Best Game Anime

Game anime thrill their viewers for much the same reason Twitch streams do: it’s exciting to see people excited by games and share one’s beloved hobby with others. Whether they depict card games, board games, or VR, the best game anime leaves no doubt in viewers’ minds about why characters have chosen their pastimes.

Though many depict fierce competition, the best game anime aren’t just about seeing characters win. They’re about watching characters grow with the game, developing deeper strategies, and building their confidence as players until they one day master moves that once could only look upon in awe.

Updated on November 18, 2024 by Mark Sammut: The Fall 2024 anime season is dropping new episodes at a weekly rate, and some of them happen to teleport viewers to gaming worlds. Even ignoring shows that incorporate MMO tropes like Loner Life in Another World, Arifureta, The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan, and The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongest, the lineup still has a few legitimate gaming anime.

The article specifically focuses on anime about video games, be it shows set in MMOs or featuring characters obsessed with the hobby. Gambling anime like
Kaiji
and
Akagi
will not be included.

Does Fall 2024 Have Any Game Anime?

• 	Shangri-La Frontier	Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online	I’ll Become a Villainess That Will Go Down in History
  Genres	Comedy, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
  Studio	C2C
  Based On	Novel & Manga
  Creator	Katarina
  Streaming Service(s)	Crunchyroll

Roughly halfway done by this point, Fall 2024 has been a pretty good season so far. Shows like Dandadan, Re:ZERO, Bleach, Blue Box, Ranma ½, and Dragon Ball Daima have delivered great episodes at a weekly rate, and they are hardly the quarter’s only worthwhile anime.

Now, game anime are not staples of every season, especially if isekai and fantasy stories with MMORPG stats are ignored. So, more often than not, a lineup will not have anything that fits the theme. However, Fall 2024 is an exception! In fact, there are a surprising number of anime specifically set in games, so let’s highlight the best of them.

• Shangri-La Frontier Season 2 – One of the best game anime has not only made its comeback but has also arguably improved on its previous high standard. Shangri-La Frontier celebrates MMO culture, bringing to life an immersive escape from reality that (hopefully) paints a picture of what the future might hold for gaming. Although not exactly intense or packed with gripping twists, the story is well-written, fun, and bolstered by lovable characters with big personalities. More importantly, the action is awesome and compares favorably with nearly every other currently airing anime that is not named Bleach.
• Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online 2 – Gun Gale Online 2 has been decent and would likely be garnering more attention and love if it was not airing alongside Shangri-La Frontier. Even though the latter does nearly everything better than the former, Fall 2024 is more than big enough for the bottom of them. GGO is enjoyable fluff, held together by a likable protagonist and a military setting that still feels fresh compared to all the medieval-themed shows that populate these types of stories.
• I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History – Another villainess isekai anime, this show is a pretty traditional entry in this strangely popular subgenre. Its main twist is that Alicia, the protagonist, is actually trying to be a villainess, although she is so terrible at being evil that it mostly amounts to a series of good deeds and intelligent behavior. Still, this series is fine.

18 Quality Assurance in Another World

A Game Tester’s Job Is Not Easy

Now, here is a fun twist to the “stuck in a game” formula. Summer 2024’sQuality Assurance in Another World revolves around Haga, a guy who was sent into an MMORPG to serve as a game tester and report bugs. However, all the testers have been unable to log out for more than a year, forcing them to live alongside the NPCs as they mostly lose their minds. Haga is the only person who is still doing his job; meanwhile, the remaining testers have been spreading chaos across this universe.

For the most part, Quality Assurance in Another World follows Haga and an NPC, Nikola, as they go on a journey to test bugs and also challenge the other testers who are using their developer privileges to act like gods. While not diving too deeply into the development side of things, the anime presents an interesting look at an important part of the cycle, all the while wrapped in an accessible isekai package.

17 Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest On Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte

Player Influence

A fun spin on the villainess isekai blueprint, Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte lets its “normal” characters influence an otome game’s direction without dropping them in its world. Shihono and Aoto acquire the ability to speak directly to the characters within MagiKoi, and they specifically focus on Lieselotte, the game’s villainess, and Siegwald, its main love interest. A fairly conventional tsundere archetype, the former’s refusal to accept her own feelings leads to her ultimate destruction; however, with a bit of guidance, Lieselotte’s future can be way brighter and warmer.

Although packed with otome tropes that are more common in anime than in real games, Endo and Kobayashi Live! shines due to its strong roster of characters, both in and out of MagiKoi. In some ways, the premise also captures the appeal of player choice, in the sense that Shihono can finally use her (literal) voice to shape the story to meet her preferences.

16 Gamers!

An Anime About Gamers (In Love) Rather Than Games

Obviously, Gamers! must be mentioned in a discussion about the best game anime of all time; at least, that should be the case. However, the show barely qualifies, despite revolving entirely around gamers. Even though the characters are very into gaming of all types, the series predominantly plays out like a romantic comedy with a heavy emphasis on misunderstandings.

Just to be clear, Gamers! is a charming rom-com with quite a few big laughs, but its “gaming” aspect is fairly inconsequential. If the characters loved manga or movies, the show would stay largely the same.

