If there is one group in anime that has gotten a lot of attention, it’s gamers or anime about video games.
It used to be something only nerds did on their own, but now everyone does it, and it’s a sign of the new alpha male Chads on the block.
Well, this is a good list to check out if you want more games in your anime.
We will look at anime about games, players, and anything else that has anything to do with the gaming world.
25. Accel World
Accel World takes place in a world similar to Sword Art Online, where players use high-tech tools to connect to an integrated gaming network.
Haruyuki Arita, a middle school student, uses the same trick to get away from his daily worries and insecurities and into the world of video games.
He has no idea that the same thing that helps him escape will also help him fight his bullies and bring him together with the most famous girl at school.
Even though most of its game elements are similar to Sword Art Online, it has a small edge because its characters seem to care about each other.
There are no life-or-death situations in the game, but each new task shows how the teenagers in the game think and feel.
24. KonoSuba: God’s Blessing On This Wonderful World!
At first glance, KonoSuba doesn’t seem to be any different from other RPG harem anime.
But everything, from the game references to the stereotypes of the characters, is so over the top that watchers can’t take it seriously, which is exactly what makes it so funny.
The show has every Isekai trope you can think of, but it shows them in a way that makes them all seem like funny parodies of the real ones.
The main character, Kazuma Satou, is a recluse who dies and comes back to life in a dream game.
But, to his dismay, he finds that the gaming world is a lot harder than he thought it would be, and it’s full of crazy bad luck and problems.
23. Death Parade
When people die, their souls don’t go straight to the afterlife. Instead, they first go to a strange bar between worlds.
In the bar, the soul is forced to participate in the Death Games. The results show what secrets led to them being in this situation and whether they will be reborn or destroyed.
Decim the bartender and his helper keep an eye on the games and act as referees.
Decim has never lived or died, so he has no feelings, and his assistant can’t remember anything about her life as a person.
The way they connect with each other and with the souls who end up in their bar is more than enough to keep people coming back.
22. Hikaru No Go
Both Yu-Gi-Oh! and Hikaru no Go have a lot in common with each other.
The main character of this series doesn’t have the famous anime hair of Yu-Gi-Oh, but in both, a boy is possessed by the spirit of a long-dead player and uses that player’s skills to move up in his chosen game.
In Hikaru no Go, the game is Go, and the fact that it exists in the real world is a big change from most game shows.
Through Hikaru no Go, fans and players of Go can enjoy their favorite game in a new way through the main character’s eyes, with all the excitement and style that anime is known for.
21. Net-Juu No Susume
In Net-Juu No Susume, the main character, Moriko, quits her job at age 30 and spends her time playing an MMO, quickly becoming obsessed with it.
In the game, she makes friends with Lily, a doctor, and the two can’t live without each other.
Then, a chance meeting at a convenience store with another person changes everything.
Many gamers know that some games can be so appealing that it’s almost impossible to stop playing them, and Net-Juu No Susume gets this better than almost any other anime.
Net-Juu No Susume might not be one of the most popular anime, but it shows how powerful game anime and video games in general can be.
20. Gamers!
When it comes to names, it’s hard to get any more direct. But this show doesn’t go into a lot of depth about the gaming business or e-sports.
It’s a romantic comedy where the main story point is gaming.
Our main character is a normal gamer who likes to stay at home and play video games all the time.
When the famous girl asks him to join the gaming club, everything changes. Most of the romance, comedy, mistakes, and games take place in this club.
So, the show isn’t just about games, but the characters are gamers, and they’re pretty easy to relate to.
19. And you thought there is never a girl online?
The titles of movies based on light novels often pose a question. But at least the point is made.
This show is about a gamer who falls in love with his internet waifu, only to find out later that he was talking to a middle-aged man.
Because of this, he doesn’t trust anyone online and just thinks everyone is a man. But wouldn’t you know it, he was always messing around with hot girls.
All of them go to his school.
What do you think will happen next?
Exactly.
18. Sword Art Online
I want to watch as few isekai shows as possible, but no matter what you think of this series, you can’t deny that it has some good shows.
