Everyone knows that the best food comes from video games. Not only does the food add to the setting and draw you into the world of the game, but it also looks good enough to take out of the screen and jam it into your mouth. They don’t even need to be complicated meals — emmental cheese and wheat bread from Pentiment and the sandwiches from Starfield, are some of the most delicious-looking foods, and recreating them in real life doesn’t even require an oven.
But some foods are much harder to make, and often, you’ll need a cookbook for recipes like the sweet rolls from The Elder Scrolls or the ratatouille from Disney Dreamlight Valley.
But with these video game cookbooks, you can cook, eat, and savour the culinary delights of your favourite video game worlds in between rounds of Fortnite.
Sonic The Hedgehog
If you’ve gotta go fast, this cookbook is full of speedy, Sonic-inspired recipes for fans of the blue hedgehog and his friends (and enemies).
It will feature over 50 recipes, including doughnuts, waffles, onion rings, and, of course, “The Perfect Chili Dog”.
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Official Cookbook is currently available for preorder, with an expected release date of December 13, 2023.
You can preorder it here:
Stardew Valley
The life-farming sim that has shaped a generation is finally getting its own cookbook. Stardew Valley developer, ConcernedApe, announced the book in August, with a May 2024 release date.
It will feature over 50 recipes from the video game, so you can finally bring your favourite meals from Stardew Valley to the dinner table.
You can preorder The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook here:
Minecraft
Building is hard work and after spending all day recreating something along the lines of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, you deserve a little treat. The official Minecraft gaming cookbook is jam-packed with recipes inspired by the video game that you can make with food you don’t have to forage for.
Inside, you’ll be able to recreate the notorious suspicious stew (which is surprisingly more nutritious than it sounds), but you’ll also be able to make slimeball tea and “inventory bread”. Quite a few of the recipes are, unsurprisingly, cube-shaped – from the clay fudge to The Cake, and all much more delicious than they sound.
Buy Minecraft: Gather, Cook, Eat! Official Cookbook here:
God of War: Ragnarok
If you’ve played God of War: Ragnarok, you’ve probably noticed that food takes a more prominent role in this game compared to previous ones. Kratos, Atreus, Brok and Sindri love to gather round and share a meal of Brok’s “sausages”, but it’s not nearly as delicious as Tyr’s homemade stew. With the Norse God of War’s guidance, you can learn his culinary tips and tricks with this official cookbook.
Containing recipes from the nine realms features in the video game, you’ll learn how to make everything from a hearty Dwarven meal Brok likes to call “Freakin’ Gratitude” to Asgard’s Wild Boar Ragu. Honestly, all we can think about is the idea of Kratos leaning over a spit while Atreus grills asking, “How will I know its ready?” and Kratos grumbles back, “Keep turning, boy.”
Buy God of War: The Official Cookbook of the Nine Realms here:
Halo
While we never witness Master Chief take a bite of food throughout any of the Halo video games (probably because we never see him remove his helmet), it’s fun to imagine the kinds of foods our favourite Spartan demolishes when he’s not battling The Flood.
This official Halo gaming cookbook is jam-packed with stellar recipes from across the galaxy, from Enzo Churrascaria’s won-tons to UNSC’s hot chocolate. Thank god, it’s not the military gruel we expected. Although, there are a few interesting dishes including tuna gyros, spadehorn bits from a vending machine (?) and a hot dog dinner.
Buy The Official Halo Cookbook here:
Final Fantasy
A must-have for any Final Fantasy fan, this gaming cookbook includes over 70 delectable recipes from Hydaelen through to Norvrandt.
You can start your day with a Farmer’s Breakfast, savour the Knight’s Bread of Coerthas or even dive into La Noscea’s Rolanberry Cheesecake.
The recipes are also categorised by meal times, so you can quickly flick through breakfast, dinner, and lunch sections if you’re stuck for ideas.
Buy The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook: The Essential Culinarian Guide to Hydaelyn here:
Dungeons & Dragons
From the D&D experts behind Dungeons & Dragons: Art & Arcana comes 80 incredible recipes from the imaginary worlds you dream of in your garage.
Heroes’ Feast contains meals for both solo travellers or a ragtag team of unlikely companions. Inside you’ll find hearty vegetarian, meaty and fishy mains including Elven bread, Drow mushroom steaks and Otik’s famous fried spice potatoes. No D&D campaign would be complete without a tavern visit, and there’s even a tasty selection of dessert cocktails, such as Evermead, Goodberry Blend and The Potion of Restoration.
