For a long time it was believed (and proven) that video game adaptations to the screen are bad by definition… but something changed. Unexpected successes and high-profile projects that are crushing it on streaming have started a new cycle, and the conversions (confirmed and future) now number in the dozens. Over the next two years, we're going to see a real bombardment. This is just a sample of what's coming.
Pokémon Detective Pikachu arrived on the big screen in May 2019. It was the first live-action based on the Pokémon franchise, and the first based on Nintendo intellectual property since Super Mario Bros. (1993). With a stellar performance by Ryan Reynolds and $450 million at the box office, Detective Pikachu became the most successful game-to-film adaptation in history… a title that lasted barely four years.
Sonic the Hedgehog, Monster Hunter, Mortal Kombat (again), Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Uncharted, Sonic 2, The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.36 billion!), Gran Turismo, Five Nights at Freddy’s… and I haven't even mentioned the series yet. For some, Detective Pikachu started a kind of “golden age” in video game adaptations. For others, it's a dark stage that reflects the desperation of streaming to generate more content. Either way, these are some of the projects on the horizon:
Movies Based on Games Coming to Your Screen… Soon
- A Minecraft Movie, April 4, 2025
- BioShock, via Netflix, with a reduced budget
- Comix Zone, classic from Sega, no news since 2022
- Death Stranding, announced in December 2023
- Dredge, confirmed in April
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, December 5, 2025
- Gears of War, via Netflix, confirmed but without a date
- Ghost of Tsushima, with the director of John Wick, still without a date
- Mortal Kombat 2, with Karl Urban, October 24, 2025
- Pokémon Detective Pikachu 2, without a date for now
- Return to Silent Hill, based on Silent Hill 2, without a date
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3, with Keanu Reeves, December 20, 2024
- Space Channel 5, in the same situation as Comix Zone
- Stray, confirmed in September 2023
- Street Fighter, March 20, 2026
- The Legend of Zelda, with the director of Maze Runner, without a date
- The Sims, confirmed today! via Amazon MGM
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, April 3, 2026
- Until Dawn, with the director of Shazam!, without a date
The Series Coming Up
- Arcane, second season, November 2024
- Assassin’s Creed, via Netflix, without a date
- Castlevania: Nocturne, second season, January 2025
- Devil May Cry, anime, via Netflix, 2024
- Fallout, second season, without a date
- Gears of War, also via Netflix, without a date
- God of War, via Amazon, without a date
- Like a Dragon: Yakuza, via Amazon, October 24, 2024
- Splinter Cell, anime, via Netflix, without a date
- The Last of Us, second season, 2025
- The Witcher, seasons 4 and 5, without a date
- Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, October 10, 2024
- Twisted Metal, second season, without a date