Screen Summit is an opinion based article & podcast series that covers media throughout video games, movies, shows, and everything in between. Throughout this article, I will try something new. I will combine two of my favorite topics – video games and television. Video games have been around for a while now and some of them have stories within the game. However, some games make entire TV shows to continue the lore of the story. So today I will talk about the top three video games that ended up getting a TV show made to go along with them. Based on my thoughts I will share which one I feel should hold the top spot of best game-based television show.
Competitor Number 1:
Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Ratings: Mature/TV-MA
CD Projekt RED/Studio Trigger
As someone who just started playing this amazing game, and watching the show with it, I have to say, it’s one of the best. After watching Arcane, my number one TV show of all time, I heard that Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is almost as good. On top of the game being just down my alley with its amazing animation, phenomenal story, and insane amounts of playstyles, Cyberpunk has just been a blast since I started.
The game map is beautiful and the customizability is just insane. I keep finding new things to do that take my interest to the next level. Whether it’s grabbing new perks from the skill tree or getting a new weapon to destroy opponents with, the possibilities seem endless.
Alongside this near-perfect game, there is the show. The show is absolutely phenomenal with everything from its story to its character designs. I feel like it could get a bit confusing if you haven’t played the game before, but you eventually get the hang of it. I have two remaining episodes and I am absolutely in love with the characters.
David, the main character, goes so far from the traditional main character, while still being entertaining and having a great amount of development. With easter eggs from the show like David’s sandevistan, a strong piece of cyberwere that is very important to the show, and his signature yellow jacket making it into the game, the game and show are tied together extremely well and both are absolutely incredible. The show is available to watch on Netflix and the game can be purchased on console and steam for $59.99.
Competitor Number 2:
League of Legends and Arcane
Rating: Teen/15+
Riot Games/Studio Fortiche
League of Legends was a huge game known for its unique style and insane strategy required to play. With over a hundred and seventy characters, or champions, the game was a massive success. This MOBA style game that was released in 2009 has aged incredibly well compared to others of that time. However, their player count really shot up with the rise of Arcane, a show based on a bunch of the characters from the show.
Jinx and Vi, two fan-favorite characters play the main parts of the show, along with other characters such as Jayce, Viktor, and Caitlyn. This unique and amazing show based off of a unique and amazing game has even won an award for the best adaptation. for its storyline and well-built characters and world.
With conflicts even among the best of friends, this show constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat. This show is the greatest piece of modern animated media; the game, on the other hand, I did not enjoy nearly as much.
I found the game incredibly confusing and hard to pick up. The amount of characters was additionally overwhelming and hard to understand, but I do have to say that it wasn’t all bad. I found a few people on my level that I enjoyed fighting, although I still lost almost every encounter.
Arcane, the show, alone though is enough to put it on the Screen Summit list. It is such an amazing show and I even consider it my number one show of all time, close to Jujutsu Kaisen. This show puts you through the highest highs and lowest lows. The overall conflict is amazing and easy to understand, but you have to watch it all the way through to understand it all. The game is available to play on the Riot client on PC while the 10/10 show is only watchable on Netflix.
Competitor Number 3:
Minecraft
Rating: Everyone/PG
Microsoft/Warner Bros.
Despite the fact that it was a bit cringy, the Minecraft movie dominated movie theaters when just the trailer came out in April of 2025.
The video game is also the most highly purchased game of all time with over 400 million sold copies, absolutely crushing all the competition. It is a fun and unique game that offers an original experience in a world where you can build virtually anything. You can fight with different weapons, go mining through an endless world with ravines and struggles, or go into creative mode and build the world of your dreams.
This game is endless, and with the movie being one of the first live-action movies based off of a video game, it went crazy. With the characters having to save the overworld from becoming a land of lava and terror, the movie was instantly granted popularity and was shown tons of love the moment it was released with famous actors like Jack Black and Jason Momoa, the movie was praised, despite some of its cringy parts shown in the trailer. The movie itself is available on HBO Max and the game is available on all consoles, mobile devices, PCs, and the Nintendo Switch. With a special second version on PC known as “Java edition” compared to the rest of the devices that PC can also get known as “Bedrock edition.”
Golden Award:
Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk Edgerunners are unlike the others on this list, either lacking in the game or the show, while Cyberpunk has them both down and good. This makes them absolutely the top on the list. The show is tragic and has a very unconventional ending, while the game feels endless with its free-to-explore world and absurd character customization. Both the game and the show are 100% worth the watch and the playthrough.
