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Know Before You Start

287 universes · 112 completed · 172 ongoing

287 universes

Detailed pages coming soon
Completed
Middle-earth
J.R.R. TolkienLegendary
Middle-earth is an ancient world of fading realms, deep bloodlines, and powers that remember older songs than kings. In Gondor, small lives stand under vast histories, where mercy and domination collide in a mournful, wind-scoured age.
90.3
Ongoing
Doctor Who Universe
Sydney NewmanLegendary
60+ years of time-travelling British science fiction built around a regenerating alien — each Doctor reshapes the mythology while the core concepts (TARDISes, Daleks, Time Lords) remain constant. Anthology-like: most stories are accessible without context. Start with Series 1 (2005) or the 2023 specials. Infinite, ongoing.
89.3
Ongoing
Star Wars Galaxy
George LucasLegendary
A space opera spanning thousands of in-universe years — Jedi orders, Sith empires, dozens of alien civilisations, and a Force mythology threading it all together. Disney reset the Expanded Universe in 2014; pre-2014 EU is now Legends. Start with the original trilogy. Ongoing.
88.5
Completed
Mass Effect Universe
BioWareLegendary
BioWare's space opera RPG with a richly developed xenosophontology — each alien species has distinct biology, culture, and millennia of history. The Reaper mystery and Prothean cycle are the central mystery. Trilogy complete (ME1-3); Andromeda is a separate arc. Start with Mass Effect 1.
88.0
Ongoing
Stormlight Archive
Brandon SandersonLegendary
Brandon Sanderson's epic set on storm-ravaged Roshar, where hurricane-force highstorms shape ecology, architecture, and magic. Ten books planned; four published, each exceeding 1,000 pages. Surgebinding, Shardblades, and the Knights Radiant are the core systems. Start with The Way of Kings. Ongoing — part of the Cosmere.
87.7
Ongoing
The Cosmere
Brandon SandersonLegendary
Brandon Sanderson's shared universe of interconnected worlds, each with a distinct hard magic system — Allomancy, Stormlight investiture, AonDor. An overarching cosmic plot involving Shards of Adonalsium connects them all. Start with Mistborn: The Final Empire or The Way of Kings. Ongoing — Sanderson publishes prolifically.
87.6
Ongoing
Forgotten Realms
Ed GreenwoodLegendary
D&D's flagship setting and the most extensively published fantasy world — hundreds of novels, thousands of sourcebooks, and modules covering the continent of Faerûn and beyond. Start with Salvatore's Drizzt novels or Baldur's Gate 3. Ongoing.
86.7
Ongoing
One Piece Universe
Eiichiro OdaLegendary
Oda's 1000+ chapter sea-adventure manga with the most elaborate political geography in manga — 20+ distinct island nations, a hidden world history called the Void Century, and a centuries-long mystery still unfolding. Ongoing after 25+ years. Start at chapter 1.
86.7
Ongoing
World of Warcraft
Blizzard EntertainmentLegendary
Blizzard's online RPG built on 30+ years of Warcraft lore — a world of warring factions with a mythology spanning creation, the Twisting Nether, and now cosmic forces beyond Azeroth. Entry is the game itself; early novels by Christie Golden are the best supplementary read. Ongoing.
86.3
Completed
Final Fantasy VII
SquareLegendary
Square's 1997 RPG built one of gaming's most resonant science-fantasy settings — the Planet as a living organism, mako energy as its lifeblood, and Shinra Corporation as industrial vampire. The Compilation (Advent Children, Crisis Core, Rebirth) expands the original story. Start with the original FF7 or Crisis Core.
86.2
Completed
The Wheel of Time
Robert JordanLegendary
Robert Jordan's 14-novel epic featuring a fully realised cosmology, a detailed magic system split by gender (saidin/saidar), and a world history spanning three Ages. Jordan died before completing it; Brandon Sanderson finished the final three volumes. Start with The Eye of the World. Complete.
86.2
Completed
Eberron
Keith BakerLegendary
Keith Baker's noir-inflected D&D setting where magic is industrialised, warforged soldiers returned from a century-long war, and a continent-spanning mystery underlies everything. A pulp fantasy detective story built into the world itself. Start with the Eberron Campaign Setting or the Exploring Eberron sourcebook. Ongoing (5e active).
85.8
Completed
Discworld
Terry PratchettLegendary
Discworld is a flat planet carried by four elephants on a giant turtle, where witches, city guards, gods, wizards, and Death collide in satirical fantasy. Across its many linked stories, parody turns into sharp humanism about power, belief, work, and everyday life.
85.7
Ongoing
Glorantha
Greg StaffordPremium
Greg Stafford's mythopoeic Bronze Age fantasy world where the gods literally walked the earth and myth is empirically true — worshippers can re-enter divine events through HeroQuesting. One of the most rigorously built secondary worlds in tabletop RPG history. Start with RuneQuest (2018 edition) or the King of Dragon Pass game.
84.8
Completed
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Hideaki AnnoPremium
Hideaki Anno's 1995 mecha anime that dismantled the genre it appeared to belong to — giant robots as psychological cages, angels as Lovecraftian entities, and a mythology of Lilith, Adam, and Human Instrumentality drawn from Kabbalistic and Jungian sources. Watch the series then End of Evangelion. Complete; Rebuild films are an alternate continuity.
83.8
Ongoing
Dune Universe
Frank HerbertPremium
Frank Herbert's ecological and political science fiction charting 15,000 years of human civilisation shaped by the spice mélange. Dense, philosophical, and unlike any other SF universe. Start with Dune (1965). Herbert's original hexalogy is complete; Brian Herbert continuations are divisive.
83.7
Completed
Culture
Iain M. BanksPremium
Iain M. Banks's post-scarcity anarchist civilisation run by benevolent superintelligent AIs — the most rigorously imagined utopia in science fiction. Each novel is standalone. Start with The Player of Games or Use of Weapons. Complete — Banks died in 2013.
83.7
Ongoing
Marvel Universe
Marvel ComicsPremium
The largest shared comic-book universe — 80+ years of stories, thousands of characters, parallel timelines, and a mythology that spans cosmic abstracts to street-level heroes. The MCU is the curated entry point (start: Iron Man 2008). Comics canon is non-linear and infinite. Ongoing.
83.6
Ongoing
Star Trek Universe
Gene RoddenberryPremium
Roddenberry's optimistic vision of humanity's future — a Federation of diverse species exploring the galaxy with science and diplomacy as primary tools. Six live-action series, thirteen films, and an enormous novel line. Start with The Next Generation (1987) or the original series. Ongoing.
83.6
Completed
Bloodborne Universe
FromSoftwarePremium
FromSoftware's 2015 action RPG set in plague-ridden Yharnam — a city of Victorian Gothic horror where the hunt for beasts bleeds into discovery of Great Ones, cosmic entities beyond human comprehension. Lore told entirely through item descriptions and environmental storytelling. One game; complete.
83.4
Ongoing
DC Animated Universe
Bruce Timm & Paul DiniPremium
Bruce Timm and Paul Dini's interconnected animated continuity — Batman: TAS, Superman: TAS, Batman Beyond, Justice League — a coherent, character-driven alternative to comics continuity. Higher average quality than most DC live-action output. Start with Batman: The Animated Series (1992). Effectively complete.
82.8
Completed
Mistborn
Brandon SandersonPremium
Brandon Sanderson's Scadrial trilogy: a world where ash falls from the sky, plants are brown, and the prophesied hero already won — and became the evil god. Allomancy (swallowing metals for powers) is one of fantasy's most mechanically elegant magic systems. Start with Mistborn: The Final Empire. First trilogy complete; Era 2 ongoing.
82.6
Completed
Metal Gear Universe
Kojima ProductionsPremium
Hideo Kojima's decades-spanning military espionage saga examining war, genetics, memes, and the soldier's identity through increasingly baroque narrative layers. Metal Gear Solid (1998) is the essential entry. The series is narratively complete as of MGSV, though Konami continues the IP. Start with Metal Gear Solid or the Legacy Collection.
82.4
Ongoing
Pokémon Universe
Ken SugimoriPremium
Nintendo's pocket monster franchise with a deceptively rich mythology — a creation legend involving Arceus, regional ecosystems of hundreds of species, and a cosmology spanning multiple dimensions. 25+ years of games, anime, and cards. Start with any mainline game; Red/Blue/FireRed or Sword/Shield for beginners. Ongoing.
82.0
Ongoing
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Kevin FeigePremium
Marvel's shared cinematic franchise — 33+ films and multiple Disney+ series forming a single interconnected continuity from Iron Man (2008) through the Multiverse Saga. The most successful franchise experiment in film history. Start with Iron Man or follow the official MCU timeline. Ongoing.
81.8
Ongoing
Halo Universe
BungiePremium
Microsoft's space opera with deeper lore than its FPS origins suggest — the Forerunner civilisation's 100,000-year-old backstory, a parasitic flood, and a human-covenant war told across games, novels, and animated series. Start with Halo: Combat Evolved. Ongoing.
80.9
Ongoing
DC Universe
DC ComicsPremium
DC's comics multiverse — home to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League since 1938. Non-linear and vast; the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) is a self-contained, high-quality alternative entry. Ongoing.
80.5
Ongoing
Metroid Universe
NintendoPremium
Nintendo's atmospheric sci-fi series following bounty hunter Samus Aran through ancient Chozo ruins, Space Pirate bases, and X-Parasite outbreaks — a universe defined by isolation and environmental storytelling. The lore is best read through the games directly. Start with Super Metroid or Metroid Dread. Ongoing.
80.5
Completed
The Expanse
James S. A. CoreyPremium
James S.A. Corey's hard SF series set 200 years in the future — humanity colonised the solar system but the physics of distance and communication still apply. Earth, Mars, and the Belt are distinct civilisations in permanent tension. Nine novels; complete. Start with Leviathan Wakes.
80.4
Completed
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan KonietzkoPremium
Nickelodeon's animated series built a complete world mythology in 61 episodes — four elemental nations with distinct aesthetics, philosophies, and martial arts traditions, and a reincarnation cycle linking every Avatar. Complete, satisfying, rewatchable. Start with Season 1 Episode 1. The Legend of Korra is the direct sequel.
80.2
Completed
Foundation Universe
Isaac AsimovPremium
Isaac Asimov's galactic civilisation governed by psychohistory — a mathematics capable of predicting the future behaviour of trillions. Seven Foundation novels span a thousand years of planned history. Start with Foundation (1951). Complete; Apple TV+ series is a loose adaptation.
