10 Best Video Game Spin-Offs (& What Series They’re From)

After recently playing Avowed, I started thinking about how many great video games were also spin-offs of existing series. There are some cases where spin-off titles have become so much more popular than the games they originated from that I didn't even realize there weren't the first in the series. I quickly realized a lot of my favorite games originated from another IP in one way or another.

Similar to Avowed and Pillars of Eternity, not all spin-offs are super blatant about their connections to existing games. While any Pillars of Eternity fan would immediately know Avowed takes place in the same world, I would guess plenty of players just saw ads for a new action RPG by Obsidian and didn't realize its origins. On the flip side, some spin-off titles rely heavily on their connection to their predecessors, though the best ones ultimately still work as standalone titles.

10 World of Warcraft Became Far More Popular Than Its Predecessors

World Of Warcraft Was A Spin-Off Of The Warcraft Strategy Games

While far from the first MMO, World of Warcraft was a huge turning point for the genre. World of Warcraft became something of a cultural phenomenon, and was even so popular that it had an entire (Emmy-winning) episode of South Park dedicated to it. I think part of the appeal of World of Warcraft is that it was both a little more accessible and less punishing than other MMOs from around the same time, like EVE Online.

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When I first heard of World of Warcraft, I had no idea that it was actually a spin-off of the Warcraft RTS series. It's not like the game was hiding this fact by any means, but I was pretty young when WoW first came out, and the previous titles hadn't reached the same level of mainstream popularity. Warcraft would end up spinning off again into the digital-only TCG Hearthstone (which you won't find on this list of good games).

9 Red Dead Redemption 2 Is One Of The Most Immersive Gaming Experiences

The Red Dead Redemption Games Spun-Off From Red Dead Revolver

Red Dead Redemption 2, and the first Red Dead Redemption game, were spin-offs of the game Red Dead Revolver. While you could maybe argue that they are all entries in the Red Dead series, Red Dead Revolver is different enough from the latter two games that I would consider them to be a separate series. Though they share some similarities, Red Dead Revolver was a more linear experience, and not what someone would expect if you told them it was part of the Red Dead Redemption series proper.

While both Red Dead Redemption and its sequel are great games, if I had to choose one to be considered the best, it would be Red Dead Redemption 2. The scale of its map and the sense of immersion it creates is unrivaled, and its story is one of the best I've ever experienced in a video game. That said, had Red Dead Redemption 2 never come out, the first game probably would still have made it onto my list of the best spin-offs.

8 Persona 5 Royal Adds Life To The Shin Megami Tensei Series, Literally

The Later Persona Games Have Added Life Sim Elements Absent From Its Original Franchise

The Persona series has some of the most engaging turn-based combat I've ever played. This is especially true for Persona 5 Royal, which uses things like the Baton Pass mechanic and Showtime attacks to keep the pace moving. It doesn't hurt that Persona 5 Royal's soundtrack includes stylish and invigorating battle music that helps add a sense of excitement to every encounter.

I initially considered putting Persona 4 here instead, as I prefer the game's story and cast of characters. However, Persona 5 Royal is a much smoother gameplay experience, and doesn't require any tiresome grinding. Persona 3 Reload also has more engaging combat mechanics, though exploring Tartarus feels much more tedious than Persona 5's unique Palaces. While Persona 4 is still my favorite,Persona 5 Royal is probably the best entry point in the series.

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The Persona games started as a spin-off from the Shin Megami Tensei series, with the first game being marketed as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona when it was released outside of Japan. Shin Megami Tensei is more of a dungeon-crawling experience, so while the Persona series shares some qualities with it, you won't get the same life sim elements in Shin Megami Tensei as you do in Persona 3 through Persona 5.

7 The Sims 4 Has Come A Long Way Since SimCity

The Sims Were Initially A Spin-Off Of A City-Builder

While there are solid arguments to be made that The Sims 3 and The Sims 2 are better games, I think someone jumping into The Sims in 2025 would likely go with The Sims 4. The base game is free-to-play and is still fun and charming, even if it lacks some of the personality of its predecessors. As someone who has drunk The Sims 4 Kool-Aid and bought a good amount of the DLC, I would say that this is probably the game with the most to do in the series if you're willing to pay extra for it.

The Sims 4 also seems like it will be the main Sims game indefinitely from this point on. With the announcement of The Sims universe project, which will use The Sims 4 as the basis for several spin-off titles, it doesn't seem like we're getting a Sims 5 any time soon. If you want new content for The Sims, that means you'll have to play The Sims 4.

Funnily enough, since it has spawned some of its own spin-offs, The Sims was originally a spin-off title itself. The Sims is a spinoff of Maxis' city-building game, SimCity. SimCity had several spin-offs, like SimFarm and SimCopter, though none reached the same heights of popularity as The Sims.

6 Pokémon Snap Is Full Of Fun Secrets

Pokémon Snap Was A Big Departure From Pokémon's Typical Gameplay

Pokémon Snap was a game that had no right to be as good as it was. A game where you just take pictures of Pokémon reeks of a franchise just trying to quickly capitalize on its popularity and try any style of game that would allow for the brand to be stapled to it. However,Pokémon Snap proved to be a lot of fun, and its many secrets gave the game a lot of replay value in an era before it was easy to just look up guides for every aspect of a video game.

