Do you ever turn off your PC, or your PS5, or whatever, after hours of rainbow lights and eyebrow sweat and think, “Ugh, I really wish I could do that some more, except slightly differently and on the streaming service of my choice”? You do? How serendipitous. I put together a list of every big video game adaptation—the good, the bad, and the only OK—currently streaming for free.
I would have liked this list to be weighted toward “the good,” but the state of video game adaptations is a sad, sick puppy. Newer, more artful and emotive shows like Castlevania and Arcane (both of which make the “best” part of this list) seem to be slowly adding games to the prestige-adjacent mixing bowl, but vintage duds and Tom Holland’s flaccid presence can’t be ignored. So here’s a little bit of everything. Popcorn not included.
The best of the best
Castlevania
In a nutshell: Netflix’s adaptation of Konami’s gothic action-adventure series Castlevania has Count Vlad Dracula Țepeș bring pain down on the Romanian region of Wallachia after it wrongs his wife. Square-jawed hero Trevor Belmont has a problem with that.
What it scored: 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes
Release date: July 7, 2017
Streaming on: Netflix
Dota: Dragon’s Blood
In a nutshell: Another animated Netflix adaptation, this time of Valve’s multiplayer online battle arena Dota 2. War-worn Dragon Knight Davion shares a soul and power with the slightly evil Slyrak, a dragon he found dying. That can be to his detriment.
What it scored: 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes
Release date: March 25, 2021
Streaming on: Netflix
Arcane
In a nutshell: Riot Games’ collaboration with French animation studio Fortiche (which it also holds a non-controlling stake in) is inspired by its MOBA League of Legends. Violet protects her trigger-happy sister Powder as much as she can while navigating class conflict between the seedy city Zaun and glistening Piltover. It’s also distributed by Netflix. This post is not sponsored by Netflix.
What it scored: 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes
Release date: November 6, 2021
Streaming on: Netflix
Halo
In a nutshell: This live-action TV series based on Halo, Bungie’s first-person shooter franchise, is executive produced by Steven Spielberg and made for Paramount+. Covenant, a dedicated alien alliance, wants to end humanity. Cased in green armor and born to fight back, super soldier Master Chief won’t let it.
What it scored: 70 percent on Rotten Tomatoes
Release date: March 24, 2022
Streaming on: Paramount+
The Cuphead Show!
In a nutshell: The aptly titled The Cuphead Show! is Netflix’s animated take on run-and-gun game Cuphead. Cuphead and Mugman—their heads are a cup and a mug, respectively—goof around in Inkwell Isles while the Devil tries and fails to take Cuphead’s soul. There are musical numbers.
What it scored: 69 percent on Rotten Tomatoes
Release date: February 18, 2022
Streaming on: Netflix
Nier: Automata Ver1.1a
In a nutshell: The forthcoming anime about PlatinumGames’ action role-playing game Nier: Automata will feature battle android 2b fights invading aliens on humanity’s behalf.
What it scored: 4.8 out of 5 on Crunchyroll.
Release date: January 7, 2023
Streaming on: Crunchyroll
The Last of Us
In a nutshell: The soon-to-be-released HBO drama brought to you by Naughty Dog’s zombie-ridden survival horror franchise The Last of Us has already generated buzz. Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, smuggles 14-year-old Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, across the destroyed United States.
What it scored: TBD
Release date: January 15, 2023
Streaming on: HBO Max
The hit or miss
Mega Man: Fully Charged
In a nutshell: This vibrantly colored interpretation of Capcom’s sci-fi Mega Man franchise is an adaptation aimed at kids. The boyish robot Aki Light defends Silicon City from mean robots. He also has a robot sidekick named Mega Mini and a robot dog. And he’s a robot.
What it scored: 3.5 out of 5 on Google Reviews
Release date: August 5, 2018
Streaming on: Amazon Prime
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge
In a nutshell: Warner Bros.’ animated movie based on the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise is possibly a direct-to-DVD sleeper hit. Ninja Hanzo Hasashi, or Scorpion, kills a bunch of people in the intergalactic Mortal Kombat tournament, hoping to avenge his family.
What it scored: 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, 3.4 out of 5 on Letterboxd
Release date: April 14, 2020
Streaming on: HBO Max
The Legend of Zelda
In a nutshell: An early entry, the 1989 animated series follows Link and Princess Zelda, the cherubic protagonists of the fantastical The Legend of Zelda franchise. They need to protect Hyrule from Ganon, a warthog-looking wizard who wears a cute purple cap.
What it scored: Six out of ten on IMDB
Release date: September 8, 1989
Streaming on: Amazon Freevee, The Roku Channel, Tubi
Uncharted
In a nutshell: Naughty Dog’s action-adventure game gets the Tom Holland treatment in this Sony blockbuster. Nathan Drake (Holland), with the help of Sully (Mark Wahlberg,) finds his missing brother and Ferdinand Magellan’s rumored treasure.
What it scored: 41 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, 2.8 out of 5 on Letterboxd
Release date: February 18, 2022
Streaming on: Netflix
For more background noise, check out Sonic Prime (Netflix), Injustice (HBO Max, Amazon Prime), or Rabbids Invasion (Netflix).
…and the worst
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
In a nutshell: Angelina Jolie plays Lara Croft, the tank-top-wearing, mud-splattered archeologist who defines (originally) Square Enix’s Tomb Raider franchise. Croft has to prevent the Illuminati from using an ancient artifact from ruining the world. There’s time travel and puzzles.
What it scored: 20 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, 2.6 out of 5 on Letterboxd
Release date: June 11, 2001
Streaming on: HBO Max
Resident Evil
In a nutshell: Director Paul W.S. Anderson, who is also behind lukewarm adaptations Mortal Kombat (1995) and Monster Hunter (2020), takes the survival horror Resident Evil franchise on. Alice (Milla Jovovich) wakes up with amnesia. She needs to take the Umbrella Corporation down while its nefarious bioexperiments turn people into zombies.
What it scored: 35 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, 2.9 out of 5 on Letterboxd
Release date: March 12, 2002
Streaming on: Netflix
Hitman: Agent 47
In a nutshell: Genetically-modified (he’s still bald, though) Agent 47 (Rupert Friend) is an uncompromising assassin. He helps Katia van Dees (Hannah Ware) find her father, who coincidentally was the one to make him into a super killer.
What it scored: 8 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, 2.1 out of 5 on Letterboxd
Release date: August 21, 2015
Streaming on: Hulu
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
In a nutshell: A Street Fighter spin-off, produced in part by publisher Capcom features Chun-Li (Kristen Kreuk) as she tries to take down the evil crime boss M. Bison (Neal McDonough) after he kidnaps her father. An ancient Chinese scroll helps her go into Street Fighter mode.
What it scored: 3 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, 1.4 out of 5 on Letterboxd
Release date: February 27, 2009
Streaming on: HBO Max, Hulu with HBO Max add-on
To encourage your brain spilling out your ears, also consider watching Warcraft (fuboTV, Hulu with live TV), Max Payne (HBO Max, Hulu and Amazon Prime with HBO add-on), Silent Hill (Hulu), or Silent Hill: Revelation (HBO Max)
What’s your favorite video game adaptation? Does the perfect adaptation even exist?
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