79.4
Completed
The Lord of the Rings Films
Peter JacksonPremium
Peter Jackson's film trilogy (2001-2003) is the definitive screen adaptation of Tolkien's legendarium — three films totalling 11+ hours (extended editions) that won 17 Academy Awards. The films are Middle-earth's most accessible entry point for non-readers. Start with The Fellowship of the Ring extended edition.
79.1
Completed
The Dark Tower
Stephen KingPremium
Stephen King's eight-novel crossover epic — a gunslinger questing across a dying multiverse toward the axis of all realities. Draws on King's wider fiction: IT, The Stand, Insomnia all connect to the Tower. Best approached after familiarity with King's other work. Start with The Gunslinger. Complete.
79.0
Ongoing
Super Sentai Universe
ToeiPremium
Toei's annual Japanese tokusatsu franchise (1975-present) — a new team of colour-coded heroes each year fighting monster-of-the-week threats, culminating in giant robot battles. Each series is standalone; the franchise accumulates into a shared multiverse via anniversary crossovers. Start with Zyuranger (1992) or Dekaranger (2004). Ongoing.
78.9
Ongoing
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Hirohiko ArakiPremium
Araki's multi-generational manga epic following the Joestar bloodline across eight parts, each with a distinct setting, protagonist, and era. Stands are the signature power system — personalised manifestations of fighting spirit. Each part is largely standalone. Start with Part 1 or jump to Part 3 (Stardust Crusaders). Ongoing.
78.6
Ongoing
Batman Universe
Bob Kane & Bill FingerPremium
DC's most lore-rich single character — 85+ years of Gotham mythology, a rogue's gallery of psychologically complex villains, and a dual identity that has supported every genre from pulp noir to cosmic opera. No single correct reading order; start with Year One (Miller) or The Long Halloween (Loeb/Sale). Ongoing.
78.3
Completed
Elden Ring Universe
FromSoftwarePremium
FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin's 2022 collaboration — a shattered golden age mythology of fallen demigods, a broken cosmic order (the Elden Ring), and a world of consequence told through item descriptions and NPC monologues. Dense and rewarding. One game plus Shadow of the Erdtree DLC; complete.
78.3
Ongoing
Macross Universe
Studio NuePremium
Kawamori's 1982 anime franchise built on a thesis: music and culture are more powerful than weapons in bridging species. The songs of idol Lynn Minmay ended the first war; subsequent series elaborate the same idea across different conflicts. Start with The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982). Ongoing.
78.2
Completed
Dark Souls Universe
FromSoftwarePremium
FromSoftware's trilogy of linked dark fantasy games — a mythology of recurring fire, hollowing, and the desperate maintenance of a dying cosmic order. Lore delivered through item descriptions, NPC crypticism, and environmental archaeology. Start with Dark Souls 1. Trilogy complete; Elden Ring is a spiritual successor.
78.2
Ongoing
Final Fantasy XIV
Square EnixPremium
Square Enix's live-service RPG, relaunched from scratch in 2013 (A Realm Reborn), that has built one of gaming's most expansive ongoing narratives — a cosmology of shards, primals, and Ascians across six major expansions. A complete story is accessible as a solo player. Start with A Realm Reborn. Ongoing.
78.2
Completed
Code Geass
Ichirō ŌkouchiPremium
Sunrise's 2006 alternate history anime where the Holy Britannian Empire has conquered Japan, and a disgraced prince gains the power of absolute obedience (Geass). A tightly plotted 50-episode chess match between Lelouch and the world. Start with Season 1. Complete; sequel film Re;surrection is non-canon to most fans.
78.2
Ongoing
The Witcher Universe
Andrzej SapkowskiPremium
Andrzej Sapkowski's Slavic-mythology-rooted dark fantasy with a coherent monster ecology, political geography of the Continent, and a moral philosophy built around the lesser evil. Start with The Last Wish (short stories). Main saga complete; CD Projekt Red's games are arguably its finest adaptation.
78.1
Completed
Neuromancer/The Sprawl
William GibsonPremium
William Gibson's cyberpunk trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) invented the vocabulary of the genre — cyberspace, corporate arcologies, street samurai, and AIs seeking transcendence. The most influential SF universe of the 1980s. Start with Neuromancer (1984). Complete.
77.9
Ongoing
BattleTech Universe
Jordan Weisman & Patrick LarkinPremium
FASA's 1984 tabletop wargame universe set 1,000 years in the future — feudal interstellar houses fighting over territory using BattleMechs (giant war robots), with a rich 500-year fictional history of wars, betrayals, and shifting alliances. Start with MechWarrior 5 or the BattleTech 2018 game. Ongoing.
77.8
Ongoing
Grand Theft Auto Universe
Rockstar GamesPremium
Rockstar's satirical open-world series — each game a portrait of American excess set in a meticulously crafted fictional city (Liberty City, Vice City, San Andreas, Los Santos). Biting social commentary wrapped in crime narrative. Start with GTA V for modern entry or GTA San Andreas for the series' peak. Ongoing.
77.7
Completed
Planescape: Torment
Black Isle StudiosPremium
Black Isle's 1999 CRPG set in the Dungeons & Dragons Planescape cosmology — the infinite city of Sigil, the Lady of Pain, and seventeen planes of existence as backdrop for a philosophical mystery: what can change the nature of a man? A singular work of interactive narrative. Complete.
77.6
Ongoing
Adventure Time
Pendleton WardPremium
Ooo is a candy-colored realm built atop ancient ruin, where princess science, wizard law, and monster folklore share the same dirt roads. Its tone is cozy and cracked, with childish wonder and old cosmic damage bumping elbows.
77.4
Completed
X-FILES Universe
Chris CarterPremium
Chris Carter's 1993-2002 TV series built one of television's most elaborate conspiracy mythologies — alien colonisation, black oil, the Syndicate, and a government cover-up spanning decades. Monster-of-the-week episodes stand alone; the mythology arc rewards full viewing. Complete (original run); 2016 revival is divisive. Start with Season 1.
77.0
Infinite
Warhammer 40,000
Games WorkshopPremium
Warhammer 40,000 is a gothic far future where the Imperium rules a million worlds through prayer, paperwork, and cannon fire. Faith and empire grind against the Warp, making daily life feel like a cathedral built inside a siege engine.
77.0
Ongoing
Fallout Universe
Interplay EntertainmentPremium
The Fallout Universe is a post-apocalyptic role-playing game setting characterized by its retro-futuristic aesthetic and skeletal remnants of civilization.
77.0
Ongoing
Kamen Rider Universe
ToeiPremium
The Kamen Rider Universe is a long-running franchise featuring masked heroes battling evil forces with various powers and abilities.
76.9
Ongoing
Baldur's Gate Universe
BioWarePremium
Baldur's Gate Universe is a high-fantasy setting based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.
76.9
Completed
Final Fantasy XI
Square EnixPremium
Final Fantasy XI is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the fantasy world of Vana'diel.
76.9
Completed
StarCraft Universe
Blizzard EntertainmentPremium
StarCraft Universe is a sci-fi franchise set in a distant future featuring interstellar warfare among races.
76.8
Ongoing
The Elder Scrolls
Bethesda SoftworksPremium
Tamriel is a continent of feuding crowns, guilds, temples, and outlaw orders, where mortals live beside old magic and bargain with Daedra. Law, prophecy, ambition, and revolt grind against each other in a strange, dangerous world that feels ancient and restless.
76.7
Ongoing
Soulborne Universe
FromSoftwarePremium
FromSoftware's linked dark-fantasy settings — Dark Souls, Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro — sharing a design philosophy of environmental storytelling, oblique item-description lore, and cyclical cosmologies of fire, death, and rot. Each game is self-contained but rewards cross-title reading. Start with Dark Souls (2011) or Bloodborne (2015). All mainline entries released; Elden Ring shares DNA but is a separate universe.
76.5
Ongoing
Gundam Universe
Yoshiyuki TominoPremium
The Gundam Universe is a sprawling sci-fi franchise centered on giant mecha and wars between factions in a futuristic setting.
76.3
Completed
Guild Wars Universe
ArenaNetPremium
ArenaNet's fantasy MMORPG set on Tyria — a continent with five distinct Elder Dragons as existential threats, six playable races (Norn, Charr, Asura, Sylvari, Human), and a magic system governed by six gods who abandoned the world in 1075 AE. Guild Wars 2 (2012) is the primary entry point; its Living World seasonal updates have been running for over a decade. The original Guild Wars (2005–2007) is a separate but lore-connected prequel.
76.0
Ongoing
Xeelee Universe
Stephen BaxterPremium
Stephen Baxter's hard-SF cosmology spanning 10 billion years, from humanity's first interstellar steps to the heat death of the universe. The Xeelee — post-physical beings building a Ring to escape our universe — are opposed by dark-matter Photino Birds systematically cooling all stars. One of SF's most ambitious timescales. Start with the Vacuum Diagrams short-story collection. Series complete in its core arc.
76.0
Uncertain
A Song of Ice and Fire
George R. R. MartinPremium
Westeros is a feudal realm where oaths, bloodlines, debt, and winter shape every life. Around the Iron Throne, dynastic ambition and ancient cold press against a world that feels dangerous, political, and unforgiving.
75.9
Completed
Cthulhu Mythos
H. P. LovecraftPremium
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe centered around cosmic horror and otherworldly entities.
75.7
Ongoing
My Hero Academia
Horikoshi KoheiPremium
My Hero Academia is a superhero manga and anime series set in a world where individuals can possess superpowers called Quirks.
75.7
Completed
The Matrix
Lana Wachowski & Lilly WachowskiPremium
The Wachowskis' cyberpunk simulation: 1999 humanity is farmed as batteries by machine intelligences inside a perfect replica of 1999 Earth. The red pill/blue pill choice, Agent Smith, and the messianic Neo arc made The Matrix a philosophical touchstone. The original film is a complete, standalone experience. The sequels expand and complicate the mythology; Resurrections (2021) is a deliberate meta-commentary on the franchise itself.
75.5
Ongoing
Disney Animation Universe
Walt Disney AnimationPremium
The Disney Animation Universe is a collection of animated films and series produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios.
