Back in 1982, Atari released Raiders of the Lost Ark for its Atari 2600 consoles. Reviews of the title were and remain mixed; yet, it holds a place in both gaming and movie history as the first officially licensed video game based on a movie. Forty-three years later, the concept of launching a video game based on a popular movie is commonplace.
There is, of course, no guarantee that a movie-to-video-game crossover will be successful: Plenty of great movies have had terrible official video games, and more than a few poor movies have provided the basis for excellent games.
The choice today is also vast, and it is certainly not limited to AAA games. Licensing extends to a vast number of platforms, ranging from Fantastic Four “skins” in Fortnite to licensed imagery in games like The Godfather Megaways slot that you can play at McLuck. Regardless of the movie, you can probably find some official title or “tribute” on a gaming platform.
Yet, what are the top titles to crossover from the movie industry? Everyone will have an opinion, and it will always be subjective, but we have picked out a dozen here that are both critically acclaimed and beloved by gamers:
GoldenEye 007 (1997 | N64). The gold standard in 1990s video games based on movies. GoldenEye is considered an all-timer, and it retains a kind of cult following. Developer Rare took Pierce Brosnan’s Bond outing and quietly re-invented console shooters in a way that felt way ahead of its time. It still sits near the very top of N64 Metacritic charts, and deservedly so.
Spider-Man 2 (2004 | PS2/Xbox/GC). There is no end to Marvel and DC superhero video games today, but this tie-in became the benchmark for superhero titles. It captured Sam Raimi’s film vibe so well that later Spidey games still nod back to it.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004 | Xbox/PC). Probably the first title on this list that we can claim with certainty that the game outshines the movie. It acts as a kind of prequel to the Vin Diesel flick. Expectations were somewhat low when it arrived, but it got plenty of “most surprisingly good game” kudos in the 2004 awards season.
Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (2005 | Multi-platform). Like the previous entry, this one was a surprise hit, yet we would also say it remains hugely underrated today. It’s also a game that has had excellent retrospective reviews, as critics have woken up to the fact it was ahead of its time.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003 | PS2/Xbox/GC/PC). More Peter Jackson fare here. EA’s LOTR hack-and-slash follows the film’s third act beat-for-beat, even including incorporating Howard Shore’s mesmerizing soundtrack. It’s not a huge departure from the movie, but that’s okay.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009 | Multi-platform). With the full original cast on voice duty and a story co-written by Dan Aykroyd & Harold Ramis, fans embraced it as the “third movie,” and rightly so. It’s top-tier action. It got remastered in 2019, touching up some of the elements to deliver for a new generation.
Alien: Isolation (2014 | Multi-platform). Creative Assembly channelled the 1979 film’s claustrophobia and married it with a nerve-shredding survival-horror. It went on to win BAFTA and GDC audio awards. A gaming masterpiece in our view.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014 | Multi-platform). We aren’t Jackson fanboys, but it’s undeniable that Middle-Earth offers an endless bounty for video game settings and that Jackson’s movies provided the artistic template. This game might be the best LOTR title, and the darkest.
Mad Max (2015 | PS4/Xbox One/PC). The very definition of a cult title, Avalanche paired Fury Road’s unique aesthetic with fast-paced action. There are some mixed reviews for this one, but those who buy into tend to love it.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (2022 | Multi-platform). There’s plenty of intellectual property to get the LEGO treatment, but few are as ambitious as this one. TT Games rebuilt all nine films of the main Star Wars films into a single sandbox, blending all the SW lore and LEGO humor. Endless fun.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (2023 | PS5/XSX/PC). A good choice for Avatar fans, as this one fills in the lore between the first two James Cameron films and is considered canon. You’ll wage guerrilla war on the RDA and soar through landscapes every bit as breathtaking as the movies.
John Wick Hex (2019 | PC/Consoles). This one might not be what you expect, and it’s about more than “gun-fu” style action that you see in the movies. Mike Bithell translated the films’ choreography into a tense, timeline-based tactics game.