Summary
It could be argued that the medium of video games offers audiences a multimedia experience reaching beyond the bounds of other - more conventional modes of art. However, despite improving on many of the literary medium’s narrative cornerstones, video games often reinvest their stories back into the world throughnovelizationsbased on their worldsand characters.
From literary reimaginings of popular video game narratives to expansions of pre-existing lore and events,video game novelizationscan provide players with more ways to interact with their favorite franchises. Beyond this, they can even learn more about the game universe than was presented to them in the original video game.
Retelling the urban combat narrative ofCrysis2’scampaign,Peter Watts’hard science-fiction roots are showcased with this official novelization that was released parallel to the game itself.
Like the video game source material it takes inspiration from,Crysis: Legiondetails the wartime exploits of the game’s protagonist, Alcatraz, as combat reaches the continental United States. As such,the BSFA-nominatedintricacies and detail of Watts' writing are not wasted by one of gaming’s quintessential FPS franchises, but bolstered by its roots in the sci-fi genre. Beyond a paint-by-numbers retelling of the installment’s plot,Crysis: Legionexpands the lore of theCrysisgame universeand directly ties into toCrysis 3’s narrative.
Karen Traviss’literary exploits are renowned in the world of video game tie-in novelizations, as her musings have expanded on all manner of science-fiction properties, fromHalotoGears of War, and even LucasArts’Star Wars: Republic Commandotitle.
Exploring the tenuous peace kept between humanity and the rest of theHalouniverse’s species and factions, Traviss details the exploits of ONI Task Force Kilo-5 in her novelsHalo: Glasslands,Halo: The Thursday War,andHalo: Mortal Dictata.Drawing parallels to subversive intelligence operationsrun by the FBI during the 1960s, theKilo-5 Trilogyexplores the splintering Sangheili culture and the morally gray lengths to which humanity will stoop to ensure its own survival.
While Traviss' literary talent is non-negotiable, and on full display throughout theKilo-5 Trilogy, her lack of adherence to established Halo lore does raise some concerns when reading her work as an expansion of theHalouniverse. However, as works of video game novelization, her writings are among the best.
Given the renown and shared culture of bothRafal Kosikand CD Projekt Red, it’s no surprise thatCyberpunk 2077’sonly novelization was placed in his proven hands.
A winner of the Janusz A. Zajdel Award for science fiction literature, Kosik wroteCyberpunk 2077: No Coincidencewith the expectation that readers were already familiar with the world CD Projekt Red had created in 2020. As such,No Coincidenceacts very much as an expansion of the pre-existing universe ofCyberpunk 2077rather than a reiteration of the video game’s plot. Following multiple characters as they chase down a blackmailing employer in a heist-gone-wrong tale,the world and people of Night Cityare dissected and elaborated upon beyond the bounds of the original title.
The literary culmination ofKaren Traviss’four-partGears of Warnovel series,Gears of War: Coalition’s Endsees the narrative ofGears of War3 come to bear as the gruesome events of E-Day are seen through flashbacks.
Traviss' science-fiction and video game credentials are clear, from her work with other Microsoft properties such asHaloto her contributions to theBatman: Arkhamlore. Switching between multiple members of Delta Squad,Coalition’s Endprovides an introspective and especially human look at theGearsseries' war with the Locust and Lambent. Especially considering Traviss' involvement as one ofGears of War 3’s main writers, the themes and characters introduced in her tie-in works have become retroactively poignant for fans interested in fully immersing themselves in the franchise.
WhileAssassin’s Creed: Forsaken’sauthor,Oliver Bowden, may be a pen name for both Andrew Homes and Anton Gill, it is to the latter thatForsaken’s praise should be directed.
A prominent Renaissance historian and winner of the H. H. Wingate Award for non-fiction, Gill has written multiple novelizations following Ubisoft’s historical stealth series over the years. Through his novel counterpart toAssassin’s Creed 3, titledAssassin’s Creed: Forsaken, Gill explores the past of the game protagonist’s father — who players can control in the opening section of the game. Unlike many other video game novelizations, Gill’s interpretation of the series is not a one-to-one replication of the game’s plot, but an expansion on a fan-favorite character who raised important and rarely-asked questions regarding the Templar and Assassin orders.
While initially serialized in the Japanese magazine Shūkan Gendai in 2002,Ico: Castle in the Mistwas finally bound together and republished in English on Jun 04, 2025.
Somewhat following the slow-paced platforming and unwinding mystery ofIco’s2001 adventure,Castle in the Mistis the result of literary efforts by authorMiyuki Miyabe. A Naoki Sanjugo Prize winner, andwriter of “watershed” titlesin detective fiction, Miyabe’s literary accolades are more than fitting given that she was chosen to reproduceIco’s unique styleover other available authors. AlthoughCastle in the Mistcould initially be construed as a simple replication of Team Ico’s eponymous first title, theauthor herself has admittedthat her writing is a “variation on the world ofIco” rather than a one-to-one parallel.
While the original Xbox had not even been released, and Bungie was yet to releaseHalo: Combat Evolvedto the gaming public,Erik Nylundwas tasked with creating a novelized prequel about the game’s protagonist, the Master Chief. As a result, many of the more human aspects of Spartan John-117 introduced inHalo: The Fall of Reachhave since gone on to become series staples.
Working internally at Xbox Game Studios developing game bibles to assist teams with the in-depth lore and knowledge required to cohesively tell a video game narrative, Erik Nylund funneled that intricate attention to detail and expansive knowledge into this firstHalonovel. PredatingHalo: Combat Evolved’s story, and having been adapted into a comic-book series and animated anthology,The Fall of Reachis often regarded as the quintessentialpiece of Halo literature.In direct response to Nylund’s attempts tobestow humanity on the Master Chief, Bungie themselves “wanted to make him look less like a robot and more like а real guy in a suit”. Beyond that, this thematic throughline has gone on to be a central pursuit of 343 Industries' Reclaimer Saga.
While the narrative of 2007’sBioShockis often touted asone of the gaming industry’s best, the expansive horror talents ofJohn Shirleyensure that the prequel novel for the title,BioShock: Rapture,stands equally tall compared to Ken Levine’s original.
Written by revered cyberpunk genre writer John Shirley,BioShock: Raptureshowcases the creation and intense collapse of Rapture and its society from the perspective of the city’s inhabitants.
While the underwater world ofBioShock and the literary talents of John Shirley are similarly impressive, the British Fantasy Society detailed that being a fan of either one of these aspects ensures that readers will enjoyBioShock: Rapture.In their review, they detail how; “If you are aBioShockfan, then this book is essential, and if this is your introduction to the dark mind of John Shirley, then other treats await you”.