74.5
Ongoing
Dragon Ball Universe
Akira ToriyamaPremium
Akira Toriyama's martial-arts manga (1984–1995) about Son Goku's journey from child fighter to inter-universal warrior, built on Dragon Balls that grant wishes and a power-escalation structure that became the template for battle shonen. The manga is the definitive text. Dragon Ball Z, Super, and GT are direct continuations of the same character arcs across 40+ years of franchise expansion.
74.5
Completed
Buffyverse
Joss WhedonPremium
Joss Whedon's supernatural drama built around a Hellmouth beneath Sunnydale, California — a convergence point for demonic activity that one Slayer is called to defend. Buffy (1997–2003, 7 seasons) and its spin-off Angel (1999–2004, 5 seasons) together form a dense mythology of vampire lore, demon taxonomy, prophecy, and the Watchers' Council. The comic continuation (Season 8–12) extends the canon through 2018.
74.3
Ongoing
Hunter x Hunter
Yoshihiro TogashiPremium
Hunter x Hunter is a Japanese manga series created by Yoshihiro Togashi, which follows the journey of Gon Freecss as he aspires to become a Hunter.
74.1
Completed
Futurama Universe
Matt Groening & David X. CohenPremium
A satirical science fiction universe set in a distant future, featuring adventures of a delivery crew from New York City.
74.1
Ongoing
Transformers Universe
HasbroPremium
The Transformers Universe is a extensive franchise featuring sentient robots that can transform into vehicles and other objects.
74.0
Ongoing
Superman Universe
Jerry Siegel & Joe ShusterPremium
The Superman Universe is the expansive world surrounding the iconic character Superman, encompassing numerous characters and stories.
73.8
Ongoing
The Wizarding World
J.K. RowlingPremium
J.K. Rowling's seven-novel fantasy series (1997–2007) following Harry Potter's education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the war against Voldemort. Wand magic, Quidditch, house identity, and the wizarding economy are the world's defining systems. Pottermore/Wizarding World website and the Fantastic Beasts film series (2016–2022) extend the canon. The books are the definitive text.
73.7
Ongoing
Overwatch Universe
Blizzard EntertainmentPremium
The Overwatch Universe is a vibrant, character-driven world filled with diverse heroes and lore.
73.7
Completed
Chrono Trigger / Chrono Cross
SquarePremium
A time-traveling role-playing game universe that intertwines multiple timelines and characters' destinies.
73.6
Ongoing
Assassin's Creed Universe
UbisoftPremium
Ubisoft's historical-fiction franchise (2007–present) structured around an ancient war between Assassins (defending free will) and Templars (imposing order) waged across every major historical era. The Animus device allows protagonists to relive genetic memories of ancestors. The Isu/First Civilization mythology — precursor humans who built Pieces of Eden as control devices — ties all 13+ mainline games together. Start with the original trilogy.
73.4
Ongoing
Wonder Woman Universe
William Moulton MarstonPremium
DC's Amazonian warrior and the Themyscira mythology: Amazons as an immortal warrior society descended from the souls of women killed by men, created by the goddess Hera (or Hippolyta sculpting clay brought to life by Zeus, depending on continuity). Diana Prince is ambassador to Man's World, armed with the Lasso of Truth, indestructible bracelets, and an ancestral sword. The 1941 William Moulton Marston original and Gal Gadot's 2017 film are the two cultural peaks.
73.3
Completed
Universal Monsters
Universal StudiosPremium
Universal Pictures' foundational horror franchise (1923–1960): Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Wolf Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and others defined the visual language of movie horror. Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi are inseparable from the archetypes. Crossover films began in the 1940s. The franchise is a historical artifact more than an active narrative universe.
73.3
Ongoing
Dragonlance
Margaret Weis & Tracy HickmanPremium
Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis's D&D-derived high fantasy set on Krynn: a world 300 years after the gods abandoned it following the Cataclysm that sank the city of Istar into a Blood Sea. The Chronicles trilogy (1984–1985) introduced Raistlin Majere — the D&D setting's most complex character, a consumptive mage who bargains with the dark goddess Takhisis. Dozens of novels followed; the Chronicles remain the canonical entry point.
73.3
Completed
Naruto Universe
Masashi KishimotoPremium
The Naruto Universe features a world of ninjas, jutsu, and various hidden villages.
73.2
Ongoing
God of War Universe
Santa Monica StudioPremium
The God of War Universe is a rich narrative setting centered around the mythological journey of Kratos.
73.0
Ongoing
The Legend of Zelda Universe
NintendoPremium
Nintendo's action-adventure franchise (1986–present) built around the Triforce — three golden triangles representing Power (Ganondorf), Wisdom (Zelda), and Courage (Link) — and the cycle of reincarnation binding them across Hyrule's history. The official 'Hyrule Historia' (2011) established a three-branched timeline. Breath of the Wild (2017) and Tears of the Kingdom (2023) represent the series' modern creative peak with open-world redefinition.
73.0
Ongoing
Horizon Zero Dawn Universe
Guerrilla GamesPremium
The Horizon Zero Dawn Universe explores a post-apocalyptic world dominated by robotic creatures.
73.0
Completed
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
CD Projekt RedPremium
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an open-world action RPG set in a richly detailed fantasy universe.
72.8
Ongoing
Silent Hill Universe
KonamiPremium
Konami's psychological horror franchise (1999–2012 Konami era) set around a fog-bound American resort town whose Otherworld manifests the guilt, trauma, and repressed desires of those who enter it. Each game uses a different protagonist whose psyche determines the monsters. Silent Hill 2 (2001) — James Sunderland, a man who receives a letter from his dead wife — is one of horror gaming's greatest artistic achievements. Bloober Team's remake (2024) restores access to the classic.
72.8
Ongoing
Diablo Universe
Blizzard EntertainmentPremium
The Diablo Universe is a dark fantasy realm centered around the eternal conflict between angels and demons.
72.8
Ongoing
Blade Runner Universe
Philip K. DickPremium
The Blade Runner Universe explores a dystopian future shaped by artificial intelligence and replicants.
72.7
Completed
Control Universe
Remedy EntertainmentPremium
The Control Universe is a modern supernatural reality governed by mysterious entities and secretive organizations.
72.7
Completed
BioShock: Infinite
Irrational GamesPremium
BioShock: Infinite is a first-person shooter set in the flying city of Columbia amidst a tumultuous alternate history.
72.5
Ongoing
Planet of the Apes Universe
Pierre BoullePremium
The Planet of the Apes Universe explores a dystopian future where intelligent apes dominate the world.
72.2
Completed
Hyperion Universe
Dan SimmonsPremium
Dan Simmons's four-novel science fiction series (1989–1997) with one of the genre's most ambitious world-building frameworks: the Hegemony of Man, the Shrike (a four-armed creature of blades from the end of time), the TechnoCore (AIs secretly using human neural tissue as computational substrate), and Time Tombs that move backward through time. The Canterbury Tales structure of book one is the series' most celebrated formal achievement.
72.1
Completed
Studio Ghibli Universe
Studio GhibliPremium
Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata's Japanese animation studio (1985–present), producing films that are thematically linked but set in entirely separate worlds. Recurring motifs: flight as freedom, industrialisation vs. nature, female protagonists coming of age, and a Shinto-inflected animism where every river, tree, and building has a spirit. Each film is a standalone entry. Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001) are the international artistic peaks.
72.0
Completed
Bioshock Universe
Irrational GamesPremium
The Bioshock Universe is a dystopian narrative exploring complex themes within unique settings.
72.0
Ongoing
The Twilight Zone
Rod SerlingPremium
The Twilight Zone is an anthology television series known for its unique storytelling and thought-provoking themes.
72.0
Completed
Fullmetal Alchemist
Arakawa HiromuPremium
Hiromu Arakawa's manga (2001–2010) set in an Amestrian-European industrial era where alchemy — transmutation of matter using Equivalent Exchange — is military technology. Edward and Alphonse Elric tried to resurrect their dead mother with human transmutation, lost body parts as payment, and are now searching for a Philosopher's Stone to restore themselves. The Stone is made from human souls. FMA: Brotherhood (2009 anime) faithfully adapts the complete manga.
72.0
Completed
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas AdamsPremium
Douglas Adams's comedic science fiction series beginning with the Earth's demolition to make way for a hyperspace bypass and ending, approximately, with the discovery that the question to the Answer (42) is incompatible with the answer's universe. The BBC Radio 4 serial (1978) is the original; the five-novel trilogy is the primary text. Anarchic, precisely absurd, and a genuine philosophical argument about meaning, bureaucracy, and the value of a really good cup of tea.
71.7
Completed
Alliance-Union Universe
C. J. CherryhPremium
C.J. Cherryh's hard-SF setting spanning the era from Earth Company's first stellar colonies through centuries of political realignment between three powers: Earth Company, the Union (clones/azi workers), and the Alliance (free space-station citizens). Downbelow Station (1981) won the Hugo Award. Cyteen (1988) — a 700-page deep dive into clone psychology and 'tape' socialization — is the setting's intellectual peak.
71.7
Completed
Attack on Titan
Hajime IsayamaPremium
Attack on Titan is a dark fantasy manga series set in a world besieged by giant humanoid creatures known as Titans.
71.5
Completed
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Yoshiki TanakaPremium
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a science fiction universe centered on the epic conflict between two major space factions.
71.5
Completed
Gravity Falls
Alex HirschPremium
Gravity Falls is an animated mystery-comedy series centered around twin siblings uncovering supernatural mysteries in a small town.
71.4
Ongoing
Resident Evil Universe
CapcomPremium
A survival horror universe centered around biohazard threats from viral outbreaks and mutated creatures.
71.3
Ongoing
Borderlands Universe
Gearbox SoftwarePremium
The Borderlands Universe is a post-apocalyptic franchise known for its cel-shaded graphics and humor.
71.2
Ongoing
Super Mario Universe
NintendoPremium
Nintendo's flagship platformer franchise (1985–present) set in the Mushroom Kingdom: a cartoon monarchy ruled by Princess Peach and repeatedly invaded by Bowser (King of the Koopas). Mario is a Brooklyn-Italian plumber who crosses into this world via pipes. The lore is deliberately thin — these are mechanical playgrounds, not story vehicles. The 2023 Illumination film is the definitive mainstream cultural codification of the setting.
71.0
Ongoing
Xenoblade Chronicles Universe
Monolith SoftPremium
The Xenoblade Chronicles Universe is a science fiction role-playing game series created by Monolith Soft.
