Every upcoming video game movie you need to know about

Breath of the Wild
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Video game movies are taking over the world. Everything from The Legend of Zelda, to Borderlands and Sonic the Hedgehog's threequel are speeding into cinemas over the coming years. 

On top of that, there are multiple projects in various states of production and pre-production to keep an eye on. It Takes Two from Dwayne Johnson and a Death Stranding movie, for starters, as well as over a dozen more besides that.

In fact, there are so many that you're bound to find a few here that you didn't realize were happening. Be warned, though, some could very well be in development hell at this point, it's been so long. Still, we like to be comprehensive until we've had news of an official cancelation. It's all in our complete A-Z guide to upcoming video movies, starting with Netflix's BioShock. Now would you kindly scroll down for more?

Upcoming video game movies

BioShock

games like Resident Evil - Bioshock

(Image credit: 2K)

Release date: TBA

Welcome to Rapture. BioShock’s depiction of a Randian aquatic paradise sunk by greed and wild ambition almost demands a big-screen outing. After repeated attempts to adapt it elsewhere, Netflix has confirmed it’s working on a BioShock movie.

I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence is helming the project while Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049) is on scripting duties. Little else is known of the BioShock movie, though Lawrence recently told GamesRadar that will have some "new little twists" for seasoned veterans who have already taken a trip under the sea.

Borderlands

Borderlands movie- upcoming video game movies

(Image credit: Gearbox)

Release date: August 9, 2024

Borderlands has wrapped up filming years ago – and we finally have a release date, a first look, and a trailer.

Gearbox’s larger-than-life world of OTT characters will be brought to life by a host of big names. Directed and co-wrote by Eli Roth (The Last of Us series writer Craig Mazin curiously removed his name from the project, with a script now by Joe Crombie), Borderlands sees Lilith, an "infamous outlaw with a mysterious past" return to Pandora to find the missing daughter of Atlas, AKA "the universe’s most powerful SOB."

Cate Blanchett is portraying Lilith, and she’ll be joined by some familiar faces from the Borderlands universe including Roland (Kevin Hart), Claptrap (Jack Black), and Dr. Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis). Footage was screened behind-closed-doors at CinemaCon, and the trailer finally dropped in February 2024.

Death Stranding

Normal Reedus in Death Stranding

(Image credit: SIE)

A Death Stranding movie, in partnership with production company A24, is in the works. 

Developer Hideo Kojima has already said he will be "deeply involved" in "producing, supervising, plotting, look, design and content of the film adaptation of DS, just not in charge of directing."

Released in 2019, Death Stranding featured Norman Reedus as Sam Porter Bridges, a courier attempting to connect a broken America in the wake of the apocalyptic 'death stranding' event. Kojima has stated, however, that it will not be a "direct translation" of the game.

Detective Pikachu 2

Detective Pikachu

(Image credit: Legendary Pictures / The Pokemon Company)

Release date: TBA

Pika-pi! Detective Pikachu has sleuthed his way to a sequel. Portlandia co-creator Jonathan Krisel is directing the feature, while Deadline reports that Ryan Reynolds, who voiced Pikachu in the original, could be involved in the upcoming feature.

Live-action lead Justice Smith, meanwhile, isn't sure if he's back for more Poke-action. He told Screen Rant, "I don't know if there is going to be a reunion. I've heard rumors that they might be doing a second one, but I don't know if I'm a part of it."

Duke Nukem

Duke Nukem Forever

(Image credit: 2K/Gearbox)

Release date: TBA

The crude action hero pastiche famously spent a lot of time in development limbo for the long, long awaited video game Duke Nukem Forever. We hope it’s not a 14-year wait this time.

The Hollywood Reporter says Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Hayden Schlossberg, and Jon Hurwitz will be producing alongside Dune and Godzilla’s production company Legendary, but that’s all we know at this early juncture.

Firewatch

Upcoming video game movies - Firewatch

(Image credit: Campo Santo)

Release date: TBA

Firewatch already feels tailor-made for a film. The 2016 narrative game, which featured lonely fire lookout Henry form a connection with his supervisor Delilah during a fateful stint in a National Forest, won critical acclaim upon its release for its strong dialogue and mystery-driven gameplay.

As luck would have it, developers Campo Santo partnered with Snoot Entertainment (as first mentioned by The Hollywood Reporter) to produce an adaptation of the game alongside Keith and Jess Wu Calder – though it’s still unconfirmed whether it’ll be a movie or TV show.

