12 Brilliant Books That Resemble Ready Player One

Almost all of you must have read Ready Player One, which is obviously why you are here. Or it may be possible that you’ve seen the movie adaptation of this book by Stephen Spielberg. But either way, I bet you found it awesome and seek other such books like ready player one. I’ve followed the work of Ernest Cline for quite a while and it has amazed me which is why I think everyone fell in love with it.

Ready Player One is an awesome book that revolves around a guy named Wade Watts who is a gamer. He plays a virtual reality game to search for an Easter Egg which will help him claim the fortune of the creator of this game. The storyline of the book is set in the year 2045 in dystopia. 

The author is obviously a great screenwriter and his experience in writing is what fascinates people the most as he mostly writes novels that are based on video gaming and thus his fandom is justified because of the fact that a lot of people like his books from the first few pages itself. This is why people look for books that are similar to this one and I have a list for such books right here.

12 Best Books Like Ready Player One To Read:

#1. Warcross

Warcross: Books Like Ready Player One

This book is written by Marie Lu. And if you liked the concept of Ready Player One then this book will rock your world instead. This is another book that offers a storyline revolving around a game that takes the player to virtual reality and as it is said in the book it is “a way of life” and not just some online game. The name of our protagonist in this book is Emika Chen.

Emika is a bounty hunter who is also a teenage hacker and she goes after those players who illegally bet on the game. Now, since she wishes to make some fast money through this bounty hunting business, Emika tries hacking into an opening game. This game was of the international Warcross Championship in which she glitches herself by an accident into action and then becomes a sensation overnight.

#2. The Impossible Fortress

The Impossible Fortress

This book is written by Jason Rekulak. It is the debut novel of this author but it is still pretty great to read. I don’t think underestimating this book is a good idea because it can give you the exact storyline that you were looking for all along. It also takes a nostalgic approach like Ready Player One so the resemblance might attract you.

A lot of people describe it as a love letter to the nerds all around the world and the 1980s. It has almost all the cool references from the 1980s and would make anyone excited. And this throwback to the 1980s goes on a story of young love and friendship and the sweetness of this story would make the reader feel like falling in love.

#3. Snow Crash

Snow Crash

This book is written by Neal Stephenson. And this is the book with the utmost resemblance with Ready Player One because it falls under the genre of a Sci-Fi cyberpunk book and gives a story that might bring you to your knees. The protagonist in this book goes by the name Hiro Protagonist which is quite an interesting fact to know.

Hiro is a Pizza Delivery boy which means he doesn’t mean squat to anybody in the real world but as he enters the world of the metaverse, he becomes a warrior prince. The way everything proceeds is pretty interesting in the book. The views of the author into the future of virtual reality and America is admirable.

#4. Ender’s Game

Ender’s Game

This book is written by Orson Scott Card. And I would really recommend diving into this one because it will be lovely for you to go through. Missing this book isn’t a good idea if you love books and that too the ones like Ready Player One. The protagonist of this book goes by the name Ender Wiggin.

A lot of children like him have been trained to take out an alien species that resembles insectoids, called “buggers”. This is done with the help of a game which becomes more and more difficult as the age of the child proceeds. The concept is pretty appealing and it will definitely be of great use to any reader. The way our protagonist turns into a war genius through development is pretty interesting to witness.

#5. Only You Can Save Mankind

Only You Can Save Mankind

This book is written by Terry Pratchett. And it is another book that accommodates games along with aliens. It is the first book out of the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy by the author. This simply indicates that the protagonist of this book goes by the name Johnny Maxwell. The book has an insightful plot which is appreciated by a lot of its viewers.

While playing a game, Johnny sets a new high score and sees that the aliens aren’t dying. And he then gets a message with contents that: “We surrender. We wish to talk.” This is quite confusing to Johnny and the way the story proceeds is quite attractive to witness. This also fulfills the intent of nostalgia as it is set during the first Gulf War.

#6. Moxyland

Moxyland

This book is written by Lauren Beukes. The storyline of Ready Player One is set in the futuristic world in Dystopia and similarly, this book also allows the reader to witness a futuristic setting of the world. It is set in Cape Town, South Africa and provides a pretty futuristic version of it. This book interestingly has four protagonists.

