Video game adaptations don’t always score well with critics or fans, such as titles like 2022’s Resident Evil TV series which was cancelled after one season. But recent series such as The Last of Us and Fallout have won fans’ hearts. Worldwide searches for ‘Fallout season 2 release date reddit’ have increased by 1,000% in the last 30 days according to Google Trends.

The Top 10 Most Popular Video Game to TV Show Adaptations:

#	TV Adaptation	Year	Genre	IMDB Rating / 10	Video Game/ Franchise that it is based on	Year	Video Game IMDB Rating / 10
1	The Sonic & Knuckles Show	(2019– )	Action, Comedy	9.1	Sonic & Knuckles	1994	8.3
2	Arcane	(2021– )	Animation, Action, Adventure	9.0	League of Legends	2009	7.1
3	Souls Logic	(2020– )	Comedy, Fantasy, Horror	8.9	Dark Souls	2011-2016	8.6
4=	Steins;Gate	-2011	Animation, Comedy, Drama	8.7	Steins;Gate	2009	8.7
4=	The Last of Us	(2023– )	Action, Adventure, Drama	8.7	The Last of Us	2013	9.7
6=	Clannad: After Story	(2007–2009)	Animation, Comedy, Drama	8.6	Clannad	2004	8.3
6=	A Fox in Space	(2016– )	Comedy, Crime, Mystery	8.6	Star Fox	1993-2016	7.3
6=	Overwatch Shorts	(2016– )	Animation, Short, Action	8.6	Overwatch	2016	8.3
9	Fallout	(2024– )	Action, Adventure, Drama	8.5	Fallout	1997-2015	9.05
10	Castlevania	(2017–2021)	Animation, Action, Adventure	8.3	Castlevania	1989-2005	8.03

The full dataset can be found here.

Sonic & Knuckles steal the show

CasiMonka can reveal that The Sonic & Knuckles Show is the most well-received video game to TV adaptation, scoring 9.1 out of 10. It is based on the 1994 video game Sonic & Knuckles which currently has an IMDB rating of 8.3 out of 10. It debuted in 2019 and follows the characters Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles as they take on crazy adventures in their apartment.

In second place is Arcane, scoring 9 out of 10. Debuting in 2021, Arcane is based on the League of Legends universe and follows the origins of champions Victor (played by actress/singer Hailee Steinfeld) and Jayce (played by Kevin Alejandro) as they uncover the power that will tear them apart. Arcane scored a higher IMDB rating than the League of Legends game, which currently has a 7.1 rating, and it has been renewed for a second season, expected to be released this year.

Souls Logic is the third-best video game adaptation, scoring 8.9 out of 10. It was released in 2020 as a series of skits parodying the Dark Souls franchise (which has the same IMDB score) and currently has two seasons and can be fully streamed on YouTube.

Steins;Gate and The Last of Us are in joint fourth place, scoring 8.7 out of 10. Steins;Gate is based on the 2009 anime visual novel of the same name and follows the character Rintaro Okabe who together with his colleagues discovers time travel and must use it to change the past. The series ran for one season but produced a sequel, Steins;Gate 0, based on the 2015 game of the same name, (which also has the same IMDB rating).

The Last of Us was released in 2023 and is based on the 2013 action/horror game of the same name. It follows protagonists Joel Miller (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie Williams (played by Bella Ramsey) as they try to survive in a global zombie pandemic. A second season, based on the follow-up game, has been renewed for next year.

Interestingly, the game was better received on IMDB, scoring a 9.7 out of 10 rating.

In ninth place is Fallout, scoring 8.5 out of 10. Released earlier this year, the TV adaptation is based on the namesake video game franchise and stars Ella Purnell as Lucy MacLean and Aaron Moten as Maximus as they try to survive in a future, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. The series has been renewed for a second season but currently has no planned release date.

 Like The Last of Us, the Fallout franchise received a higher IMDB score (9.05) than its TV counterpart.

Castlevania trails at the bottom of the top 10, scoring 8.3 out of 10. Released in 2017 on Netflix, the series follows the video games Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and follows characters Trevor Belmont (voiced by Richard Armitage) and Alucard (voiced by James Callis) as they defend the nation of Wallachia from Dracula and his minions.

It ran for four seasons and spawned a sequel Castlevania: Nocturne, which was released in 2023 on Netflix. The Castlevania games received a slightly lower IMDB rating than the TV series (8.03 out of 10).