"Firewatch is a stunning accomplishment, a beautiful and heartbreaking piece of art," Jess Wu Calder said. "I’m delighted that [developers] Sean and Jake are letting us ruin their perfect video game by turning it into a movie and/or TV show."

Gears of War

Gears of War

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Release date: TBA

The thick-necked, chainsaw-wielding soldiers that make up Gears of War's cast have always felt tailor-made for the action movie treatment. Netflix is finally delivering the goods with the announcement that Gears is being adapted into "a live-action feature film" with an adult animated series also in the works. Expect to see Gears' motley crew of battle-hardened COGs fight waves of locusts on the planet of Sera in the near future. Dune co-writer Jon Spaihts has been confirmed to pen the script, per Variety.

Ghost of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima

(Image credit: Sucker Punch)

Release date: TBA

Ghost of Tsushima took PlayStation by storm upon its release in 2020. Sucker Punch’s samurai epic – which told the tale of Jin Sakai fighting back after a Mongol invasion of his home island – has sold close to 10 million copies.

PlayStation Productions will be hoping that success translates to theater tickets. John Wick director Chad Stahelski is on board and he’s already spoken of his intentions to have a completely authentic Japanese cast.

"Honestly, it's probably the same things that would scare the shit out of most people. It's a fantasy period piece," the director told Collider. "It's done with reverence to Akira Kurosawa, who's probably in the top five biggest influences of my life as far as film goes. It's a chance to push technology and people in a story that's timeless.

It Takes Two

It Takes Two review

(Image credit: EA)

Release date: TBA

As per Variety, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is producing this adaptation of Hazelight Studio’s inventive platform adventure. It Takes Two, which took home Game of the Year at the 2021 Game Awards, revolves around a bickering couple who are trapped in the bodies of their daughters’ dolls. Naturally.

To find their way back home, they must overcome hardship – and eventually rekindle their failing marriage – to return to their human forms.

The Rock is reportedly in line to star in It Takes Two – though nothing as been confirmed as of writing.

Just Cause

Just Cause 4

(Image credit: Square Enix)

Release date: TBA

Just Cause has hit a few snags in its long journey to cinemas. In 2017, Jason Momoa was attached to play revolutionary Rico Rodriguez with Brad Peyton directing.

Peyton eventually dropped out, with John Wick creator Derek Kolstad jumping on board as producer and writer. Michael Dowse, director of Stuber, is now also attached to the project, though Momoa’s status is unclear. Don’t worry, though the main selling point is still here: the grapple hook is reportedly going to be part of the Just Cause movie. If the games are any indication, expect sun-kissed vistas, tons of explosions, and insane stunts.

Mega Man

Mega Man

(Image credit: Capcom)

Release date: TBA

The Blue Bomber doesn’t feel like prime material for a cinematic reinvention – yet here we are.

The legendary video game icon has bleeped and blooped his way through decades of rock-hard platformers, taking down arch nemesis Dr. Wily and his legion of Robot Masters across several console generations. Now, it seems, Mega Man is finally making the jump from consoles to a cinematic adventure.

Netflix is bringing the Mega Man movie to life alongside writers and directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Catfish, Paranormal Activity 3).

Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

(Image credit: Konami)

Release date: TBA

Metal Gear?! That’s right: Konami and Hideo Kojima’s legendary stealth franchises is sneakily making its way to cinemas.

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts (of Kong: Skull Island fame), Metal Gear Solid will see Oscar Isaac slip into the Sneaking Suit of Solid Snake.

Speaking to EW, Vogt-Roberts outlined his plan to "create a new type of action on screen that also is based in the quietness of the stealth" but that we shouldn’t expect a “one-to-one” translation of the video game experience. So hour-long CODEC calls about nuclear disarmament are probably off the table.

Minecraft

Minecraft

(Image credit: Mojang)

Release date: April 4, 2025

Minecraft is the Tetris of our age: instantly recognizable, a true mainstream hit – and appeals to all ages. Perfect for a film, then? That’s what Warner Bros. will be hoping for anyway.

Originally set for March 4, 2022, the Minecraft movie was originally conceived as "the story of a teenage girl and her unlikely group of adventurers" who have to save the block-filled Overworld from the Ender Dragon. That has changed recent months with Aquaman star Jason Momoa attached to the film alongside Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Jack Black. Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) is set to direct.

