7 Video Game Adaptations That Deserve ‘The Last of Us’ Treatment

It seems like we’re living in the golden age of video game adaptations at the present moment.

In fact, with the recent success of groundbreaking series like The Last of Us and Fallout, there’s never been a better time to be an avid video game fan. As numerous TV shows and films based on pre-existing video games take center stage in international pop culture, it’s worth wondering what other potential TV series might arrive based on a successful gaming franchise. From immersive action games to chilling horror series, here are seven video game adaptations we’d love to see in the near future.

Horizon Zero Dawn

If Fallout and The Last of Us are any indication, it seems that audiences are hungry for additional content set in a post-apocalyptic universe. With that being said, Horizon Zero Dawn could feasibly provide the basis for a fascinating sci-fi television premise. Set in a far distant future where civilization has crumbled and advanced robotic creatures live side by side with humanity’s surviving remnants, Horizon Zero Dawn’s fully thought-out settings make it a video game as expansive in scope as The Lord of the Ring’s Middle-earth, Harry Potter’s Wizarding World, or Star Wars’ galaxy far, far away.

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell

It’s been a long time since Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series received a subsequent sequel, with the once popular gaming franchise’s most recent outing coming with 2013’s Blacklist. As disappointing as Splinter Cell’s relative stagnation has been, fans have continuously clamored in support over either a film or TV series based on the cult favorite stealth series. As with most of Tom Clancy’s work, Splinter Cell succeeds as a first-rate espionage thriller on par with James Bond or Mission: Impossible, delivering an action series as thoroughly explosive as Prime Video’s Jack Ryan before it.

Resident Evil

Yes, okay, Resident Evil has long since found its way into the world of film with its various Milla Jovovich-led adaptations. But as any dedicated fan of Capcom’s property can rightfully attest, the quality of those films has been a tad … underwhelming, to say the least. With Resident Evil only continuing its successful hot streak with recent releases like Resident Evil 4, Biohazard, and Village, it’s worth wondering what a more faithful take on the series might look if it were ever translated for television, right down to returning appearances from such iconic characters as Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Claire Redfield.

Ghost of Tsushima

Early last year, audiences fell head over heels for the meticulously recreated historical epic, Shōgun. With the critical acclaim heaped upon FX’s lauded series, some viewers have expressed renewed optimism about a potential Ghost of Tsushima TV adaptation. As with its FX counterpart, Ghost of Tsushima offers a brilliantly stylized portrayal of historical Japan, as seen through the point of view of a young samurai attempting to reclaim his lost honor. … If that doesn’t sound like the plot for a potentially killer TV show, we don’t know what does.

Metro 2033

Some video game series command mass legions of fans, accruing a widespread reputation for their diverse worlds, vivid characters, and gripping main storylines. Every once in a while, though, an otherwise exceptional video game might fail to garner significant traction among mainstream gamers, even as it acquires a more favorable cult status among a more niche audience of players. Metro 2033 is one such game, appearing as one of the single best horror titles of the 2010s. 

In spite of its relatively meager popularity compared to Resident Evil or The Last of Us, Metro 2033 lives on as a harrowing survival epic set in post-apocalyptic Moscow. Between its unique settings, simple story, and terrifying basis in horror, it’s a game we’d absolutely love to see expanded into either a short-lived TV show or miniseries, bringing the horrors of nuclear war-ravaged Russia to audiences’ small screens.

Mass Effect

Today’s audiences are always eager for sci-fi series, especially those with fully-realized space opera settings like The Mandalorian, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, or The Expanse. As an extension of this, numerous video games inspired by the success of Star Wars and Star Trek have seen a release over the years, including the hit 2010s action role-playing series, Mass Effect. With detailed planetary settings spread throughout the franchise’s universe, Mass Effect is a series fans have long wanted to see developed into an equally sprawling TV show, allowing for faithful recreations of the games’ most beloved characters, like the dry-witted turian assassin Garrus and the lovably gruff krogan warrior Wrex.

Red Dead Redemption

Ever since Rockstar released the first installment of the Red Dead Redemption series back in 2010, fans have expressed their hopes of one day seeing a cinematic adaptation arrive to the big screen. While a film based on the property could indeed be terrific, it’s far more likely that Red Dead Redemption would make for a more engrossing TV series, especially given its sheer length and massive cast of characters. Encompassing enough unique storylines to span multiple seasons, Red Dead Redemption and its critically acclaimed sequel could provide an altogether excellent TV narrative unlike any other in the medium’s history: an ambitious, stylistic cross between Kill Bill, The Wild Bunch, Deadwood, Unforgiven, Sons of Anarchy, The Last of Us, and Breaking Bad rolled into one ten gallon hat-sized package.