15 Best Movies Like Ready Player One

Based on the book of the same name by Ernest Cline, "Ready Player One" takes viewers to 2045, where Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) dives into a video game world of the OASIS to track down the Easter egg hidden by late creator James Halliday (Mark Rylance). Finding the egg will make the player rich and give them ownership of the virtual world that millions occupy for hours each day. 

Wade has spent years searching for a path to the item, and he keeps coming up short until he meets a player named Art3mis (Olivia Cooke), who works with him to find the clues and the three challenges that lead to highly coveted keys. Their success is threatened by Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), an evil businessman and former employee of Halliday, who uses his team of Sixers to track down the Easter egg for his betterment. It all results in an epic clash between good and evil while offering fun pop culture references. That includes playing with scenes from "The Shining," which resulted in a memorable moment that Steven Spielberg has since explained. 

"Ready Player One" is just one of the many fun science fiction and video-game centered films out there, and that's why we've compiled a list of the 15 best movies like "Ready Player One." Each film has been chosen based on its use of pop culture references, video game prominence, and how their adventurous plots compare to "Ready Player One." Let's press play and kick this journey into gear.

"Free Guy" follows Guy (Ryan Reynolds), who is a bank teller and your average non-player character in the "Free City" video game. He drinks his daily cup of coffee and witnesses a daily bank robbery, which is all a part of the game, unbeknownst to him. His true existence comes to light when he crosses paths with the avatar of a human player named Millie (Jodie Comer). Guy takes his character into his own hands while helping her track down evidence that proves that "Free City" is based on code that she helped build for a game called "Life Itself."

"Free Guy" is a rip-roaring good time that /Film called an aggressively optimistic pop song of an action movie. It has a little bit of something for everyone, thanks to a plot that expertly moves between action, comedy, and romance. It also fully develops the plot inside the video game while focusing on the real world. Like "Ready Player One," it's a video game movie that uses pop culture references to help propel the plot forward, and that includes a fun Chris Evans cameo that includes the use of the Captain America shield.

"Shall we play a game?" These are the chilling words uttered by a military supercomputer named Joshua (James Ackerman) in the 1983 film "WarGames." The games in question are actually global thermonuclear war simulations activated by David Lightman (Matthew Broderick), a teenager who accidentally hacks into the computer while searching for a list of highly anticipated video games. On top of offering nuclear war simulations, Joshua also controls the nuclear arsenal for the United States. A false alarm is eventually triggered, and David and his girlfriend Jennifer (Ally Sheedy) must warn the authorities and reach Joshua before nuclear weapons start blasting off and cause World War III.

"WarGames" is a riveting adventure that is one of the best Cold War films, according to /Film. It's also a fascinating take on the techno-thriller during a decade where computers were starting to become more commonplace. It's a storyline that focuses on the inner-workings of technology while spending time on David and Jennifer's relationship, which gets stronger with each twist and turn, much like "Ready Player One."

"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is the film adaptation of the popular graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Scott (Michael Cera) is living a normal life in Toronto, Canada until he falls for the mysterious Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). He is desperate to become her boyfriend, but their romance can't blossom until he defeats her seven evil exes. Each battle comes with its own unique challenges and plenty of video game effects, including power-ups, extra lives, and a victory where evil ex Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha) and his Demon Hipster Chicks turn into gold coins after being defeated

It's an adventure that will leave viewers on the edge of their seat as they make their way toward the final level which features Scott facing off against Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman) who is the leader of the League of Ramona's Evil Ex-Boyfriends. It will leave you in stitches thanks to witty one liners perfectly delivered by a hilarious cast that includes Cera, Aubrey Plaza, and Kieran Culkin.

"The LEGO Movie" is a fun adventure thanks to a captivating plot that surrounds a construction worker named Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt). He's having a tough time making friends in his LEGO building brock world, and he feels extremely lonely as he lives what many see as an average, boring life. Everything changes when he is recruited to join a mission to save the world from the evil President Business (Will Ferrell), who also goes by Lord Business. After he is mistaken for the Special who is the key to saving the world, Emmet decides to face the challenge set in front of him, but pretending to be the Special is easier said than done.

Each element of "The LEGO Movie" is a building block that creates a super positive story about believing in yourself and trying new things. Like "Ready Player One," it's an adventure complete with plenty of nods to the outside world, including the use of LEGO instruction booklets and plenty of other fun LEGO gags. As for pop culture references, "The LEGO Movie" is jam packed with nods to various movies like "Star Wars," and, of course, Batman.