Danielle Brooks has recently teased the "lifelike" feel of the Minecraft movie in an new interview with Variety.

"I don’t know how to play the game but I know the world and the movie is pretty magical. It’s so lifelike," Brooks said. 

"I don’t know how much I can share, but I do know fans will not be disappointed with the world they’ve created. We obviously do some green screen, but we got all the things there. Basically, all your senses are being used. You have the world for your sight but also for an actor, the smells of certain things."

Mortal Kombat 2

Mortal Kombat movie

(Image credit: New Line Studios/Warner Bros.)

Release date: TBA

Get over here! Fresh off the surprise success of Mortal Kombat on HBO Max in 2021 comes news of a sequel. As per Deadline, Moon Knight’s Jeremy Slater is penning the script and Simon McQuoid returns as director. Karl Urban is the headline newcomer, playing movie star Johnny Cage.

The sequel, though, should answer fans’ calls for a tournament – and also deal with the returning threat of Outworld. At the very least, it should be better than 1997’s poorly-received Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Mortal Kombat 2 has finished filming, though producer Todd Garner warned it will be a "while" before we see it. At least we have Cage's obnoxious belt buckle to tide us over until then.

Mortal Kombat 2 still star Tati Gabrielle (Uncharted) as Jade, Adeline Rudolph (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) as Kitana, Martyn Ford (F9) as Shao Kahn, Desmond Chiam (Falcon and The Winter Soldier) as King Jerrod, Damon Herriman (Justified) as Quan Chi, C.J. Bloomfield (Furiosa) as Baraka, and Ana Thu Nguyen (One Night) as Sindel.

Several actors also return from the 2021 original, with Bi-Han actor Hiroyuki Sanada featuring alongside familiar faces such as Lewis Tan’s Cole, Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), and Joe Taslim (Bi-Han).

Pac-Man

Pac-Man

(Image credit: Namco Bandai)

Release date: TBA

Arcade machines couldn’t contain the pellet-popping video game icon forever. Pac-Man is wakka-wakka’ing his way into cinemas in a live-action adventure according to The Hollywood Reporter. Let’s hope Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde join him up on the big screen.

Portal

Portal 2

(Image credit: Valve)

Release date: TBA

You’d be forgiven for forgetting that the Portal movie was even a thing. Quietly announced way back in 2013, the adaptation of Valve’s hilarious portal-based puzzler is finally moving again.

"We actually do have a script that’s being written for the Portal movie now at [Warner Bros.]. We’re really excited about the take and the pitch, so it feels like that thing’s finally on the rails," producer J.J. Abrams told IGN. For now, we sit and wait – and hope the script (and the cake) isn’t a lie. You monsters.

Saints Row

Saints Row

(Image credit: Deep Silver)

Release date: TBA

The recent Saints Row remake may have received a middling reception, but Saints Row – as far as we know – is still being adapted into a movie. The one-time GTA rival found its funny bone in later years, but the movie’s writer Greg Russo has announced his intentions to take inspiration from the likes of The Warriors and Escape From New York for the script. F. Gary Gray (The Fate of the Furious) is set to direct.

Sifu

Sifu

(Image credit: Sloclap)

Release date: TBA

One of the most recent projects on this list to spring into life, Sifu is all set to be adapted to live-action by John Wick creator Derek Kolstad. 

Deadline reports that the adaptation of Sloclap's hard-as-nails beat 'em up was the subject of a "competitive pursuit" from several production companies before Kolstad's Story Kitchen won out. It even has a killer elevator pitch: John Wick meets Old.

Slime Rancher

Slime Rancher

(Image credit: Monomi Park)

Release date: TBA

Slime Rancher is one of Steam's highest-rated games of all time, so it stands to reason that the kooky adventure game will comfortably make the leap to theaters. Derek Kolstad's Story Kitchen is attached to develop.

Stray

Stray

(Image credit: Annapurna)

Release date: TBA

Yep, Stray is purring its way into cinemas. Currently in the works at Annapurna's animation studio, the adventure will likely follow the plot of the stealth game. There, players controlled a stray cat who had to navigate a post-apocalyptic world filled with various nasties - and a friendly robot named B-12.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

The Egg Mobile in Sonic 2

(Image credit: Paramount)

Release date: December 20, 2024

One of the very few upcoming video game movies with a confirmed release date, Sonic 3 might be the blueprint (emphasis on blue) for all future titles making the leap from consoles to cinema.