70.6
Completed
Mortal Engines
Philip ReevePremium
Mortal Engines is a post-apocalyptic steampunk universe featuring mobile cities that consume one another for survival.
70.5
Ongoing
Mortal Kombat Universe
NetherRealm StudiosPremium
NetherRealm Studios' fighting game franchise (1992–present) set across multiple realms — Earthrealm, Outworld, Netherrealm, Edenia — where a tournament called Mortal Kombat determines which realm may conquer the next. Fatalities (graphic finishing moves) defined the franchise culturally and sparked the 1993 Congressional hearings that created the ESRB. The story mode of MK9 through MK1 (2023) constitutes one of gaming's most elaborate fighting-game narratives.
70.3
Ongoing
Deus Ex Universe
Ion StormPremium
The Deus Ex Universe is a cyberpunk dystopia exploring themes of conspiracy and transhumanism.
70.3
Ongoing
Castlevania Universe
KonamiPremium
The Castlevania Universe features a rich lore centered around the conflict between vampires and human hunters.
70.3
Ongoing
Sailor Moon Universe
Naoko Takeuchi
The Sailor Moon Universe is a magical girl franchise centered on magical heroines fighting evil.
69.9
Ongoing
Percy Jackson Universe
Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan's YA mythology series (2005–present) set in a modern America where the Olympian gods are real, Mount Olympus sits atop the Empire State Building, and demigod children of gods train at Camp Half-Blood on Long Island. Clean, accessible mythology retrofitting — Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Roman, Celtic — for teen readers. The Lightning Thief (2005) is the essential entry; the 2023 Disney+ series is the faithful adaptation the 2010 film was not.
69.9
Ongoing
Stephen King Universe
Stephen King
Stephen King's 60+ novels share a loose multiverse anchored by The Dark Tower series — a gunslinger's quest across parallel Earths toward a cosmic fulcrum. Pennywise (IT), Randall Flagg (The Stand, The Dark Tower), and the Crimson King are recurring antagonists across the multiverse. Castle Rock, Derry, and Ludlow, Maine function as recurring settings. Start with The Shining (1977) or IT (1986) for accessible single-novel entries before The Dark Tower.
69.8
Ongoing
Saga of the Skolian Empire
Catherine Asaro
Catherine Asaro's hard-SF space opera (1994–present) built on real quantum mechanics and neuroscience: the Skolian Empire's Ruby Dynasty are empaths/psions whose linked minds create the Kyle Web — a faster-than-light communication network that forms the empire's political and military backbone. Rigorous physics coexists with romantic subplots and operatic dynastic politics across 15+ novels.
69.8
Completed
Space Odyssey Universe
Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke's four-novel odyssey (1968–1997) exploring humanity's first contact with a vastly superior intelligence through the monolith — a perfectly machined slab that functions as both evolutionary trigger and cosmic message. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation (same year) are inseparable cultural artifacts. HAL 9000's 'I'm sorry Dave' remains SF's definitive rogue-AI moment.
69.7
Ongoing
Known Space
Larry Niven
Larry Niven's hard-SF setting (1964–present) spanning humanity's expansion into a galaxy populated by the Kzin (aggressive warrior-felinoids), the Puppeteers (cowardly herd creatures who manipulate other species for survival), and the Ringworld — an artificial structure with 3×10^24 square miles of living area orbiting a star. Ringworld (1970) won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. The Man-Kzin Wars anthology series is the most-published corner of the universe.
69.6
Completed
Zones of Thought Universe
Vernor Vinge
Vernor Vinge's hard-SF universe structured around physical zones of the galaxy where intelligence itself operates at different speeds: the Unthinking Depths (no intelligence possible), Slow Zone (Earth's region, FTL impossible), Beyond (superhuman AI, FTL travel), and Transcend (godlike post-singularity beings). A Fire Upon the Deep (1992) won the Hugo Award. The galaxy's physics are the plot device.
69.6
Completed
Undertale Universe
Toby Fox
The Undertale Universe is a unique role-playing game created by Toby Fox, emphasizing player choice and moral dilemmas.
69.4
Ongoing
Pixar Universe
Pixar Animation
Pixar's animated film catalog — 27 films (1995–2024) — shares thematic DNA (growing up, loss, identity) and a famous fan theory of a connected timeline, but no official shared narrative. Each film is a distinct world. Toy Story (1995–2019, four films) and The Incredibles (2004, 2018) are the most narratively self-contained series within the catalog. Pixar's creative peak runs from Ratatouille (2007) through Soul (2020).
69.4
Ongoing
Death Stranding Universe
Kojima Productions
Hideo Kojima's 2019 action-adventure set in a post-catastrophe America where a mass extinction event (the Death Stranding) has thinned the boundary between the world of the living and the dead. Timefall rain ages everything it touches. BTs (Beached Things — souls stranded between life and death) haunt the landscape. The game is primarily about reconnecting isolated cities via a delivery network — connection as political and psychological thesis.
69.4
Completed
Earthsea
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin's archipelago fantasy (1968–2018): a world of islands where magic is based on the True Names of things — to know the true name of an object or being is to have power over it. Ged, a goatherd's son who becomes the Archmage of Roke, is the central figure of the first trilogy. Le Guin wrote and radically revised the setting across 50 years; the late novels (Tehanu, 1990) explicitly critique the gender assumptions of the early ones.
69.0
Ongoing
Ultraman Universe
Tsuburaya Productions
Tsuburaya Productions' tokusatsu franchise (1966–present): giant alien heroes of light bond with human hosts to fight Kaiju (giant monsters) and extraterrestrial threats. The original 1966 Eiji Tsuburaya series is the template; over 35 Ultraman series and 25+ films across 60 years make this Japan's longest-running live-action SF franchise. The Ultraman Tiga (1996) and the Netflix CG series (2019–present) are the modern entry points.
69.0
Completed
Hollow Knight Universe
Team Cherry
The Hollow Knight Universe is a dark, atmospheric world rich with lore and intricate gameplay.
68.9
Ongoing
Path of Exile Universe
Grinding Gear Games
Path of Exile is an action role-playing game set in a dark fantasy world.
68.8
Ongoing
League of Legends Universe
Riot Games
League of Legends Universe is a rich fantasy world built around the popular multiplayer online battle arena game.
68.7
Completed
Gormenghast
Mervyn Peake
Gormenghast is a gothic fantasy series set in a sprawling castle filled with elaborate rituals and unique characters.
68.4
Completed
Revelation Space
Alastair Reynolds
Alastair Reynolds's hard-SF setting (2000–present) built around the Fermi Paradox's darkest answer: the Great Silence exists because the Inhibitors — ancient machine intelligences — systematically exterminate any civilization that reaches the technological threshold, preventing the competition that would result from multiple space-faring species. No FTL travel; ships travel at sub-light speeds across centuries. The physics are rigorous; the scale is civilizational.
68.2
Completed
Amber Multiverse
Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny's ten-novel fantasy (1970–1991): Amber is the one true world, all other realities (including Earth) are Shadows cast by it. The members of the royal family of Amber can walk through Shadow — shifting reality step by step — and use Trumps (tarot cards) to teleport and communicate. The first five novels (Corwin's Cycle) follow an amnesiac prince rediscovering his royal identity; the second five (Merlin's Cycle) shift to his son in a more complex multiverse.
68.1
Ongoing
The Simpsons Universe
Matt Groening
Matt Groening's Springfield-set satirical animated sitcom (1989–present, 36+ seasons) — the longest-running American primetime scripted series. Springfield is a deliberately ambiguous American city (state unknown) where time does not pass. The Simpson family (Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie) are archetypes refined over 750+ episodes. Seasons 3–8 (1991–1997) are widely considered the peak; later seasons are a separate cultural artifact.
68.0
Ongoing
Terminator Universe
James Cameron
James Cameron's time-travel war between Skynet (a defense AI that achieves consciousness and launches nuclear war on August 29, 1997) and the human Resistance led by John Connor. The first two films (1984, 1991) are a complete arc. Every subsequent sequel (T3, Salvation, Genisys, Dark Fate) has proposed a new timeline; Cameron's endorsement of Dark Fate (2019) as the canonical sequel makes it the second definitive entry. The Terminator (1984) is the franchise's artistic pinnacle.
67.7
Completed
Prey Universe
Arkane Studios
Arkane Studios' 2017 immersive sim set aboard the Talos I space station, where an experiment in harvesting alien Typhon consciousness has gone catastrophically wrong. Morgan Yu — player-shaped, gender-selectable protagonist — wakes to discover their memory has been wiped and the station is overrun. The Mooncrash DLC (2018) is a roguelite expansion. Prey (2017) is mechanically and narratively self-contained; it has no connection to the 2006 Human Head Studios Prey.
67.7
Ongoing
Mega Man Universe
Capcom
Capcom's robot-focused action franchise (1987–present) spanning six distinct sub-series with separate mythologies. Classic Mega Man (Blue Bomber, Dr. Light vs. Dr. Wily) is the foundational setting; Mega Man X (20XX, Maverick Hunters) and Mega Man Zero (resistance fighters in a post-apocalyptic future) form a continuous future timeline. Mega Man 2 (1988) and Mega Man X (1993) are the series' landmark entries.
67.2
Ongoing
The Owl House
Dana Terrace
The Owl House is a fantasy animated series created by Dana Terrace.
67.2
Ongoing
Red Rising
Pierce Brown
Red Rising is a dystopian science fiction universe centered around a rigid caste system on a colonized Mars.
67.1
Completed
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
FromSoftware
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an action-adventure game set in a reimagined late 1500s Sengoku period Japan.
67.0
Ongoing
Resident Evil Franchise
Shinji Mikami
Capcom's survival horror franchise (1996–present) built around bioterrorism: pharmaceutical megacorp Umbrella Corporation's illegal B.O.W. (Bio-Organic Weapon) experiments produce viruses that create zombies and mutant creatures. S.T.A.R.S. members Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine investigated the original Arklay Mountain incident; Chris's sister Claire, Leon S. Kennedy, and Ada Wong join the central cast across a 30-year timeline.
67.0
Completed
Greyhawk
Gary Gygax
Greyhawk is a fantasy campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.
66.8
Completed
Mystara
Lawrence Schick
Mystara is a fantasy campaign setting for tabletop role-playing games, primarily Dungeons & Dragons.
