With the release of Elden Ring spinoff Nightreign imminent and the announcement of an official film adaptation from Alex Garland (Civil War) and A24, it’s time to return to the Lands Between. But if you’ve bashed your head against some of the new areas’ hardest bosses too many times to count and need a bit of a break, why not check out a movie with similar vibes to the game?
Here are 15 movies that capture the vibe of FromSoftware’s masterpiece, and can keep you in the Elden Ring spirit while you recharge for your next run at the game’s toughest challenges.
Image: CMC Pictures
What it is: A new Chinese fantasy action-adventure about a writer whose fantasy novel seems to be having a mysterious impact on the real world, and the man who has been sent to kill him.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: The monster design and fight sequences feel straight out of a Fromsoft game, from towering four-armed giants to one-eyed sentient skeletal armor.
Where to watch it: Streaming on iQiyi, free with ads on FreeVee, Roku, and Tubi, or available to rent on Google Play and Amazon.
Image: Universal Pictures
What it is: Two men (Samuel Le Bihan and Mark Dacascos) are sent to deal with a monster that’s killed dozens of people and generally been terrorizing the French countryside. Once they start investigating, they find that the metal-toothed monster is just the beginning of a far deeper conspiracy.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Aside from the fact that everyone in this movie looks like Bloodborne characters (complimentary), the fact that it’s about a chase for a mythical monster that’s been wreaking havoc certainly makes it feel like a side story from the Lands Between.
Where to watch it: Streaming on AMC Plus and Shudder, free with ads on Pluto TV and Tubi, or available to rent on Amazon.
Image: Universal Pictures
What the 1982 version is: The first film adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s pulp magazine hero, this was a breakthrough role in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting career. (A more recent — and less-praised — adaptation of Conan, this time with Jason Momoa in the lead role, arrived in 2011 if you need something more contemporary.)
Why it’s like Elden Ring: As our colleague Patrick Gill put it: “Conan gets chased by dogs into a cave where he finds a giant’s skeleton on a throne, and then takes the skeleton’s sword.” If that’s not Elden Ring, what is?
Where to watch it: Streaming on Netflix, available to rent for $3.99 on Google Play, Apple, Amazon, and other VOD platforms. You can stream the 2011 version on Peacock, and rent for $3.99 on Google Play, Apple, Amazon, and other VOD platforms.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Image: Warner Bros.
What it is: Guy Ritchie’s frantic, messy, and fun Arthurian adaptation stars Charlie Hunnam as a young Arthur finding his destiny and overthrowing the evil Vortigern (Jude Law).
Why it’s like Elden Ring: High fantasy swordplay with heavy CG fight sequences with strong video game vibes.
Where to watch it: For free with ads on Tubi, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TV
Image: Vertical Entertainment
What it is: A short 2018 fantasy horror movie made on a microbudget, The Head Hunter follows a bounty hunter waiting for the creature who killed his daughter and has been compared to a live-action version of Skyrim.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Maybe the closest in tone to the game, this is a beautiful, atmospheric horror fantasy.
Where to watch it: Available for free with a library card on Hoopla, for free with ads on Vudu, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon and Apple
Image: Universal Pictures
What it is: The third movie in the original Evil Dead trilogy, Army of Darkness is much more comedic than the previous entries in the series, as Ash time travels back to the medieval ages with his chainsaw arm.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Undead fantasy with unconventional weaponry and plenty of slapstick humor.
Where to watch it: Available for digital rental/purchase on Amazon and Apple TV
Image: Twentieth Century Fox
What it is: Russell Mulcahy’s 1986 iconic action-adventure fantasy fever dream about immortal warriors stars Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown, and Sean Connery, who plays an Egyptian immortal named Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: High fantasy with swordplay, a narrative that unwraps slowly, and a twisted, monstrous villain. This is basically the same as getting invaded by another player in Elden Ring.
Where to watch it: For free with ads on Crackle and Plex, for free with a library card on Hoopla, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon and Apple TV
Image: Paramount Pictures
What it is: A 1981 dark fantasy movie about a young wizard hunting a dragon, Dragonslayer received Oscar nominations for its visual effects (including a 40-foot hydraulic dragon made out of of 16 puppets) and original score.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Great monster design, bleak atmosphere, incomprehensible dialogue, and some big lore implications that the film doesn’t need or care to explain. Also the dragon is named “Vermithrax Pejorative.”
Where to watch it: Available for free with a library card on Kanopy or Hoopla, for free with ads on Pluto TV, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon and Apple TV.
Image: Well Go USA Entertainment
What it is: An action-packed 2018 South Korean period piece set in the Joseon dynasty era … with zombies.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Undead fantasy action intertwined with royal court drama.
Where to watch it: Streaming on Hi-Yah!, Peacock, available for free with ads on Tubi and Prime Video.
Image: Focus Features
What it is: A retelling of the story of Hamlet, returned to its native lands and given back the Viking-warrior flavor it originated from. The movie follows Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) on a bloody quest for revenge against his uncle for usurping his father’s throne and taking his mother as a wife.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Amleth has to find a mythical sword protected by an ancient, extraordinarily scary guardian who he has to defeat by rolling. If that’s not Elden Ring, nothing is.
Where to watch it: Available to rent on Amazon
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf
Image: Netflix
What it is: Netflix’s animated Witcher adventure, an origin story of Geralt’s mentor Vesemir.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Animated dark fantasy with great action sequences and monster design.
Where to watch it: Streaming on Netflix.
Image: Warner Bros.
What it is: One of the best blockbusters of the 2010s, this adaptation of the Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill stars Tom Cruise as a public relations officer who finds himself in a time loop trying to stop an alien invasion along with an experienced solider (Emily Blunt).
Why it’s like Elden Ring: The protagonist is constantly dying. Over and over and over again.
Where to watch it: Available to rent for $3.99 on Google Play, Apple, Amazon, and other VOD platforms.
Image: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
What it is: A cult hit from 2011, this sci-fi/horror/comedy is about a group of teens (including a young John Boyega) who are the only ones aware of an alien invasion in their London neighborhood.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Behold, dogs!
Where to watch it: Available to rent for $3.99 on Google Play, Apple, Amazon, and other VOD platforms.
Image: Universal Pictures / China Film Group
What it is: Wuxia master Zhang Yimou’s very good 2016 monster movie stars Matt Damon as a European mercenary held as a prisoner at the Great Wall, before lending a helping hand to the defending forces when monsters attack.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Did not expect dog.
Where to watch it: Netflix, or available to rent for $3.99 on Google Play, Apple, Amazon, and other VOD platforms.
Image: A24
What it is: A supernatural period horror drama starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a young girl whose Puritan family is torn apart by the machinations of a mysterious evil lurking in the nearby forests of their farm.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: A child suffers the dire consequences of hugging a stranger.
Where to watch it: Streaming on Max, or for free with a library card on Kanopy.
