Starting as a unique visual novel game, the Danganronpa series is the first thing many will think of when asked to name a death game story video game. The franchise has numerous games, an animated series, and a stage play version of the story. The franchise follows high schoolers who are forced to murder each other and get away with it to leave Hope’s Peak Academy alive. Danganronpa: The Animation is available for streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu. 

Overlooked Media in Death Games

Though the genre’s arguably first archetypal portrayal of a death game was only released in 2000, there is a notable amount of death game media that gets overlooked or simply deserves more attention. Step aside for a moment Squid Game, it’s time to give props to lesser-known media in the genre.

High-Rise Invasion is a manga series created by Tsuina Miura that was adapted into an anime in 2021. The anime has its flaws, but the concept is interesting in its own way and hard to pass on. The series follows high schooler Yuri as she wakes up in a strange world atop a skyscraper. The ground is nowhere in sight, and masked assailants are hell-bent on killing her. An absolute nightmare for someone with a fear of heights. High-Rise Invasion is available for streaming on Netflix.

Similar to the extensive list of movies in the Saw franchise, The Werewolf Game franchise has nine parts to it. Each follows a similar story: a group of students are forced to play a game of Werewolf (a real-life party game anyone can easily play) where they’re playing for their lives. Find the werewolves and the remaining villagers win. All but Inferno and Lost Eden can be watched in any order. Inferno uses the same characters introduced in the television show Lost Eden. Admittedly, not every single one of these movies is stellar, but the ones that are shouldn’t be missed. The Werewolf Game franchise is available on Amazon Prime Video.

In the same vein as The Werewolf Game franchise, Night Has Come utilizes a real-life party game and turns it deadly. The movie utilizes the game Mafia, a game exactly like Werewolf except the roles are named differently. Night Has Come expertly showcases psychological warfare commonly associated with the genre.  The students must survive a Mafia game of death they were forced to play while on a field trip. Night Has Come is available for streaming on Viki.

Death Games Are Here to Stay

The genre is extensive; it’s impossible to name every single piece of media that fits in the genre. There are tons of other movies and shows in the genre including the Saw franchise, Future Diary, and The Belko Experiment. If the genre interests you, it is highly recommended you explore all you can find. Death games all share death and are a game of sorts, but the amount of variety in the genre is a thrill to go through.

Death game stories are an ever-evolving genre seen in all sorts of media. Want to get into the genre but don’t know where to start? Watch Squid Game on Netflix before the second season releases on December 26. Or, start where it all began and stream Battle Royale on Tubi.