Best Video Games Inspired By Stephen King Books

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Summary

  • Stephen King’s books have inspired various video games, from critically acclaimed adaptations to experimental or unsuccessful ones.
  • Popular works like ‘The Mist’ and ‘The Running Man’ have been transformed into video games, mostly following the plots of the movies.
  • Video games like ‘Silent Hill’ and ‘Half-Life’ draw inspiration from multiple authors, including Stephen King, to create immersive gaming experiences.

As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve noticed a significant chunk of my game library is filled with titles based on novels, particularly those by a certain author whose works are often chosen for horror, mystery, and action-adventure genres. His chilling and spine-tingling books have spawned some of the most played adaptations, but the ones that delve into dystopian futures and techno-terror also make for engaging gaming experiences.

Adaptations of books by renowned authors into video games can vary greatly, from highly praised titles to more experimental or even subpar productions. The game based on Stephen King’s F13 series is more of an interactive experience than a traditional game, featuring some spooky screensavers and basic point-and-click mechanics. Yet, it remains a title that fans of the famous horror author would find intriguing.

7. The Lawnmower Man

Only Bears A Passing Resemblance To The Book

  • Developers: The Sales Curve, Atod
  • Platforms: Genesis/Mega Drive, Super NES, MS-DOS, Macintosh, Sega CD, Game Boy
  • Genre: Action
  • Release Date: November 1993

The initial tale penned by Stephen King features a woodland sprite operating a landscaping company, an idea that led to its distinctive title. Later, it became part of the Night Shift compilation. Notably, the video game draws inspiration from the film, keeping only the Lawnmower Man symbol while discarding most other elements.

In a different context, Jobe, the mentally challenged landscaper who is involved in Dr. Lawrence Angelo’s VR tests, serves as the primary villain in the video game. The SNES version of the game extends the story beyond the movie’s ending, featuring an ultimate adversary known as Zorn the Doomplayer. This character manipulates Jobe to bring about the destruction of society.

6. Alan Wake

Invokes The Author’s Name In The Intro

Alan Wake starts with a quote from Stephen King, and though it isn’t based on any specific book or tale, it is highly valued by and suitable for followers of the renowned horror writer. The game’s ambiance, dialogue, location, and focus on psychological terror and small-town settings all fall within King’s area of expertise.

Alan Wake offers a captivating cinematic or literary journey, divided into six engaging episodes filled with unexpected twists and nail-biting cliffhangers to keep players engrossed. It has garnered such popularity that it sparked a spinoff and a follow-up, solidifying its reputation as one of the most innovative and highly-regarded video games of the 21st century.

5. The Mist

An Early Text-Based Adventure

  • Developer: Angelsoft
  • Platforms: PC
  • Genre: Horror
  • Release Date: 1985

The “The Mist” novella was initially composed as part of the “Dark Forces” collection of stories, later appearing in the 1985 anthology titled “Skeleton Crew.” This text-based video game mirrors the style of its era and maintains a dedicated fanbase among enthusiasts of Stephen King’s work and classic video games.

The game encompasses twenty stages, featuring diverse monstrous entities resembling those from “The Mist,” and a storyline where individuals vanishing upon entering the enigmatic fog is commonplace. This game shares its fundamental plot, key characters, and allusions to the Arrowhead Project, a scientific mishap responsible for the occurrence of this phenomenon. Over time, numerous other games would revisit “The Mist” as inspiration, but it took another fifteen years before that came to fruition.

4. The Running Man

A Side-Scrolling Beat-‘Em-Up

  • Developer: Emerald Software
  • Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
  • Genre: Beat ’em up
  • Release Date: 1989

Stephen King ventured into the dystopian sci-fi genre while ensuring his horror fans remained engaged, so he penned “The Running Man” under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The film adaptation made minimal alterations to the core storyline, and the video game was developed based on the movie instead of directly from the book.

In this game, you guide the protagonist, Ben Richards, in battling his path through various gaming areas, which essentially remain of Los Angeles by 2019. The adversaries aren’t limited to just the Stalkers, the main attractions, but also ordinary street gangs. Ultimately, you encounter Killian, the game show’s mastermind and the final antagonist in the game.

3. Silent Hill

A Whole Catalog Of Literary References

Influences for the storyline, environment, and characters of “Silent Hill” include Ray Bradbury, Michael Crichton, Dean R. Koontz, and Stephen King. Notably, “The Mist” is a clear influence, but it also draws from other works such as “Carrie“, “The Shining“, and “Thinner“.

In the game Silent Hill, players take on the role of Harry Mason, an ordinary man on a quest to find his missing child Cheryl in a creepy, enigmatic small town that appears to be deserted. This isn’t just a game about psychological terror; the monstrous creatures lurking within the city are very real. As Harry navigates through this haunted place, he must battle these terrifying beings to stay alive and uncover the shocking truth behind his daughter’s birth.

2. Half-Life

Research Gone Wrong

In a different take inspired by “The Mist”, this game revolves around a scientific experiment that goes horribly awry. Unlike the primary character stuck in a supermarket struggling for survival and escape, you assume the role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist who works at the covert Black Mesa Research Facility.

When an experiment malfunctions, it inadvertently creates a gateway to another realm, unleashing a horde of primordial-looking beasts upon the research lab and the surrounding town. Freeman must battle his way through hidden subterranean corridors to halt this extraterrestrial intrusion, preventing the government from wiping out everyone involved to conceal the incident.

1. The Dark Half

A Modern Jekyll and Hyde

  • Developer: Symtus
  • Platforms: MS-DOS
  • Genre: Adventure
  • Release Date: 1992

In the 1980s, a text-based game named “The Dark Half” was introduced for personal computers. This game is one of the early video game adaptations of a Stephen King novel, which is a contemporary reinterpretation of the classic tale “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” The storyline revolves around the protagonist, Thad Beaumont, who endeavors to halt the violent spree orchestrated by his alter-ego, George Stark. Essentially, the game follows a similar narrative premise.

This book is widely appreciated by fans of Stephen King’s works, but the associated video game, while closely following the storyline of the novel, doesn’t deliver the same level of excitement, terror, or originality. Nevertheless, it’s a basic DOS game that could be worth playing for those interested in an adaptation as close to the original source as possible.

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2025-07-27 17:39