The 10 best TV and movie video game adaptations of all time

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The explosion of streaming services has been good news for video game adaptations. The console boom of the 1980s led to a spree of video game adaptations and an almost instantly terrible reputation that the genre struggled to shake.

Now, a highly competitive space finds new streamers looking to make their mark and media giants trying to keep a grip on market share. Both see new value in getting it right, but adapting video games has always had a risky logic. They arrive with a built-in audience but a highly critical one. With ever-increasing content pouring into homes, the idea of viewers switching between console and streamer on the same screen is irresistible. 

We’ll see more adaptations or re-imaginings of video games in the next few years. The long-rumored return of Nintendo’s flagship icon to movies is a certainty. Thanks to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nintendo has well and truly cemented itself as a contender, along with HBO’s The Last of Us, based on Naughty Dog’s franchise of the same name.

The Witcher doesn’t make this list as Netflix’s smash hit took its lead from the original book series, not the games. But that sprawling and successful franchise played a big part in redeeming adaptations. It just took networks and streamers a few decades to catch up.

Over half the games below have been released this decade. After years of being derided (Warcraft), misunderstood (Silent Hill), or mishandled (Prince of Persia), it feels like adaptations have overcome a jammed control stick and turned a corner. 

Just sneaking into the list is this fast-paced slapstick animation. The Cuphead Show has received near unanimous praise for its retro but innovative animation, performances, music, and humor. The hilarious antics of cup