Buy Heroes’ Feast (Dungeons & Dragons): The Official D&D Cookbook here:
Destiny
Following the events of the Red War, Eva Levante has travelled the world compiling a variety of recipes from the Guardians to share with you in this delightful Destiny-themed cookbook.
Inspired by Bungie’s hit franchise, you’ll find out how to cook Gjallardoodles, the Tower’s spicy ramen and the Reveler’s Tonic.
Buy Destiny: The Official Cookbook here:
World of Warcraft
Get ready to feast on a Briartini, Quiethounds, Arden Apple Pie and more in this officially licensed video game cookbook. Compiled by Pandaren chef Nomi, World of Warcraft: Flavors of Azeroth will bring you the flavours of WoW with regional techniques and recipes from Pandaria to the Broken Isles and even the Shadowlands.
Buy World of Warcraft: Flavors of Azeroth: The Official Cookbook here:
Fallout
Have you ever wanted to recreate the irradiated delicacies from Fallout, such as the Nuka-Cola, BlamCo Mac & Cheese or Braised Death Claw Steak? Well, now you can with this gaming cookbook.
In Fallout: The Vault Dweller’s Official Cookbook, you can follow chef Victoria Rosenthal’s detailed recipes to give your real-life stats a major boost minus the radiation damage.
Buy Fallout The Vault Dweller’s Official Cookbook here:
The Elder Scrolls
Let’s be real – most of you are only going to buy this cookbook so you can try to recreate a plate of one very specific video game food: those gods-damned sweet rolls.
But that’s not the only Elder Scrolls delicacy you should be eyeing inside this video game cookbook. From across the nine lands of Tamriel, this gaming cookbook contains recipes for the Imperial’s mushroom sauce, Morrowind’s saltrice porridge to the Breton’s sunlight soufflé.
Best to keep these recipes to yourself though. Just in case the Dark Brotherhood tries to eliminate you like they did with the last Gourmet.
Buy The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook here:
Overwatch
Look at how glorious that sundae is. Look at it. Does your mouth not salivate gazing upon its frozen glory?
The sundae pictured above is a celebration of Efi Oladele’s most notable robotic achievement thus far — the reconfigured OR15 defense robot, Orisa. However, if desserts don’t tickle your fancy, a Valkyrie’s Flight (a floral alcoholic concotion) will go down much easier in the evenings than sticking to your juice cleanse ever will. But if you want to indulge in these recipes inspired by the game’s much-loved heroes, you’ll have to buy Overwatch: The Official Cookbook.
Buy Overwatch: The Official Cookbook here:
Street Fighter
From the food stalls of Japan to Spanish tapas, this official cookbook features diverse flavour fusions inspired by all of your favourite fighters.
Join Sakura Kasugano on her journey across the world as she reunites with characters from every iteration of Capcom’s hit Street Fighter series. Inside this gaming cookbook, you’ll find a recipe for Ken’s spaghetti carbonara, E. Honda’s chanko nabe and Jimmy’s platanos maduros.
Buy Street Fighter: The Official Street Food Cookbook here:
Pokémon
Pokémon has got to have some of the most scrumptious-looking food out of all the video games. With this gaming cookbook, you can now recreate some Instagram-worthy lunchboxes with these adorable Pokémon-inspired recipes.
From a Pokeball sushi roll to Pikachu ramen and mashed Meowth potatoes, you’ll find a bunch of delectable dishes that you can make with your kids.
Buy The Pokémon Cookbook: Easy & Fun Recipes here:
Legend Of Zelda
This unofficial Legend of Zelda cookbook features a whopping 195 recipes to restore your hearts and your bellies that will transport you straight to the video game world. It also happens to include 125 vegan and 150 gluten-free dishes, so that no adventurer will get left behind.
Unlike other pop culture or gaming cookbooks, this one is split up into set menus from the Hylian Royal class to a menu for the Sheikah Clan. But remember, it’s dangerous to eat alone, so make sure you share all of your delicious dishes with a friend.
Buy The Unofficial Legend Of Zelda Cookbook here:
Assassin’s Creed
This Assassin’s Creed-inspired cookbook includes 40 different recipes across the various times, countries and cultures explored by the video game franchise.
There are recipes from Victorian England, the Italian Renaissance and the French Revolution, so you can satisfy the palate of any assassin.
Buy Assassins Creed: The Culinary Codex here:
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