Amongst them are Lerato who is an ambitious person suffering from AIDS, Kendra who is an art-school dropout who gets latched into a nanotech marketing program, Toby who is a roguish blogger figure out that the video games that he plays for money have a lot more to them and Tendeka who is an activist who is becoming rabid increasingly. The plot is thick and the accommodation of the four characters into the book is executed quite brilliantly.

#7. The Automatic Detective

The Automatic Detective

This book is written by A. Lee Martinez. And I think it is quite evident from the title itself that this book is about a detective who is a robot. The book tries to point out the problems that are faced by Mack Megatron as a robot in the high tech Empire City. He just wishes to gain citizenship and thus wants to prove himself.

Now it gets really complicated for him to do his job as he starts with the investigation of a case of missing humans. The book is less about gaming and concentrates more on the controversial topics of government conspiracies and world-building. The way the story turns out is pretty marvelous to witness so it is one of the books that are highly recommended by me.

#8. Insignia

Insignia

This book is written by S. J. Kincaid. It is also the part of a series and that too it is the pilot book of it. It isn’t really the best for a fan of Ready Player One but is really great for any fan of another book in this series, Ender’s Game. This book is on the list due to Ender’s Game but is really worth reading because Ender’s Game resembles Ready Player One.

The book is based on a character that goes by the name Tom Raines. It is set in a reality where the world is being attacked by aliens and the planet’s resources are over. The whole world is fighting a losing battle but our protagonist is the last chance for humanity to be saved. He is fourteen years old and has powerful skills when it comes to reality gaming which is why he is great behind the joystick for the battle drones.

#9. Dark Matter

Dark Matter

This book is written by Blake Crouch. It works on the concept of alternate timelines rather than concentrating on the futuristic worlds that resemble Ready Player One but it will still be admirable to the ones who liked Ready Player One. I think the alternate universes discusses in both the books are quite the same concept excluding the fact that one is real and the other is virtual.

It revolves around the life of Jason Dessen who is kidnapped and later pushed to a world that is a lot like his own. But as he strolls through, he finds out that another version of him exists in this world who has designed a box that helps people in traveling through the multiverse. It is a book that might give you insightful ideas and might make you ask questions that are more important than anything else.

#10. The Running Man

The Running Man

This book is written by Stephen King. And the name of Stephen King on itself brings in a lot of credibility to the book. This is obviously one of the best novels that can be included in this list because the work of the author is admirable and the way his stories work out is a pretty fascinating sight. It is set in a future time in dystopia.

It paints a picture where poor people aren’t treated as human beings and rather pawns for that matter. It revolves around the story of Ben Richards who has to enlist in a game based on reality survival just to pay for his daughter’s treatment and to keep her alive. The game is pretty dangerous as the only thing you need to concentrate on is to stay alive and survive.

#11. Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life

This book is written by Bryan Lee O’Malley. It is somewhat considered as a comic book which is part of a series and honestly, I would recommend you read the whole series of this because of the fun it can provide you. It revolves around a guy named Scott Pilgrim.

This guy is 23 years old and lives in Canada. He plays in a band and a girl from high school. The story hits a checkpoint when Scott meets Ramona Flowers who is a rollerblading delivery girl. But in order to win her heart, Scott will have to fight off all the seven ex-boyfriends of Ramona which is what might be a lethal thing for him.

#12. Feed

Feed

This book is written by M. T. Anderson. A lot of people might confuse this to the Feed of the zombie book series written by Mira Grant but this is a different book than that. It provides some great insights into the storyline and the way the plot appeals to the reader is commendable.

It revolves around a boy named Titus who madly and deeply wants a girl named Violet. In this book, people have the ability to connect to the internet with the help of the feeds implanted in their brains. This means that they turn a bit robotic and if a hacker tries to control a group of teenage kids, then there might turn out to be some adverse effects to be faced.

I hope I was helpful in providing you a list of books that are similar to Ready Player One. I personally feel that if you’ve liked Ready Player One then each of these books in the list will excite you to quite an extent. If the content was helpful, please drop a comment below or leave a like on the post.

Scroll to Top