10 Video Game Series That Are Ready for an Animated Series Beyond the Controller
We get it. You love video games. We love video games. Since you are here, you most probably have an interest in the enchanting land of animation too. Just think about it: some of the most beloved animated shows (Arcane, Castlevania) have shown how strongly video game stories can translate to the screen.
And let’s be real—for every Arcane, there are a dozen amazing game series—controllers gathering dust on shelves, immersive narratives, and gorgeous worlds left on the table—that are tragically left off the screen, animated. We consider this a grave offense against the gaming community!
We’re here to correct that oversight. To highlight the 10 video game franchises that are simply crying out for an animated adaptation These aren’t just games; they’re universes rife with potential, characters ready to jump off the screen (in a more animated way!), and stories that need to be told in an entirely new visual dimension.”
Sit up straight in anticipation of nodding along, propelled to fist-pump in solidarity, and for sure jump to the comments to let us know which series you’d include that we missed. Let’s dive in!
Dishonored
Dishonored’s richly atmospheric, steampunk-steeped Dunwall is positively begging to be adapted into animation. Think of the clockwork wonders, the shadowy alleys, and the grandeur of its architecture, all realized with the fluid motion and detail that animation unlocks.
Visual Style & World: Dunwall’s unique blend of Victorian aesthetics, industrial grime, and supernatural elements is a visual feast waiting for the animator’s touch. Think complicated clockwork devices coming to life and rain-soaked cobblestone streets echoing with the city’s secrets.
Narrative Depth & Characters: With an intricate world of political machinations, dark magics, and morally grey characters such as Corvo Attano and Emily Kaldwin, Dishonored’s universe is ripe for exploration in episodic form. And an animated series could explore their backstories and the nuances of their choices more deeply.
Genre & Tone: To combine stealth, action, and a hint of the supernatural in a Victorian-inspired aesthetic, Dishonored’s tone is in perfect harmony with its graphic source material’s themes and finds itself ripe for adaptation to animation, exploring revenge, justice, and morality.
Best Animation Style: Some stylized 2D animation, maybe painterly render, could align perfectly with the unique aesthetic Dishonored exudes, maybe guide it Arcane’s stylistic direction while keeping it feeling unique.
Mass Effect
Space operas and animation go hand in hand, and Mass Effect is a prime contender for a game series ready to shoot for animated stardom. The galaxy is practically overflowing with various alien civilizations that practically beg to be explored outside of the interactive medium.
Visual Style & World: The Mass Effect universe is beautiful period, from the sleek lines of the Normandy to praise the breathtaking vistas of alien planets. Animation would be able to truly convey the awe-inspiring size of space battles and the distinctive beauty of every planet in your Milky Way.
Narrative & Characters: At the core of Mass Effect is its strong characters and choice-based narrative. A whole animated series could spend time on multiple episodes, digging into the backstories of fan favorites like Garrus Vakarian, Tali’Zorah vas Normandy, or Liara T’Soni, which would build on now-beloved arcs.
Genre & Tone: As a franchise that marries action-heavy space combat with dense philosophical themes, political intrigue, and emotional character moments, the tone of Mass Effect is ideal for a grand, epic animated saga.
Ideal Animation Style: A combination of 2D and 3D animation, or just a matured anime style, probably is the best option for the scale of space and the complex feelings of the characters.
Life is Strange
It’s a video game series that was practically designed for episodic animation: Life is Strange. Its interest in character-focused storytelling, emotional resonance, and a dash of the supernatural made it perfectly suited for a medium that thrives on the complexity of relationships and inner conflict.
Visual Style & World: Arcadia Bay, with its Pacific Northwest aesthetic and quiet surrealism, would transfer well to animated form. Think of the golden hour light streaming through the trees and the pained looks on the characters’ faces, externalized by animation’s emotive power.
Narrative Depth & Characters: The core of Life is Strange is at the root of its relatable characters and relatable stories. An animated series could explore Max Caulfield’s self-identity, Chloe Price’s rebel attitude, and Arcadia Bay’s deep-rooted connection on another level, which could help amplify the emotion.
Genre & Tone: A coming-of-age story with a mystery and supernatural twist, Life is Strange’s tone fits naturally into a character-driven animated drama exploring friendship, loss, and self-discovery.
Ideal Animation Style: It should be a stylized 2D animation style with expressive character animation, and with the backgrounds honestly looking a bit painterly to match the introspective and emotional tone of Life is Strange.
