Best video games that would make great movies but are unlikely to get made

There have been a host of video games that have been made into movies over the years with contrasting results. But there are also plenty of games that fans felt would translate well onto the silver screen but never materialised. Today, we look at some of the best games that have never been given the Hollywood treatment and how they could be adapted – if at all.

Dead Space

When Dead Space first hit the consoles in 2008, it scared the living daylights out of anyone who played it. This atmospheric science fiction survival horror had blockbuster movie written all over it but it was never picked up by the movie studios despite the game itself spawning two more sequels.

In the game, the player takes on the role of spaceship engineer Isaac Clarke who must battle for survival in a mining ship full of zombie-like necro-morphs. It might be that its similarities to movies such as Alien and the hugely underrated space horror Event Horizon prevented it from getting made into a film but fans are convinced it could have been turned into one of the greatest space horrors of all time.

Red Dead Redemption

Okay, there is still a chance that this one could get made into a movie and fans have been talking about it for years. The problem is that the game and its sequel are so epic, that any movie would have a hell of a lot to live up to. Not so long ago, the movie inspired by the video game World of Warcraft proved to be a success at the box office and became the highest grossing video game movie of all time. However, critics were not impressed and the movie is unlikely to be remembered fondly in years to come.

The creators of Red Dead Redemption seem keen to preserve the legacy of the series even if it means losing out on potential revenue. In the meantime, fans of the game who crave that same vibe in movie form should check out classics set in the same era such as The Wild Bunch, Ride the High Country and Once Upon a Time in the West.

The Legend of Zelda

Many gamers grew up playing the Legend of Zelda series of games that featured classics titles as Ocarina of Time and would love to see the world brought to life on the big screen in one or several instalments. The man character, Link, has zero dialogue in the games so there would be a blank canvas for the creators to work with when bringing him to life.

The combination of mythology, time travel and classical adventure as well as the music, creatures and characters that make up the kingdom of Hyrule could result in a movie to rival the Lord of the Rings trilogy in terms of substance and scale. But could it happen? Well, Metal Gear director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, recently spoke about how he would approach such a movie but no plans are currently in place.

Honourable mentions

Other films that fall into this category include Grand Theft Auto, Fallout, Bioshock and Diablo. All have the potential to make epic movies but are unlikely to ever see the light of day.

The editorial unit