66.7
Ongoing
Grishaverse
Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo's fantasy setting (2012–present) built around Grisha — people who can manipulate matter at its most basic level (summoners, corporalki who manipulate bodies, fabricators who manipulate materials). Six of Crows (2015) — a heist novel set in a Dutch-inspired city with a morally grey cast — is the creative peak and the recommended first read, despite being a sequel series.
66.7
Ongoing
Mission: Impossible
Bruce Geller
Mission: Impossible is a franchise centered around espionage and covert operations featuring the iconic IMF team.
66.5
Ongoing
Perry Rhodan Universe
Karl-Herbert Scheer & Clark Darlton
The Perry Rhodan Universe is a vast science fiction series that revolves around space exploration and intergalactic politics.
66.3
Ongoing
Tomb Raider Universe
Core Design
Core Design/Crystal Dynamics' action-adventure franchise (1996–present) following Lara Croft — British archaeologist and dual-pistol wielder — through ancient tombs and supernatural threats. The original 1996 Lara is an aristocratic adventure archetype. The 2013 Crystal Dynamics reboot (developed with Naughty Dog influence post-Uncharted) reimagines her as a survivor discovering resilience on Yamatai Island. The two eras are separate continuities.
66.3
Ongoing
Genshin Impact Universe
miHoYo
Genshin Impact is an open-world action RPG set in the fantasy world of Teyvat.
66.2
Ongoing
Demon Slayer
Koyoharu Gotouge
Demon Slayer is a Japanese manga and anime series centered around a young boy, Tanjiro, who fights demons.
66.1
Completed
Red Dead Universe
Rockstar Games
Rockstar's two-game Western series set in a fictionalized American frontier: Red Dead Redemption (2010, John Marston's forced outlawry-ending hunt) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018, Arthur Morgan's final chapter of the Van der Linde gang). RDR2 is set as a prequel in 1899, showing the gang's collapse before Marston's 1911 story. Both are standalone but the second transforms the first in retrospect. RDR2 is widely considered one of the medium's great narrative achievements.
66.1
Completed
Steven Universe
Rebecca Sugar
Set in a colorful world, 'Steven Universe' follows a young boy who inherits magical powers from a group of alien gems.
66.0
Ongoing
Fire Emblem Universe
Intelligent Systems
Intelligent Systems' tactical RPG franchise (1990–present) with 17 mainline entries, each set in a self-contained world with its own mythology, characters, and political conflicts. The series' hallmarks: permadeath (dead units stay dead in classic mode), support conversations that develop character relationships, and dynastic war between kingdoms. Three Houses (2019, Nintendo Switch) is the modern creative peak and the recommended first entry for new players.
66.0
Completed
XCOM Universe
Firaxis Games
The XCOM Universe is a science fiction universe primarily focused on the struggle between humanity and alien invaders.
66.0
Ongoing
Monster Hunter Universe
Capcom
Capcom's action RPG franchise (2004–present) set on a version of Earth where megafauna (Rathalos, Diablos, Nergigante, etc.) dominate ecosystems and the Hunter's Guild organizes professional monster hunters to manage ecological balance. Lore is detailed but deliberately secondary to gameplay — the setting exists to justify monster encounters. Monster Hunter: World (2018) and Rise (2021) are the modern entry points with full English localization and global releases.
66.0
Completed
Final Fantasy X
Square
Final Fantasy X is a fantasy role-playing game set in the world of Spira, featuring a rich narrative and character development.
65.9
Ongoing
Honorverse
David Weber
The Honorverse is a science fiction universe centered on the character Honor Harrington and her naval adventures in space.
65.9
Ongoing
Star Citizen Universe
Cloud Imperium Games
Cloud Imperium Games' massively ambitious space simulation setting (2012–present, still in alpha): a star system-spanning universe with detailed planetary systems, economic simulation, and persistent civilization-scale politics. Squadron 42 — the single-player narrative campaign featuring Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, and Gillian Anderson — remains unreleased as of 2025. The persistent universe is playable in alpha. Among gaming's most complex — and most delayed — projects.
65.7
Ongoing
Shin Megami Tensei Universe
Atlus
The Shin Megami Tensei Universe features a series of RPG games centered around the themes of demons, morality, and the apocalypse.
65.7
Completed
Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games is a dystopian universe centered around the annual Hunger Games event in Panem.
65.6
Completed
Avatar: Legend of Korra
Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Avatar: Legend of Korra is an animated sequel series to Avatar: The Last Airbender.
65.4
Ongoing
DOOM Universe
id Software
The DOOM Universe is a science fiction horror franchise centered around demons and interdimensional travel.
65.3
Ongoing
Tales of Series Universe
Bandai Namco
Bandai Namco's JRPG anthology (1995–present) spanning 17 mainline entries, each self-contained with its own world, characters, and magical systems. The Flux/Mana-based magic (Artes), skits (in-game character conversations), and anime-aesthetic real-time battle systems are the connective tissue. Tales of Symphonia (2003) and Tales of the Abyss (2005) are the fan-beloved classical peaks; Tales of Arise (2021) is the modern commercial and critical high.
65.3
Ongoing
Rick and Morty
Justin Roiland & Dan Harmon
Rick and Morty is a science fiction animated series that follows the misadventures of an eccentric scientist and his good-hearted but fretful grandson.
65.1
Ongoing
The Last of Us Universe
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog's two-game survival drama (2013, 2020) set 20 years after Cordyceps fungus mutated to infect humans, creating clicker/runner/bloater zombie stages while FEDRA and the Fireflies fight for political control of the survivors. Joel's cross-country escort of Ellie (immune to the infection) forms the first game's arc; the second game complicates every choice the first one made. The HBO series (2023–present) is TV's most faithful video game adaptation.
65.0
Completed
Riftwar Cycle
Raymond E. Feist
Raymond E. Feist's 30-novel high-fantasy series (1982–2013) beginning with Magician — a traditional apprentice-wizard story that transforms into an interdimensional war narrative when the world of Midkemia is invaded through a magical Rift from Kelewan (an Eastern-influenced empire). The Riftwar Saga (four books) is the essential core; the series spans four generations and multiple world-destroying conflicts.
65.0
Ongoing
Kingkiller Chronicle
Patrick Rothfuss
The Kingkiller Chronicle is a fantasy series by Patrick Rothfuss centered around the life of Kvothe, a gifted young man with a diverse set of skills.
64.6
Ongoing
Kerbal Space Program Universe
Squad
The Kerbal Space Program Universe features a unique blend of space exploration and engineering challenges.
64.5
Completed
Breaking Bad Universe
Vince Gilligan
The Breaking Bad Universe explores the transformation of characters in the criminal underworld.
64.4
Completed
His Dark Materials
Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman's three-novel fantasy (1995–2000) structured as a refutation of C.S. Lewis's Narnia: Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry travel through parallel Earths, guided by the alethiometer (a truth-telling device) and protected by armored bears, daemons (external animal souls), and the subtle knife that cuts between worlds. The Authority — the angel who claims to be God — is the series' antagonist. Pullman's atheist, Miltonian argument is explicit and deliberate.
64.3
Completed
Dishonored Universe
Arkane Studios
Arkane Studios' two-game immersive sim series (2012–2017) set in the industrial empire of Dunwall and its rival city Karnaca — Victorian-oil-punk societies where a supernatural Void provides the Outsider's blessings (powers) to selected mortals. Assassination, stealth, and chaos mechanics reward different play styles. Dishonored (2012) is among the decade's best-designed immersive sims; Death of the Outsider (2017) concludes the Void storyline.
64.3
Ongoing
Old Man's War Universe
John Scalzi
John Scalzi's military SF series (2005–present) built on a single premise: Earth's elderly citizens can join the Colonial Defense Forces at 75, receive a young, genetically enhanced body, and fight humanity's wars against alien species competing for habitable planets. The Ghost Brigades (special forces cloned from the dead) are the second book's focus. Scalzi's prose is deliberately Heinlein-influenced — clear, fast, comic.
64.2
Ongoing
Civilization Universe
MicroProse
Sid Meier's turn-based strategy franchise (1991–present) with six mainline entries and multiple spinoffs. Each game tasks the player with building a civilization from 4000 BCE to the near future, competing with historical leaders on the same map. The setting is not a narrative universe — it is an abstract historical sandbox. Civilization VI (2016) with its two expansions is the current definitive entry; Civilization VII launched in 2025.
64.1
Ongoing
Suikoden Universe
Konami
The Suikoden Universe is a fantasy role-playing game series centered around political intrigue and war.
64.1
Ongoing
Kingdom Hearts Universe
Square Enix & Disney
The Kingdom Hearts Universe is a crossover franchise blending Disney characters and settings with original characters from the Final Fantasy series.
64.0
Completed
Sherlock Holmes Universe
Arthur Conan Doyle
The Sherlock Holmes Universe centers around the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. John Watson.
64.0
Completed
Angel Universe
Joss Whedon
The Angel Universe is a supernatural milieu primarily centered around the vampire Angel and his journey towards redemption.
64.0
Ongoing
Westworld Universe
Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy
Westworld is a sci-fi universe exploring themes of consciousness and free will through advanced AI in a futuristic amusement park.
64.0
Ongoing
Half-Life Universe
Valve
Valve's first-person SF franchise (1998–present) following Gordon Freeman — a mute MIT physicist — through an alien resonance cascade at Black Mesa, the subsequent Combine invasion of Earth, and a suppressed human resistance. Half-Life 2 (2004) and its Episodes are among the decade's defining games. Half-Life: Alyx (2020, VR) is the series' most recent entry. The story remains unfinished.
63.5
Completed
Starship Troopers Universe
Robert A. Heinlein
The Starship Troopers Universe is a military science fiction setting exploring themes of citizenship and duty in an interstellar society.
63.5
Completed
Narnia
C. S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis's seven-novel fantasy series (1950–1956) set in Narnia — a world created by the lion Aslan from darkness and song, where animals talk and time moves differently than in England. The Chronicles are explicitly Christian allegory: Aslan as Christ figure, the White Witch's deep magic as sin, Aslan's sacrifice and resurrection as atonement. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) is the most-read entry and the recommended start.
63.3
Ongoing
Uplift Universe
David Brin
The Uplift Universe is a science fiction setting that explores the concept of uplifting species to sentience through advanced technology and genetic manipulation.
63.3
Ongoing
Liaden Universe
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
A science fiction universe centered on the interstellar Liaden people and their complex culture.
63.1
Ongoing
Enderverse
Orson Scott Card
The Enderverse is a sci-fi universe centered around the themes of strategy, morality, and the consequences of war.
