Alice in Borderlandis a thriller television series based on a manga of the same name by author Haro Aso. The story differs from the manga but follows two individuals, played by Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya, who find themselves trappedin an abandoned Tokyoand forced to play challenging games or lose their lives. Viewers waiting for season three or looking for other series similar toAlice in Borderlandwill be pleased to know that they have a plethora of options available, many just a click away.
Updated June 23, 2025, By C.M Edwards:Television shows are growing more creative with the help of streaming services. More creative avenues and freedom allow for truly special stories to be told. More than ever, international shows are receiving more attention, opening up the possibility for incredible stories to have light shined on them. Alice In Borderland is a unique Japanese television series that follows a small group of friends who find themselves trapped in Tokyo, but the city is completely empty. Arisu and his friends must make it through the city alive while having to complete a series of challenges to get to the bottom of what is going on. There are dozens of shows that focus on strange and unexplained occurrences that drag unsuspecting people into twisted events is a style of narrative that almost anyone can be enthralled by. Sci-fi as a genre can take viewers todifferent dimensions, far away planets,or reduce the Earth’s population down to a small handful of people, here are some other series that will scratch the same sci-fi itch.
15The Peripheral
IMDB Score: 7.6
The Peripheralwas a break-out science fiction drama that took a virtual reality concept and mixed it with alternate realities. Chloe Martez starts in this mind-being journey as Flynne Fisher, an avid gamer stuck in a dead-end town with no prospects.
However, Flynne’s life changes forever when a mysterious package of a new advanced technology game ends up on her doorstep. Flynne takes a trip into the game’s virtual world and winds up a part of a perilous plot that could spell disaster for her and her family unless she plays the game and her cards perfectly.The Peripheralshares similar main characters, and both place them in a game that could be lethal if they play it wrong.
14Liar Game
IMDB Score: 8.0
Liar Gameis a Japanese drama that circles around a game that focuses on manipulation and deception to get ahead of other players. Radomlly, Nao is drafted into a tournament with a pot size of one hundred million. Unfortunately, being a young college student, she has no wits about her and is swindled instantly.
Now in debt of one hundred million, Nao aquires the aid aid of a con man to help her get her money back and win the game. The psychological thrill ofLiar Gameis perfectly crafted and pays close attention to the source material of the manga it is adapted from.
13The Future Diary
IMDB Score: 7.5
The Future Diaryis an anime adaptation where a small group of eccentric individuals are brought into a game of life and death by a mysterious, powerful being known as Dues Ex Machina. Yukiteru is a somewhat introverted young boy.
He becomes caught in the middle of the game as his life hangs in the balance, and he must win the game at all costs. Each contestant has a weapon at their disposal, Yuki’s being his phone that writes down everything he sees in the future. He also receives a powerful ally in a young girl named Yuno, who has been secretly stalking him. Yuno’s phone tells her everything that will happen to Yuki in the future. Together, they must outsmart the other psychopaths that seek to end their lives.
12Foundation
Foundationtakes to the starsand explores a galaxy-wide conflict quickly approaching, with only a small few able to do anything about it. The story follows a galactic empire ruled by three clones of the same ruler, Emperor Cleon, who segments his reign into age groups so that a younger and older version of himself always sits with him on the throne. These emperors enforce peace and subordination as far as the stars shine in the sky.
Things become chaotic when a scholar’s theory predicts not only the end of the emperor’s rule but the end of civilization as a whole. Instead of listening, the Cleons banish this scholar to the far reaches of the galaxy, where he begins to build a new society he calls “Foundation.“Foundationhas some of the best special effects in the business and great writing that makes full use of the spectacular cast involved. As an AppleTV exclusive,Foundationsets the standard for future series of the streaming service.
11Stranger Things
IMDB Score: 8.7
Stranger Thingsis a sensational series that has received worldwide praise for its unique story and strong fantasy and horror elements. When a group of socially challenged kids encounters a young girl who recently escaped from a secret facility, the kids are dragged into a plot that could spell disaster for their small town.
The depth of the series only grows as men in black, psychotic scientists, psychic powers, and interdimensional monsters become common occurrences, and these awkward and unprepared kids must try and get by on their own. Theseries' fifth and final seasonis quickly approaching, with the original cast returning to see this series through to the end.
10From
IMDB Score: 7.7
Fromtook viewers by surprise and quickly gathered a dedicated cult following for its nail-biting suspense and mystery-filled story. An average, everyday family on a road trip finds themselves trapped in a vagrant town, unable to leave.
While they are skeptical at first - as the locals try to convince them of the strange barrier around the town and the creatures that patrol the night - the family soon becomes believers as the bloodthirsty monsters make themselves known. As the family’s tensions run high, it quickly becomes apparent that the night is not the only thing to fear.Fromis a hair-raising series that makes excellent use of its mystery-box storytelling to get viewers binging its two seasons in anticipation of the next installment.
9The Purge
IMDB Score: 6.6
The originalPurgefilm launched an entire franchisethat spawned several films and even its own television series. The TV series takes place in the not-so-future version of the United States, where a barbaric new law allows for all crime to be legal for twenty-four hours.
Like most of the films, the show takes a close look at the innocent civilians who attempt to survive the purge and must rely on the kindness of strangers and their own wit in order to do so.The Purgeseries engages viewers with nail-biting suspense as several people try to evade the murder mobs that seek to have the best purge ever.
8Snowpiercer
IMDB Score: 6.9
The world has been forever changed and is shrouded in a never-ending snowstorm making life impossible. What’s left of the human race now resides on a modified train built to endure the harsh climate of ice and snow. Unfortunately, the brutal truths of the train are as petty as the real world, as classism rules over all with scarce resources and egomaniac socialites.
The poverty class of passengers is forced into the worst conditions, feeding off of each other just to stay alive. Being pushed to their limit, the have-nots decide to overthrow their betters and take over the train to redistribute the wealth.Snowpierceris the spinoff of the original film starring Chris Evans.
7Gantz
IMDB Score: 7.2
Gantzis a Japanese anime created by Hiroya Oku which explores a small group of deceased individuals who must complete tasks to make it back to the land of the living. Kei Kurona wakes up in a small room after saving a man from being hit by a train.
He and several other individuals are trapped in a small room and confused about how they got there but are soon told that they have died. Before the makeshift party can get their bearings, they are transported into Tokyo which has been infested by monsters and demons, and must kill their target or be killed in the process.
6Sweet Home
IMDB Score: 7.3
Sweet Homeis a high-octane Korean series that drops viewers into the sudden trauma of Cha Hyunb-soo, a young boy who has just lost his family and is now on his own during an apparent apocalypse-level event. He and a handful of residents become trapped inside their apartment complex as grotesque monsters invade the city and roam the streets slaughtering anything that moves.
Cha and the rest of the residents must do all they can to survive, while not losing themselves in the process.Sweet Homedelivers on action and drama, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats at every twist and turn.