It starts out with a typical MMORPG world, then moves on to a more fairy tale-like setting, and finally gives FPS fans something to enjoy.
And if you like the type of game being talked about, SAO can be a lot of fun.
I really liked Gun Gale because FPS games don’t come out as often as MMOs, so it was a nice change.
17. D-Frag!
The school club is a common trope in anime. This can be a group that trains to be stars, raises animals, or writes scary stories.
The club that makes D-Frag! is called Game Development Club. D-Frag is a slice-of-life anime that mostly focuses on people playing games.
With this setup, it could easily become a typical example of its type, but it never does.
Instead, the show’s style and characters are strange enough to keep people interested.
The characters switch between games enough to keep things interesting, and the odd weirdness keeps people guessing about where the show will go next.
16. Welcome to the N.H.K.
N.H.K. talks about a lot of different things, from hikikomoris and low self-worth to extreme anxiety and how people can pressure you to kill yourself (I’m not kidding, the show can get pretty dark).
But making a game is also one of the main ideas.
And the show goes into depth about how game developers come up with ideas and how hard it is for them to make money.
For a show that talks about so many different things, you might think that they would just touch on games briefly… but you might be surprised in a good way.
15. BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense.
I like Bofuri because it put its characters in a video game without making it an isekai.
Yes, it’s a VRMMO, but no one is stuck.
Sometimes the name of an anime is all you need to know about it.
In Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense, Maple does exactly this in the MMORPG NewWorld Online.
By using a shield and putting all of her points into defense as she levels up, Maple is able to stay alive in a game where the odds seem impossible to beat.
Her unusual plan and quick thinking help her move up the ranks. Everyone can see that the anime knows and loves MMORPGs, and it’s fun to watch Maple and her friends explore NewWorld Online.
It would have been easy for the show to be built on a real RPG. Bofuri stands out from other fantasy books because it has a main character who is not just another sword-wielder.
14. New Game!
The story of New Game! is about Aoba Suzukaze, who is excited to start working at a video game company after she graduates and gets the chance to work on the next part of her favorite series, Fairies Story.
Even though she has some ups and downs along the way, she finds her place among other passionate game makers in the end.
The anime shows how hard it is to work in the gaming business without being too preachy. It does this by having both funny and serious plots.
Not only that, but the CGDCT style of animation (Cute Girls Doing Cute Things) fits the themes wonderfully.
13. High Score Girl
In High Score Girl, the main character is a man who is the best gamer ever.
Since the show takes place in the 1990s, arcades are very popular, and our MC keeps breaking records. Never being really pushed.
That is, until the main character’s girlfriend shows up and gives him a L without much trouble.
Not only is she a pretty girl, but she also plays video games better than him. Poggers.
So the guy tries to get better while maybe sneaking in some love subtext as well.
12. Overlord
Overlord is a pure isekai. But it stays closer to the game formula than most.
Even though the main character Ainz is overpowered MC, he still needs to use his knowledge of the game to win important battles.
For example, he needs to know when to use each thing, which spells work well against which enemies, which combinations are bad for him, and so on.
In the end, Ainz was just a normal gamer before he was isekai’d.
So he still has that awkwardness that everyone knows and understands.
11. Summer Wars
In Summer Wars, VR has taken over the whole world. And everyone chooses to spend their time in a virtual world called OZ.
Here, they can talk to each other, play games, and even shop, just like in current VR chat rooms. But now things get complicated.
Because OZ is so well-known and trusted, it has been asked to bring an asteroid researcher back from space.
Well, our main character is a math genius who accidentally puts the whole world in danger. If you watch the movie, which you should, everything will make a lot more sense.
10. Magic of Stella
Another show that is about making games is Magic of Stella.
Only they aren’t making an MMO or something similar. Instead, they are making doujin games. Which, as you might guess, is a very different thing to do.
Our main character works in art creation and is just trying to give the game a new twist and make some friends on the side.
It’s not the most well-liked show among critics. But if you like the idea, it could become a secret pleasure for you.
