Video game tie-ins were once cut-price affairs, best avoided by fans and panned by critics. But those days are over.
While it’s easy to get lost in a game, it’s even easier to fully immerse yourself in the lore when you can take part passively too. These TV and movie tie-ins are ideal accompaniments and interesting curios for PlayStation gamers.
10
The Last of Us
Easily Sony’s finest game-to-screen accomplishment, The Last of Us is a critically acclaimed adaptation of Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic action adventure. In it, we follow Ellie and Joel as they navigate a world in which a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus causes a mass infection. The first series aired in 2023, with the second set to premiere in April 2025. The show received well-earned praise upon release, with critics particularly fond of performances from lead actors Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
Though The Last of Us remains a faithful adaptation, the show makes several (at times significant) changes that are hard to ignore. The timeline has been shifted to better engage the viewer and aspects of the lore surrounding the infection have been modified. The pace is different, while the show takes the opportunity to flesh out and explore more of the supporting characters and their backstories.
This makes The Last of Us adaptation well worth a watch, even if you’re intimately familiar with the game.
Steam it on Max.
9
Uncharted
Sony Pictures’ attempt to bring Uncharted to the big screen with 2022’s movie adaptation of the same name makes for surprisingly watchable fare. It helps that Naughty Dog’s globetrotting action-adventure series is already halfway there. The games are heavy on heart-pumping set pieces, chase sequences, shootouts, and cutscenes that are rich in exposition.
Tom Holland is a highlight as lead character Nathan Drake, while Mark Wahlberg just does his usual thing (love it or hate it). The film maintains a sense of levity throughout, cracking wise at any opportunity and making the most of the series’ propensity for exotic locations.
Best described as mindless fun, the film isn’t going to switch anyone on to the series but fans will be relieved that the movie manages to avoid the sort of eye-rolling moments that were all too common in the games-turned-movies of the 90s.
Stream it on Max or Hulu.
8
Until Dawn
I’m getting a little ahead of myself here, but only by a matter of weeks. An adaptation of Supermassive Games’ hit interactive horror narrative game Until Dawn is set to arrive in cinemas on April 25, 2025. Though the game tells a relatively straightforward story of a group of teenagers revisiting the scene of a gruesome killing that took place a year ago, the movie takes a different approach.
Instead of following the slasher formula, the 2025 adaptation dusts off the time loop trope in which a group of teenagers goes searching for a missing person only to wind up murdered. The group finds themselves trapped in the cycle, being killed over and over in ever more gruesome ways. The only way to escape is to survive until dawn.
The jury is well and truly out on how faithful the adaptation will be, what sort of twist is involved (what’s the chance it’s someone “playing” Until Dawn?), and whether the cast can hold it together but it’s likely to be worth a watch for fans of the series (even if you just wait until the movie appears on streaming services).
7
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Cyberpunk 2077 is just one entry in the long-running Cyberpunk universe, which originally dates back to 1982 when series creator Mike Pondsmith authored the very first tabletop adventure. That said, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is the perfect tie-in for anyone captivated by the world of CD Project Red’s expansive sci-fi roleplaying game.
Set in 2076, this anime miniseries from the legendary Studio Trigger serves as a prequel to the game that takes place a year later. Focused mostly on Santo Domingo, the poorest region of Night City, the show features both English and Japanese audio and tells the story of a street kid who falls in with the wrong crowd as an edgerunner, who must do anything to survive in a corrupt and unforgiving urban dystopia.
The series perfectly accompanies a playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077, and received widespread praise for its technical proficiency and for giving fans even more of the Cyberpunk world to sink their teeth into.
Stream it on Netflix.
Twisted Metal was an odd choice for a TV adaptation. The vehicular combat game has a long history, starting with 1995’s PlayStation debut and ending with a reboot of the same name for the PS3 in 2012. In 2023, the adaptation was released as a direct-to-streaming show with a second series due to arrive sometime later in 2025.
The show takes a comedic tone, which makes a lot of sense given the outlandish premise. Anthony Mackie takes the lead, with support from Wil Arnett, and AEW star Joe Seanoa. Reception to the show was mixed, with some praising the _Twisted Metal_’s ability to get any story out of such a thin premise, and others critical of the predictable jokes and worn-out tropes.
