Game anime thrill their viewers for much the same reason Twitch streams do: it's exciting to see people excited by games and share one's beloved hobby with others. Whether they depict card games, board games, or VR, the best game anime leaves no doubt in viewers' minds about why characters have chosen their pastimes.
Best Anime Based On Video Game Franchises
Anime and gaming have gone hand-in-hand since the mid-eighties, and here are 10 fantastic anime series which began life as simple adaptations.
Though many depict fierce competition, the best game anime aren't just about seeing characters win. They're about watching characters grow with the game, developing deeper strategies, and building their confidence as players until they one day master moves that once could only look upon in awe.
Updated on March 12, 2025 by Mark Sammut: The Winter 2025 anime season is almost done, and its solitary new video game anime deserves to be added to the full discussion. Furthermore, Accel World has been introduced as a recommendation.
The article specifically focuses on anime about video games, be it shows set in MMOs or featuring characters obsessed with the hobby. Gambling anime like Kaiji and Akagi will not be included.
21 Quality Assurance in Another World
A Game Tester's Job Is Not Easy
Quality Assurance in Another World
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2024 - 2024-00-00
- Network
- TBS, MBS, BS-TBS
- Japanese Title
- Kono Sekai wa Fukanzen Sugiru
- Studio
- 100studio, Studio Palette
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Masamichi Sato
- MyAnimeList Score
- 6.56
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Now, here is a fun twist to the "stuck in a game" formula. Summer 2024's Quality Assurance in Another World revolves around Haga, a guy who was sent into an MMORPG to serve as a game tester and report bugs. However, all the testers have been unable to log out for more than a year, forcing them to live alongside the NPCs as they mostly lose their minds. Haga is the only person who is still doing his job; meanwhile, the remaining testers have been spreading chaos across this universe.
For the most part, Quality Assurance in Another World follows Haga and an NPC, Nikola, as they go on a journey to test bugs and also challenge the other testers who are using their developer privileges to act like gods. While not diving too deeply into the development side of things, the anime presents an interesting look at an important part of the cycle, all the while wrapped in an accessible isekai package.
20 Accel World
Polarizing Video Game Anime
Accel World
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2012 - 2023-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Sunrise
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator(s)
- Reki Kawahara
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
From the author behind Sword Art Online and set within the same universe, Accel World is pretty divisive, particularly the anime adaptation. Bullied and mistreated due to his appearance, Haruyuki has not had a fun life so far, and he turns to gaming for a break from reality's harshness. While very talented, he ends up losing a fight, only to learn that he was bested by his school's student council vice president. Long story short, Kuroyukihime recruits Haruyuki as she needs help to defeat six kings in the game.
Accel World has quite a few interesting ideas, even if they might not all be executed to perfection. Love or hate him, Haruyuki is a unique MC for this type of show, and the bullying scenes are generally quite heavy. The gaming elements are very over-the-top and silly, but they do make sense as an evolution of SAO's gaming landscape.
19 Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest On Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte
Player Influence
Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 7, 2023
- Japanese Title
- Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endou-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san
- Studio
- Tezuka Productions
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator
- Suzu Enoshima
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.22
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE
A fun spin on the villainess isekai blueprint, Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte lets its "normal" characters influence an otome game's direction without dropping them in its world. Shihono and Aoto acquire the ability to speak directly to the characters within MagiKoi, and they specifically focus on Lieselotte, the game's villainess, and Siegwald, its main love interest. A fairly conventional tsundere archetype, the former's refusal to accept her own feelings leads to her ultimate destruction; however, with a bit of guidance, Lieselotte's future can be way brighter and warmer.
Although packed with otome tropes that are more common in anime than in real games, Endo and Kobayashi Live! Shines due to its strong roster of characters, both in and out of MagiKoi. In some ways, the premise also captures the appeal of player choice, in the sense that Shihono can finally use her (literal) voice to shape the story to meet her preferences.
18 Gamers!
An Anime About Gamers (In Love) Rather Than Games
Gamers!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2017 - 2017-00-00
- Network
- AT-X
- Directors
- Tamaki Nakatsu, Mitsuhiro Yoneda, Yusuke Onoda
- Studio
- Pine Jam
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator
- Sekina Aoi
- MyAnimeList Score
- 6.74
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Obviously, Gamers! Must be mentioned in a discussion about the best game anime of all time; at least, that should be the case. However, the show barely qualifies, despite revolving entirely around gamers. Even though the characters are very into gaming of all types, the series predominantly plays out like a romantic comedy with a heavy emphasis on misunderstandings.
Just to be clear, Gamers! Is a charming rom-com with quite a few big laughs, but its "gaming" aspect is fairly inconsequential. If the characters loved manga or movies, the show would stay largely the same.
17 Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki
Life Is A Game
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2021 - 2024
- Japanese Title
- Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun
- Studio
- Project No.9
- Number of Episodes
- 27
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator
- Yūki Yaku
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.11 (Season 1)
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
While not really about gaming, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki uses the hobby to define the main characters' philosophies. Fumiya Tomozaki drifts through life with little enthusiasm, leading to consistent isolation; however, he happens to be the player to beat in a fighting game inspired by Super Smash Bros. One day, he agrees to meet an online rival in real life, who winds up being Aoi Hinami, a classmate who is the picture of perfection. Annoyed by Fumiya's lack of effort, Aoi agrees to teach the guy how to play the game of life, a journey that gradually pushes the male protagonist out of his comfort zone while also exposing his teacher's social masks.