15 Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki

Life Is A Game

While not really about gaming, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki uses the hobby to define the main characters’ philosophies. Fumiya Tomozaki drifts through life with little enthusiasm, leading to consistent isolation; however, he happens to be the player to beat in a fighting game inspired by Super Smash Bros. One day, he agrees to meet an online rival in real life, who winds up being Aoi Hinami, a classmate who is the picture of perfection. Annoyed by Fumiya’s lack of effort, Aoi agrees to teach the guy how to play the game of life, a journey that gradually pushes the male protagonist out of his comfort zone while also exposing his teacher’s social masks.

Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki is partially framed around Aoi giving Fumiya quests that he must complete, and both characters regularly use gaming to contextualize social relationships. While a touch heavy-handed, the anime offers a good mix of drama, romance, and hints of comedy. The side characters are arguably more likable than both of the leads, although that is intentional, especially concerning Aoi.

14 D-Frag!

A Slice Of Gaming Life

A beloved anime trope is the school club, whether that club centers around training to be idols, raising livestock, or writing scary stories. In the case of D-Frag!, the club is Game Development Club. D-Frag is basically a slice-of-life anime that pivots around people playing games. Though it could easily end up being a generic example of its genre with this premise, it never does.

Instead, the series has enough off-beat style and characterization to keep viewers hooked. The characters do enough game-hopping to keep things fresh, and there’s the occasional injection of genuine weirdness to keep viewers guessing where the series will take them next.

13 No Game, No Life

A World Ruled By Gaming

In the real world, gamers who reach the absolute pinnacle of skill in a given game are often esports pros, playing at tournaments against other competitive teams for cash prizes.

In No Game No Life, there’s more to be done with gamer skill than just battle for cash, as Sora and Shiro discover. The pair are undefeated gamers, a fact that draws the attention of a god and eventually leads to that god transporting Sora and Shiro to a world where games settle everything. No Game No Life is an isekai game anime, in which Sora and Shiro’s skills are tested again and again with stakes they could have never imagined. Altogether, the series is a funny and charming look at gaming and gamers themselves.

No Game No Life
is not set in a game, but its world is entirely run by games. So, it fits.

12 Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

The Definitive Isekai Gaming Anime’s Spin-Off

Without question, Sword Art Online is the most famous “stuck in a game” anime, and its popularity launched a new era of isekai stories that is still going strong roughly a decade after the adaptation’s debut. SAO is the definition of divisive, and its handling of gaming tropes is among the most polarizing elements. While it varies from world to world, the main series does not always craft a game that makes much sense from a design perspective, which can be disappointing.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, a spin-off that removes the “stuck” part from the equation, fixes quite a few of the cour story’s issues, providing a more consistent experience that emphasizes escapism as a main selling point of gaming. Karen plays the eponymous shooter game as a way to detach from her daily insecurities, all the while getting to mingle with people without the risk of being judged for her appearance. As the stakes are very low, Gun Gale Online is a fairly relaxing and stress-free watch, way more so than SAO.

11 My Love Story With Yamada-kun At Lv999

Love, Friendship, & MMORPGs

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 revolves around Akane, a girl who joined an MMO at the behest of her boyfriend. Unfortunately, the same guy breaks up with her, causing the protagonist to spiral into depression. Long story short, she meets Yamada, one of the better players in the game, joins his guild, and makes a host of new friends.

Even though My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 does not devote too much screentime to Forest of Savior, its MMO, the game nevertheless plays a pivotal role in dragging Akane out of her funk and bringing her closer to Yamada. Otherwise, this is simply a cute rom-com.

10 Saekano: How To Raise A Boring Girlfriend

Waifus Assemble (To Create A Game)

Well-respected as a harem, Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend is also one of the best game anime, with the male protagonist pursuing a dream to create a visual novel. This process, naturally, involves recruiting a roster of archetype-leaning female characters, all of whom serve a legitimate purpose in the development process.

With plenty of ecchi moments and humor, Saekano is a prototypical harem in most ways, and the characters’ relationships take center stage throughout both seasons and the movie. However, their growth is primarily framed by the game’s development, which remains a consistent focus throughout the story rather than just serving as a motive to bring the characters together.

9 Recovery Of An MMO Junkie

Video Game Addiction

Ever since the days of EverQuest and Ultima Online, MMO addiction has been a real and troubling phenomenon. It doesn’t take state-of-the-art graphics to immerse players, and there are those who quickly become addicted to their pastime, preferring the virtual world to the real one.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie tackles this subject directly. Fortunately, it’s a funny and lighthearted take on the subject rather than an oppressive one, featuring a woman trying to balance paying the bills with spending all of her time on her favorite game. It might be a niche subject in an already niche subgenre, but Recovery of an MMO Junkie does it right.

8 Log Horizon

Living In A Society In An MMORPG

If shows about people trapped inside a video game were rocks, one couldn’t walk five feet without stubbing their toe. The game anime genre is flooded with series that play with that premise, making it difficult to sort the best from the just okay.

