reality MMO under the same title. Directed by Mamoru Oshii.
- Game Over – Uses footage from five different Digital Pictures games.
- ' – Carmen Cortez is caught in a virtual reality game designed by their new nemesis, the Toymaker. Juni, her little brother, goes into the game to save her as well as beta players and the world.
- GameBox 1.0 – A video game tester must fight to escape from a video game that has become all too real.
- Grandma’s Boy – A 35-year-old game tester develops a game in secret only to have someone at work try to steal it.
- Stay Alive – Friends start dying just like they did in a video game they all played.
- Ben X – The main character Ben is an autistic boy obsessed with an MMORPG called ArchLord. He plays the game to escape being bullied and has one online friend named Scarlite. He considers suicide until he meets Scarlite in person.
- Press Start – Average suburban youth Zack Nimbus is recruited by an ill-tempered ninja and a tough-as-nails space soldier to save the world from a tyrannical, but comically insecure, sorcerer. References to many classic video games.
- ' – is a sequel to the 1983 thriller film WarGames.
- Gamer – A man has to save humanity from being enslaved by an MMO.
- Assault Girls – Three girls in an MMO team up to win a boss battle. Directed by Mamoru Oshii.
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – Action comedy film rife with video game references and plot conceit similar to fighting games.
- ' – Kevin Flynn's son Sam finds his missing father in a new version of the virtual game world and has a similar journey as his father did fighting to get back to reality.
- Black Heaven – An innocent young man becomes enamored with a mysterious girl. He is lured into "Black Hole" – a dark, obscure video game world of avatars with deadly serious intentions in the real world.
- '
- Ra.One – Indian Bollywood superhero film, where a video game developer creates an unstoppable villain for his son which becomes all too real.
- .hack//The Movie – Japanese anime film based on .hack, a franchise of anime, video games, novels and manga that debuted in 2002, about a virtual reality MMORPG.
- Wreck-It Ralph – An arcade game villain who dreams of being a hero decides to leave his game in order to become one. Features cameos by multiple licensed video game characters like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man & Ryu.
- ' – Based on the web series of the same name.
- Pixels – When aliens misinterpret video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults to fight aliens such as Donkey Kong and Galaga bugs.
- ' – Japanese anime film based on Sword Art Online, a novel, manga and anime franchise that debuted in 2002, about a virtual reality MMO, with Ordinal Scale being about an augmented reality MMO.
- ' – Teenagers find a vintage video game version of Jumanji and get sucked into its jungle setting.
- Ready Player One – Based on the 2011 novel of the same name, it is set in a dystopian future and is about the search for an easter egg in a virtual reality game.
- Ralph Breaks the Internet – Sequel to Wreck-It Ralph, and part of the Wreck-It Ralph franchise.
- Serenity - Midway through the film, it is revealed that the story is occurring inside a virtual world.
- The King's Avatar: For the Glory - live action film based on The King's Avatar, a novel, manga and anime franchise.
- ' - Sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
- ''Free Guy