4 Video Games That Would Make Perfect TTRPGs

Translating video games into tabletop RPGs has become one of the most exciting trends in modern gaming. Despite being two separate worlds, video games and TTRPGs bear many similarities, and many of these are perfect for a pen-and-paper adaptation. Dungeons & Dragons is the standard for the hobby, but more and more alternatives are rising. Players don’t just want to play a world anymore; they want to live inside it, inhabit it with their own characters, and tell stories alongside friends that no game engine could ever restrict. As more studios embrace tabletop adaptations, fans are increasingly asking: which worlds deserve the TTRPG treatment next?

Many of the most beloved franchises in gaming are primed to transform into TTRPGs. Some offer rich lore. Some offer deep tactical combat. Some excel at exploration and personal storytelling. But the common thread is simple: each of these worlds already feels halfway like a tabletop campaign waiting to be written. And while none of the following video game series have received a definitive, fully realized, officially supported tabletop RPG, they each possess the ingredients to become the next major hit in the TTRPG scene. Here are four video games that would make perfect TTRPGs.

4) Pokemon

Pokemon is the biggest franchise in the world, but despite having video games, animations, live-action films, manga, and a card game, there is no TTRPG. And few series are as structurally suited to tabletop play as Pokémon, a franchise built around adventure, collection, exploration, and progression. It has all the pillars of great TTRPGs, and while many fan-made systems exist, the world still lacks an official, robust, publisher-supported Pokémon tabletop RPG. And honestly, it’s shocking.

The core loop of the games: journeying across a region, meeting strange characters, discovering new places, catching and training creatures, and building teams for challenges, already mirrors a classic tabletop campaign. A good Pokémon TTRPG could easily combine story-first exploration with light tactical combat, focusing less on endless number crunching and more on creative moves, environmental interactions, and narrative-driven battles. Imagine making skill checks to calm a wild Luxray, finding hidden ruins beneath Johto’s forests, or negotiating with a morally questionable professor whose research pushes ethical boundaries.

A strong tabletop system could even revive the franchise’s forgotten ideas in Pokemon Black & White: deeper moral choices, ancient lore, regional politics, and faction-based story arcs reminiscent of modern tabletop favorites. Most importantly, a Pokémon TTRPG would allow players to create their own trainers, their own rivalries, and their own legendary stories. No longer constrained by a silent protagonist and a linear plot, players could unleash their imagination in this beloved series. With the right ruleset, Pokémon could easily become the next major role-playing phenomenon.

3) The Elder Scrolls

The Elder Scrolls already behaves like a tabletop RPG, so much so that many players assume one already exists. Few video game series capture the sense of open-world discovery, skill-based progression, and player-authored storytelling that tabletop RPG fans love more than Bethesda’s legendary franchise. Why would an Elder Scrolls TTRPG work so well? Simple: it has deep lore spanning thousands of years, a flexible class/skill identity system, magic that is both powerful and narratively rich, a world designed for exploration and consequences, and factions, guilds, and political intrigue perfect for campaigns.

A tabletop adaptation could preserve the franchise’s iconic freedom. Want to be a stealthy Khajiit thief, a Nordic battlemage, or a pacifist monk who solves quests purely through persuasion? Easy. The Elder Scrolls isn’t just a fantasy setting; it’s a sandbox setting, tailor-made for emergent storytelling around the table. Campaigns could be set in Cyrodiil, Morrowind, Skyrim, the Planes of Oblivion, or even a setting not seen in one of the video games.

A TTRPG version could also expand on areas the games touch only lightly. What are the daily politics of Cyrodiil’s nobles? What happened in Hammerfell after the Great War? What does the average citizen of Vvardenfell think of the Tribunal? A good rule system would probably use classless progression, allowing characters to shape themselves through their actions, just like in Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim. And unlike the video games, the tabletop version would never crash from too many mods.

2) Mass Effect

If any franchise needs a sweeping, big-budget tabletop RPG adaptation, it’s Mass Effect. BioWare’s sci-fi series remains one of gaming’s most iconic examples of branching narrative, moral choice, rich worldbuilding, and party-focused storytelling. All of which translates beautifully into a tabletop campaign structure. While Exodus certainly fills this in the TTRPG, the appeal of a Mass Effect TTRPG lies in the same aspects that make it one of the best gaming trilogies of all time.

The most important aspect is its diverse character creation, both in species and class, which leads to different play styles. Second is its party dynamics, as Mass Effect is fundamentally about relationships: allies, rivals, romances, mentors, political allies, and even ideological enemies. The series’ mission-based structure naturally supports tabletop arcs, allowing for GMs to create infiltration missions, rescue operations, research-driven mysteries, galactic diplomacy, and more, allowing for long campaigns or short ones with rotating players.

But what may be most exciting is the morality and consequences of Mass Effect’s choices. Every quest, every relationship, every moral dilemma could meaningfully reshape the galaxy. A well-designed TTRPG could lean into consequences even harder than the video games do. Imagine exploring uncharted systems, encountering new alien cultures, or discovering Reaper artifacts that threaten to destabilize entire factions. Mass Effect was built for roleplaying; now it just needs dice.

1) The Legend of Zelda

Of all video game universes that deserve a tabletop adaptation, The Legend of Zelda may be the most iconic and the most overdue. While Zelda seems simple at a glance, its world is overflowing with mythology, mystery, and thematic potential. A Zelda tabletop RPG would offer something truly unique in the fantasy TTRPG landscape: a balance of whimsy, heroism, puzzle-solving, exploration, and mythic storytelling rarely captured in existing systems. We’ve seen many fan adaptations, but Nintendo has never fully invested in an official, expansive TTRPG.

Hyrule is overflowing with divine beings, ancient prophecies, cursed artifacts, and cyclical history, the perfect foundation for long-form storytelling and world-spanning quests. Its emphasis on dungeon exploration and puzzle mechanics is perfect for dungeon-delving and would bring an element rarely seen in TTRPGs, even if players are notoriously bad at puzzle-solving. A tabletop version could treat puzzles as: collaborative logic challenges, skill-based checks with multiple creative solutions, or environmental storytelling tools.

Distinct regions, cultures, and races: from the Zora Domain to Goron Mountain to Gerudo Desert, the world is built for faction-based play, exploration, and culture-driven roleplaying. Each civilization could offer different perks and roleplay opportunities. Many TTRPGs shy away from this aspect, but The Legend of Zelda could use it to its strength. Not only that, but it could forgo the typical ‘Chosen One’ narrative, as everyone knows Link is the hero. Instead, players are free to play as champions of smaller causes and explore different aspects of Hyrule.

Finally, the flexibility of Nintendo’s branching timelines allows for infinite campaign eras, alternate histories, or entirely new heroes taking up the mantle. A Zelda TTRPG would not need to revolve around Link; it could embrace the idea that every generation produces new heroes. The games offer up major world-ending events, but lesser evils are present as well. Link can’t be everywhere, leaving plenty of opportunity for players to save Hyrule in other ways. Nintendo’s series lends itself to accessibility and family-friendly fantasy. With the right design approach, a Zelda tabletop RPG could become a major entry point for new players, just as D&D 5E was for many, making it a huge opportunity for the tabletop market.

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