Log Horizon is amongst the best, for a simple reason: many anime about people trapped in games don’t actually care about the rules of those games. Things like team composition, pulling aggro, and metagaming are concepts that normally fall by the wayside in favor of action and drama. In Log Horizon, the elements of the game itself remain at the forefront, so that the setting never degenerates into a bland fantasy environment.

7 Bofuri: I Don’t Want To Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense

Breaking A Game (& Driving The Developers Nuts)

Sometimes an anime’s title tells you everything you need to know. In Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense, Maple decides to do just that in NewWorld Online, a virtual reality MMORPG.

Playing as a shield-user and devoting every point to defense as she levels up, Maple is able to survive against seemingly insurmountable odds, climbing the game’s ranks through her unusual strategy and quick thinking. The anime shows off its understanding of and love for MMORPGs for all to see, and watching Maple and her friends explore NewWorld Online is a joy. The series could easily have been based on a real RPG. By focusing on a fantasy protagonist who isn’t just another sword wielder, Bofuri stands out from the rest.

As the series progresses, the focus shifts to all the ways Maple can break the MMO’s rules and mechanics, causing the developers to try progressively more desperate means to bring her back in line.

6 The King’s Avatar

The eSports Scene

A game anime that turns its eye to the esports scene, The King’s Avatar follows Ye Xiu, a first-rank player who is forced from his pro team and turns to work as the night manager at an internet cafe. When a new server launches, Ye returns to the game he loves, beginning the long grind up from nothing.

While his exceptional skill and encyclopedic game capture the attention of guilds, Ye struggles to relearn and adapt to a game that has changed in his years away. The series is one of the few game anime that demonstrates a genuine understanding of how MMOs play, and it doesn’t hurt that the anime is beautiful. Focusing on the professional scene, The King’s Avatar looks at the hard realities of the competitive scene, in which games sometimes no longer feel much like play.

5 Hi Score Girl

A Love Letter To Arcades

Do not be put off by its CG visuals as Hi Score Girl is delightful. Packed to the brim with video game references and loving nods to the industry’s ’90s scene, the anime follows Haruo, a boy who simply cannot beat Akira at any arcade station. Eventually, the two grow closer, although they end up separating before long.

Hi Score Girl covers quite a wide time span, which it uses to chronicle the characters’ growth along with touching upon the gaming industry’s development.

4 New Game!

Working In the Gaming Industry

New Game! is not about playing a game, but making one. Fresh out of high school, Aoba Suzukaze, gets the chance of a lifetime to work as a character designer on the newest installment in her favorite series:Fairies Story.

Aoba’s coworkers are one of the series highlights, including the game’s director, Shizuku, who brings her cat to work, and Hifumi who is exuberant in text messages but so shy in person that she won’t even make eye contact. New Game! is a fun behind-the-scenes look at what game development is like, from the highs of perfecting a character’s look to the lows of game-breaking glitches.

3 Welcome To The N.H.K.

A Character Study About A Hikkimori (Who Tries To Create A Game)

Welcome to the N.H.K. is not shy about exploring difficult subjects. Satou is a hikikomori, an asocial recluse, who, by the age of 22, is an unemployed college dropout, totally withdrawn from society. His isolation is disrupted when he meets a young woman who claims to be able to cure him of his hikikomori lifestyle. Satou insists that a conspiracy is to blame for his current predicament, and difficult subjects like loneliness, social isolation, and suicide feature prominently.

The series could easily count as one of the greatest slice-of-life anime as well. Satou is eventually badgered into becoming the writer for the gal game that his neighbor is developing, and here Welcome to the N.H.K. becomes a game development anime, albeit one of an altogether different breed than New Game! Here, the focus is much more on the psychology of the game makers than the nitty-gritty of development.

2 Shangri-La Frontier

The God-tier Game (That Is At Least Somewhat Realistic)

Shangri-La Frontier offers something that very few game anime actually try to deliver: its eponymous MMORPG actually seems like a game that could (eventually) exist. Sure, it is way beyond VR’s current capabilities and features a fair few questionable mechanics, but compared to shows like Sword Art Online, the central game has rules, ideas, and systems that are not far removed from proper MMOs.

Sunraku specializes in breaking bad games, a hobby that has allowed him to develop incredible virtual skills. One day, he decides to use his acquired knowledge to take on a genuinely great MMO, Shangri-La Frontier, and he soon finds himself facing off against massive bosses and attracting the attention of other players. Although not deep, Shangri-La Frontier is a fun action anime that celebrates online gaming. Featuring stellar animation and a fun protagonist, the shonen series is an easy recommendation for anyone searching for an anime set in an MMO that is not an isekai.

1 .Hack//Sign

The World

From its character designs to the premise of its setting, .Hack//Sign is an iconic anime and looms large within the genre, casting the shadow of its influence over many shows and games that followed it. The series features a popular MMO called The World, in which Tsukasa awakens in a dungeon with no short-term memory, unable to log out.

The series is a slow-burn mystery, relying on dialog and steady world-building rather than action to drive the plot. The relative lack of combat means .Hack//Sign is not for everyone, but for those more interested in compelling lore than clashing swords, the series is nearly impossible to beat.