6 Best Arcade and Video Game Arcade Movies

By Vlad Zakh · March 26, 2026

Arcades gave a whole generation its nostalgia, and these films play with that feeling in very different ways. Wreck-It Ralph sends a game villain out of his own cabinet, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World turns a slacker’s love life into video-game battles, and The King of Kong follows a real underdog going after a Donkey Kong record. The Wizard, The Last Starfighter and WarGames are the eighties throwbacks.

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 87% Metacritic 72

A video game villain sets out to prove he can be a hero in a game of his own.

Directed by Rich Moore · 1h 41m · Rated PG

Nominated for 1 Oscar33 wins & 42 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A slacker musician must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes in video-game-style battles.

Directed by Edgar Wright · 1h 53m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

TMDB ★ 8.0

A documentary follows an underdog challenger's obsessive quest to beat a Donkey Kong world record.

Directed by Seth Gordon · 1h 23m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Wizard (1989)

TMDB ★ 5.7

A troubled young boy's video game talent leads his brothers on a cross-country trip to a gaming championship.

Directed by Todd Holland · 1h 40m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Last Starfighter (1984)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A talented teenage arcade gamer is recruited to fight in a real interstellar war.

Directed by Nick Castle · 1h 41m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

WarGames (1983)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A teenage hacker accidentally accesses a military supercomputer and nearly triggers global thermonuclear war.

Directed by John Badham · 1h 54m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Arcade and Video Game Arcade Movies

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

The Wizard (1989)

The Last Starfighter (1984)

WarGames (1983)

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