The Matrix has always been tied to video games in one way or another, as the very concept of people living lives in a virtual reality has plenty of parallels to the medium. On top of that, the flashy hand-to-hand combat and shootouts featured in all four movies feel extremely evocative of countless action games. With the recent release of The Matrix Resurrections, the franchise has been given new life, and plenty of fans who left the movie craving more have turned to gaming as a result of the movies' connection to the medium to continue scratching the Matrix itch.
There are plenty of video games based on The Matrix, so it goes without saying that fans directly looking for more Matrix content should check those games out. However, there are a lot of excellent games that spark similar conversations as The Matrix that aren't directly tied to the franchise that fans should consider giving a try. The Matrix clearly serves as inspiration for a lot of action games, especially with the prevalence of bullet-time during the PS3/Xbox 360 era, but the titles listed below are more than just inspired by the films: They take a lot of the ideas present in them to the next level, making the most out of the interactivity of the medium.
BioShock
One of the questions central to the original Matrix film is a simple one: "What if everything you thought you knew turned out to be a lie?" No game encapsulates the essence of this question better than the original BioShock. Without wishing to spoil things too much, if it's even possible to be a part of the gaming community without knowing the big twist in BioShock, the game takes a large 180-degree turn towards the midway point that asks the player the same question.
As a result, this shift recontextualizes their actions for the first half. Similar to The Matrix, BioShock talks a lot about free will, and whether a person chooses their life, or live as a slave to fate. The philosophy of BioShock could be picked apart for hours, and anyone who appreciated how many layers The Matrix films have when it comes to philosophical discussion, will like BioShock on that level alone.
Control
Remedy Entertainment has gone on record to say that the lobby shootout scene in The Matrix served as a major inspiration for a lot of Control's combat encounters. This absolutely comes through in many of the shootouts that take place in the Oldest House, but it's not until Jesse Fayden gets her powers that the true connection between The Matrix and Control is made.
Both stories feature mind-bending concepts about reality, set to striking visuals with a main character who possesses superhuman abilities that make them a threat to anyone who stands in the way of free will. While Control may not be as philosophically deep as The Matrix, the lore and history of the FBC runs just as deep as the lore surrounding The Matrix, and will satisfy fans looking for another story with a long, exciting history behind it.
Nier: Automata
If anything could satisfy a fan of The Matrix looking for something comparable to the franchise, it's Nier: Automata. On the surface, the game might look like just another hack-n-slash action game. When players truly dive into its story and the meaning behind it, they'll uncover a philosophically deep narrative that has extended conversations about consciousness, choice, and what it means to truly be alive.
In addition to all that, Nier: Automata also features plenty of metatextual elements that fans of The Matrix: Resurrections specifically will love to pick apart and analyze. In addition to the deeper similarities between Nier: Automata and The Matrix, on a more surface level, both deal with stories that revolve around humanity pushed to the brink of extinction and the role that technology might play in the distant future of humankind.
The Matrix Resurrections is currently in theaters and on HBO Max.