Many of the most popular games over the last decades have a powerful storyline that has gripped the attention of players looking to be immersed in an exciting narrative. Game developers know that stories that have performed well in movies, TV shows or books are likely to deliver a winning formula.

If we look at some recent best sellers like The Last of Us and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, strong storytelling is at the core of design. The GTA franchise took gaming storylines to a new level, allowing players the freedom to create their own story, with advanced role-playing options which removed the rigid boundaries of traditional game formats.

The GTA story might not have been directly lifted from a specific movie or TV series but the inspiration behind it has been linked to movies like The Godfather and Heat, tapping into the fascination with the mobster life and underworld.

More recently, we have seen game developers move faster in predicting theme popularity, with Fortnite’s Sinners: Survive the Night launching prior to the movie release. Early indications that the movie would be a hit proved to be correct, with Sinners picking up a landslide of awards. 

Guessing what the next big story rich game themes will be is never easy but given that game designers are also checking the pulse of digital entertainment habits, there is a good chance that some of the recent popular movies and TV shows will inspire at least a few new games.

There could also be some popular franchises launching their latest offering. There is no secret around the upcoming release of GTA 6 towards the end of 2026, which is sure to be a big hit in the gaming world this year. Another popular announcement is that Hogwarts Legacy 2 is now in development, so there we are guaranteed to see some story rich games released in the near future.

Here are some of our predictions for other story rich games that could be breaking out in the near future:

Odyssey-Inspired Greek Adventure Fantasy 

The upcoming movie theater release of The Odyssey is expected to arrive in July and reading some of the preview content, it will make the perfect theme for a video game. A star-studded cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathway, Zendaya, Mia Goth and Charlize Theron practically guarantees critical acclaim. We’ll be very surprised if this mythic action movie does not inspire a video game after its release.

Astronaut Theme Based on Project Hail Mary Storyline

Another highly anticipated 2026 movie is Project Hail Mary, featuring a storyline about an astronaut who wakes up on a space station with no recollection of how he got there. We know that space themed games are always popular but this movie will add a different story layer, so we are predicting it could attract the attention of game developers.

Scream-Inspired Horror Theme  

Fans of the Scream franchise were ecstatic when they discovered that a new movie, Scream 7, was coming in 2026. Scream managed to draw non-horror fans into the genre, bringing a lighter, horror-comedy into the movie theaters. Less gore but enough jump scares to ensure it had the audience peeking through their hands, the return is expected to be a big success. 

Neve Campbell reprises the role of Sidney, which will add some extra excitement for fans. While Ghostface has already appeared in some video games, we are hoping that there will be a video game fully dedicated to the Scream storyline.

Story Rich Games Coming to Slots

These themes have a good chance of being used in upcoming video games but we might also see them across the casino game world. There are already some Scream inspired slots like Screeem that have proven to be successful but there could be more on the way if the movie is a big hit.

If you enjoy playing horror themed casino slot games then you might want to take a look at the Tikal Casino promos that will help make your money go further with generous welcome bonuses. You can search the game options to find the story rich themes that you prefer.

If you are wondering what other story rich games might be on their way, you can join in discussions on Reddit or Discord to see if there have been any teasers or widespread rumors that could indicate what is coming next in game developments. Gaming developers often use these channels to shape their design plans, checking what the gaming community is most interested in playing.