Portal / Half-Life (Combined Universe)
Hear us out! Although they are unique game series, the shared universe between them and the darkly comedic, subtly unsettling tone of both Portal and Half-Life lend themselves to an animated anthology series. Picture each episode taking us to new corners of Aperture Science or City 17, combining the dry wit of the original with genuine suspense and awe.
Visual Style & World: The sterile environments of Aperture Science and the experimental chambers juxtaposed with a dystopian landscape reminiscent of City 17 create a fascinating visual and thematic dichotomy. Animation could heighten the disquieting beauty of these worlds and the strange technologies that inhabit them.
Narrative Depth & Characters: Both franchises are heavy on gameplay, but the lore and characters are deep (and often mute). This format has the potential to explore various avenues, including elucidating the origins of characters like GLaDOS and Wheatley, as well as delving into the daily lives of citizens in City 17, thereby adding more lore to an already established world.
Genre & Tone: While the Portal/Half-Life universe can maintain a consistent genre of puzzle-solving first-person action, it can borrow from the tonal toolbox of genre-blending dark humor and sci-fi mystery for a sharp, witty, even subtly disturbing animated series, using tone and visual style to play across episodes.
Ideal Animation Style: A taut, lightheartedly stylized, clean 2D or 3D animation that leans into precise movement and snappy visual gags to enhance the comedic and puzzle-solving aspects of the show but also evokes the nagging sense of creepiness.
Okami
Okami is more than just a game; it is a vibrant, dynamic Sumi-e ink wash painting. To see Okami in anime form would be to see its gorgeous art style come to life like never before, painting exotic scenes that dance across the screen with an elegance and splendor that the game, beautiful as it is, can only tease.
Visual Style & World: The defining feature of Okami is its art style, which was inspired by traditional Japanese watercolor painting. Animation is the only medium that truly embodies this aesthetic, allowing the brushstrokes and ink washes to seamlessly blend with the narrative.
Narrative Depth & Characters: Based on Japanese mythology and folklore, Okami’s story of the sun goddess Amaterasu bringing balance back to the world is filled with cultural significance and eternal themes. Animation might enhance the mythical and spiritual elements in the story.
Genre & Tone: Action-adventure, puzzle-solving; Japanese mythology; whimsical, spiritual, inspiring — Okami would be a visually impressive and emotionally weighty animated series.
Preferred Animation Style: Pure, 2D animation that hews to and elaborates on the Sumi-e ink wash style that pervades the game. Envision a series that resembles and plays out like a flowing Japanese watercolor.
Beyond Good & Evil
(Inspiration: Jade with her Dai-jo, colourfully styled Hillys scenes with different animal types)
Developer Ubisoft’s BGE, set in a stunning world populated by anthropomorphic animals, plays with both sci-fi and fantasy tropes and would be a powerful series in animated form. Want to visualize the charming streets of Hillys, its whimsical residents, and their unpredictable adventures in the colorful motion of animation.
Visual Style & World: Hillys is quite a visually rich and imaginative setting, with canals, floating islands, and diverse architecture. Animation could effectively capture the vibrant colors and unique designs of this world, highlighting its striking contrast between science fiction and nature.
Story and Characters: The story of conspiracy, rebellion, and fighting for truth in Beyond Good & Evil is both engaging and thought-provoking. An animated series could focus on a deeper origin for the relationships that exist between the characters Jade, Pey’j, and Double H as well as focus on worldbuilding and how deep political and social themes are in the world.
Genre & Tone: Action-adventure with social commentary wrapped in whimsical humor—suffice to say, the tone of Beyond Good & Evil might be tailor-made for a delightful, family-friendly animated series.
Ideal Tone: A lighthearted yet slightly mature style of humor mixed with suspense and action can provide the perfect balance for a story that thrives on charismatic characters and high stakes in the great scheme of the universe.
Fable
Fable’s whimsical world of Albion, thick with British humor and fairytale tropes, feels made for a comedic and charming animated series. Now, imagine all that high-energy physical expression, the broad comedy, and the crazy landscapes amped up as animation.
Visually and World-Constructed Mechanically: Fable’s fairytale-esque landscapes, silly towns, and absurd character designs are deeply cartoonish and rife with visual jokes. This is where animation could exaggerate the elements and build a genuinely playful and visually funny space.