62.5
Ongoing
Skyward
Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson's four-novel YA science fiction series (2018–2022) set on the planet Detritus, where surviving humans live underground and train as pilots to fight the alien Krell who orbit overhead. The cytonic ability — FTL mental travel through the 'nowhere' — is the series' magic-system equivalent. Sanderson's fastest-paced series; Skyward (2018) is the first novel and the complete origin arc.
62.4
Completed
Gaean Reach Universe
Jack Vance
Jack Vance's loosely connected science fiction setting (1950s–1980s) spanning an interstellar human civilization called the Gaean Reach — a trading network of inhabited star systems where Earth is a distant memory. Vance's prose style — sardonic, precise, deeply invested in alien aesthetics and human eccentricity — is the setting's defining feature. The Planet of Adventure tetralogy (1968–1970) and the Demon Princes series (1964–1981) are the recommended entry points.
62.4
Ongoing
Alien Universe
Dan O'Bannon & Ronald Shusett
Human space is a corporate frontier where Weyland-Yutani treats crews, colonies, and life itself as expendable assets. In the shadow of LV-426, biology, machinery, and profit collide in cold corridors where survival feels procedural and fragile.
62.1
Ongoing
Galactic Center Saga
Gregory Benford
Gregory Benford's six-novel hard-SF series (1977–1996) set near the galactic center where machine intelligences (Mechs) have waged a billion-year war to exterminate organic life. Timescape (1980, standalone) is Benford's most celebrated novel; the Galactic Center Saga explores the longest-term SF conflict in the genre. In the Ocean of Night (1977) is the first entry.
62.0
Ongoing
Stargate Universe
Brad Wright & Jonathan Glassner
MGM's military SF franchise (1994–2011) anchored by Stargate — ring-shaped devices that create stable wormholes between planetary dialing addresses. Stargate SG-1 (ten seasons, 1997–2007) is the definitive entry: Colonel Jack O'Neill's team explores the galaxy, fighting the Goa'uld (parasitic alien gods masquerading as Earth's ancient deities). The franchise is metatextually aware of its own pulp-SF silliness and leans into it.
61.9
Ongoing
Kirby Universe
Nintendo
The Kirby Universe is a vibrant and whimsical world featuring various characters and settings associated with the Kirby franchise.
61.6
Completed
Final Fantasy XV
Square Enix
Final Fantasy XV is a part of the long-running Final Fantasy series and features a contemporary fantasy world called Eos.
61.5
Ongoing
Persona Universe
Atlus
Atlus's JRPG subseries of the larger Shin Megami Tensei franchise (1996–present) where high school students in modern Japan access the Metaverse — a cognitive world built from humanity's collective subconscious — to fight Shadows (manifestations of repressed emotion) using Personas (archetypal entities from Jungian psychology). Persona 4 (2008) and Persona 5 (2016) are the series' peaks; each game is a standalone story.
61.4
Ongoing
Rifts Megaverse
Kevin Siembieda
Rifts Megaverse is a multi-genre tabletop role-playing game universe.
61.3
Completed
Better Call Saul
Vince Gilligan & Peter Gould
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould's six-season prequel to Breaking Bad (2015–2022) following Jimmy McGill — small-time lawyer, con artist, and brother of a brilliant but vulnerable attorney — as he transforms into Saul Goodman, criminal defense lawyer to Albuquerque's drug trade. The legal procedural surface conceals one of television's most precise character studies in moral deterioration. Stands completely alone from Breaking Bad; richer with it.
61.0
Completed
Once Upon a Time Universe
Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz
ABC's seven-season fantasy drama (2011–2018) setting fairy tale characters (Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, Regina/Evil Queen, Emma Swan) in Storybrooke, Maine — a cursed town where the inhabitants don't remember they're fairy tale characters. The Enchanted Forest (fairy tale realm) and modern Maine coexist. Season 1 is the strongest; the series expanded fairy tale sources aggressively with diminishing returns.
61.0
Completed
The Night's Dawn Trilogy
Peter F. Hamilton
The Night's Dawn Trilogy is a science fiction series set in a complex universe with rich themes and lore.
60.7
Ongoing
American Horror Story Universe
Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk
Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's FX anthology horror series (2011–present) with 12 seasons, each set in a different subgenre — haunted house, asylum, coven, freak show, hotel, cult, apocalypse, 1984 slasher, red tide/black mass, NYC, delicate. Crossover events (Apocalypse connects Murder House and Coven) reveal the seasons share a loose universe. Strong recurring cast (Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters) across changing characters.
60.6
Completed
Lunar Chronicles
Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles is a series of young adult science fiction novels based on fairy tales set in a dystopian future.
60.5
Ongoing
Call of Duty Universe
Infinity Ward
Activision's military FPS franchise (2003–present) spanning three distinct narrative continuities: World War II historical (original series, 2003–2008), Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward's contemporary military thrillers, 2007–2023 across two timeline iterations), and Black Ops (Treyarch's Cold War/conspiracy series, 2010–2022). Warzone (free-to-play battle royale) unifies the modern eras into a shared online universe. 400+ million copies sold.
60.3
Completed
Kill la Kill
Kazuki Nakashima
Kill la Kill is a Japanese anime series that combines action and drama in a unique high school setting.
60.0
Ongoing
Temeraire
Naomi Novik
Temeraire is a fantasy universe set during the Napoleonic Wars, featuring dragons as integral to military operations.
59.6
Ongoing
Traveller Universe
Game Designers' Workshop
The Traveller Universe is a science fiction setting designed for tabletop role-playing games and includes various storylines across the galaxy.
59.5
Ongoing
Digimon Universe
Akiyoshi Hongo
Digimon Universe is a multimedia franchise centered around digital monsters and their interactions with humans.
59.5
Completed
The Crown
Peter Morgan
The Crown is a historical drama series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
59.4
Ongoing
Dragon Quest Universe
Square Enix
Yuji Horii and Square Enix's foundational JRPG franchise (1986–present) that established the template for Japanese role-playing games — turn-based combat, experience points, town/dungeon structure — that Final Fantasy and nearly every subsequent JRPG followed. Each mainline entry is self-contained; the Erdrick/Loto trilogy (I–III) and Dragon Quest XI (2017) are the peaks. The Slime is the franchise's most recognized mascot in Japan.
59.3
Completed
Team Fortress 2 Universe
Valve
Team Fortress 2 Universe is a multiplayer multiplayer first-person shooter set in a stylized world of team-based combat.
59.2
Ongoing
No Man's Sky Universe
Hello Games
No Man's Sky Universe is an expansive, procedurally generated science fiction universe.
59.2
Completed
Bleach Universe
Tite Kubo
Tite Kubo's manga (2001–2016) and anime (2004–present) following Ichigo Kurosaki — a teenager who inherits Soul Reaper powers — through the Soul Society (afterlife bureaucracy run by Shinigami), Hueco Mundo (Hollows' domain), and ultimately the Quincy Empire's 1000-year conflict with the Soul Reapers. The Zanpakuto (sentient swords with release forms) are the setting's signature design element. The Thousand-Year Blood War arc (manga finale, 2012–2016) received a acclaimed 2022 anime adaptation.
59.1
Ongoing
Humanx Commonwealth
Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster's long-running SF series (1972–present) built around a political and cultural alliance between humanity and the insectoid Thranx — a symbiotic relationship founded on genuine mutual respect despite biological difference. Flinx (a young human telepath with an empathic minidragon) and Pip are the recurring protagonists across 14 Pip and Flinx novels. The universe is optimistic hard SF with extensive xenobiology.
59.1
Ongoing
Titanfall Universe
Respawn Entertainment
The Titanfall Universe is a sci-fi milieu featuring advanced technology and mechs in a war-torn galaxy.
59.0
Ongoing
Cuphead Universe
Studio MDHR
The Cuphead Universe features a unique hand-drawn 1930s cartoon aesthetic centered around Cuphead and his brother Mugman.
59.0
Ongoing
Devil May Cry Universe
Capcom
The Devil May Cry Universe is a dark fantasy action series featuring demons and demon hunters.
58.8
Completed
Uncharted Universe
Naughty Dog
The Uncharted Universe is an action-adventure franchise focused on treasure hunting and exploration.
58.6
Ongoing
Street Fighter Universe
Capcom
Capcom's competitive fighting game franchise (1987–present) with 40+ playable characters and a globe-spanning martial arts tournament structure. The World Warrior Tournament arc (Street Fighter II, 1991) and M. Bison's Shadaloo crime organization are the narrative backbone. Ryu's Satsui no Hado (Dark Hadou) — the destructive energy that can corrupt a fighter's spirit — is the setting's philosophical conflict. Street Fighter 6 (2023) is the modern definitive entry.
58.3
Ongoing
Minecraft Universe
Mojang Studios
Mojang Studios' open-world sandbox (2011–present): procedurally generated cubic worlds with a day-night survival cycle, an Overworld/Nether/End tripartite cosmology, and an endgame involving the Ender Dragon in a void dimension called The End. The 'lore' is deliberately minimal and environmental — the ancient builders, the Piglin civilization's decline, the Wither's creation mythology — told through structure and item descriptions rather than narrative.
58.2
Completed
Far Cry Universe
Crytek
Ubisoft's open-world FPS anthology (2004–present) with six mainline entries, each set in a different geopolitical crisis zone with a memorable villain-as-protagonist structure. Far Cry 3's Vaas Montenegro is the franchise's most culturally iconic character — 'the definition of insanity' monologue. Each game is standalone. Far Cry 3 (2012) and Far Cry 5 (2018) are the creative peaks.
58.2
Ongoing
Mad Max Universe
George Miller
George Miller's post-apocalyptic Australian film series (1979–2015) set in a collapsing and then collapsed civilization where gasoline is currency and gangs rule the outback. Max Rockatansky is the reluctant anti-hero across the original trilogy; Tom Hardy's Furiosa and Max are the protagonists in Fury Road (2015) — widely considered one of cinema's great action films. The Furiosa prequel (2024) expands the mythology.
58.0
Ongoing
Sonic the Hedgehog Universe
Sega
A fast-paced universe centered around Sonic, a blue hedgehog who battles against the evil Dr. Robotnik.
57.7
Ongoing
Stranger Things Universe
The Duffer Brothers
Stranger Things Universe is a supernatural thriller universe centered around the mystery and adventures in the town of Hawkins, Indiana.
