Video game movies are in vogue, with new titles released every year, but it takes a special movie to stand out and earn a place in the top 10. Video game movies have had a pretty rough track record for most of their history, with many movies failing to capture the spirit of their games, disappointing fans and critics alike, but in the last 10 years, there has been a shift. A great video game adaptation needs to stay true to the source material while effectively making it fit the big screen in of the scale, story, and characters.

However, adapting video games is incredibly challenging. Video games can be vast and in-depth, often featuring anywhere between 10 and 100 hours of gameplay. In addition, gamers have a deep connection to the story because they have had the opportunity to play in that world, controlling the central characters and becoming deeply immersed in the action. Changes are often criticized more harshly, while it can also be incredibly difficult to fully dig in and understand the story with main quests, side quests, and other microscopic details that players enjoyed.

15 Warcraft (2016)

Based On Blizzard's Warcraft

Warcraft received a mixed response when it was released in 2016. Directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code), the movie follows two rivals in a growing war who realize that someone else is pulling the strings. Anduin Lothar of Stormwind and Durotan of the Frostwolf clan have to work for the same goal - stopping the true evil behind the war. The movie is based on the video game series of the same name, which launched in 1994 with Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and soon morphed into World of Warcraft.

Despite the challenge of adapting such an expansive game, Warcraft did many things right. From the epic CGI and vast world-building to the acting and rich story, there was much to enjoy and praise about the movie. It could have been aided by fewer central characters, or if the source had a more focused story to tell and thus translated to film better, but Warcraft made the best of the situation and earned a fair amount of praise along with its criticisms.

14 Mortal Kombat (2021)

Based On The Long-Running Mortal Kombat Games

Mortal Kombat originally started as a relatively straightforward and simplistic game with very little in the way of a story. However, over time, the background of the fighters was slowly expanded, and in 1995, a movie was created by Paul W.S. Anderson to tie the narrative together. That movie remains a cult classic with an instantly recognizable soundtrack. After that, a sequel came in 1997 to lesser acclaim. However, in 2021, a rebooted movie was released, also called Mortal Kombat.

The movie was true to form, with comic and graphic violence and a story that didn't feel too serious. It was a well-balanced film that delivered a great adapted story. It wasn't made to win big awards, but it connected with franchise fans. While it might never be as beloved as the 1995 version, its higher budget and better-shot fight scenes make it the superior of the two movies in of quality.

13 A Minecraft Movie (2025)

Based On Mojang Studio's Minecraft

While it seems almost ridiculous to consider, the block-building game Minecraft got its own movie in 2025. A Minecraft Movie stars Jason Momoa, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers, and Danielle Brooks as four misfits sucked into the Overworld. It is here that they meet the expert crafter from Minecraft, Steve (played here by Jack Black). They then have to master the strange world, with all the Easter egg goodness pulled from the game, to find their way back home.

Early reviews of the movie make it sound exactly like something that Minecraft fans would love but regular movie fans and critics would hate. It has a 53% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics. As expected, critics pointed out the film's ridiculousness, but that might be the point. Critic Tessa Smith of Mama's Geeky wrote, "It isn't made for me. My Minecraft loving kids had the best time, which is what the studio set out to do."

12 Rampage (2018)

Based On The Midway Games Rampage Series

In 2018, the classic arcade game Rampage was turned into a movie. However, as with many movies like this, Rampage was less about a video game adaptation and more about a platform for the movie star in the lead. In this case, Dwayne Johnson stars as a primatologist named Davis who works for the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and is close to a rare lowland gorilla named George. When some pathogen canisters crash to Earth, they infect the animals who come into with them, turning them into giant monsters.

This was at the height of Johnson's popularity, and the movie made $428 million on a $120 million budget...

The video games are all about watching animals fight each other while destroying the cities they battle in. That is what the movie presented, with a giant George helping Davis beat the mutated crocodile and wolf, all while the U.S. military is completely helpless in stopping the monsters. This was at the height of Johnson's popularity, and the movie made $428 million on a $120 million budget and received mixed to positive ratings for delivering a fun action movie, if light on plot.

11 Uncharted (2022)

Based On The Naughty Dog Uncharted Series

Fans of the Uncharted video game series complained a lot about the casting of the movie based on the franchise. However, the truth is that the film (directed by Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer) cast two popular stars and a great actor as the villain, resulting in a great success story following the pandemic shutdowns. Tom Holland stars as Nate Drake, while Mark Wahlberg stars as Sully Sullivan, the man who teams up with Drake to find the treasure.

