Tons of popular movies have video game adaptations, but these 10 video game spinoffs are actually canon to their respective film franchises. When a movie is adapted into the medium of video games, the game typically either has the player play through the events of the film, or they will play through an original non-canon storyline, with it having no influence on the movie itself. However, these 10 video games managed to continue the stories of the source material, with each of them being canon to the original movies in small and big ways.
Video games based on movies have been around for decades now, with the immensely popular trend starting with
on the Atari 2600. Studios quickly realized that movie tie-in games were a great way to promote the film while making some extra cash, with the number of games based on movies growing at a rapid pace. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, this trend grew to be especially prominent, with nearly every major movie having some kind of tie-in game. However, this has since slowed down due to the increasing costs of game development.
Possibly the most famous video game based on a movie that is canon to the franchise is , with the game having some major effects on the franchise. Released after the original trilogy, made the shocking move to kill off Morpheus, something that remained canon when the franchise came back years later with . According to the lore of franchise, is just as important as any of the mainline movies, with it being necessary for understanding the franchise's overarching story.
is a 2023 video game based on the beloved movie franchise, and the events of the game are actually canon to the
movie series. Franchise creator to the movies at the June 2023 Ubisoft Forward event, with the game co-existing with the lore of the movies. The game focuses on the conflict between the Na'vi and the RDA, with it exploring some more battles and events that haven't been seen in the movies yet.
is a 2009 game based on the franchise, with it being the last time the four original actors worked together.
is a sequel to , with many considering it to be a video game version of , as it continuing many of the franchise's storylines. Dan Akyroyd has considered canon for a long time, and 's use of Ivo Shandor further cemented the game's canon status in the franchise.
The PlayStation 4 game and its sequels take place in their own universe, but they are also canon to every movie. by having Insomniac's Spider-Man appear in the Spider Society, with him appearing alongside nearly every other iteration of Spider-Man.
The film confirms that Sam Raimi's trilogy, series, and the MCU's movies all take place in a shared multiverse, and the PlayStation games exist alongside them.
The 2002 video game is a licensed tie-in to John Carpenter's beloved horror sci-fi film, but it is also canon to the original film. The game follows a group of U.S. soldiers who arrive in Antarctica shortly after the events of the film, with them investigating the aftermath of the Thing's attacks on both Arctic bases.
John Carpenter has endorsed the game as canon, with it following up on the stories of each original character and even revealing the truth about .
is a horror game based on the immensely popular horror franchise, and it is also canon to the movie series. The game takes place after the events of the first film, with multiple characters from the original movie appearing throughout. James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the creators of the
franchise, helped work on the game's story and have confirmed its canon status. This makes even more exciting, as it is needed to paint the full story.
The 2015 video game was a fun extension of the franchise, with it building off of 's popularity, but it also happens to be canon to the movies. The upcoming prequel movie will confirm this, with being first mentioned in the video game, with the movie building off of this setup.
is sure to have even more tie-ins to the game, further cementing its status as canon.
Tons of video games based on franchise have been made throughout the years, and while the canon status of some is questionable, undeniably counts as part of the story of Tolkien's beloved fantasy franchise. expanded beyond what the films could show, telling further stories throughout the timeline of Middle-Earth in a way that doesn't contradict Tolkien's other works.
is a recent and immensely popular game based on the franchise, and it too is canon to the movies. Although only a few characters cross over between the games and the movies, Lucasfilm and Disney now consider every release to be canon to the franchise timeline, meaning that these characters and stories are happening somewhere. Many fans hope to one day see Cal Kestis in live-action one day, further cementing the effect that the game has had on the franchise.
One of the weirdest games that is canon to a movie franchise is , the third mainline entry in the franchise that follows Sora, Donald, and Goofy as they explore various Disney worlds. While most of these Disney worlds tell the story of the original films, 's world is different, with it being canon to the timeline. While probably won't have Woody talking about his time fighting the Heartless, the world is meant to take place before in the canon timeline of the movies.
