What came first, the movie or the video game? In decades past that was an easier question, now it's a matter of chicken or egg. Popular movies will almost always become video games, as any movie producer or marketing director can tell you, and despite the fact that either transition often ends in a dramatic and memorable failure, the trend shows no signs of slowing down.
A lot of these games are made only because there's money to be had, and a blockbuster movie inevitably means heavy merchandising which often overlaps into other mediums. Despite the cynicism behind that motivation, sometimes the results aren't so bad. There are plenty of classic and recent examples of successful video games that started as movies. If you're looking for a decent action game based on a movie, you could do a lot worse than start with this list.
10 Alien: Isolation (2014)
A gift to players that hated the third Aliens movie and think it ruined the franchise, this video game will help cleanse their palate. Alien: Isolation takes place 15 years after the first movie that was released in 1979 and features Ripley's daughter as the protagonist, trying to survive long enough to escape from a space station infested with the iconic monsters.
The game even includes several tracks from the original soundtrack and combines the best of the familiar Alien aesthetic with an exciting FPS and survival horror game. It's more claustrophobic survival horror than shooting, so think more like Tomb Raider and less like Call of Duty.
9 GoldenEye 007 (1997)
Here's a classic that had an impact for several different reasons. GoldenEye 007 changed the whole concept of the FPS game, was one of the first successful adaptations of a video game from a movie, and proved that the Nintendo 64 could still hold its own next to consoles that had upgraded to CD technology.
The video game follows the same basic plot as the movie, including the intro where James Bond watches his colleague Alex Trevelyan die when a joint mission goes sour. The player assumes the role of Bond for the duration of the gameplay which is combined with the continuing narrative. You can also play in multiplayer mode, and work with your friends or hunt them down.
8 Mad Max (2015)
The timing of this video game might make it seem like it was riding the success of Mad Max: Fury Road, and maybe it is but that makes it even better. The plot of the game uses some of the same elements of the most recent installment in the iconic franchise and includes Max Rockatansky as the protagonist.
The player, Max, has to get their V8 Interceptor back from Immortan Joe's son, Scrotus. The action takes place in the harsh Australian outback and players can interact with almost everything in their environment while going on a bloody and unreserved quest to get their badass car back.
7 Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017)
It's hard to tell which Tolkien-themed games take their inspiration from the movies as opposed to the books, and this one includes a lot of both. It uses some events, places, or characters that didn't appear in the films, but on the other hand, it uses the same aesthetic as the movies when it comes to costuming, design, and overall style.
The story is an original one that uses the Lord of the Rings lore and backstory and follows two heroes that must travel behind enemy lines. It's intended to be a sequel to Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor which was released in 2014 and features the same protagonists.
6 Friday the 13th: The Game (2017)
There's some drama behind this game that is based on the infamous horror franchise. It was originally released in 2017 in hardcopy form for several consoles and wasn't available on PC until 2019. The game has an asymmetrical layout within an open world that players can explore and includes eight playable characters; seven counselors against one Jason Voorhees.
From the moment it was in development, however, it was subject to some sticky licensing issues with one of the co-creators. That resulted in a server shutdown in November of 2020, but peer-to-peer matchmaking means that the game is still available and even continues to get developer support.
5 Blade 2 (2002)
Blade 2 is a mixed bag when it comes to what players like and don't like, but 20 years later the game has stood the test of time. Players have more appreciation for the third-person POV and the unique combat system, features that made the game contentious when it was first released.
The story is set sometime between the movie Blade II and the third installment in the franchise, Blade: Trinity. Like the titular character from the movies, the combat is focused on melee fighting with the aid of weapons, although the player can use some firearms.
4 Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992)
Remember the age of cartoony puzzle games for the PC that took place in exotic locations and had a fantasy adventure motif? In the spirit of games like Myst and The Secret of Monkey Island, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was also a point-and-click game that was intended to be an extension of the movie franchise. In fact, rumor had it that was one of the original ideas for one of the movies. In hindsight, that sounds better than aliens.
The game was popular in its time, gaining accolades from both fans and critics, and is considered a classic of the genre. It's currently available on Steam and was included in an unlockable extra in the Wii version of another Indiana Jones game, Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings.
3 The Chronicles Of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena (2009)
There are actually several video games that are either based on or designed to fit into the Chronicles of Riddick and this is one of the favorites. The plot and setting are designed to fit seamlessly into the previous game, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, and the developers at Starbreeze Studios knew what to include from the previous game and what needed improvements.
The storyline plays out the same way as a movie would, starting with Riddick stowing away on a ship called Dark Athena. Vin Diesel, who lends his voice and likeness to the main character, was also involved in the game's production.
2 Tron 2.0 (2004)
Unlike other Tron games that use racing bikes and discuss tournaments in the gameplay, Tron 2.0 is a first-person shooter, and that's not the only twist. Instead of Finn's son, who was the star of the big-budget, full-length live-action sequel, Tron: Legacy, the plot of the game revolves around Jethro Bradley, the son of ENCOM programmer Alan Bradley, the character who originally designed the security program TRON.
Bruce Boxleitner, who played Alan in the original movie, lends his voice to the character in the video game. Cindy Morgan, who plays the love interest in the original movie, also voices a major role. According to the creators, the story isn't canon to the franchise, but it's still a great video game based on a movie.
1 Star Wars: TIE Fighter (1994)
Today, there are a thousand games based on the Star Wars franchise, and the variety includes FPS games, MMORPGs, RTS games, and everything in between. Back in 1994, however, the trend was just getting ramped up. This entry in the Star Wars: X-Wing series broke new ground not only for flight simulators and first-person shooters but also the lore of everyone's favorite space opera.
Previously, players had been fighting for the Rebel Alliance. This was one of the first games that gave players the chance to play on the Imperial side, and aside from blowing rebel scum out of the sky, the main protagonist also fights pirates, insurgents, and traitors to the Empire.