Antonio Banderas stars as the villain in a great heel turn. The result is a fun action movie that made $407 million on a $120 million budget and gained an even bigger audience when it hit streaming. Critics were not as impressed, giving the movie a low 41% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with praise going to the cast but criticism for the story. However, as the box office showed, the audience didn't agree, giving it an 89% Certified Hot Popcornmeter score.

10 Werewolves Within (2021)

Based On Red Storm Entertainment's Werewolves Within

Werewolves Within was released as a far more comedy-driven mystery horror movie. The film is based on the 2016 VR video game of the same name. In the story, a group of people in a small Vermont town end up trapped in a snowstorm where they believe that one of them might be a werewolf. The movie had a much smaller release, and thus, the box office reflected that, but it did climb the ranks on streaming sites and even earned some of the best video game movie ratings from critics (via Rotten Tomatoes).

The movie is hilarious, thrilling, and packed with great comedy talent, making it a fun film based on the game that closely resembles the original story. Critics praised the film for balancing comedy and horror equally, proving it to be masterful with both genres. The cast, led by Sam Richardson, was also praised for its funny performances. While it remains a high-rated film, others have proven more successful in other ways.

9 Five Nights At Freddy's (2023)

Based On Scott Cawthon's Five Nights At Freddy's Franchise

After years of making faith-based video games, Scott Cawthon created Five Nights at Freddy's. What resulted was something very different: animatronics at a pizza place possessed by the spirits of dead children who come to life and kill. However, the movie was changed to create a more horror movie theme than a video game adaptation. Josh Hutcherson stars as Mike Schmidt, a security guard hired to work overnights at the pizzeria, only to find that the robots are all coming to life.

It was also successful enough to warrant a sequel, which is in the works.

The film received negative reviews from critics, but audiences seemed to love it. Five Nights at Freddy's was a rare video game film in which fans of the game seemed to be all on board despite the drastic changes made to the story. It was a huge success, making $297 million on a low $20 million budget. The audience score was a high 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the 32% from critics. It was also successful enough to warrant a sequel, which is in the works.

8 Tomb Raider (2018)

Based On The Square Enix Tomb Raider Series

Tomb Raider was released when video game movies were still struggling to find their footing in the cinematic landscape, with Angelina Jolie in the lead role. However, that movie ended up as a cult classic with a lesser sequel following. However, the video game franchise was rebooted in 2013, and this 2018 movie was based on that rebooted game rather than the original series that Jolie's films were based on. This provided a more grounded story with Alicia Vikander playing Lara Croft.

While the plot and story were not the strongest, the action was enjoyable, and the film felt true to the games and was designed for a more modern audience. This also marked a shift from movies with obvious video game adaptations to something that felt like a real action movie from Hollywood. It was a box office success, making $275 million on a $106 million budget, while also receiving mixed to positive reviews, with honors at the Teen Choice Awards.

7 Resident Evil (2002)

Based On The Capcom Resident Evil Games

Paul W.S. Anderson made his name with video game movies, directing Mortal Kombat as his breakout. In 2002, he directed a movie based on the most successful horror video game in the world, Resident Evil. However, the film is only based around the idea of Resident Evil, bringing in a new character (Alice) and placing her in a mansion overrun by an AI called the Red Queen to stop a virus from leaking to the outside world. This became a franchise that saw more from the games, ending up with five sequels.

The original movie was a great horror film, with Milla Jovovich proving to be a perfect lead hero and Michelle Rodriguez delivering a strong performance. Resident Evil received mostly poor reviews, but that was par for the course for horror movies in 2002. The film did receive nominations at the Saturn Awards, where it was nominated for Best Horror Film and Best Actress for Jovovich. The sequels remain guilty pleasures, but the first installment was a great horror movie in its own right.

6 Gran Turismo (2023)

Based On PlayStation's Gran Turismo Games

Gran Turismo brought together a video game and a story inspired by actual events to create something generally well-favored by the public and many critics. The movie is not based on the video game. Instead, it is based on the life of Jann Mardenborough, a young man who wants to be a professional racer and gets the chance when he is signed to GT Academy, where his expertise on the world's most challenging courses from the video game leads him to become a champion in the real world.

The movie takes several liberties with the true story, but it can be forgiven as it shares its source material with a video game. Between the emotional and uplifting narrative and the thrilling racing scenes, Gran Turismo is a stand-out racing movie based on a video game of the same title. While not based on the actual game, it is based on people using the game in the real world, and it was nominated for Best Adaptation at The Games Awards 2023.