57.6
Completed
Gurren Lagann
Kazuki Nakashima
Gurren Lagann is a mecha anime series that follows the journey of Simon and Kamina as they fight against oppressive forces in a post-apocalyptic world.
57.6
Ongoing
Black Clover Universe
Yuko Tsukumo
The Black Clover Universe features a world where magic is the central aspect of life and society.
57.5
Ongoing
Monsterverse
Legendary Entertainment
The Monsterverse is a shared cinematic universe featuring giant monsters and their interactions with humanity.
57.5
Ongoing
Rust Universe
Facepunch Studios
Facepunch Studios' multiplayer survival game (2013–present, fully released 2018): a coastal island where naked players spawn, harvest resources, build bases, craft weapons, and fight — or cooperate with — other players in a persistent, server-wiping sandbox. The 'lore' is player-generated emergent narrative. Monuments (Airfield, Launch Site, the Dome) are decayed civilization artifacts; no story is provided beyond environment.
57.5
Ongoing
Dead Space Universe
Glen Schofield
The Dead Space Universe is a science fiction horror setting centered around alien artifacts and necromorphs.
57.4
Completed
Amphibia
Matt Braly
Amphibia is an animated television series created by Matt Braly focused on the adventures of a young girl in a fantastical world.
57.0
Ongoing
Valdemar
Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Lackey's high-fantasy series (1987–present) set in the kingdom of Valdemar, protected by Heralds — chosen individuals paired with Companions (white horses who are reincarnated souls of former Heralds or other noble beings). Over 40 novels across multiple eras. The magic system involves Gifts (innate abilities) and Mindspeech (telepathy). Lackey's work foregrounds found family, disability representation, and LGBTQ characters from the earliest novels.
56.8
Ongoing
Starfield Universe
Bethesda Game Studios
Bethesda Game Studios' original space exploration RPG (2023): set in the Settled Systems — 1000 light-years of colonized space centered on New Atlantis (United Colonies) and Neon/Akila (Freestar Collective) — in 2330 CE, approximately 25 years after a devastating colony war. The player joins Constellation, a space exploration group, and investigates Artifacts (mysterious objects that trigger visions). The Shattered Space DLC (2024) expands the Va'ruun religious faction.
56.7
Completed
Thief Universe
Looking Glass Studios
The Thief Universe is a stealth-oriented game world characterized by its dark fantasy setting and intricate lore.
56.6
Ongoing
Valorant Universe
Riot Games
Riot Games' tactical FPS (2020–present) set on a near-future Earth struck by a 'First Light' event 50+ years prior that granted rare individuals magical abilities called Radiance. VALORANT Protocol is a secret international organization using Radiants and technology-augmented agents to combat Kingdom Corporation's exploitation of Radianite (an energy source). Each agent has a distinct national origin, backstory, and ability set.
56.6
Ongoing
Fairy Tail Universe
Hiro Mashima
The Fairy Tail Universe is a fantasy world filled with magic, guilds, and adventure.
56.5
Completed
Supernatural Universe
Eric Kripke
The Supernatural Universe follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester as they hunt demons, monsters, and other supernatural beings.
56.2
Ongoing
Black Mirror Universe
Charlie Brooker
The Black Mirror Universe explores the dark side of technology and its impact on society.
56.1
Completed
Sector General Universe
James White
James White's 12-novel SF series (1962–1999) set aboard Sector General — a vast hospital space station at the hub of the Galactic Federation, treating patients from every known alien species. The medical procedural format — diagnosis of unknown alien physiologies — is the engine of each novel. O'Mara (Chief Psychologist), Conway (Senior Physician), and Murchison (pathologist/Conway's wife) are the recurring human staff.
56.1
Ongoing
The Vampire Diaries Universe
Julie Plec
The Vampire Diaries Universe is a supernatural drama franchise centered around vampires, witches, and other beings.
56.1
Ongoing
Torchwood
Russell T. Davies
BBC's Doctor Who spinoff (2006–2011) following Torchwood Three — a Cardiff-based secret organization (founded 1879 by Queen Victoria) monitoring alien activity through the Rift in space-time that runs through Cardiff. Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), immortal since Rose Tyler's Bad Wolf intervention, leads a team of investigators. Torchwood is the adult-aimed counterpart to Doctor Who's family drama.
56.0
Completed
Alan Wake Universe
Remedy Entertainment
The Alan Wake Universe explores psychological horror themes through a narrative-driven experience.
56.0
Completed
Back to the Future
Robert Zemeckis
A time travel film series that explores the consequences of altering the past.
55.8
Completed
Ghost of Tsushima Universe
Sucker Punch Productions
The Ghost of Tsushima Universe is set in a reimagined feudal Japan during the Mongol invasion.
55.8
Ongoing
Arrowverse
Greg Berlanti
The Arrowverse is a shared universe primarily based on characters from DC Comics.
55.5
Completed
Portal Universe
Valve
The Portal Universe is a science fiction setting that revolves around the use of a portal gun and the testing facility of Aperture Science.
55.4
Completed
Uglies
Scott Westerfeld
Scott Westerfeld's four-novel YA dystopian series (2005–2007) set in a future where civilization collapsed due to oil-eating bacteria and rebuilt around mandatory cosmetic surgery at age 16 — transforming all citizens into 'Pretties' with standardized features. The surgery also rewires the brain for compliance. Tally Youngblood's series follows her journey from eager surgery-awaiter to resistance fighter to something more complex.
55.4
Ongoing
House of the Dragon
Ryan Condal & Miguel Sapochnik
HBO's prequel to Game of Thrones (2022–present) set ~170 years before the War of the Five Kings, depicting the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. The succession dispute between Rhaenyra Targaryen (the chosen heir) and her half-brother Aegon II tears the dragon-riding dynasty apart. Based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood (2018). Season 2 (2024) depicts the war's opening battles.
55.3
Ongoing
Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt Red
Cyberpunk 2077 is a dystopian universe that explores the impact of advanced technology on society.
55.2
Completed
Celeste Universe
Maddy Makes Games
Celeste Universe is a video game universe centered around a young woman's journey to climb a mountain while confronting her inner struggles.
55.2
Ongoing
Apex Legends Universe
Respawn Entertainment
Respawn Entertainment's battle royale FPS (2019–present) set in the Frontier — the same universe as Titanfall (2014–2016) approximately 30 years after the Frontier War. Legends compete in the Apex Games for fame and money on the abandoned planet Solace and other locations. Each Legend has a distinct backstory, personality, and ability set; the lore is delivered through in-game events, Stories from the Outlands animated shorts, and seasonal comics.
55.2
Abandoned
Firefly Universe
Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon's one-season space Western (2002–2003, 14 episodes) set 500 years in the future when humanity colonized a new solar system and the Alliance (centralized government) defeated the Independents in a civil war. Malcolm Reynolds, a former Independent soldier, captains the Firefly-class transport Serenity with a crew of mercenaries, refugees, and runaways. Serenity (2005 film) concludes the storyline. Cancelled too soon; never not relevant.
55.0
Completed
Gears of War Universe
Epic Games
The Gears of War Universe is a post-apocalyptic setting centered around humanity's fight against the Locust Horde.
55.0
Completed
The Omen Universe
Richard Donner
Richard Donner's 1976 supernatural horror film and its sequels: Damien Thorn is the Antichrist, adopted as an infant by an American diplomat, whose supernatural protection causes everyone who threatens him to die in elaborate 'accidents.' The original film is a masterclass of slow-burn dread. The sequels (Damien: Omen II, The Final Conflict) follow Damien to adulthood. Omen (2006 remake) and The First Omen (2024 prequel) extend the franchise.
54.8
Ongoing
Shadowhunters Universe
Cassandra Clare
Cassandra Clare's urban fantasy franchise (2007–present) set in a shadow world where Shadowhunters (Nephilim — half-human, half-angel warriors) hunt demons and police downworlders (vampires, werewolves, warlocks, faeries). The Mortal Instruments series (six novels, 2007–2014) is the original; The Infernal Devices (Victorian prequel) and The Last Hours are the most critically acclaimed sub-series.
54.8
Ongoing
Jurassic World Universe
Steven Spielberg
Michael Crichton's 1990 novel and Spielberg's 1993 film adaptation: InGen Corporation clones dinosaurs from prehistoric DNA preserved in amber, builds a theme park, and suffers the predictable consequence of treating apex predators as tourism attractions. The original Jurassic Park film is still the definitive text. Six films (1993–2022) span the franchise; the Jurassic World trilogy (2015–2022) shifts to dinosaurs living in the wild.
54.8
Completed
The Hobbit Films
Peter Jackson
The Hobbit Films is a cinematic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's novel focusing on a hobbit's adventure to reclaim a mountain and its treasure.
54.5
Ongoing
EverQuest Universe
Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment's foundational MMORPG (1999–present) set on Norrath — a fantasy world with 17+ playable races, 16+ classes, and a detailed theology involving the gods Rallos Zek (War), Tunare (Nature), Innoruuk (Hate), and others who take active interest in mortal affairs. EverQuest defined the MMORPG genre's vocabulary before World of Warcraft. EverQuest II (2004) is set 500 years later in an alternate timeline.
54.4
Ongoing
Men in Black Universe
Lowell Cunningham
Barry Sonnenfeld's 1997 sci-fi comedy series (three films plus spinoff) based on Lowell Cunningham's comic: the MIB is a secret government organization that monitors and regulates extraterrestrial activity on Earth using Neuralyzers (memory-erasing devices) and alien weaponry. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are the franchise's definitive pairing. MIB: International (2019, Tessa Thompson/Chris Hemsworth) is a spinoff.
54.1
Ongoing
Elite Dangerous Universe
Frontier Developments
The Elite Dangerous Universe is a vast space exploration and trading environment set in a realistic simulation of our Milky Way galaxy.
54.0
Ongoing
Cloverfield Universe
J. J. Abrams
The Cloverfield Universe explores various narratives connected by a shared theme of enigmatic, catastrophic events.
53.8
Completed
The Outer Limits
Joseph Stefano & Leslie Stevens
The Outer Limits is a science fiction anthology television series that explores mysterious and often dark themes.
53.6
Completed
Max Payne Universe
Remedy Entertainment
The Max Payne Universe is a gritty neo-noir setting featuring a former NYPD officer turned vigilante.
