Video game movies are a hard sell. You have to squeeze anywhere between 10 and 100 hours of content into a bite-sized package. It’s a veritable Herculean task, and we know how that ended…he died.
However, through the years, there have been films that captured the spirit of the original games and others that do their own thing while squeezing enough nods and winks to keep you pointing at the screen like the Leonardo DiCaprio meme.
So, here are the best video game movies on streaming.
For more recommendations, check out our list of the best movies streaming on Netflix and Max.
‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 59% | IMDb: 7.0/10
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Adventure
Comedy
- Release Date
- April 7, 2023
- Director
- Aaron Horvath , Michael Jelenic
- Cast
- Chris Pratt2 , Anya Taylor-Joy , Charlie Day , Jack Black , Keegan-Michael Key , Seth Rogen , Fred Armisen , Sebastian Maniscalco
- Runtime
- 105 minutes
Ever since the famed disaster that was the 1993 Super Mario Bros film (which I think is great, but that’s neither here nor there), fans of the high-jumping, turtle-smashing plumbers thought they would never get another Mario movie on the big screen. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the answer to three decades of gamers’ prayers to the gods of Nintendo, and any long-time fan of the franchise will love the smorgasbord of Easter eggs throughout. The movie stars Chris Pratt (The Lego Movie) and Charlie Day (The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part) as Mario and Luigi as they journey into the Mushroom Kingdom and through the many worlds of the shared Nintendo universe to take down Bowser — who is perfectly cast, getting the full Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda 4) treatment.
‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 32% | IMDb: 5.4/10
Five Nights at Freddy's
Horror
- Release Date
- October 27, 2023
- Director
- Emma Tammi
- Cast
- Josh Hutcherson , Matthew Lillard , Elizabeth Lail , Mary Stuart Masterson
- Runtime
- 110 minutes
Five Nights at Freddy’s is a film that almost took a decade to come to fruition, but finally, Blumhouse was able to take the reins to create a tense thriller that is just as weird and wacky as the game. In case you haven’t been down the rabbit hole that is all the hidden lore of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, the film follows Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) as Mike Schmidt, the new nighttime security guard of an abandoned pizzeria with a dark secret surrounding the animatronic mascots. Though the story can be a bit jumbled in places, it’s generally an interesting film that makes some big swings, especially when it comes to the performances.
Watch on Prime Video
‘Resident Evil’ (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes: 36% | IMDb: 6.6/10
Resident Evil
Action
Horror
Sci-Fi
- Release Date
- March 15, 2002
- Director
- Paul W.S. Anderson
- Cast
- Milla Jovovich , Michelle Rodriguez , Eric Mabius , James Purefoy , Martin Crewes , Colin Salmon
- Runtime
- 100 minutes
Ever since directing the best, campiest Mortal Kombat film back in 1995, writer and director Paul W. S. Anderson (Monster Hunter) seems to be on any studio’s speed dial when it comes to adapting a video game into live action — and he certainly delivers with this action-horror that captures the vibe of the original zombie shooter. Resident Evil stars Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element) as Alice, a mysterious woman who wakes up in an underground facility in Raccoon City and must battle through infected humans and a deadly security system to get to the surface. The film takes a lot from the second and third games and is just as bone-shakingly frightening with just as much fist-pumping action to keep fans of the game (or fans of horror in general) on the edge of their seats.
‘Pokémon: Detective Pikachu’ (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 68% | IMDb: 6.5/10
Detective Pikachu
Action
Adventure
Family
Mystery
- Release Date
- May 3, 2019
- Director
- Rob Letterman
- Cast
- Ryan Reynolds , Suki Waterhouse , Kathryn Newton , Rob Delaney , Justice Smith , Bill Nighy
- Runtime
- 105
Loosely based on the Detective Pikachu game (but deeply steeped in the Pokémon media that came before), Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is a love letter to the international phenomenon that has captured our hearts for almost 30 years. This buddy comedy mystery follows Justice Smith (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) as a young man who’s given up his dreams of becoming a Pokémon trainer — until his search for his missing father leads him to an odd, sleuthing Pikachu that only he can hear speak. Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool & Wolverine) lends his voice to the titular Detective Pikachu and injects his usual smarmy charm into the coffee-loving electric mouse. With Easter eggs and a few running gags from the long-running animation, this is a Pokémon film that the whole family can enjoy together.
