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

For years, video game adaptations were a punchline, the cinematic equivalent of stepping on a rake. Then something shifted. The Last of Us arrived and instantly became prestige TV. Arcane rewrote what animated adaptation could mean. Fallout dropped and turned a decades-old RPG into one of the most-watched shows on the planet. Suddenly, studios aren’t just optioning games for the sake of it; games are being treated like the richest IP libraries ignored for decades.

As gaming has overtaken film and music combined in cultural weight, it’s no surprise that Hollywood and streamers have woken up to the obvious: players want to see the worlds they love blow up into big, beautifully budgeted TV and film. Now we’ve hit the gold rush. Every major publisher has something in the works, every streamer wants its own prestige adaptation, and the pipeline is overflowing with big swings, deep cuts and exciting talent.

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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.

1. Helldivers (TBA)

The long-promised Helldivers movie is finally blasting out of development limbo, and in a twist worthy of Super Earth propaganda, Sony has handed the reins to Fast & Furious veteran Justin Lin. He’s not a gamer (his words), but he’s using that as fuel rather than a flaw, pitching a more human, big-mythology take on Arrowhead’s gloriously chaotic bug-splatting shooter.

Lin will produce via Perfect Storm Entertainment alongside PlayStation Productions, with horror specialist Gary Dauberman (It, Annabelle) scripting, a pairing that hints at something bigger, stranger and possibly gnarlier than a straight run-and-gun adaptation. According to reports, Lin wants to “find the humanity” within a game best known for friendly fire, fascistic satire and dying for democracy… repeatedly.

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. Far Cry (TBA)

FX is diving head-first into the Far Cry universe, and it feels like a good idea. Alien: Earth mastermind Noah Hawley and Rob Mac of it's Always Sunny Fame are teaming up for a full anthology take on Ubisoft’s long-running chaos simulator, with each season dropping into a brand-new corner of the franchise’s globe-spanning madness.

Mac, who already has history with FX (and a habit of thriving in disaster), says working with Hawley is “a dream realised”, while Hawley has called Far Cry the perfect playground for the messy, human weirdness he loves. It’s hard to argue nobody does off-kilter Americana and existential dread like him, and Mac has spent two decades perfecting precision-engineered chaos.

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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