Narrative Depth & Characters: The morality system and choice-based gameplay elements of the original Fable games, paired with their quirky cast of characters and funny storylines, provide a ton of episodic opportunities. A cartoon series could dive into various epic (or nefarious!) paths and the comedic potential of its inhabitants.
Genre & Tone: Fable is a comedic action RPG that draws on fairytale themes and has a very British sense of humor, so its tone seems particularly well suited to an animated series that is semi-lighthearted and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Perfect Animation Style: An effervescent 2D hand-drawn animation style, possibly with a slim, slanted, cartoony style, would be the ideal fit for the magical world and whimsical nature of Fable.
Fallout
Fallout’s post-apocalyptic retro-futurism, infused with dark humor and a sprawling open world, feels well-suited to animation, surprisingly enough. Think of it: the famous Vault Boy brought to life in dynamic animated perfection, or the vast, brown wasteland you explore brought to life in stylized drawn moving visual beauty.
Visual Style & World: Fallout’s retro-futuristic theme and aesthetic is a hallmark of the genre, as the vintage technologies and decaying Americana truly leave an imprint on anyone within sight of it. Much as it does for the stylized designs of Vault-Tec and the stark beauty of the wasteland, animation could enhance those same qualities into something even more distinctive and alluring.
Narrative Depth & Characters: The vastness of Fallout is steeped in endless storytelling. The wasteland has tons of vaults; you have factions and narratives of survivors, and an animated series could cover an episodic level of explorations in that world.
Genre & Tone: Post-apocalyptic survival, dark humor, and RPG elements blend together to make the tone of Fallout surprisingly malleable in animated form. There is certainly enough to work with to make a more mature animated series that could sit on the darker underbelly of the wasteland while keeping the dry humor and zany characters that define the series.
Perfect Animation Style: A stylized 2D animation, maybe with a chaotic-looking texture or grit to have the wasteland shine through, or a cel-shaded 3D animation that embodies the retro-futuristic design.
Persona
Persona, a popular JRPG series renowned for its vibrant visuals, captivating characters, and anime-style storytelling, is eagerly awaiting more anime! There are Persona animations out there, but they haven’t really been able to approach the depth and episodic feel of the games like a proper, dedicated series could.
Visual Style World: Persona’s hyper-stylized character designs, vibrant cityscapes, and surreal Metaverse environments are visually stunning, undeniably inspired by anime. Animation can fully bring the series’ unique and energetic aesthetic to life.
Narrative Breadth & Characters: The core elements of Persona are character arcs, relationships forged through social connections, and potentially autobiographical stories. An animated series could take its time to adapt the games’ long-drawn-out storylines and leave time for building relationships between the characters, giving space to develop their internal struggles.
Genre & Tone: A mix of JRPG mechanics, high school slice-of-life drama, supernatural mysteries, and psychological themes, Persona’s tone brims with lighthearted moments and heavy emotional weight—a perfect ground for a fun and flashy anime adaptation!
Best Animation Style: Ideally, the series would go for a high-quality, colorful anime style similar to that found in the games.
Metroid
Metroid, the standard-bearing sci-fi action-adventure franchise, with its indie-style focus on atmosphere, loneliness, and discovery, would make a haunting, stunning, stylized animated TV series. Think Samus Aran’s solitary quests through alien frontiers, with cartoony animation and an emphasis on visual storytelling.
Visual Style and World: The strange alien worlds of the Zebes, SR388, and other Metroid worlds already have an inherent atmosphere and visual impact built into their structure, depicting all sorts of bizarre creatures in vast backdrops. Animation might heighten the feeling of isolation and wonder that you could create these genuine, immersive worlds.
Narrative Depth & Characters: While its direct storytelling is often minimal, Metroid lore lends itself to dark, evocative backstory—ancient civilizations and horrible alien threats. An animated series could also explore the mysteries within the Metroid universe and the psyche of Samus Aran herself, addressing themes of loneliness, struggle, and survivorship.
Genre & Tone: Sci-fi action-adventure with horror themes and heavy atmosphere; mysterious and isolated are two keywords here—which would support a visually driven, atmospheric, emotional animated series where mood and visual storytelling dominate.
Couch: Ideal animation style for Metroid anime: probably a 2D animation style with unique backgrounds, atmospheric lighting, and fluid animation of creatures, styled after appearances in animated sci-fi films and comics.
Now it’s your turn! Let us know in the comments: What game series do YOU believe should be given the animated treatment? Did we overlook your favorites? So, on with the dream casting!
