Why You Can Trust CNET The Best Video Game TV Shows You Can Watch in 2023
The Last of Us rules, but what else is out there? We've looked at some of the best video game adaptations on TV.
I think we all recall the time when all the video game adaptations, whether for the TV screen or the big screen, were just irredeemably awful. Video game TV shows tended to ride on the success of the game franchises they came from, so the average TV adaptation applied only a minimal effort at best.
Those days are are in the past, though, with multiple great live-action and animated series -- even anime series -- being adapted from popular video games today. The TV series format lets many shows' creators tell a more comprehensive story than a movie can fit, which lets you dive deeper into the worlds you loved playing through.
Ever since some bright spark decided to stop shoehorning 30-hour video games into the rigid three-act movie structure, adaptations of classic video games for the small screen have soared. In fact, Netflix, Max (formerly HBO Max), Prime Video and other streaming service providers have started putting their efforts into television show adaptations, bringing us multiple seasons to binge. Netflix, in particular, has had an incredible run, producing and streaming some truly fantastic TV shows based on the video games we all love.
The Last of Us, which hit HBO earlier this year, is a beneficiary of this transition, and it looks like many more are on the way.
But let's stay in the moment: Here are some TV shows based on video games that you can watch right now.
I've waxed lyrical about Cyberpunk: Edgerunners before, and I'll do it again.
This was my favorite anime of 2022, and maybe my favorite show, period. Visually, there's nothing quite like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and narratively it's as tight as a drum. The short, frenetic pace of the 20-minute episodes puts you on a roller coaster almost immediately. You'll finish this show without taking a breath and start watching it all over again.
The Last of Us was a smash hit. Unopposed in the schedule, this perfectly made adaptation of the Naughty Dog classic was all anyone wanted to talk about -- and with good reason.
Not quite as schlocky as The Walking Dead, but more approachable than Station Eleven, The Last of Us strikes a delicate balance. It's probably our favorite live-action video game adaptation ever. Extremely good.
Arcane is loosely based on the lore of League of Legends, a competitive online multiplayer MOBA played obsessively by millions. It's probably the last game you'd expect to see made into a TV show, but here we are.
Because Arcane doesn't just exist -- it rules. It was arguably the best show Netflix released in 2021. It has a gorgeous, completely unique aesthetic that elevates everything. It's beautiful to look at, and the story also delivers in spades.
But yeah, a quick trigger warning: Imagine Dragons does feature heavily in the soundtrack. Don't say I didn't tell you.
Technically The Witcher is based on the series of novels, which eventually became a trilogy of critically acclaimed video games, but let's be real here for a second: The TV show doesn't happen if it wasn't for the runaway success of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Regardless, for now, the show is excellent. We've got an interesting twist in the tale with Henry Cavill leaving the show and being replaced with Liam Hemsworth, but even if that falls apart, there are still a few quality seasons of The Witcher in the books. Give it a go!
I love Castlevania the video game, but at this point I feel like -- in terms of cultural relevance -- the Netflix TV show has completely eclipsed it.
It's truly wild that a big-budget TV show based on a somewhat overlooked video game series can be such a huge hit, but that's a testament to just how good Castlevania is. The best part -- it continues to get better. We're four seasons deep now, and there's no dip in quality yet.
It's almost hard to consider Pokemon a video game adaptation. After literally hundreds of episodes across dozens of TV series and movies, I think of the show as something separate from the games.
Regardless, given the cultural impact of the Pokemon show, I'd be crazy to leave it off this list. So here it is!
Alright, holl up. Let me cook.
Yes, I get it. This new TV version of Halo dramatically diverges from the video game's relatively straightforward story. Yes, Master Chief takes his helmet off and that's upsetting. But come on man... Halo was never The Last of Us. It was never going to hold up to straightforward adaptation.
I think what we get, ultimately, is a fairly solid sci-fi action show that I quite enjoyed watching. This one was renewed for a second season on Paramount, so we'll be seeing more Halo on our TV screens quite shortly.
Cuphead is a strange one. It's a cartoon based on a video game that's an homage to cartoons made in the 1930s.
It doesn't 100% work, but it's a lot of fun, and beautiful to look at. Episodes are nice and short, too.