10 upcoming video game TV and movie adaptations we can't wait to see

With A Minecraft Movie hitting cinemas this week, yet another major video game property is making the transition to our screens.

Recent years have seen a veritable glut of video game adaptations, both to the cinema screen and to our TVs via a selection of high-profile TV shows. That’s nothing new, but what is new is the quality of these adaptations.

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The Last of Us proved to be one of the best TV shows of 2023, yet was a faithful adaptation of a 2013 PlayStation game. Fallout repeated the trick in 2024, attracting universal praise for its faithful take on the classic post-apocalyptic RPG franchise.

Meanwhile, over at your local multiplex, Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario are ripping things up like they’re back in their ’90s console mascot heyday.

It should surprise no one, then, to learn that there are a whole bunch of other video game adaptations in the works. Here are some of the most exciting.

We’ve stuck with original productions here, hence no mention of The Last of Us season two, which is also out this month. Ditto for Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Fallout season 2, and the second Super Mario Bros. movie.

What this admittedly arbitrary stipulation goes to illustrate, if nothing else, is the sheer size of this medium-hopping operation.

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1. Until Dawn (April 25)

After a string of TBAs, finally a video game adaptation that we know is imminent. The Until Dawn movie is set to land on April 25, and it’s fair to say that fans of the interactive drama-meets-survival horror game are somewhat dubious about its prospects. Unlike The Last of Us, it’s adopting a whole new storyline.

We’d say that’s understandable, given that the ‘choose your own adventure’ nature of the game would inherently fail to track the path trodden by most fans. The barely-interactive nature of the game should make the adaptation process relatively painless, at least.

2. Street Fighter (TBA)

We all remember the last attempt to make a live-action movie of Capcom’s beat-’em-up. And if you don’t, you owe it to yourself to track Street Fighter down. Jean Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, AND Kylie Minogue in a cheese dream of hammy acting and unconvincing set pieces? Yes please.

The producers of the new Street Fighter movie will presumably be hoping for something a little more hard-hitting. It’s no longer on track for a 2026 release, and Talk to Me directors Danny and Micheal Philippou are no longer attached, but we’re still hopeful.

3. Gears of War (TBA)

We haven’t had anything new from the Gears of War franchise since the fifth released entry back in 2019. This Microsoft exclusive retains a loyal fanbase, however, with its influential cover-based third-person shooter gameplay that really puts you in the thick of the action.

There’s even a fair amount of love out there (both ironic and otherwise) for its hokey plot and comically macho characterisations, led by pumped-up COG Army soldier Marcus Fenix. Netflix began adapting this into a movie back in 2022, but we haven’t heard much else besides that.

4. Devil May Cry (April 3)

Devil May Cry should be out on Netflix by the time you read this, but it was still an unknown at the time of writing. It’s based on the Capcom series that came to redefine action games around the turn of the millennium with its acrobatic mixture of gun and melee combat.

How that feeds into non-interactive storytelling is anyone’s guess, but if it worked for Castlevania, it can work here. Indeed, Castlevania is an apt reference point for the series, as some of the same production talent is behind both. There’s a certain shared gothic aesthetic, too.

5. Ghost of Tsushima (TBA)

Sucker Punch’s 2020 PlayStation game gained a whole heap of praise for its beautifully stylised depiction of feudal Japan. It was also packed full of very clear and obvious references to the samurai cinema of legendary director Akira Kurosawa.Whether or not this movie adaptation is strictly necessary, it’s being handled by John Wick director Chad Stahelski. That’s about as safe a pair of hands as you can hire if the aim of the game is stylishly choreographed action set pieces. Stahelski has already promised to push the film’s colour palette.

6. BioShock (TBA)

Netflix is handling the movie adaptation of 2K Boston’s 2007 first-person shooter-cum-survival horror. While that doesn’t exactly fill us with reassurance (budgets have reportedly been lowered), the raw material is there to make a memorable sci-fi drama. That includes one of the most evocative settings in video game history.

Rapture is an underwater utopia gone wrong under the rampant Randian philosophy of its megalomaniacal founder, Andrew Ryan. Hopefully, the movie finds the time and space to reflect the game’s knottier themes in amongst all the shooting and the body horror.

7. God of War (TBA)

Sony’s 2018 game is one of the most unexpectedly successful video game reboots ever, reconfiguring the button-mashing 2005 original into a more slow-paced and cinematic adventure. Making this IP into a TV show seemed like a total no-brainer, and Amazon clearly agreed, hiring Ronald D. Moore to run the show.

We’re looking forward to seeing its distinctive mash-up of Greek and Norse mythology playing out on our screens. The matter of who will (and indeed can) fill the size 15 sandals of the titular Spartan warrior, Kratos, is going to be key to the project’s success.

8. Metal Gear Solid (TBA)

We always got the impression that Metal Gear Solid auteur Hideo Kojima would rather be directing films than making games. All of his Metal Gear Solid entries are typified by their fanboyish nods to cinema and their often ludicrously extended cutscenes. You spend almost as much time watching these stealthy action-adventures as you do playing them.

Things appear to be coming full circle, albeit at a painfully slow pace. A Metal Gear Solid movie has been in production limbo since 2006, but comments last year from super-producer Ari Arad suggest progress is being made.

9. Mass Effect (TBA)

One of the most acclaimed sci-fi sagas in gaming is being turned into a series, which seems like the right treatment. The first two games, in particular, are held as some of the best action RPGs of the 21st century, with gripping galaxy-spanning plots and memorable characters with whom it’s possible to strike up close relationships.

Amazon is developing this one, so here’s hoping we have another thoughtful adaptation like Fallout on our hands. Fast & Furious 9’s Daniel Casey is on writing and producing duty, so make of that what you will.

10. The Legend of Zelda (2027)

Mario might be the face of Nintendo, but The Legend of Zelda represents the Kyoto-based company’s heart. This long-running fantasy adventure series has produced some of the most critically lauded games of all time – two of which have emerged in the past eight years.

As you’d expect, there’s a lot of expectation resting on the live movie adaptation that was announced in 2023. Wes Ball has been signed up to direct, following his solid work on the Maze Runner movies and last year’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

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