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• The Last Wish

  Sapkowski, Andrzej

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  The first book in The Witcher series, this is the book that debuted the incredible monster-hunting life of Geralt of Rivia.

• I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

  Ellison, Harlan

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  This book is the premise for the game of the same name, a point and click adventure. In the book, an AI has trapped the last 5 humans and forced them to navigate metaphorical adventures based on their fatal flaws.

• Atlas Shrugged

  Rand, Ayn

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  The Bioshock franchise was heavily inspired by Atlas Shrugged. The book features the greatest invention of all mankind, forgotten and unrecognized.

• The Fountainhead

  Rand, Ayn

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  Another inspiration for the Bioshock series, this book follows the story of a young architect who defies the tyranny of conventional public opinion.

• The Godfather

  Puzo, Mario, 1920-1999

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  Inspiration for the game of the same name, this unforgettable saga of crime and corruption, passion and loyalty continues to stand the test of time, as the definitive novel of the Mafia underworld.

• Alamut

  Bartol, Vladimir

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  The story behind the Assassin's Creed series, this book takes place in 11th Century Persia, in the fortress of Alamut, where self-proclaimed prophet Hasan ibn Sabbah is setting up his mad but brilliant plan to rule the region with a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rainbow Six

  Clancy, Tom, 1947-2013

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  Obviously inspiring Tom Clancy's many Rainbow Six FPS games, this novel follows the head of Rainbow, an international task force dedicated to combating terrorism.

• Battle Royale

  Remastered

  Takami, Koshun,

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  There are too many Battle Royale games to list here, but this is the original premise behind the idea of a arena-style last-man standing competition, much like what's seen in games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, PUBG, and more.

• Roadside Picnic

  Strugatsky, Arkady

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  This book inspired the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl. The book is about Red Schuhart, a stalker, one of those young rebels who are compelled, in spite of extreme danger, to venture illegally into the Zone to collect the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dante's Inferno

  the Divine Comedy, Book One

  Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321

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  Dante's Inferno (the video game) was inspired by Dante's Inferno (the book), who knew? While these two titles may have some drastically different liberties taken, Dante's Inferno is still well worth the read, diving into the realm of hell…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Classic Horror Stories

  Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips), 1890-1937,

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  Inspiring most games based in cosmic and eldritch horror (Bloodborne and Call of Cthulu come to mind), Lovecraft may be one of the best horror authors out there and if you love games with creepy creatures and eerie moods, you'll be sure to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Heart of Darkness

  Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924

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  Heart of Darkness is one of the works that inspired the first person shooter Spec-Ops: The Line. This book shares many thematic similarities with the game as it entails one man's descent into the mysterious and deadly Congo jungle becomes…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Alice in Wonderland

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  The book behind the games Alice and Alice: Madness Returns. The games put a much darker spin on the book, but perhaps the book isn't as innocent as you once thought, following Alice in her unnerving journey through wonderland.

• The Lord of the Rings

  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973

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  How many Lord of the Rings games are there really? Too many to count, but you know they all started here, in J. R. R. Tolkien's massive world and lore behind the One Ring.

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

  Adams, Douglas, 1952-2001,

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  A zany space-faring adventure with a zany text-adventure (that is actually notoriously hard, believe it or not) under the same name, this book is both hilarious and fresh; well worth-exploring before taking on the game.

• Dune

  Herbert, Frank

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  The basis behind the games Dune and Dune II, this book follows Paul Atreides, who would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family - and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.

• The Da Vinci Code

  Brown, Dan, 1964-

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  A perplexing who-dunnit novel for the game of the same premise and name, The Davinci Code will keep you on your toes after every page.

• Red Harvest

  Hammett, Dashiell, 1894-1961

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  The inspiration behind the classic game Far Cry 2, this book is about the Continental Op that stayed on their mission despite the entire town being murdered. Red Harvest is more than a superb crime novel: it is a classic exploration of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Neuromancer

  Gibson, William, 1948-

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  The book behind the game of the same name, this novel is one of the first true "cyberpunk" books to have made it in the sci-fi genre.

• World War Z

  An Oral History of the Zombie War

  Brooks, Max

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  The book behind the game and movie, World War Z, is the fictional recorded testimonies of men, women, sometimes even children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, during the war of the zombies.