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki is partially framed around Aoi giving Fumiya quests that he must complete, and both characters regularly use gaming to contextualize social relationships. While a touch heavy-handed, the anime offers a good mix of drama, romance, and hints of comedy. The side characters are arguably more likable than both of the leads, although that is intentional, especially concerning Aoi.
16 D-Frag!
A Slice Of Gaming Life
D-Frag!
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 6, 2014
- Studio
- Brain's Base
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Tomoya Haruno
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.51
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Funimation
A beloved anime trope is the school club, whether that club centers around training to be idols, raising livestock, or writing scary stories. In the case of D-Frag!, the club is Game Development Club. D-Frag is basically a slice-of-life anime that pivots around people playing games. Though it could easily end up being a generic example of its genre with this premise, it never does.
Instead, the series has enough off-beat style and characterization to keep viewers hooked. The characters do enough game-hopping to keep things fresh, and there's the occasional injection of genuine weirdness to keep viewers guessing where the series will take them next.
15 16bit Sensation: Another Layer
A Trip Through A Niche Genre's History
16bit Sensation: Another Layer
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 5, 2023
- Studio
- Studio Silver
- Number of Episodes
- 13
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Tamiki Wakaki, Misato Mitsumi, and Tatsuki Amazuyu
- MyAnimeList Score
- 6.90
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
16bit Sensation: Another Layer is quite bizarre, a factor that works both in its favor and against it. However, as a celebration of bishoujo games, the series is delightful. For the uninitiated, bishoujo are primarily visual novels that prioritize female characters and typically have a harem component. While not exactly mainstream, they have been around in some form since the 1980s. 16bit Sensation follows Konoha, a girl who loves these types of games so much that she ends up becoming an artist in the hope of contributing to the genre. Unfortunately, bishoujo has seen better days and is now little more than a shadow of its former self.
Through sci-fi shenanigans, Konoha travels back in time to when a young company was working on a game that would become one of her favorites. Konoha gets to experience bishoujo history first-hand, and she travels to a few different points in time, following the company's growth and changes along the way. While going to some "unique" places during its final stretch of episodes, 16bit Sensation is a pretty great game anime before that point.
14 No Game, No Life
A World Ruled By Gaming
No Game, No Life
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2014 - 2014
- Studio
- Madhouse
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Creator
- Yuu Kamiya
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.05
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE, Hulu
In the real world, gamers who reach the absolute pinnacle of skill in a given game are often esports pros, playing at tournaments against other competitive teams for cash prizes.
24 Best Reverse Isekai Anime Of All Time, Ranked
Many anime involve humans going to fantasy worlds, but these shows do the opposite. Here are the best reverse isekai anime ever.
In No Game No Life, there's more to be done with gamer skill than just battle for cash, as Sora and Shiro discover. The pair are undefeated gamers, a fact that draws the attention of a god and eventually leads to that god transporting Sora and Shiro to a world where games settle everything. No Game No Life is an isekai game anime, in which Sora and Shiro's skills are tested again and again with stakes they could have never imagined. Altogether, the series is a funny and charming look at gaming and gamers themselves.
No Game No Life is not set in a game, but its world is entirely run by games. So, it fits.
13 Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
The Definitive Isekai Gaming Anime's Spin-Off
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2018 - 2024-00-00
- Network
- Tokyo MX, Gunma TV, BS11, Tochigi TV
- Directors
- Daisuke Tsukushi, Takuma Suzuki, Emi Yamashita, Kazuho Kunimoto, Takahiro Majima, Masayuki Iimura, Ryosuke Azuma, Takanori Yano, Tomonori Mine
- Studio
- Studio 3Hz
- Number of Episodes
- 24
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator
- Keiichi Sigsawa
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.01 (Season 1)
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
Without question, Sword Art Online is the most famous "stuck in a game" anime, and its popularity launched a new era of isekai stories that is still going strong roughly a decade after the adaptation's debut. SAO is the definition of divisive, and its handling of gaming tropes is among the most polarizing elements. While it varies from world to world, the main series does not always craft a game that makes much sense from a design perspective, which can be disappointing.
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, a spin-off that removes the "stuck" part from the equation, fixes quite a few of the cour story's issues, providing a more consistent experience that emphasizes escapism as a main selling point of gaming. Karen plays the eponymous shooter game as a way to detach from her daily insecurities, all the while getting to mingle with people without the risk of being judged for her appearance. As the stakes are very low, Gun Gale Online is a fairly relaxing and stress-free watch, way more so than SAO.
12 My Love Story With Yamada-kun At Lv999
Love, Friendship, & MMORPGs
My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2023 - 2023-00-00
- Japanese Title
- Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru
- Studio
- Madhouse
- Number of Episodes
- 13
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Mashiro
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.79
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 revolves around Akane, a girl who joined an MMO at the behest of her boyfriend. Unfortunately, the same guy breaks up with her, causing the protagonist to spiral into depression. Long story short, she meets Yamada, one of the better players in the game, joins his guild, and makes a host of new friends.
Even though My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 does not devote too much screentime to Forest of Savior, its MMO, the game nevertheless plays a pivotal role in dragging Akane out of her funk and bringing her closer to Yamada. Otherwise, this is simply a cute rom-com.