With the recent success of The Last Of Us on HBO, we thought it would be a great idea to make a list of the most successful video games – TV series adaptations in recent history.
It’s still difficult to turn video games into films that appeal to fans of both categories, running the risk of either complete success or a complete disaster. The popularity of the Witcher and Arcane series proves that video game television may be excellent, although there are a few notable outliers. The Netflix adaptations of League of Legends, The Witcher, Castlevania, and Cyberpunk have all received a great deal of praise from both critics and the general public, while HBO’s The Last of Us, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, is still breaking records midway through the season.
Our selection of the best TV series adapted from video games
It’s not very hard to tell from the start if a video game adaptation is going to be loved by the public or not. This can always change mid-season, so we made our pick based on multiple considerations like the storyline, video game fidelity(how close to the video game the TV show is) and many more. See for yourself below and let us know what are your thoughts.
The Last of Us
In The Last of Us TV series, a seasoned survivor named Joel assumes charge of a 14-year-old child, Ellie, who could be humanity’s final chance after a worldwide virus decimates civilisation.
Its video game roots have drawn a lot of attention, in part because the original material seemed to have the best chance yet of making the move from console to screen plausible. Neil Druckmann, the game’s developer, and Craig Mazin, Chernobyl’s showrunner, collaborated on the series, which raised the possibility that it would defy the general pattern of video games being converted into other media.
Release date – seasons – upcoming seasons: The show aired on January 15th 2023 and it still running, with confirmation that season 2 will happen.
The Witcher
In The Witcher adaptation, Geralt, a mutated monster hunter struggles with unseen challenges in a fantastic world. Henry Cavill seems to be made for this role, as spoken by literally everyone who saw the series. Critic William Hughes best described the series in a Rotten Tomatoes review: “When the worst thing you can say about a series is that every episode ends up being better than the one that preceded it, that leaves an exciting amount of room to grow”. That being said, The Witcher is one of the best TV series adapted from video games to this day.
Release date – seasons – upcoming seasons: The first episode aired on December 20th 2019, the show has two completed seasons, with confirmation for the next season. Too bad Henry Cavill will no longer be Geralt in the next season.
Arcane
A personal favourite in terms of best TV series adapted from video games, Arcane is simply breathtaking. The show explores the origins and development of two iconic League champions, Vi and Jinx, amid the oppressive subterranean of Zaun and the utopian Piltover. A heart-melting story, pumped-up action and an incredible soundtrack (you should listen to the Imagine Dragons song) make this show one of the best adaptations ever. If you haven’t already seen it, I totally recommend it!
Release date – seasons – upcoming seasons: The first episode aired on November 6th 2021, the show has one season, with confirmation for the next one on a Twitter post, probably airing this year.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
A future city’s street kid struggling to live in a body-modification and technology-obsessed culture With nothing to lose, he decides to become an Edgerunner, a Mercenary criminal also known as a Cyberpunk, in order to continue living.
Release date – seasons – upcoming seasons: The first episode aired on September 13th 2021, the show has one season, but there will be no season 2 unfortunately.
Castlevania
This anime series is a gloomy medieval fantasy that was influenced by the well-known video game franchise. It centres on Trevor Belmont, the only surviving member of the disgraced Belmont family, as he battles Vlad Dracula Tepes to prevent the annihilation of Eastern Europe. Belmont is no longer alone as Dracula and his army of vampires get ready to cleanse the world of humankind’s taint. He and his oddball companions race to discover a method to stop the grief-crazed Dracula before he destroys humanity.
Release date – seasons – upcoming seasons: The first episode aired on June 7th 2017, the show has four seasons, and there will be no season 5 unfortunately.
Resident Evil
Year 2036: Jade Wesker struggles to survive in a world overrun by the bloodthirsty infected and mind-shattering beasts 14 years after the spread of Joy wrought such suffering. Jade is tormented by her history in New Raccoon City, by the unsettling ties her father has to the evil Umbrella Company, but most of all by what happened to her sister Billie during this horrific devastation.
This TV show got quite a bad reputation from the moment it was released. To be honest, I don’t think it is that bad, assuming we are aware of the video game’s story. However, we totally agree that it is not one of the best TV series adapted from video games and could have been much better, especially the acting part.
Release date – seasons – upcoming seasons: The first episode aired on July 14th 2022, the show has one season and was totally cancelled after receiving feedback.
Pokémon
An honourable mention is the Pokémon series. And with this, we can settle down a long-lasting question: What was first, the game or the series? The Pokémon TV show was released in 1997, one year later after the game’s debut. Pikachu definitely stars in one of the best TV series adapted from video games.
Over the last 26 years, the game and series greatly evolved together, with the total number of Pokemon surpassing 1000.
Release date – seasons – upcoming seasons: The first episode aired on April 1st 1997, the show has 25 seasons and as far as we know and hope, the series will last forever.
Pikachu thanks you for reading this far and would like to know how you feel about these shows.
