Sadly, on the whole, video game movie adaptations have generally been quite dreadful, with some even ranking among the worst films of all time. In recent years, there has been a slight improvement with some TV shows delivering great adaptations. However, if you’re seeking a hilariously bad game adaptation, look no further than the following list.

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Video game adaptations that go terribly wrong

There can be numerous elements that go awry when adapting anything into a movie. However, for some reason, video games seem to have an especially difficult time. Books are often the source material for films, and they can sometimes be masterpieces. Nevertheless, due to either the team being unfamiliar with the game or a studio simply not understanding their material, there are an abundance of dreadful video game movie adaptations.

Alone in The Dark – 2005

Uwe Boll is a name you are likely familiar with by now. This director is responsible for a significant number of entries on this list of the worst video game adaptations. Honestly, given the scathing reviews each of his movies receives, it’s still astonishing that they continue to let him make more and even sign him up for sequels to the absolute visual atrocities he produces.

Image: Amazon

Alone in The Dark is an important game that deserved to be treated with respect. Its first iteration is considered one of the earliest survival horrors, helping to popularize the genre. The many games are often based on works by writers like Lovecraft, drawing inspiration from artists such as Geiger. However, the movie is dull and confusing, with hardly any atmosphere, let alone horror.

House of The Dead – 2003

Uwe Boll is back with another unmitigated disaster of a video game movie adaptation. Anyone who has even dabbled in film school has tried their hand at horror, and zombies are a common choice in the genre. Yet, somehow, this absolute hack manages to mess up one of the most iconic arcade zombie shooters of all time.

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The failings of this film go beyond just poor direction and writing. Uwe loves to overuse effects and film trends repeatedly. This horror game adaptation is one to watch simply because of how abysmal it is; it will have you laughing after a few drinks. He even manages to sneak in a few scenes from the arcade game, somehow.

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation – 1997

It’s not just one of the worst video game adaptations but also one of the worst movies overall. However, if you’re a fan of subpar acting, incomprehensible plots, and VFX that look like they came from a PlayStation One demo disk, you might enjoy this one. The film, from the very beginning, makes it clear it won’t be anything special, and it doesn’t disappoint.

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The acting is what truly sets this apart from the plethora of the worst video game movie adaptations. It’s hard to find a line in the film that isn’t delivered so poorly that it’s difficult to even understand what they’re trying to convey. Thankfully, subtlety and nuance aren’t something this film is particularly striving for. All that said, the theme tune for the movie is excellent.

Borderlands – 2024

If you hadn’t already heard, Borderlands absolutely flopped, which is hardly a surprise. I won’t lie and say I’m not disappointed, but I, for one, certainly saw this coming. As soon as I read that they planned to aim for a 12A rating, I knew they would miss the mark. Borderlands is a no-holds-barred, vulgar, gory gun fest, and taking that away is a clear sign the production team has no clue what the fans are there for.

Image via Lionsgate

Sadly, unlike a few of the others on the list of the worst video game movie adaptations, you can’t even watch this in the background with some snacks and enjoy the travesty; it’s just a bad, boring movie. How the team manages to take a game as fast-paced and full of humor as Borderlands and produce something as bland as they did is a feat in itself. Everything from the casting to the plot was completely missed, resulting in something truly insulting to the fanbase and the original games.

Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge – 2014

So the studio acquired the rights for Tekken and made the first film to some success. However, for some reason, the second one was planned as a prequel, following the story of Kazuya from the first. He isn’t the most captivating character, and the decision to delve into his past was already a bit of a strange choice. The result is a film that isn’t bad in a good way; it’s bad in a bad way. Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge is boring.

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The film is filled with tedious, contemplative, and dull flashbacks as the mysterious ‘K’ recounts his lost memories. These flashbacks barely even tell a story, as many of them are from scenes earlier in the film. The poor production is made even worse by the seemingly endless slow-motion scenes. Shot without flashbacks and at regular speed, this entire film could have fit into a still very boring YouTube short.

Hitman – 2007

This film gave me the first migraine of my life. Immediately afterward, I started looking up real hitmen so one of them could shoot me in the face, and I could forget about the messy, confusing, astronomically dull, worst video game movie adaptation possible. How do you turn a video game so full of story, suspense, adaptability, and even humor into something so convoluted and boring?

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Sure, there is violence and action, but it’s wrapped up in a story that makes little sense and doesn’t inspire intrigue. I feel like Hitman, the game, allows for a bit more suspension of disbelief because it’s just that—a game. However, the film doesn’t do a great job explaining many of the small details that can be overlooked in the original source material.

Max Payne – 2008

Messing up a Max Payne film is a sin. The game is already a cinematic masterpiece, even incorporating movie camera techniques into the gameplay. The whole thing is right there, complete with a troubled antihero and beautiful settings. And yet, here it is on many of the worst video game movie adaptations lists across the web.

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I don’t know if I would have chosen Mark Wahlberg of Marky Mark fame and Mila Kunis to play the two lead roles in this film, but there is no denying they’re big names. However, Wahlberg, especially when directed poorly, is a real chore to watch, and this is the case here. However, the boredom doesn’t stop there. Director John Moore somehow manages to miss the action-packed scenes from the game in favor of the slower and much less interesting detective work Payne is known for. The pacing is way off compared to the games, resulting in something remarkably devoid of entertainment or interest.

Bloodyrayne – 2005

Despite Boll being responsible for some of the worst video game movie adaptations out there, I think this is one of his better ones, but that isn’t saying much. With a cast that includes Meatloaf, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Rodriguez, and Michael Madsen, it’s considerably more star-studded than many video game adaptations. It’s a shame they all deliver their lines as if they wish they were anywhere else.

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The blood and gore in the film are appealing to some. The sheer amount of physical effects and blood spray is incredible. The cleanup on set must have taken longer than the shooting itself. Also, the way the blood is sprayed is usually very anti-climactic. The action scenes in this are akin to the early seasons of Buffy, with very amateurish acrobatics and swordplay. It’s a fun one to watch, but still very much in the shoddy standard we expect from Boll.

Need For Speed – 2014

Fast cars, street racing, pink slips, car customization, and police chases sound like the recipe for a wild ride in the cinema, and yet, once again, the video game movie adaptation is the worst it could be. Thankfully, the problem with this film doesn’t lie in the fact that it lacks great action. It does. I love the cars and the races, and really, that’s what I should expect from a film based on a video game about racing.

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However, the plot and scripting are just so nonsensical and boring. There are so many plot holes and odd, pointless characters that it breaks the immersion in the world being created. The racing in the film is fantastic, and the director did his best to avoid using CGI, but it becomes diluted by the lack of any discernible plot or purpose.

Warcraft – 2016

I should preface this by saying I find Travis Fimmel’s acting style quite uncomfortable. But aside from that, I still found this to be one of the worst possible ways they could have made a World of Warcraft video game movie adaptation. With lore and a collection of questing stories dating back to 2004, you would think the team could create something epic. However, what results is a film that tries to please everyone, ticks too many boxes, and fails at both.

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Multiple times throughout the movie, I would zone out for a minute or two and completely lose track when I came back. I think the problem lies a lot in how many of the Orcs look too similar without any distinct character. The film also fails miserably at passing the Bechdel test, with the only woman I remember in the movie being little more than a love interest, although whose love interest it is still quite unclear. The film felt disjointed and overly confusing for a plot that turned out to be very basic and with an ultimately unsatisfying conclusion. Pretty good CGI action scenes, though.

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