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20 Must-Read Novels Based On Or Inspired By Video Games

Discover an epic tale of magic, revenge, and an empire on the verge of ruin in the

This isn’t to say that I don’t play them too; I have, and I do

Yet it was watching my brothers play that first drew me into the worlds of video games

It all started with the Playstation we got for Christmas when we were kids

As my brothers dived into new games, I attached myself to their sides like a little shadow

As a day one bookworm, I have always been up for a good story

Watching my brothers play video games felt like seeing a story come to life in front of

I saw it as much less effort for more entertainment on my end

And I wouldn’t say no to a round of Crash Bandicoot or Crash Team Racing either

For those who also love the worlds of video games, I’ve complied a list of 20 must-read

For those gamers looking to find books that mirror the video games you love, I’ve kicked

As a Final Fantasy lover (and we can all agree Final Fantasy IX is the best), I

My Final Fantasy bias may be showing because I wanted to include another FF novel here

This book in translation by Kazushige Nojima traces the events after FFVII, along with a prequel of

This manga by Hitoshi Ariga follows the events of the Mega Man game

A little robot named Mega Man finds himself called upon to save the world from Dr

I think it was with the specific purpose of also buying this Zelda game at the same

In this origin story novel, Akira Himekawa draws us into a land where the Spirits of Light

This tentative peace gets threatened when an evil force begins searching for the princess of the Twilight

Assassin’s Creed was another video game favorite of my brothers

In 1526, the Great Ming Empire rules China, and the Emperor has ordered the deaths of many political

One of my brothers loved playing Halo, and when I was younger he often humored me by

” Opening up a two-player Capture the Flag game mode, we’d take turns hiding our characters somewhere

The video game Halo has many book adaptations: here’s a handy guide to all the Halo

The United Nations Space Command flagship Infinity has just been shot down by the Banished, and the

Written by Shiro Amano, this manga takes us on a journey through the events of the Kingdom

In the wake of a storm on Destiny Island, Sora finds himself separated from his friends Riku

Tomb Raider is another classic Playstation game from our family’s collection

After their escape from the Lost Kingdom of Yamatai, Lara and the other survivors get stricken with

Co-created by Anne Toole, one of the writers of the Guerilla game Horizon Zero Dawn, this comic

With Nature taking over the planet and machines ruling the land, humanity must fight to survive in

Alright, this one is cheating slightly on this list since it’s technically not based on a

It’s so video game adjacent though that I wanted it to have a home on this

Once you finish the book series, check out the show adaptation as well

Switching gears from novels based on video games, below I’ve gathered together a selection of books

These books revolve around characters playing video games as a central theme within the story

However, I have it on good authority that this book by Conor Kostick as an even better

Seeking revenge on behalf of his parents, Erik and his friends decide to challenge the game masters

This new book by Gabrielle Zevin focuses on a pair of best friends who form an epic

As a junior at Harvard, Sam Masur spots his longtime friend Sadie Green on a subway platform,

Pop culture and themes of identity, disability, and the need for connection and love get explored in

Despite this, he continues to risk his life on raids to help pay for his mother’s

For more mangas and manhwas like Solo Leveling, check out this Rioter’s list

This book by Vivian Vande Velde has been a favorite of mine for years

Every time Giannine dies in the game, she wakes up again as a shepherd girl just learning

This delightful YA book by Alexis Nedd combines romance with the gaming world and digs into themes

While Emilia is known as a popular field hockey player at school, at night she moonlights as

As she tries to keep her two worlds separate, Emilia decides to compete in a competition in

This YA friends to lovers romance by Julian Winters stars a cast of characters who love gaming

Things don’t go according to plan though when Isaac runs into his old crush Davi

When Feng is sent from China to live with his aunt, a doctor on the Rez, he

This YA dystopian adventure by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller digs into the darker sides of VR

What Simon initially thought was just a game may turn out to be something quite different

At night though, Kiera logs into a secret online roleplaying game called Slay with thousands of other

When a teen gets murdered over a conflict related to Slay, Kiera finds threats surfacing from both

This sci-fi thriller by Terry Mills is reminiscent of The Matrix and applies a dark lens over

K hopes to win the approaching eleventh iteration, but things change after K meets with a mysterious