Fight, run, repeat: 10 killer death game movies and shows to stream

Death game movies and shows often blend the thrill of playing a survival game with the horror of death. These movies and shows take the excitement and intensity of playing a game to a new level by introducing life-or-death stakes.

Whether it’s about winning a huge prize after eliminating other players, or simply surviving, these death game movies and shows introduce rules that make death inevitable. It doesn’t matter how hard the characters try to hide or run—in the end, they must comply with the rules, with only a few exceptions. Here’s a list of 10 such death game movies and shows where survival is the ultimate goal.

Disclaimer: The article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

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10 killer death game movies and shows to stream

10) The Most Dangerous Game

Let’s start the list of death game movies and shows with one of the oldest films, The Most Dangerous Game. Based on Richard Connell’s short story, this 1932 film follows Robert Rainsford, a renowned game hunter and author, who becomes the sole survivor of a shipwreck and swims to a nearby island. However, his struggle for survival turns into a dangerous death game when he stumbles upon a chateau and meets Russian Count Zaroff.

Along with a fellow survivor, Eve, Robert discovers Zaroff’s trophy room, where he keeps the heads of those who lost in his hunting game, and soon becomes the next prey. He is given a full day and night—until 4 a.m. the next morning—to survive. If caught by Zaroff, he loses the game, and Zaroff gains another trophy. Even after setting traps, Eve and Robert are hunted as they try to escape. After many challenges, Robert eventually succeeds in turning Zaroff into prey for his own hunting dogs. You can watch the film on Plex for free.

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9) Sword Art Online

The Netflix anime series Sword Art Online is based on Reki Kawahara’s light novel series and revolves around virtual reality and online games. In the series, hundreds of players get trapped in the game Sword Art Online due to Sugou’s plan to conduct a mind control experiment for financial gain.

The beta tester Kazuto gets pulled into the game when his wife, Asuna Yuuki, becomes one of the trapped players. Her mind is affected in the real world, leaving her hospitalized. With three seasons, SAO explores virtual reality, multiplayer gameplay, and the real-life consequences of in-game challenges.

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8) Circle

Circle is a 2015 film and the next on the list of death game movies and shows. It is available on Netflix. The film follows a group of 50 individuals who wake up in a dark room, arranged in two concentric circles. They discover that if they don’t choose who to kill, one of them will be randomly killed every two minutes.

As the game proceeds, the participants begin to share how they ended up in the game and gradually reveal their moral beliefs. This influences who survives, as the group begins eliminating those they disagree with, turning it into a psychological battle.

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7) 3%

This Brazilian series takes us to a dystopian future where deprived and underprivileged twenty-year-olds are given a chance to become part of a better society, known as the ‘Offshore’ society, by participating in The Process—a dangerous and deadly game.

Led by João Miguel’s Ezequiel, The Process proves to be fatal for some participants, resulting in only 3% of them succeeding. This sci-fi series stands out in the death game genre due to its portrayal of societal inequality in a fictional but deadly futuristic world. It is available to stream on Netflix.

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6) Saw

You cannot skip the Saw franchise when talking about the best death game movies and shows. The Jigsaw-led movie franchise depicts the Jigsaw killer (Tobin Bell), who puts his victims through several painful games to test their willpower to survive.

In the first Saw movie, released in 2004, one of Jigsaw’s victims, Leigh Whannell’s Adam, finds himself chained to a pipe in a bathroom with a tape recording instructing him to survive. The other victim, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes), is told to kill Adam to save his family, who are being held captive.

The movies in the franchise are known for their violent and gory details and might not be enjoyable for everyone. But if you can endure it and are looking for films involving violent death games, this franchise might be your next watch. The first seven Saw films are available to stream through Disney+’s Hulu bundle.

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5) Alice in Borderland

Alice in Borderland premiered in 2020 on Netflix and became one of the most popular series in the death game movies and shows category. The series follows video game–obsessed Ryōhei Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and his friends, who get trapped in a parallel version of Tokyo where they must play deadly games to survive.

The rules of the game involve playing cards that indicate the difficulty levels, and competing in the games is the only way to extend their visas. If they fail to participate, their visas expire, and they are executed by shooting beams from the sky.

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4) The Hunger Games

Based on Suzanne Collins’s novels, The Hunger Games is one of the highest-grossing film franchises of the 2010s and rightly earns its place among the best death game movies and shows. The story is set in a dystopian society where each district selects a girl and a boy as tributes to compete in a deadly game until only one survives.

The film franchise, starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, debuted in 2012 and follows Katniss and Peeta’s journey as they become the first joint victors—only to be thrown back into the game in the sequel. The final two films in the series depict the rise of rebellion against the Capitol. The series is available to stream on Prime Video.

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3) Escape Room

Another film on the list of death game movies and shows is Escape Room. As the name suggests, the movie is based on the popular game—but with a deadly twist. If the participants don’t find the clues and move on to the next room, they die.

In the first film, Taylor Russell’s Zoey Davis becomes one of six people who solve a puzzle and are invited to participate in an escape room for a $10,000 prize. As the game begins, they realize it’s a survival challenge where they must solve clues to progress or face death. You can watch the movie on Prime Video and several other streaming services.

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2) Battle Royale

The Kinji Fukasaku–directed film, based on Koushun Takami’s novel Battle Royale, revolves around a group of students who are forced to fight to the death by the Japanese totalitarian government.

The film focuses on Shuya Nanahara’s high school class, which is randomly selected to participate in the Battle Royale game—a brutal method the government has devised to curb juvenile delinquency. After being taken to a remote island, the students are instructed to fight to the death until only one survives within three days.

Battle Royale is regarded as one of the best in the death game movies and shows category due to its significant influence on pop culture. It inspired a new genre named after the film and led to the release of several video games, manga, and anime. The film is available to watch on MUBI and Prime Video.

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1) Squid Game

A list of death game movies and shows would be incomplete without one of the best series in the category: Squid Game, which debuted in 2021. Netflix’s Squid Game follows Lee Jung-jae’s Seong Gi-hun as he enters a game to win prize money of ₩45.6 billion. However, it turns out to be far more dangerous than he initially thought.

In the first game—based on the popular Korean children’s game Red Light, Green Light—participants who break the rules or fail to cross the finish line are shot to death. Gi-hun forms an alliance with a few other players in an attempt to survive the deadly game, where ultimately only one participant will be left alive. With two successful seasons, Squid Game will finally come to an end in June 2025.

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