Despite the show’s middling reputation, it seems to have been fairly popular and doesn’t seem to require too much work on the part of the viewer. If nothing more, it might be worth a look for fans of the series who are curious about how such a game translates into a comedy series.
Stream it on Peacock.
5
Fallout
While it’s not quite up to the dizzy heights of The Last of Us, Amazon’s adaptation of Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic roleplaying game was easily one of the streaming highlights of 2024. If you’re a big fan of the Fallout universe, you won’t be disappointed. The show doesn’t encroach on past Fallout plotlines or clumsily stumble into ham-fisted easter eggs.
Perhaps most importantly, it’s not afraid to go full Fallout. It’s got the music, the violence, and a sense that everything is not as it seems. It even manages to cleverly incorporate many of the game’s core systems, including the karma system which is reflected in the excellently-cast set of lead characters.
Thankfully, Amazon quickly renewed the show for a second season but the bad news is that it’s not expected until sometime in 2026. Thankfully, there are some excellent shows to soak in while you wait.
Stream is it on Prime Video.
4
The Witcher
CD Project Red’s The Witcher series is itself based on the book series of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Though Netflix specifically adapted the book series, there’s a lot of familiarity here for anyone who has sunk a fair amount of time into the roleplaying game.
Notably, the series follows core characters Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Princess Ciri. The show has been well-received, existing as one of the longest-running tie-ins of all time. Originally airing in 2019, Netflix has renewed the show for a fifth and final season. Anyone who’s had a beloved show canceled by Netflix on a cliffhanger will understand the significance of this move.
The show has notably survived the loss of Henry Cavill as Geralt, with Liam Hemsworth stepping into the role for the fourth season. There’s plenty to get stuck into here while you wait for the long-awaited fourth game in the series.
Stream it on Netflix.
3
Gran Turismo
Sony Pictures loosely based the 2023 Gran Turismo movie tie-in on a real story, in which a budding Gran Turismo gamer is picked up thanks to a competition to realize his dream of driving real race cars. It’s an underdog “rags to riches” story that, at first glance, feels like a bit of a hollow marketing pitch for buying your kid a PS5 and a copy of Gran Turismo 7 for Christmas.
Despite this, the movie seems to have earned itself a smattering of fans. It may be predictable and cheesy, but so is Uncharted and I still had a good time with that. Your tolerance level here is likely tied closely to your fondness for racing games and motorsport movies in general.
Stream it on Netflix.
2
Resident Evil
There’s a lot of Resident Evil media out there, and much of it is not good. The most recent outing was the 2022 Netflix series of the same name, starring the late great Lance Reddick. Suffice to say, it was not well-received, with the plot falling apart well before the halfway mark.
Some highlights that fans of the games might want to dig into include the 2002 original adaptation Resident Evil, the bizarre live-action 2012 Resident Evil: Retribution, and the 2012 feature-length animation Resident Evil: Damnation. I personally always had a soft spot for Resident Evil: Degeneration, a cheesy feature-length animation that features both Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield (though I’ll admit it’s mediocre).
1
Castlevania
While the most recent Castlevania release on a Sony console is the Dominus Collection, three re-released golden oldies, the 2017 Castlevania anime adaptation is too good to not mention. The show is based on the third game, Symphony of the Night, and Curse of Darkness and ran for four seasons through to 2021.
The anime was met with almost universal acclaim, with the quality of the animation, writing, and the show’s “not for kids” approach to violence earning its praise. A follow-up, Castlevania: Nocturne, was later developed and premiered in 2023 (with a second season arriving in early 2025), also to great fanfare.
Watch both series on Netflix.
Many More Shows and Movies on the Way
Sony seems hell-bent on transitioning many of its most successful gaming franchises to the cinema and streaming services, which means there are many more adaptations in the works. PlayStation Productions is a company set up for the sole purpose of making this a reality.
This includes movie adaptations of Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, Helldivers, and Gravity Rush in addition to a Resident Evil reboot and Uncharted sequel.
Sony has also teamed up with Amazon to bring God of War to life as a miniseries. Also in the pipeline is a Ghost of Tsushima: Legends anime series for Crunchyroll.
Got a PS5? In addition to bingeing these shows and movies, check out some of the best PlayStation games you might have missed.