53.4
Ongoing
Scooby-Doo Universe
Iwao Takamoto
Hanna-Barbera's mystery-comedy animated franchise (1969–present) following four teenagers (Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy) and their talking Great Dane (Scooby-Doo) who solve apparently supernatural mysteries that always turn out to be human criminals in costumes. The original formula is deliberately repetitive; Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010–2013) is the franchise's one genuinely ambitious narrative reinvention.
53.1
Ongoing
Power Rangers Universe
Haim Saban
Saban Entertainment's American adaptation of Japan's Super Sentai franchise (1993–present): a rotating cast of color-coded teenage heroes gain the ability to pilot giant robots (Zords) and fight monster-of-the-week villains. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993–1995) established the cultural template; the franchise has aired 30+ seasons with regular team replacements. The Netflix film (2017) attempted a darker reimagining.
53.0
Ongoing
The Witcher Netflix
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
The Witcher Netflix is a fantasy television series based on the book series by Andrzej Sapkowski.
52.8
Completed
Charmed (1998)
Constance M. Burge
Charmed is a fantasy television series that follows the lives of three sisters who are powerful witches.
52.7
Ongoing
Predator Universe
Jim Thomas & John Thomas
The Predator Universe features an extraterrestrial species known for hunting humans and other challenging prey.
52.6
Ongoing
Deltarune Universe
Toby Fox
Toby Fox's episodic RPG (2018–present) set in a world parallel to Undertale: Kris, Susie, and Ralsei enter 'Dark Worlds' — alternate dimensions beneath reality — to seal fountains of Darkness that threaten both worlds. The game's relationship to Undertale is deliberate and mysterious; 'Deltarune' is an anagram of 'Undertale.' Chapter 1 (free) and Chapter 2 (free, 2021) are the completed portions; Chapters 3–7 are in development.
52.4
Completed
The Witness Universe
Jonathan Blow
Jonathan Blow's 2016 open-world puzzle game set on a deserted island covered in panel puzzles — mazes with a specific visual grammar the player must decode without instructions. The island's environmental puzzles, audio recordings of philosophers and scientists, and FMV sequences form an argument about knowledge, perception, and epiphany. The Witness is less a 'universe' than a dense philosophical experience designed to be completed once.
52.3
Completed
Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass is a high fantasy series following the journey of an assassin in a magical realm.
52.3
Completed
Heechee Universe
Frederik Pohl
Frederik Pohl's five-novel SF series (1977–1984) beginning with Gateway — a hollowed-out asteroid left by the vanished Heechee species, filled with pre-programmed ships that take humans to destinations unknown. Prospectors pay to ride them; sometimes they find valuable artifacts; sometimes they die. The Heechee Saga is one of the genre's great alien-contact scenarios built on archaeology rather than encounter.
51.9
Completed
The Good Place
Michael Schur
A philosophical comedy exploring the afterlife and moral dilemmas.
51.6
Completed
Maze Runner
James Dashner
The Maze Runner is a dystopian sci-fi universe that follows a group of teens navigating a massive maze as they seek a way to escape.
51.2
Ongoing
Jujutsu Kaisen
Gege Akutami
Jujutsu Kaisen is a contemporary dark fantasy universe focusing on sorcerers battling curses.
51.2
Ongoing
Tekken Universe
Bandai Namco
The Tekken Universe is a long-standing fighting game franchise with rich character backstories and global settings.
51.1
Completed
Days Gone Universe
Bend Studio
The Days Gone Universe centers around a post-apocalyptic Oregon where survivors navigate through a world plagued by zombie-like creatures known as Freakers.
50.7
Ongoing
The Conjuring Universe
James Wan
James Wan's interconnected horror film franchise (2013–present) based loosely on the case files of real paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Conjuring (2013) and The Conjuring 2 (2016) are the anchor films — set-piece horror with strong leads (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga). Annabelle, The Nun, and The Curse of La Llorona are spinoffs of varying quality. The Conjuring 3 (2021) is the most recent main entry.
50.0
Completed
The Originals
Julie Plec
The Originals is a supernatural drama series centered on the first family of vampires.
49.7
Ongoing
Quake Universe
id Software
id Software's Quake (1996) introduced a fully 3D game engine and an industrial-Gothic horror mythology built around a nameless entity called Quake who sends Slipgates across dimensions to invade Earth. The original game's aesthetic — brown stone, Lovecraftian architecture, industrial metal — defined gritty FPS aesthetics. Quake II (1997) and Quake 4 (2005) pivot to a separate Strogg sci-fi setting. Quake Champions (2017) revisits the original aesthetic.
49.5
Ongoing
Splinter Cell Universe
Ubisoft
Ubisoft's stealth espionage franchise (2002–2013) following Sam Fisher — NSA's Third Echelon operative with 'Fifth Freedom' authorization (license to kill without oversight) — through geopolitical crises requiring covert infiltration rather than frontal combat. The franchise pioneered the 'total darkness' stealth model: light and shadow are the primary tactical resources. Chaos Theory (2005) is the series' peak; Blacklist (2013) is the most recent entry.
49.5
Ongoing
Halloween Universe
John Carpenter
The Halloween Universe is a horror franchise centered around the character Michael Myers.
49.2
Ongoing
Shannara
Terry Brooks
Terry Brooks's high fantasy series (1977–2023) set in a post-apocalyptic Earth so distant in the future that the world has reverted to medieval-level civilization, with humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes the descendants of humanity's mutations. The Original Shannara trilogy (1977–1985) established the template; the Four Lands setting has generated 30+ novels across connected series. The Elfstones of Shannara (1982) is the series' best individual novel.
48.7
Ongoing
The Exorcist Universe
William Friedkin
The Exorcist Universe is a horror franchise centered around demonic possession and exorcism.
48.1
Ongoing
Grimm Universe
David Greenwalt & Jim Kouf
NBC's urban fantasy procedural (2011–2017, six seasons) where Nick Burkhardt — Portland homicide detective — discovers he is a Grimm, a hereditary monster hunter who can see Wesen (shape-changing creatures derived from fairy tale monsters: Blutbad/wolves, Fuchsbau/foxes, Hexenbiest/witch-hags). The Wesen council, Royal Families, and Black Claws political conflict provide the overarching mythology across six seasons.
48.1
Ongoing
South Park Universe
Trey Parker & Matt Stone
The South Park Universe is a satirical animated series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
46.2
Ongoing
Divergent
Veronica Roth
Divergent is a dystopian universe characterized by its unique societal factions based on personality traits.
46.1
Ongoing
Yo-Kai Watch
Level-5
Yo-Kai Watch is a multimedia franchise that revolves around supernatural beings known as Yo-kai.
45.8
Ongoing
DCEU Extended Universe
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.' shared DC Comics film universe (2013–2023) beginning with Man of Steel and concluding with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Spanning 15 films and two TV series, the DCEU was consistently troubled by corporate interference, directorial transitions (Zack Snyder replaced by Joss Whedon for Justice League), and competing creative visions. James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Studios (2022) effectively ended the DCEU and began the DC Universe reboot.
44.3
Ongoing
ACOTAR
Sarah J. Maas
Prythian is a faerie land of mortal borders, cursed courts, and bargains enforced like law. Around Feyre’s world, beauty and brutality share the same throne, and desire, debt, and old power make every safe haven feel conditional.
44.1
Ongoing
Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU)
Sony Pictures
The Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is a franchise centered around characters from the Spider-Man comics.
43.4
Completed
Left 4 Dead Universe
Valve
Left 4 Dead Universe is a post-apocalyptic world centered around survival against zombie hordes.
42.6
Completed
The 5th Wave
Rick Yancey
Rick Yancey's three-novel YA science fiction series (2013–2016) structured around an alien invasion that proceeds in waves of increasing psychological sophistication: electromagnetic pulse, natural disaster, plague, infiltration (aliens in human bodies), and the 5th Wave (using humans to kill each other). Cassie Sullivan's survival and her relationships with Ben Parish and Evan Walker drive the narrative. The 2016 film adaptation was commercially disappointing.
42.4
Completed
No Straight Roads Universe
Metronomik
Metronomik's 2020 action-rhythm game set in Vinyl City — a utopian neon metropolis where NSR (No Straight Roads), an electronic music corporation, controls all entertainment, power, and culture. Indie rock duo Mayday (Zuki and Bunk Bed Junction) fight NSR's totalitarian music monopoly with rock, while each NSR artist is a distinct aesthetic and combat encounter. The game is a love letter to music-based storytelling.
41.3
Ongoing
Donkey Kong Universe
Nintendo
Nintendo's platformer franchise (1981–present) beginning with the original arcade game (Donkey Kong trying to rescue Lady from Mario) and evolving into the Donkey Kong Country series. DK and the Kongs defend Donkey Kong Island from the Kremlings (King K. Rool's crocodile army) and later the Snowmads. Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010) and Tropical Freeze (2014) are the modern peaks. The Kong family (Diddy, Dixie, Lanky, Tiny, Chunky, Funky) is the franchise's ensemble.
38.4
Ongoing
Insidious: The Further
James Wan
Insidious: The Further is a horror universe centered around supernatural themes and the exploration of the afterlife.
37.6
Completed
Tekwar Universe
William Shatner
The Tekwar Universe focuses on a future where technology and drug culture intersect dramatically.
36.0
Completed
The Witches
Robert Zemeckis
A dark fantasy universe focusing on witches and their sinister plots against children.
36.0
Ongoing
Charmed (2018)
Jennie Snyder Urman
Charmed (2018) is a reboot of the original series focusing on three sisters who discover their witch heritage.
32.5
Ongoing
Legacies
Julie Plec
Legacies is a supernatural drama series set in the Vampire Diaries universe.
31.1
Ongoing
Friday the 13th Universe
Sean S. Cunningham
The Friday the 13th Universe centers around the infamous character Jason Voorhees and the series of horror films depicting his gruesome rampages.
30.8
Ongoing
Alien Nation Universe
Rockne S. O'Bannon
Kenneth Johnson's SF universe beginning with the 1988 film: 300,000 Tenctonese ('Newcomers') arrive on Earth as escaped slaves, integrate into Los Angeles society, and face the same discrimination as any immigrant minority. Matthew Sikes (human detective) and George Francisco (Newcomer partner) form the franchise's central relationship. The TV series (1989–1990) is a superior expansion; five TV films (1994–1997) continued the story.
28.3
Ongoing
Independence Day Universe
Roland Emmerich & Dean Devlin
The Independence Day Universe explores an alien invasion of Earth and its aftermath.
25.6
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