Despite being fairly young compared to the likes of film and TV, gaming is rich with history and fascinating details. At the same time, there's an emotional core and romanticism surrounding many games and their creators, who work tirelessly to see their projects to completion.
These aspects naturally lend themselves to some captivating documentaries—and some filmmakers have taken advantage of this, especially of late. Given its dynamic culture and history, as well as the slew of games on the market, there's no shortage of great topics to pick when it comes to gaming. These are some of the most entertaining and intriguing.
Updated January 2, 2023, by Stephen LaGioia: As gaming continues to expand as a medium and grow in popularity, so too has the documentary film scene surrounding it. With everything from retro and arcade gaming to esports, indies, and hardware, there is a seemingly endless well of intriguing content to draw from on this front. And with so many docs (especially more recent releases) dealing with gaming, this list of the best video game documentaries has been refreshed and revisited. Education, as well as entertainment factor, were considered in these picks of the best gaming documentaries.
12 Nintendo Quest
Aside from being charming, retro games can make for rewarding, lucrative collectibles. That's the notion this road film from Rob McCallum looks to tap into with 2015's Nintendo Quest — and follow-up miniseries on Amazon Prime Video. The documentary revolves around retro game collector Jay Bartlett as well as his friends and film crew, as he embarks on a trek through Canada and the central US to gather all 678 officially licensed NES games.
There are a few catches. Jay must pull off this feat in just 30 days, and can't buy online; exclusively getting the games through retail stores, friends, and other collectors. The result is a memorable road trip that's part vacation and part intense scavenger hunt. Intermixed are various bits of history and interviews touching on the culture of playing, collecting, and competing in games. This one is fairly laid back and straightforward, but a fun watch all the same.
Nintendo Quest can be found free (with ads) on the Roku, Tubi, Plex, and Filmzie apps, and can also be rented or bought on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
11 Video Game Invasion: History of a Global Obsession
While this documentary errs on the drier side, it has the benefit of being available to be watched from the convenience of YouTube, so there is that. But really, Video Game Invasion from 2004 does do a fine job of getting into the early history of gaming in depth.
Hosted by Tony Hawk (because why not?), the documentary leans heavily on fun retro footage as well as interviews from various industry heads and fans, including Atari founder Nolan Bushnell. Those looking for a straight-up educational video of the 70s, 80s, and early 90s gaming in particular should enjoy this one.
10 All Work All Play: The Pursuit of Esports Glory Live
Given the more personal level they take on, as well as the heated competition involved—esports and documentaries would seem to mesh well. This 2015 film by Patrick Creadon reinforces this notion, featuring a deep dive into the blossoming esports industry and honing in on pro gamers.
The movie highlights a group of passionate, dedicated League of Legends players competing in the ESL's 2014 Intel Extreme Masters World Championship. The film's combination of intriguing details, high-stakes competition, and a more personal focus makes All Work All Play a gripping watch for most of its two-and-a-half-hour runtime.
Unfortunately, this title isn't available for streaming.
9 The Lost Arcade
Taking a more characteristic angle, 2015's The Lost Arcade serves as a love letter to the Chinatown Fair arcade in New York. Closed in 2011, the arcade was soon reopened, but it would be transformed somewhat under new management.
Director Kurt Vincent brings elements of nostalgia and personal connection with his anecdotes, focusing on the fighting game community and New York City at large (where the arcade resided). Known as the "last arcade", which served as a place to hang out and connect with a diverse, often underprivileged youth—the film carries a more personal and emotional weight.
This film can be rented on Vudu, Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube.
8 GameChangers: Dreams of BlizzCon
Produced by FilmRise, this esports-centric documentary looks in-depth at the inner workings of the pro gaming scene. Specifically, the movie follows two professional players of one of the most favored esports titles, StarCraft 2, as they fight to make the World Championships at BlizzCon 2014.
The film captivates by honing in on the sheer, raw talent (and rapid-fire keystrokes) of the players. At the same time, it entertains and draws in viewers emotionally, with a motivational, fist-pumping "rise to the top" premise akin to a sports movie. It's easy to get invested in this hour and 30-minute ride, which zips by faster than a Zerg swarm.
This title is currently available for free (with ads) on Peacock, and can be rented on Apple TV.
7 High Score
The multi-part miniseries High Score is a chronological history of the 80s and 90s gaming, narrated by the voice of Super Mario himself, Charles Martinet. The series is chock-full of interesting gaming facts, fun footage, as well as exclusive interviews that delve into gaming's early days, cultural influence, and inevitable rise.
All six episodes more or less stick to a theme, genre, or cultural era, which includes Atari's rise, the Nintendo-Sega console wars, and early role-playing games. Martinet brings a fittingly lighthearted character to this feel-good, nostalgic romp—which both seasoned gamers and newcomers can get something out of. The deep, overarching gaming segments are occasionally broken up with more personal narratives, adding sentimentality and cultural relevance to the mix.
High Score is a miniseries that's currently exclusive to Netflix subscribers.