‘Mortal Kombat’ (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 55% | IMDb: 6.0/10
Mortal Kombat 2021
Action
Adventure
- Release Date
- April 7, 2021
- Director
- Simon McQuoid
- Cast
- Jessica McNamee , Hiroyuki Sanada , Joe Taslim , Tadanobu Asano , Ludi Lin , Mehcad Brooks
- Runtime
- 98 minutes
Since I already mentioned the campy '90s version of the franchise earlier, it’s time I gave the reboot some attention. The new Mortal Kombat throws away the cheesy, earnest one-liner deliveries and packs the movie full of brutal fights and a wholly original storyline — even creating a brand-new character to serve as the audience surrogate. The film follows Lewis Tan (Into the Badlands) as Cole, an MMA fighter who’s being hunted by the warriors of Outworld to weaken the Earth’s forces before the next tournament. The story foregoes the 1-v-1 combat format of the game to create a tense chase that puts Earth’s fighters on the back foot from the start, which makes the search for the other warriors even more dire. The sequel is set to come out next year, so make sure to pop this one on and FINISH IT!
‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes: 64% | IMDb: 6.5/10
Sonic the Hedgehog
Animation
Adventure
Comedy
- Release Date
- February 14, 2020
- Director
- Jeff Fowler
- Cast
- Jim Carrey , James Marsden , Neal McDonough , Tika Sumpter , Ben Schwartz , Adam Pally
- Runtime
- 99 minutes
In a parallel universe, there is a film with the ugliest Sonic you’ve ever seen…luckily, that’s not the one we live in! When the fans banded together to get a Sonic the Hedgehog movie with a game-accurate hedgehog, it was a moment of triumph, but the awesomeness didn’t stop there. Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) brings such whimsy and positive energy to the blue blur, perfectly bouncing off of James Marsden (Enchanted) in this buddy comedy that makes Sonic a fish out of water in the human world. But the biggest draw of the film is Jim Carrey (The Mask) as Dr. Robotnik, who channels the rubber-faced madness of his '90s characters to deliver a performance that feels like Carrey in his prime.
‘Uncharted’ (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 40% | IMDb: 6.3/10
Uncharted
Action
Adventure
- Release Date
- February 18, 2022
- Director
- Ruben Fleischer
- Cast
- Tom Holland , Mark Wahlberg , Antonio Banderas
- Runtime
- 116 minutes
Uncharted features Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Far from Home) platforming into the shoes of famed treasure hunter Nathan Drake, who answers the question, “What if Indiana Jones was good at shooting while doing parkour?” The movie takes elements from each of the four main games while being set before the first one, using this opportunity to explore how Drake and Sully met while allowing the filmmakers to lay the tracks to create their own parallel stories separate from the narrative of the games. Holland’s boyish charisma is a pretty good fit for a young Drake, and he does a lot of his own stunts, which is awesome to see as he puts his spider-like agility to use.
‘Werewolves Within’ (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% | IMDb: 6.0/10
Werewolves Within
Horror
Comedy
- Release Date
- June 25, 2021
- Director
- Josh Ruben
- Cast
- Sam Richardson , Milana Vayntrub , George Basil , Sarah Burns , Michael Chernus , Catherine Curtin
- Runtime
- 97
Of all the titles on this list, Werewolves Within is the best stand-alone film based on a game that requires absolutely no knowledge of the source material to enjoy — it’s just an all-around hilarious mystery thriller. Starring an ensemble of great comedic talents, the film takes place in a small rural town where mysterious attacks have created an atmosphere of paranoia that has the townsfolk at each other's throats. Enter the humble, optimistic forest ranger Finn Wheeler, played by Sam Richardson (Veep), who is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. In addition to being wildly funny, there is a great commentary on corporate disregard for small working-class towns that works really well with the setting. Also, the chemistry between Richardson and the local mail lady, played by Milana Vayntrub (This Is Us), will have shippers howling at the moon.