The fact that Pokémon Snap is a spin-off of the original Pokémon games is no secret. Around the time it came out, there was an explosion of Pokémon spin-offs, from Pokémon Stadium to Hey You, Pikachu!, but Pokémon Snap stands out to me as one of the better ones. Its concept is novel, and it lets you interact with Pokémon in a way that you typically never get to.

5 Mario Kart 8 Is The Perfect Casual Racing Game

The Mario Kart Series Is One Of Many Mario Spin-Offs

Like Pokémon Snap, the Mario Kart franchise is another spin-off series with obvious origins. There have been countless spin-offs of the original Super Mario Bros. series, which itself was a spin-off of the original Donkey Kong game. While I enjoy a lot of Mario spin-offs, like Mario Party or Luigi's Mansion, the Mario Kart series stands out as the best to me.

Princess Peach and Luigi from Mario Kart 8

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Mario Kart is easily one of the most accessible racing games, making it a great option for in-person multiplayer sessions. The game also does a good job giving every player a chance to come back with powerful items like Blue Shells or Bullet Bills, which keeps the game competitive even across skill levels. Personally, I think Mario Kart 8 is the best the series has ever been, though I've also thoroughly enjoyed Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and the Wii version.

4 Tales From The Borderlands Made Me Care About Borderlands' Story For The First Time

Tales From The Borderlands Was A Telltale Games Series Connected To The Borderlands Franchise

Personally, I don't like the Borderlands series' story. My biggest complaint is that, since Borderlands 2, it always feels kind of like you're playing a supporting character in fan fiction about your character from the previous game. That's why it was such a shock to me when I played the story-focused spin-off Tales from the Borderlands and actually really enjoyed it.

I probably wouldn't have played Tales from the Borderlands if it weren't for the quality of other Telltale Games series like The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us. However, I'm glad I did, because the game features a charming cast of characters and some of the biggest laughs in the Borderlands series. One of the few saving graces for me in Borderlands 3's story was getting to catch up with characters like Rhys and Vaughn from this game.

3 Final Fantasy Tactics Offers Challenging Strategic Combat

Final Fantasy Tactics Adds More Depth To Final Fantasy's Combat System

The only Final Fantasy game I'd played previous to Final Fantasy Tactics was Final Fantasy 8. While I was drawn to the story and characters in Final Fantasy 8, at the time I lacked patience for its combat system. When my friend who had shown me the game introduced me to Final Fantasy Tactics, I was immediately drawn to its style of strategic combat. I would credit Final Fantasy Tactics as the game that spawned my love for the genre and got me interested in games like XCOM and Fire Emblem.

Although the game feels dated in some respects, I was pleasantly surprised when I picked it up again recently and still found it to be a fun challenge. I was also tickled to see Cloud in the game now that I had actually played Final Fantasy 7. While Final Fantasy Tactics' gameplay sets it apart from the rest of the series, this spin-off also still feels on par with the quality main-series titles in terms of story and the overall experience.

2 Persona 4: Dancing All Night Is The Perfect Kind Of Spin-Off

Persona 4: Dancing All Night Isn't Afraid To Drastically Change The Genre Of Game It Is

Persona 4: Dancing All Night has the distinction of being a spin-off of a spin-off. For a dancing-themed rhythm game, it's actually surprising how well Persona 4: Dancing All Night serves as a narrative sequel to the original Persona 4. The Persona games are also perfectly suited to rhythm game spin-offs, seeing as they each have incredible soundtracks with distinct tones for each game. That said, the Persona 3 and Persona 5 dancing spin-offs aren't as good as Persona 4, since they have no real story to follow.

While I wouldn't consider Persona 4: Dancing All Night to be the best rhythm game I've ever played, it's a game that I love the concept of. While franchises like Mario or Pokémon have always embraced silly spin-off titles, this seems much less common with an M-rated title like Persona 4. I'd love to see more titles take weird creative risks on games like this that are fun distractions but still connected to an IP that I enjoy.

1 Avowed Perfectly Translates Pillars Of Eternity To An Action RPG

Pillars Of Eternity And Its Sequel Were CRPGs

Avowed is the game that got me thinking about this list in the first place, and for good reason. I enjoyed the Pillars of Eternity games, and was a bit cautious ahead of Avowed's release. I was worried the transition from CRPG to action RPG would be as rough as it had been for the Fallout series. It didn't take long into my first playthrough of Avowed to realize that I had nothing to worry about.

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Avowed retains the unique world and complex choices that initially attracted me to Pillars of Eternity, while also delivering satisfying fast-paced combat. As someone who is lukewarm on Skyrim's combat system, I was pleasantly surprised to find how much more I enjoyed fighting in Avowed, despite their seeming similarities at first glance. I also rarely play games that give me the option to make the exact type of role-playing choices I want to, making this a real treat narratively as well as mechanically.