10 Video Games That Need an Anime Adaptation

With the sudden rise of popularity in anime and live-action adaptations of video games, there are literally thousands of options out there to choose from. Video games have always had a wider scope for storytelling because they have more freedom when it comes to their length. Given their limited screen time, studios find it incredibly hard to stay true to the story.

However, this isn’t the case with TV series, which is why Fallout, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, The Witcher, Castlevania, Arcane, and so much more became so massively popular and successful. These series were able to capture the essence of the game’s story, with some adding their own twist. We need more of these series, and here are the top 10 video games that desperately need an anime or live-action adaptation TV series right now.

10 Video Games That Need to Get an Anime Adaptation

The Warcraft Universe

Warcraft’s rich lore has spawned several million players to its universe and a billion-dollar company single-handedly. The game has enough history to cover more than 20 seasons if turned into a TV series, which you have to credit Chris Metzen, Christie Golden, and Richard Knaak for playing the biggest roles in writing some of its earliest narrative books, including the original lore.

While Warcraft was already made into a movie, they never really continued making a sequel, maybe because it failed to meet both the company’s and the community’s expectations. Some say it only failed because it covered one of the earliest timelines in the game’s story-rich lore. Everything would’ve been a different story if they had started with Illidan or Arthas. Now, we can only wait until they make it happen again, preferably an anime adaptation similar to League of Legends Arcane.

Uncharted Series

The Uncharted series undoubtedly has the top 10 best storylines in video games. The rugged treasure hunter Nathan Drake belongs on the screens with his fast, humourous quips and flair for action. Like Warcraft, Uncharted already had a movie done, but it never really felt like Uncharted. The casting choice wasn’t exactly what any Uncharted fan wanted.

Fans already had a cult following for Nathan Fillion to play as Nathan Drake, and this community got even bigger when the actor dropped a short live-action adaptation on YouTube. It is safe to say that Uncharted needs a do-over, and what better way to do it than with a live-action (not anime) TV series?

Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid is widely considered the best stealth game of all time, and if you pair that with Hideo Kojima’s brilliance in story-telling, you could have one of the best espionage series of all time. The story of Solid Snake has several mind-blowing plot twists along with iconic video game lines.

If you were a 90s kid, you would know the satisfaction of turning your phone’s ringtone to the MGS’s codec ring. Metal Gear Solid has one of the most profound moments in gaming history, and the story fits the relevant times we live in today.

Half-Life

Speaking of the 90s, nothing comes close to iconic than Half-Life and Gordon Freeman. However, the story of Half-Life can be approached in two ways. Firstly, the story has the potential to become a horror series. The grueling creatures, frightening hallways, and the mystery of all the dangerous experimentations all lean toward a thriller, horror, and mystery type of series.

Secondly, you can also make a less serious Rick and Morty-style series centered around Gordon Freeman using portal technology to cross dimensions and play around several factions, like Race X and the Hecu. While there are many more ways you can think of a narrative style for Half-Life, we still just want Half-Life 3, right?

Baldur’s Gate

While there are many adaptations of Dungeons and Dragons already, building a story around Baldur’s Gate can give writers a lot of freedom to get creative because they don’t strictly have to follow a plot line. The beauty of Dungeon & Dragons games is your ability to make choices and get creative. Writers can get creative on how they want to tackle the Bhaalspawn Saga and the Dark Alliance.

They can branch out the anime adaptation into several standalone seasons, similar to Netflix’s Black Mirror, each tackling a different story in the rich history of the city of Baldur’s Gate.

BioShock

There aren’t many stories set in a utopian underwater city like BioShock. The compelling story of Jack discovering a mysterious underwater city, Rapture, through a plane crash already sounds like a great opener for a typical anime series or even an Isekai anime series.

The story has intricate plots, ethical dilemmas, and rich characters, both literally and figuratively. BioShock dives into themes of objectivism and will surely give some thought-provoking discussions that go beyond your typical action and mystery series.

Overwatch

While Activision Blizzard has been heavily cultivating the stories or plotlines of its precious Overwatch characters, it makes sense to create a series based on them, similar to LoL’s Arcane series. With Overwatch’s diverse characters or heroes, you can pick a few of them and curate an emotionally-packed rollercoaster of a series.

Since they already canceled their planned PvE for Overwatch 2, they surely had a plot written for it. They could put it to good use and turn it into an anime adaptation. It is kind of ironic how Overwatch was based on the scraps of their failed project, Titan.

Dark Souls Series

While the Souls series, such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, takes a minimalistic approach to storytelling, it would be perfect for an anime adaptation to fill in those gaps in the story. The game has a unique narrative style, leading the player to environmental clues, descriptions, and minimal conversations to tell the whole story.

Dying Light

While Dying Light shares many themes and elements with other zombie games, movies, and series, the fictional city of Harran and complex characters like Kyle Crane could turn it into a unique epic. Its parkour-inspired gameplay could lead to a more high-paced series, very different from popular zombie films and series like The Walking Dead, Resident Evil, and Train to Busan.

Dead Space

Dead Space is one of the most iconic horror games of all time. While it is known for its visceral horror and brutality, the psyche of the main protagonist, Isaac Clarke, is often overlooked. His struggle to survive ultimately turns him into a battle-hardened fighter, continuously fighting the enemies in his path and the psychological toll of isolation and fear.

While it might be tricky to create an anime adaptation of a horror genre (since fear is indirectly tied to realism), a live-action adaptation could also work.