A Guide to TV Shows and Movies Based on Hit Video Games

The Last of Us, Five Nights at Freddy’s and Super Mario Bros. are just some of the hit video games that have been adapted into TV shows and movies over the years.

HBO adapted The Last of Us from the video game of the same name in January 2023 with Pedro Pascal playing Joel and Bella Ramsey bringing Ellie to life. The series follows the duo on a journey across the country, 20 years after a zombie-like fungus wiped out much of civilization. Ellie, however, is somehow immune to the disease and is the key to creating a potential cure.

The Last of Us became an instant success and received a season 2 renewal the same month it premiered. The series will continue to take inspiration from the original video game and its 2020 sequel, which is still centered around Joel and Ellie but includes a time jump.

Meanwhile, Five Nights at Freddy’s consists of nine video games, which take place in locations connected to a fictional family pizza restaurant franchise titled Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The story lines were condensed for the 2023 film featuring four animatronic mascots as the main villains.

“We really wanted this to be inclusive to a younger audience and there are so many younger fans with this franchise, but also certainly hope to have nailed some of the jump scares like playing the game. The atmosphere and the creepiness … [were] one of the things that sat in my bones the most,” director Emma Tammi told Slash Film in October 2023. “Of course, there are the jump scares, iconic jump scares and those are incredibly scary, but most of the time, you’re feeling the creepy atmosphere.”

Scroll on for more video games which have been adapted: