The massive success of TV shows based on video games, including The Last of Us and Fallout, has gone a long way in turning gaming into a major player in the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, despite the golden era of TV featuring some of the best TV shows in history, very few of them have been adapted into eye-catching video games.
The growing demands of the gaming industry for better graphics, immersive gameplay, and longer games have proved too hard for most TV-based video games. A few developers have still managed to turn TV shows into impressive video games that fans actually enjoyed playing. While they may not compete with the best video games ever developed, these are the best TV-show-to-video-game adaptations.
8. The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series (2012)
Although the game is technically based on the comic series, its popularity has been fueled by the success of the AMC series. Set in the same world as the TV series, The Walking Dead: A Telltale Series follows the story of a young girl called Clementine, who travels through zombie-infested USA with the help of Lee Everett and later, by herself. Featuring an episodic structure and a few familiar characters that mirror the TV series, the game’s worldbuilding is decent, with enhanced player interaction where every action a player takes impacts the success or failure of their protagonists’ mission.
7. Dalek Attack (1992)
Released in 1992, Dalek Attack remains one of the best TV-based video games, although the passage of time makes it feel out of place when compared to modern platformers. However, in its day, it was on par with any well-scripted platform game. Based on the British TV series, Doctor Who, this game allows players to choose between the second, fourth, fifth, and seventh Doctors and take on Daleks and other enemies that the Doctor faces in the series. Its ability to bring the Time Lord to life for fans makes it a nostalgic part of the Doctor Who universe, despite its dated graphics and mechanics.
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6. South Park: The Stick of Truth (2014)
Series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone worked closely with Obsidian Development to turn The Stick of Truth into a faithful adaptation of the popular sitcom. Played from a third-person perspective, the game allows players to take on the identity of the New Kid and travel around South Park, fighting different types of enemies in a bid to secure the Stick of Truth. The game’s sharp writing and fidelity to the show’s animation style have seen it turn into one of the most faithful video game adaptations of South Park.
5. Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova (2022)
From a meticulously detailed gameworld to characters voiced by their TV counterparts, Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova is by far one of the most faithfully adapted video games based on a TV show. The game was developed by Martin Korda in collaboration with Lisa Boyd, one of the TV show’s writers. Set between the first and second halves of the animated TV series, it follows Dal R’El and Gwyndala on a mission to save Protostar and a group of new aliens from being destroyed by a supernova.
4. Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force (2000)
Famous for being the first successful Star Trek video game adaptation, Star Trek: Voyager: Elite Force is another retro video game based on a TV show that lived up to the hype. Set in the sixth season of the TV series, the game is a first-person shooter game that imagines the player as part of the elite Hazard Team tasked with protecting the USS Voyager during a deadly attack in a starship graveyard. It is one of the best recreations of the Star Trek universe, in a video game with a universal appeal that even non-Trekkies could enjoy.
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3. Star Trek: Bridge Crew (2017)
Set on USS Aegis, Star Trek: Bridge Crew is a faithful VR adaptation of the franchise as a whole. Published by Ubisoft, the game pays homage to the spirit of collaboration seen throughout the franchise. It is a cooperative multiplayer game of three or four players, where players take on the roles of a captain, tactical officer, engineer, or helm officer. The game offers a true Trekkie experience, from the visuals to the starship sound. While niche, the fidelity of this VR adaptation is unmatched, with its gameplay making players relive the experience of flying a Federation starship.
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2002)
Fox’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer is another TV series with lots of disappointing video game adaptations, but this Xbox exclusive game remains one of its most faithful recreations. Set in the third season of the TV series, the game features Buffy Summers as she takes on demons, zombies, and vampires on multiple levels across Sunnydale in her quest to reach the safety of the Sunnydale High School library. It was written in collaboration with the show’s creators, which explains its deep combat sequences that combine both martial arts and mystical aspects.
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1. The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003)
The Simpsons holds a special place in TV, and while most of its video game adaptations failed to live up to the show’s legacy, this one has aged just as well as the show. Utilizing a GTA-style open world, The Simpsons: Hit & Run extends Springfield in colorful fashion and fits perfectly into the show with the familiar faces and voices of the show’s actors. The game also retains the spirit of the show with dry humor and flashy cars animated in the same style as the show.
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