"TRON" is the 1982 sci-fi classic that features Jeff Bridges as a former software engineer named Kevin Flynn. He's trying to hack into his former company's Master Control Program (David Warner) so that he can retrieve evidence to prove that his video game "Space Paranoids" was stolen by Ed Dillinger (also played by Warner). His latest attempt doesn't go as planned when the Master Control Program sucks him into the Grid and makes him compete in games. That's when Kevin discovers that several programs have been kidnapped by the all-seeing program who is oppressing the entire universe. 

"TRON" became the first major film to use excessive CGI, and making a film of this scale included innovative computer animation that required graph paper, math, and a prayer. However, that wasn't the end of the adventures on the Grid.

Disney

This digital world would be revisited in "TRON: Legacy" (pictured above). The movie focuses on Kevin's son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), who accidentally enters the Grid where his father has been trapped for 20 years. Kevin entered the digital world in order to create a one-of-a-kind computer system, but the portal between the worlds closed amid a power struggle between himself and his hacking system Codified Likeness Utility, known as CLU (also played by Bridges). Now, Kevin and Sam must rely on each other to get home. Each film is a thrill-ride perfect for video game fans, and it's very similar to "Ready Player One" in that regard.

Great Scott! "Back to the Future" is another great film to watch after watching "Ready Player One." The 1985 hit time travel movie has become so ingrained in pop culture that it's no surprise we think it's one of the best movies of all time. Fans can even spot the DeLorean a few times during "Ready Player One," including the first race where the car is chosen by Wade's avatar Parzival. 

The movie follows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) as he travels back to 1955 where he meets younger versions of his parents and his pal Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd). Marty's appearance interrupts his parents' love story, and he must help their romance bloom before he and his siblings disappear forever. Meanwhile, Marty and Doc Brown need to get Marty back to the future. They eventually realize that they can use an historic lightning strike to power the DeLorean and send him home. It all makes for an epic ending that ,when explained, is all about accomplishing the impossible. 

Based on the manga series "Battle Angel Alita" by Yukito Kishiro, "Alita: Battle Angel" begins as Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) comes across Alita (Rosa Salazar), a cyborg whose pieces have been left for scrap. Dr. Ido gives her a new lease on life, but her memories from her past have disappeared. Alita's curiosity about her past grows as she experiments with her abilities. That curiosity is perceived as a threat by some who believe that her search for the truth will disrupt the order of things. Dr. Ido begs her to focus on the present for her own protection, but his warnings won't stop her from discovering who she really is.

Like "Ready Player One," "Alita: Battle Angel" uses a great deal of animation to effectively tell its story. Alita's animation is so life-like that it almost comes off as live action, yet it still offers a visual interpretation of the character that enhances her cyborg form. The story's science-fiction themes and plot of exploration in a world full of secrets also makes this a great movie for "Ready Player One" fans.

"Ready Player One" is about the strategy that it takes to find the Easter egg and claim the OASIS. It's a challenge that will only be completed by the best of the best. "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" is the real life story of what it takes to be one of the best in the competitive video game world. The 2007 documentary follows Billy Mitchell, a well-known video game record breaker, and Steve Wiebe, who is new to the world of competitive video gaming. However, he is making waves thanks to historic records involving "Donkey Kong" and "Donkey Kong, Jr." The documentary follows their battle to become the ultimate king of "Donkey Kong" and earn a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records, and the drama behind the movie keeps unfolding.

While disappearing into the pretend world of video game challenges is fun escapism, this documentary is a fun look inside the real world of arcade games and the competitive gaming world, including some of the strange characters actively vying for world records. It's also a fun way to give younger generations a glimpse into the video game world of the 1980s. "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" even claimed the Guinness World Record for the Most Successful Documentary Film About a Video Game.

Like "Ready Player One," "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" is a world of pure imagination with an adventure set up by its creator. The 1971 film is based on the Roald Dahl book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) is one of several children who receive golden tickets that grant them a tour of the mysterious chocolate factory. That tour turns into a perilous journey where children are removed one by one. When Charlie and Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson) are the last ones standing, Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) announces that this was all planned to help him find the right successor. 

It's a plot that is very similar to that of "Ready Player One," which is all about players attempting different challenges in order to find the Easter egg left behind by James Halliday. Like "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," there are plenty of poor attitudes and villains that are showcased along the way. Halliday carefully crafted each clue and mission in a way that only a true leader with a pure love for the game can win.

