Video game adaptation in film and television

A video game adaptation is primarily a film or television series that is based on a video game, usually incorporating elements of the game's plot or gameplay.

1986–1992: First feature films
Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! and Running Boy Star Soldier no Himitsu were the first two feature films adapted from video games. Both films were adapted from Nintendo Entertainment System games in 1986. Between 1991 and 1992, anime films and television series based on Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai were released.

1993–2001: Mainstream breakthrough
The first live action film based on a video game, the eponymous Super Mario Bros., was released on May 28, 1993, to both critical and commercial failure. Critics including Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert criticized the film over the plot, inconsistent tone, and lack of faithfulness to the source material. Other films include Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Animated films and shows also began gaining mainstream success. The anime series Pokémon (1997–present) became the most successful video game adaptation of all time. The anime films Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994), Pokémon: The First Movie (1998) and Pokémon: The Movie 2000 (1999) became internationally successful. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) was a major milestone in computer animation, but was a box office failure.

2002–2017: Expansion and mixed success
Video game film adaptations had mixed success at the box office during this period. Some of the more successful film adaptations during this time include the Resident Evil series (2002–2016), Silent Hill (2006), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) and Warcraft (2016).

On the other hand, anime based on video games became very popular during this period, particularly anime based on visual novels. Examples include Kanon (2006–2007), Higurashi: When They Cry (2006–2013), Fate/stay night (2006–2015), Clannad (2007–2009) and Steins;Gate (2011–2014).

2018–present: Golden age
Observers noted a substantial uptick in the critical and commercial success of video game adaptations in the late 2010s and 2020s, with many declaring a golden age of video game adaptations.

A number of video game film adaptations became very successful at the box office, notably Detective Pikachu (2019), the Sonic the Hedgehog series (2020–2024), Uncharted (2022) and The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).

American streaming companies began to air television series based on video games. Successful animated series during this time include Castlevania (2017–2021), Arcane (2021–2024) and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022). Successful high-budget live-action series include The Last of Us (2023–present) and Fallout (2024–present).

Critical response
A large number of films or television series based on video games have received generally mixed or negative reviews, often for their screenplays, casting choices, and lack of originality or loyalty to the source material. Uwe Boll's filmography based of video games is far more notorious examples than the other directors', with each of two films, House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark, earned one of the worst two films ever made, thanks to his substantial changes to source materials.

Upon these video game adaptations improved since 2019, only six video game films received a rating of "fresh" (60% or above) on Rotten Tomatoes: The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019), Detective Pikachu (2019), Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Werewolves Within (2021), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022), and Gran Turismo (2023). Werewolves Within (2021) became the best-reviewed film based on a video game.

Additionally, only thirteen video game television series received a "fresh" (60% or above) from 2017 to 2024: Castlevania (2017), Carmen Sandiego (2019), Dragon's Dogma (2020), Arcane (2021), Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Halo, Sonic Prime, and The Cuphead Show! (all in 2022), The Last of Us, Twisted Metal, and Castlevania: Nocturne (all in 2023), and Fallout and Knuckles (all in 2024); with Arcane, Carmen Sandiego, Castlevania, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, The Last of Us, Castlevania: Nocturne, and Fallout receiving universal acclaim and garnering over 90% approval ratings, considered by critics to be seven of the best video game adaptations ever made.

Revenue
In the video game film adaptation box office, only six films have grossed more than $400 million in the box office worldwide as of April 2023: Warcraft (2016), Rampage (2018), Detective Pikachu (2019), Uncharted (2022), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022), and The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), with the latter becoming the first video game film to ever pass the $1 billion mark, making it one of the top 50 highest-grossing films of all time.

Awards
In television series, Arcane and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners have won multiple awards from nominations including the Annie Award for Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program, The Game Award for Best Adaptation for the former, and the 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards for Anime of the Year for the latter. The Last of Us received five nominations at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards and nineteen at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, making it the first live-action video game adaptation to receive major awards consideration; it led the latter with eight awards.