The world of anime is filled with incredible stories, unique worlds, and over-the-top action—making them ripe for AAA video game adaptations. AAA games are high-budget video games developed by a large studio with substantial resources. While a few anime have already received solid AAA treatments like Dragon Ball FighterZ and Naruto Storm series, there are many more just waiting to be transformed into groundbreaking interactive experiences. From sandbox survival to high-octane RPGs, here are five anime that could thrive as major AAA video games—and how they might play.
1. Dr. Stone – A Sandbox Survival Game Inspired by Minecraft
Anime makes for great fighting games and for obvious reasons. However, anime isn’t just about who can punch harder. Sometimes it’s about who can think faster, craft better and survive easier. And what anime demonstrates that better than Dr. Stone? Dr. Stone follows teenage genius Senku Ishigami as he attempts to rebuild civilization from scratch after all of humanity is mysteriously turned to stone for over 3,000 years. Waking up in a primitive world, Senku uses science to rediscover everything from soap to space rockets, aiming to bring humanity back to its former technological glory.
Dr. Stone is the perfect concept for a science-based sandbox survival game. Imagine starting with nothing but rocks and sticks and progressing toward building generators, communication devices, and vehicles—all through real-world scientific crafting trees. Play as the science-loving Senku, explore the primitive version of Japan, and look for valuable materials to help advance your kingdom of science. This open-world, sandbox game would play similarly to Minecraft, but with more structured objectives, scientific accuracy, and a lot more action. This Dr. Stone game would have crafting like Minecraft, but action, weapons, and enemies looking to raid your kingdom similar to other survival games like Rust, Palworld, or The Forest.
2. Solo Leveling – A God of War-Style Action RPG
Speaking of enemies, the only thing better than defeating enemies is defeating them and adding them to your army. Enter Solo Leveling. This anime follows Sung Jinwoo, an E-rank hunter in a world where portals to dungeons unleash monsters into the real world. After a near-death experience in a mysterious dungeon, Jinwoo gains the power to level up like a video game character, growing exponentially stronger with every battle.
Not much needs to be said about why this would make a great game. A Solo Leveling game practically writes itself: high-stakes dungeon crawling, boss fights, an evolving protagonist, and a compelling loot system. The narrative is fast-paced and loaded with power scaling, perfect for a gripping, cinematic action-RPG experience. Solo Leveling would be an epic game if it played like God of War (2018) with a third-person perspective, smooth combat mechanics, and progression tied to experience points, gear, and shadow summoning abilities. Think brutal battles mixed with sleek magic and a dark storyline. Since controlling an army of shadows is a part of Jinwoo’s abilities, this Solo Leveling game would also have a playstyle similar to the Dynasty Warriors series. Imagine playing as Jinwoo sending out your army to fight the enemy’s army until you get close to the army leader where you can fight with an over-the-shoulder third perspective for an intense close quarter showdown.
3. Blue Lock – A Stylish, Over-the-Top Soccer Game
Another anime that would have a game with close quarter battles is Blue Lock. Blue Lock flips the script on traditional sports anime by making soccer a psychological battle royale. Japan creates a cutthroat training program to find the world’s best striker by pitting hundreds of the country’s top youth players against each other in extreme, ego-driven matches.
Sports games thrive when there’s style and intensity—and Blue Lock delivers both. This wouldn’t be your average FIFA clone. A Blue Lock game would be full of anime flair, with each player unleashing ego-fueled special moves, signature abilities, and mind games. Instead of making a realistic, straightforward soccer game like FIFA, a Blue Lock game would be more of a combination of Mario Strikers and Rocket League. Players could customize and level up their characters, take on story campaigns, and go head-to-head in outrageous online matches full of cinematic super shots and psychological showdowns. And since Blue Lock is about ego, matches would be more close up and personal with 3-on-3, 4-on-4, or 5-on-5 battles.
4. Shangri-La Frontier – An Immersive MMORPG Inspired by Dark Souls-like Game
Shangri-La Frontier would make for another game filled with signature moves and cinematic visuals. This anime centers on a hardcore gamer named Rakurou Hizutome who dives into a new full-dive VR MMORPG known for its polished gameplay and brutal difficulty. He builds his avatar from the ground up, facing legendary monsters, surprising debuffs, and hidden lore.
MMORPGs thrive on challenge, exploration, and player-driven progress—and Shangri-La Frontier offers all of that and more. The game within the anime is a world rich with opportunity, from difficult boss fights to rare loot and immersive questing. Since Katarina, the creator of Shangri-La Frontier, was inspired by difficult games like Dark Souls, it only makes sense that it would play similar to it. Elden Ring, Dark Souls, and Monster Hunter are all about outmaneuvering and strategizing against powerful enemies. This Shangri-La Frontier game would focus on the freedom to explore, build skills, and face overwhelming odds.
5. Delicious in Dungeon – A Charming, Food-Focused Roguelike
Finally, Delicious in Dungeon is another anime turned game about exploring and fighting overwhelming odds. This culinary beauty of an anime is about a party of adventurers who must journey into a dangerous dungeon to rescue a fallen comrade. The twist? They’re broke. To survive, they cook and eat the monsters they defeat, discovering recipes and meals from
This anime would shine as a quirky roguelike with food-based progression. Each dungeon dive offers randomized layouts, enemies, and ingredients. Players would have to make tactical choices on what monsters to fight, how to cook them, and what buffs to earn from the meals. It would feel similar to Hades in its fast-paced, procedurally generated dungeons—but with an added cooking mechanic that affects skills, stats, and story paths. Add in some Stardew Valley-like charm and you’d have a roguelike with heart and humor.
Anime and gaming are natural companions, and these five titles are bursting with potential to become top-tier AAA experiences. Whether it’s rebuilding civilization with science, leveling up in brutal dungeons, scoring goals with explosive ego, or cooking your way to victory, these anime worlds are just waiting for the right studio to bring them to life.