6 GoldenEra
This 2022 documentary by Drew Roller goes into excellent detail documenting the creation of the esteemed GoldenEye. It covers Rare's history and some of its key developers, the conceptual and logistical process of GoldenEye's creation, behind-the-scenes looks, and its overall cultural impact. GoldenEra colorfully illustrates the workings of the hit FPS to outsiders, while serving as a love letter to its fans.
It tosses in some interesting, lesser-known facts that may have escaped even some diehards—like the fact that GoldenEye was conceived as an on-rails game and a 2D platformer early on. Between the ample GoldenEye trivia, great production value, and warm and fuzzy nostalgia, GoldenEra is a gaming doc worth checking out, even for non-fans.
The film can be viewed for free (with ads) on Roku, Vudu, Tubi, and Freevee, and rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV (buy only), Vudu, Microsoft Store, and Google Play.
5 Minecraft: The Story Of Mojang
The blocky open-world epic known as Minecraft fast became a gaming phenom following its alpha release in 2011. But behind this endlessly fun game of building, crafting, and enemy-slaying is a similarly gripping story of its grassroots conception and rise to fame. This Kickstarter-backed film has interviews with key designers from Minecraft studio Mojang, including Swedish game programmers Jens Bergensten and Markus Persson, commonly known as Notch.
The documentary served as a draw for gaming historians and Minecraft fans on Xbox platformers, releasing on Xbox Live in 2012; a precursor to Microsoft's $2.5 billion purchase of Mojang. Given its unique development and unlikely ascent to superstardom, The Story of Mojang is a great tribute and an interesting watch. Despite being fairly long at 104 minutes, it's sort of a truncated history of a vast game and culture. Still, the film succeeds in stoking intrigue with its nostalgia and its raw, personal nature.
The documentary can currently be rented or bought on Apple TV.
4 Indie Game: The Movie
This 2012 film by James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot feels ahead of its time, as indie gaming has since become a rising force. The documentary nicely outlines the life of up-and-coming young devs and covers the then-young indie scene. It highlights a few pioneers of its renaissance; specifically the creators of Braid, Super Meat Boy, and Fez.
Indie Game: The Movie takes more of a personal approach with a quasi-rags-to-riches arch. It covers the developers' uphill battle to see their projects to completion with few resources and small budgets. This display of constant progress while overcoming adversity connects on an emotional level, providing inspiration along with intrigue. Indie Game also entices from a creative standpoint, as creators including Phil Fish and Edmund McMillen discuss their artistic insight and the development process of their inventive games.
The film can be bought or rented or bought on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies, and YouTube.
3 Atari: Game Over
This 2014 film by director Zak Penn film is a celebration of all things Atari during its heyday. Despite being 66 minutes, Game Over gets into impressive detail regarding the ambitious studio in its youth, covering its rise and collapse in the 70s and 80s. The film also highlights a then-recent gaming "ground zero" excavation in the form of a New Mexico landfill. This is spliced with a history of the infamous E.T.; a forsaken relic and a legend unto itself. The hyped game was apparently overproduced to the point where excess carts were buried in the landfill.
The legend was at least partly validated, as excavators unearthed over a thousand copies of this gaming artifact. This amusing folk take, coupled with the rich, groundbreaking history of Atari at large, rounds out a great film that's over all too soon.
The movie can be found free (with ads) on Roku, Tubi, Pluto, and Plex rented or bought on Google Play Store, YouTube, Microsoft Store, or Vudu (buy only).
2 Console Wars
The 90s is often referred to as a golden era of gaming, particularly among the Millenial and Gen X crowd. One thing's for sure—it was an era of great transformation and heated battles among console makers; namely Nintendo and Sega. Based on Blake J. Harris' book of the same name, Console Wars chronicles the late 80s and early 90s clash between the 16-bit rivals.
While largely honing in on edgy underdogs Sega, Jonah Tulis, and Blake Harris' film tastefully covers the scene at large, doing so in a detailed, yet entertaining fashion. Much from the interesting, tumultuous era is covered here—from a '93 senate hearing dealing with violent games to a heated debate from Sega and Nintendo heads that nearly became a brawl. Interviews from key figures, including then-Sega CEO Tom Kalinske, and former Nintendo Chairman Howard Lincoln, bring a personal element and some fun facts to the fold.
The film is available on Paramount +.
1 The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters
This one really has it all—an emotional core, gripping gaming history (of the early-80s arcade era), a distinct cast of likable subjects, and a classic David-vs-Goliath plot. Seth Gordon's King of Kong from 2007 hones in on a group of diehard arcade enthusiasts and record holders, specifically Restauranteur "elite" Billy Mitchell and underdog Steve Wiebe.
Both vie for top-score glory in arcade games, primarily through the grueling classic, Donkey Kong. This heats up after Wiebe bests Mitchell's long-held top score from an arcade machine in his garage, though not without "controversy". The film highlights Wiebe's climb to "break through this empire" as he puts it, as he grinds away at gaming events to get a top score recognized.
The film can be rented or purchased on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, or DirecTV.