With the release of Elden Ring‘s first and only DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, it’s time to return to the Lands Between. But if you’ve been banging your head against the new areas’ toughest bosses too many times and need a break, why not watch a movie with the same atmosphere as the game?
Here are 15 movies that capture the atmosphere of FromSoftware’s masterpiece and may keep you hooked Elden Ring mind as you recharge for your next run in the game’s toughest challenges.
A writer’s odyssey
Image: CMC images
What it is: A new Chinese fantasy action-adventure about a writer whose fantasy novel seems to have a mysterious impact on the real world, and the man sent to kill him.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: The monster design and battle sequences seem straight out of a Fromsoft game, from towering four-armed giants to one-eyed sentient skeletal armor.
Where you can watch it: Stream on iQiyi, free with ads on FreeVee, Roku and Tubi, or available to rent Google Play And Amazon.
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Image: Universal images
What it is: Two men (Samuel Le Bihan and Mark Dacascos) are sent to deal with a monster that has killed dozens of people and is generally terrorizing the French countryside. Once they start investigating, they discover that the metal-toothed monster is just the beginning of a much deeper conspiracy.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: Except for the fact that everyone in this movie looks like this Bloodborne characters (free), the fact that it’s about a hunt for a mythical monster that wreaks havoc makes it feel like a side story from the Lands Between.
Where you can watch it: Streaming on AMC Plus and Shudder, free with ads on Pluto TV and Tubi, or available to rent Amazon.
Conan the Barbarian
Image: Universal images
What the 1982 version is: The first film adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s pulp magazine hero, this was a breakout role in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting career. (A more recent – and less acclaimed – adaptation of Conan, this time starring Jason Momoa, was released in 2011 if you need something more modern.)
Why it looks like Elden Ring: As our colleague Patrick Gill put it, “Conan is chased by dogs to a cave where he finds the skeleton of a giant on a throne, and then takes the skeleton’s sword.” If not Elden RingWhat’s?
Where you can watch it: Streaming on Netflix, available to rent for $3.99 Google Play, Apple, Amazonand other VOD platforms. You can stream the 2011 version on Peacock and rent it for $3.99 Google Play, Apple, Amazonand other VOD platforms.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Image: Warner Bros.
What it is: Guy Ritchie’s frenetic, messy and fun Arthur adaptation stars Charlie Hunnam as a young Arthur who finds his destiny and overthrows the evil Vortigern (Jude Law).
Why it looks like Elden Ring: High fantasy sword game with heavy CG fighting sequences with strong video game vibes.
Where you can watch it: Free with advertisements on Tubi, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TV
The main hunter
Image: Vertical entertainment
What it is: A 2018 short fantasy horror film made on a microbudget, The main hunter follows a bounty hunter waiting for the creature that killed his daughter and is compared to a live-action version of Skyrim.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: Perhaps the closest thing to the game is the tone: this is a beautiful, atmospheric horror fantasy.
Where you can watch it: Available for free with a library card on Hoopla, free with ads on Vudu, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon And Apple
Army of darkness
Image: Universal images
What it is: The third film in the original Evil Dead trilogy, Army of darkness is much more comical than the previous installments in the series, as Ash’s time travels back to the Middle Ages with his chainsaw arm.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: Undead fantasy with unconventional weaponry and lots of slapstick humor.
Where you can watch it: Available for digital rental/purchase at Amazon And Apple TV
Highlander
Image: Twentieth Century Fox
What it is: Russell Mulcahy’s iconic 1986 action-adventure fantasy fever dream about immortal warriors stars Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown and Sean Connery, who plays an Egyptian immortal named Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: High fantasy with swordplay, a slowly unfolding story, and a twisted, monstrous villain. This is basically the same as being invaded by another player Elden Ring.
Where you can watch it: Free with ads on Crackle and Plex, free with a library card on Hoopla, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon and Apple TV
Dragon Slayer
Image: Paramount Photos
What it is: A dark fantasy film from 1981 about a young wizard hunting a dragon. Dragon Slayer received Oscar nominations for its visual effects (including a 40-foot hydraulic dragon made from 16 puppets) and original score.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: Great monster design, bleak atmosphere, incomprehensible dialogue, and some big implications that the movie doesn’t need to explain. The dragon is also called “Vermithrax Pejorative”.
Where you can watch it: Available for free with a library card Kanopy or Hoopla, free with ads on Pluto TV, or for digital rental/purchase at Amazon And Apple TV.
Rampant
Image: Well Go USA Entertainment
What it is: An action-packed 2018 South Korean play set in the Joseon Dynasty era… with zombies.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: Undead fantasy action intertwined with royal court drama.
Where you can watch it: Stream on Hi-yes!Peacock, available for free with ads on it Tubi And Prime Video.
The Northman
Image: Focus functions
What it is: A retelling of the story of Hamlet, who returned to his homeland and regained the Viking warrior flavor from which he came. The film follows Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) on a bloody quest for revenge against his uncle for usurping his father’s throne and taking his mother as his wife.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: Amleth must find a mythical sword protected by an ancient, extremely scary guardian, whom he must defeat by rolling. If not Elden Ringis nothing.
Where you can watch it: Available to rent Amazon
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf
Image: Netflix
What it is: Netflix’s animated Witcher adventure, an origin story of Geralt’s mentor Vesemir.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: Animated dark fantasy with great action scenes and monster design.
Where you can watch it: Stream on Netflix.
Edge of tomorrow
Image: Warner Bros.
What it is: One of the best blockbusters of the 2010s, this adaptation of the Japanese novel All you need is to kill Tom Cruise plays a public relations officer who, along with a veteran soldier (Emily Blunt), finds himself in a time loop trying to stop an alien invasion.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: The main character dies constantly. Again and again.
Where you can watch it: Rents for $3.99 Google Play, Apple, Amazonand other VOD platforms.
Attack the block
Image: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
What it is: A cult hit from 2011, this sci-fi/horror/comedy is about a group of teenagers (including a young John Boyega) who are the only ones aware of an alien invasion in their London neighborhood.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: Behold, dogs!
Where you can watch it: Rents for $3.99 Google Play, Apple, Amazonand other VOD platforms.
The great wall
Image: Universal Pictures / China Film Group
What it is: Wuxia master Zhang Yimou’s very good 2016 monster movie stars Matt Damon as a European mercenary held captive at the Great Wall before lending a helping hand to the defending forces when monsters attack.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: Didn’t expect a dog.
Where you can watch it: Netflix, or available to rent for $3.99 on Google Play, Apple, Amazonand other VOD platforms.
The witch
Image: A24
What it is: A supernatural horror drama starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a young girl whose Puritan family is torn apart by the machinations of a mysterious evil that lurks in the nearby woods of their farm.
Why it looks like Elden Ring: A child experiences the terrible consequences of hugging a stranger.
Where you can watch it: Stream on Maxor free with a library card on Kanopy.