Not only did Sonic the Hedgehog 2 gross over $400m, the original movie took fan complaints about the Blue Blur’s design on board and tweaked it to great success. Sonic 3, then, should be a perfect mix of critical and commercial acclaim – and it’s likely that Shadow the Hedgehog will appear given his presence in the Sonic 2 post-credits scene. Jeff Fowler is once again back to direct, with Sonic (Ben Schwartz) being joined by Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey).

Space Channel 5

Space Channel 5

(Image credit: Grounding Inc)

Release date: TBA

Few could have predicted Space Channel 5 would have been plucked from (relative) obscurity to make its way to the big screen. Still, the SEGA Dreamcast cult classic is coming to cinemas. According to THR, it has a deliciously madcap premise that follows the plot of the original 1999 title.

Space Channel 5 "tells the story of a hapless fast-food worker who is recruited by a freedom reporter from the future to save the world from aliens using the one thing that unites all people on the planet: our love of silly viral dances." Cosmic.

Streets of Rage

Streets of Rage 4

(Image credit: Dotemu)

Release date: TBA

Derek Kolstad is set to have a busy few years. The John Wick creator is also involved in this adaptation of classic co-op side scrolling beat 'em up Streets of Rage.

"When [dj2 Entertainment's Dmitri M. Johnson] first mentioned the idea of cracking a Streets of Rage movie, I was so immediately freaking in," Kolstad said in a statement (via Deadline). "And to play with Sega? The 10-year-old me is still grinning."

The Division

The Division

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Release date: N/A

Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain were set to star in The Division on Netflix, though there's been a worrying update in recent years.

Director of Netflix smash hit Red Notice Rawson Marshall Thurber was all set to helm the adaptation of Ubisoft’s squad shooter.

"I’m so thrilled about it," Thurber told us in late 2021. "We’re in the middle of the latest rewrite and I think we’re going to start shooting [next year]. It’s my next movie, Jake and Jessica are fired up and ready to go. With any luck, we’ll film in 2022 and I’m incredibly excited."

2022 and most of 2023 went by without a peep. An update from producer Kelly McCormick in an interview with Discussing Film suggested it's not moving forward.

"To be honest, when COVID hit, we left The Division because it felt like it was a documentary," she said. "I think we could find love for it again. It’s such a cool property and what you could do with the imagery of a team of agents coming in with that kind of post-apocalyptic prospect is really amazing, but we actually did end up letting it go because we got moved away by COVID."

The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda

(Image credit: Nintendo)

"I have been working on the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda for many years now with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many mega hit films," Shigeru Miyamoto said in a statement on Twitter. "I have asked Avi-san to produce this film with me, and we have now officially started the development of the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it."

With that, The Legend of Zelda movie was born. It's all set to be live-action, too, with Hunter Schafer being hyped up by fans as one of the frontrunners to play Zelda. The production is a joint venture between Nintendo and Sony Pictures, who brought Uncharted to life on the big screen.

Tomb Raider

best Tomb Raider games

(Image credit: Crystal Dynamics)

Release date: N/A

2018’s Tomb Raider saw Alicia Vikander pick up the adventuring bug – and eventually Lara Croft’s iconic twin pistols – as part of what was envisioned as a new movie franchise. A sequel was planned, first with The Meg’s Ben Wheatley as director, then Lovecraft Country’s Misha Green. The follow-up eventually fell through after a "bidding war" between studios erupted over the Tomb Raider movie rights.

Lara Croft’s cinema future may be cloudy right now – but a TV show is in the works over at Amazon.

Yakuza

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

(Image credit: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio)

Release date: TBA

Real Kiryu-chan fans will know all about the 2007 live-action Yakuza movie. This is a different beast entirely.

According to a Variety report in 2020, 1212 Entertainment and Wild Sheep Content will produce – though no casting or director news has been announced since then.

“Yakuza offers us a new playground in which to set compelling stories with complex characters in a unique environment that audiences have rarely seen before. The saga of Kazuma Kiryu has a built-in cinematic appeal – a mix of kinetic action with bursts of comedy, multiple converging storylines, and a gripping journey towards redemption,” 1212 Entertainment said at the time.


For more, check out the 85 Super Mario Bros. Movie Easter eggs we discovered during its runtime, then dive into our rundown of video game release dates.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.