9. Seiyu’s Life!
Voice acting is a big part of what gives games and anime life.
I’m sure you all have that one line from a video game or anime that you remember because it was so well said.
In Seiyu’s Life, a young girl named Futaba tries to get her name out there as a voice actress. This gives us a better look at the business.
There are many ups and downs, and sometimes we see parts of the business that aren’t as exciting. But it’s really cool to watch it all happen.
Also, it’s like getting a strange look into CDawgVA’s mind.
8. Eroge! H mo Game mo Kaihatsu Zanmai
I’m only putting this show on for people who are interested in culture.
As you might guess from the name, this show is about making eroge games.
It’s about a guy who doesn’t know how to draw, code, or run a business, but he has spent a lot of money on eroge games.
He ends up being asked to join a company that is about to close. And he takes it upon himself to save the company by showing his female coworkers what a good eroge game looks like.
It goes without saying, but you should never watch this in front of other people.
7. Recovery of an MMO Junkie
MMO addiction has been a real and worrisome problem since the days of EverQuest and Ultima Online.
Immersion doesn’t require state-of-the-art images, and some people get so into their hobbies that they prefer the virtual world to the real one.
Recovery of an MMO Junkie goes right into this topic. Luckily, it’s a funny and lighthearted take on the subject, not a heavy one.
It’s about a woman who is trying to find a balance between paying her bills and spending all her time playing her favorite game.
Recovery of an MMO Junkie may be about a niche topic in a niche category, but it does its job well.
6. No Game No Life
Sora and Shiro, two of the best gamers in the world, are at the center of No Game, No Life.
They are so good at every game that a god invites them to his world so that they can use their skills to the fullest.
You see, in this world, everything is decided by games, whether it’s a very complicated game of chess or an FPS team fight where people hunt each other down.
The two quickly find a place to live and use their giga-brains to get to the top of the ladder and make humans a meta race again.
5. OreImo
Orelmo is in the slice-of-life genre, and game is a big part of how the story moves forward.
The main character is a girl who seems too good to be true. She gets good grades, is popular, and pretty. She has no weaknesses at all.
That is, until her brother finds out what kind of games she likes to play.
So he makes his own account and tries to troll her, but he ends up caring a lot more than he thought he would.
There are a lot of misunderstandings and awkward dinners.
4. .Hack//Sign
From the way its characters look to the idea behind its plot,.Hack//Sign is a famous anime that has had a big impact on many other shows and games.
In the series, Tsukasa wakes up in a dungeon with no short-term memory and no way to log out of a famous MMO called The World.
The series is a slow-moving story that is driven by dialogue and the gradual building of a world, not by action.
Because there isn’t much fighting,.Hack//Sign isn’t for everyone, but for people who are more interested in interesting stories than sword fights, it’s hard to beat.
3. Girlish Number
The main idea of Girlish Number, the second anime on our list, is voice acting.
But unlike Seiyu’s Life, this show doesn’t really make the whole thing seem like a fairy tale.
Sure, it pokes fun at the business world and makes us laugh. But it also makes fun of voice actors and shows what it really means to be one.
Just like any other job on the market, it can be boring or almost painful at times.
2. Log Horizon
I think Log Horizon is by far the best game in the “trapped inside of a video game” type.
This is because the game rules are an important part of the show. Without them, it would just be a normal fantasy world.
In this anime, it’s important to know how to handle agro, make a good team composition, control resources, and even play the metagame.
There is no one character with too much power. Instead, there are a lot of different characters with different skills and weaknesses.
The main character is a support mage who is just good with a quill. However, his understanding of the game makes him very powerful and valuable. I like that kind of scale.
1. The King’s Avatar
If I suggest a Chinese anime, I might get burned at the stake, but hear me out.
This is the best show to watch if you love games and want to see what professional gaming is all about.
The whole story is about a pro gamer who gets kicked off his e-team and starts smurfing.
The animation is amazing, and the story never loses sight of where it came from. The action in the game is also very well done, but it never feels like it’s going outside of the game.
I really think you should try it out and see what you think.
