19 Best Video Game Books
We analyzed 5+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 19 best video game books according to the internet — not just one person's opinion. Each book on this list was mentioned by at least two independent sources, and the ranking is based on how frequently each title appears across all sources studied. This consensus-based approach ensures you get recommendations backed by multiple experts, not a single reviewer's bias.
Goal: Find the best Video Game books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best video game books" and study the top 5+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
19 Best Video Game Books
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Masters of Doom
How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
Also recommended by
7 people
Patrick Collison recommended this bookPatrick Collison
"One of my favorite books about building software." - Patrick Collison
Patrick Collison's recommendation of this book 
Alexis Ohanian recommended this bookAlexis Ohanian
"[This book] convinced me to start a company. Thanks for helping create Reddit." - Alexis Ohanian
Alexis Ohanian's recommendation of this book 
Jeff Atwood recommended this bookJeff Atwood
"Please read [this book]. It's such a great book." - Jeff Atwood
Jeff Atwood's recommendation of this book 
Tobi Lütke recommended this bookTobi Lütke
"Wonderful." - Tobi Lütke
Tobi Lütke's recommendation of this book 
Austen Allred recommended this bookAusten Allred
"Amazing book." - Austen Allred
Austen Allred's recommendation of this book 
Elon Musk recommended this bookElon Musk
"A great book." - Elon Musk
Elon Musk's recommendation of this book +1
More recommendations
- Trung Phan
"About the PC Gaming industry." - Trung Phan
- Trung Phan
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels
The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made
The Ultimate History of Video Games
From Pong to Pokemon
Console Wars
Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation
Also recommended by
1 person
Brian Dean recommended this bookBrian Dean
"The extremely detailed inside story of how Sega almost dethroned Nintendo." - Brian Dean
Brian Dean's recommendation of this book
Extra Lives
Why Video Games Matter
Power-Up
How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life
Replay
The History of Video Games
Significant Zero
Heroes, Villains, and the Fight for Art and Soul in Video Games
Ready Player One
Ready Player One, Book 1
Also recommended by
9 people
Steve Jurvetson recommended this bookSteve Jurvetson
"A gift to all of my Apple II programming buddies from high school and Dungeons & Dragons comrades." - Steve Jurvetson
Steve Jurvetson's recommendation of this book 
Brian Armstrong recommended this bookBrian Armstrong
"A compelling picture of how VR might play out." - Brian Armstrong
Brian Armstrong's recommendation of this book 
Astro Teller recommended this bookAstro Teller
"So much fun." - Astro Teller
Astro Teller's recommendation of this book 
Bill Gurley recommended this bookBill Gurley
"Spectacular." - Bill Gurley
Bill Gurley's recommendation of this book - Austen Allred recommended this book
Austen Allred
"Ok writing but a page turner." - Austen Allred
Austen Allred's recommendation of this book 
Jenn Im recommended this bookJenn Im
"One of my favorites now." - Jenn Im
Jenn Im's recommendation of this book +3
More recommendations
- George R. R. Martin
"A tremendous amount of fun." - George R. R. Martin
- Mark Zuckerberg
"Anyone interested in [virtual reality] would read [this book]." - Mark Zuckerberg
- Barry Ritholtz
"So great!" - Barry Ritholtz
- George R. R. Martin
The Making of Prince of Persia
Also recommended by
1 person- Tobi Lütke recommended this book
Tobi Lütke
"Loved [this book]." - Tobi Lütke
Tobi Lütke's recommendation of this book
A Wizard of Earthsea
The Earthsea Cycle Series, Book 1
All Your Base Are Belong to Us
How Fifty Years of Videogames Conquered Pop Culture
Gamelife
A Memoir
Men, Women, and Chain Saws
Gender in the Modern Horror Film
Reality Is Broken
Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World
Spelunky
Boss Fight Books, Book 11
The Games That Weren't
The Infinite Playground
A Player's Guide to Imagination
The Tetris Effect
The Game that Hypnotized the World
Sources
- 1
35 Video Game Books for the Gamer Who Loves Reading – Hey You Video Game!
heyyouvideogame.com
- 2
Best video game books
pennbookcenter.com
- 3
The 10 Best Books About Video Games
forbes.com
- 4
Why do video games matter? 20 books every player should read | Games | The Guardian
theguardian.com
- 5
The 10 best video game books of 2020 - Polygon
polygon.com
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
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