"The Matrix" is the game-changing 1999 film that follows Thomas A. Anderson, who is known as a hacker named Neo (Keanu Reeves), as he uncovers the truth behind his so-called reality. It all begins when he meets Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), who shows him that his world is actually a simulation controlled by an evil cyber-intelligence. He's now on a mission to reach a legendary fellow hacker named Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) who will lead him to crucial answers that will help save humanity.

The simulation aspect of this story mirrors that of "Ready Player One." However, a crucial difference here is that the characters in "Ready Player One" are aware that they're entering an alternate reality and they enter on their own free will. Parzival and Art3mis' relationship also mirrors that of Neo and Trinity as they lean on each other to dig into the truth. The relationship between the heroes of "The Matrix" grows with each challenge they face, and that in turn created a series that has always been a love story at its core.

Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) is an average kid living in the late 1950s in "The Iron Giant." It's a decade where science fiction plots are taking the world by storm. So he is shocked when he finds The Iron Giant (Vin Diesel) who has crash landed in Maine. They soon form a lasting friendship and go fun adventures. However, a government agent named Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) is hot on their trail. He thinks The Iron Giant is a threatening device planted by an enemy of the United States. Hogarth now has to put his problem-solving skills to the test in order to save his best friend.

This movie is a fun adventure for the whole family. It shares a heartwarming story about friendship and looking past the differences of others. Fans of the 1999 movie, which bombed at the box office, can even spot The Iron Giant in Aech's (Lena Waithe) garage during "Ready Player One" before reappearing triumphantly in the final battle. Both movies also offer plenty of laughs amid compelling storylines that captivate the imagination.

Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) is a high schooler who dreams of traveling far far away from his hometown. He just never thought that far far away would mean outer space. That's exactly what happens in "The Last Starfighter." The 1984 film begins as he achieves the high score on the arcade game "Starfighter," but his success earns him much more than bragging rights. The game's creator, Centauri (Robert Preston), reveals that the game a recruitment tool used to find the best pilots that can help the Rylan Star League beat the Ko-Dan Empire.

The creator plays a crucial role in this plot, much like "Ready Player One." While James Halliday died way before the events of "Ready Player One," his avatar still holds the keys that guide players to the Easter egg, which means that Halliday still has some sort of control over these challenges. It's an approach that is similar yet different from Centauri, who has a big hand in what is happening but is alive. 

While "Ready Player One" follows humans as they play a video game, "Wreck-It Ralph" is about an actual video game character as he experiences an existential crisis. Ralph (John C. Reilly) has been the villain of "Fix-It Felix Jr." for decades, and he's tired of always wrecking everything. He wants to be the hero, and he starts game-hopping to prove his heroism. Along the way, he runs into Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a "Sugar Rush" racer who is characterized as a glitch. They team up to help each other reach their full potential, and it's a journey that leads them to uncover a part of Vanellope that one character has been hiding from her.

The fast-paced plot and bright color palette make "Wreck-It Ralph" an enjoyable movie for all ages. Plus, there are plenty of pop culture references and video game characters that will catch the attention of multiple generations, including an appearance by Q*bert, Bowser from "Super Mario Bros.," and several Disney characters.

What if you had the chance to visit your younger self? It's a hypothetical question that many ask themselves, but for Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds) it's his reality in "The Adam Project." An older version of Adam crash lands 28 years in the past while trying to save the future. His accidental adventure in 2022 allows him to come face-to-face with his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell) who is grieving the loss of his father Louis (Mark Ruffalo) who invented time travel with businesswoman Maya Sorian (Catherine Keener). Maya will do anything she can to control time travel. It's up to Adam and his younger self to stop her while saving Adam's wife Laura (Zoe Saldaña) from being murdered.

"The Adam Project" is like "Back to the Future" but with a twist, as it allows Adam's older self to face his grief and help his younger self during a super tough time. Like, "Ready Player One," this Netflix film showcases a villain who will stop at nothing to get the power they desire. 

"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" is the video game twist on the beloved 1995 film with Robin Willams. The 2017 movie follows Spencer (Alex Wolff) as he and three other teens play a video game that transports them into the jungle world of "Jumanji." Now they must win in order to escape, which won't be easy, as they adjust to avatars that come with abilities that they must work to discover. They have to learn quickly as an evil game hunter named Van Pelt (Bobby Cannavale) is controlling the animals. 

"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" is a fun video game adventure that plays with the idea of what it would be like to take humans from the real world and place them inside a video game, much like "Ready Player One." However, the stakes in "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" are much higher, because losing the game means staying there forever, whereas the players in "Ready Player One" have the ability to step out of the OASIS and fight their foe in the real world.