Movies like Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver (2017)
The best movies like Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver (2017) are Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (2007), Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008) and Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone (2014). If Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver hooked you with its action and adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGhost in the Shell (1995)7.9/10 from 4,139 votes
- NewestTV or The Disturbance on Forest Hill Road (2025)Released 2025
- In JapaneseGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (2007)Also in Japanese
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (2007)
The story takes place in the year 2034, two years after the events in Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG. Female cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi has left Public Security Section 9, an elite counter-terrorist and anti-crime unit specializing in cyber-warfare, which has expanded to a team of 20 field operatives with Togusa acting as the field lead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGhost in the Shell 2.0 (2008)
In the year 2029, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster'.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGhost in the Shell: Arise - Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone (2014)
The upcoming installment's story takes place amidst signs of postwar reconstruction in the winter of 2028. Tensions are rising in New Port City as demonstrations are held concerning the interests of foreign cartels. This leads to a shooting incident involving riot police. It all started with a cyberbrain infection released by the terrorist "Fire Starter." An independent offensive unit led by Makoto Kusanagi entrusts the suppression of the situation to their ghosts and aims for their own justice. Below the surface of the incident, lies the "tin girl" Emma and the "scarecrow man" Burinda Junior. As Kusanagi deals with the incident, she draws near to what those two ghosts were seeking.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhost in the Shell: Arise - Border 2: Ghost Whispers (2013)
Freed of her responsibilities with the 501 Organization, Motoko Kusanagi must now learn how to take orders from Aramaki. Someone hacks the Logicomas, and Batou enlists the help of former army intelligence officer Ishikawa and former air artillery expert Borma. Kusanagi also seeks to enlist ace sniper Saito and undercover cop Paz into the new Public Security Section 9.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGhost in the Shell: Arise - Border 1: Ghost Pain (2013)
The story is set in 2027, one year after the end of the fourth non-nuclear war. New Port City is still reeling from the war's aftermath when it suffers a bombing caused by a self-propelled mine. Then, a military member implicated in arms-dealing bribes is gunned down. During the investigation, Public Security Section's Daisuke Aramaki encounters Motoko Kusanagi, the cyborg, wizard-level hacker assigned to the military's 501st Secret Unit. Batou, a man with the "eye that does not sleep," suspects that Kusanagi is the one behind the bombing. The Niihama Prefectural Police detective Togusa is pursuing his own dual cases of the shooting death and a prostitute's murder. Motoko herself is being watched by the 501st Secret Unit's head Kurutsu and cyborg agents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAppleseed: Ex Machina (2007)
As members of ESWAT, the elite forces serving Olympus, Deunan and Briaereos are deployed anywhere trouble strikes. Olympus finds itself under a stealth attack - cyborg terrorism, deadly nanotech zealots, and rioting citizens are just some of the threats that Deunan must contend with as she fights to save Olympus!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man (2005)
The year is 2030 and six years have passed since a criminal known only as "The Laughing Man" swept through top medical nanotechnology firms committing acts of cyber-terrorism, kidnapping, and espionage leaving no known suspects. New information is revealed, as Section 9 enters the hunt for a suspect capable of unfathomable actions in this compilation of Stand Alone Complex content.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGenocidal Organ (2017)
The war on terror exploded, literally, the day Sarajevo was destroyed by a homemade nuclear device. The leading democracies transformed into total surveillance states, and the developing world has drowned under a wave of genocides. The mysterious American John Paul seems to be behind the collapse of the world system, and it's up to intelligence agent Clavis Shepherd to track John Paul across the wreckage of civilizations and to find the true heart of darkness—a genocidal organ.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAppleseed (1988)
In the futuristic city of Olympus, built on the ashes of the third world war, a police officer and her cyborg partner fight terrorism.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sustainable War (2021)
In the year 2045, after an economic disaster known as the Synchronized Global Default, rapid developments in AI propelled the world to enter a state of "Sustainable War". However, the public is not aware of the threat that AI has towards the human race. A compilation film with newly added footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhost in the Shell (1995)
In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPSYCHO-PASS: The Movie (2015)
In a futuristic Japan, the Sibyl System is charged with keeping the peace. When the state of SEAUn brings the Sibyl System in to test its effectiveness, it becomes a haven of peace and safety—for a time. Eventually, terrorists from SEAUn begin appearing in Japan, somehow slipping through the System's security and attacking from within. Desperate for answers, Inspector Akane Tsunemori is sent overseas to bring the terrorists to justice. But when her investigation forces her into a standoff with an old ally, will she be able to pull the trigger?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGhost in the Shell: Arise - Border 3: Ghost Tears (2014)
Posing as lovers on vacation, Motoko and Batou work to try to stop a terrorist organization whose symbol is the Scrasath. Meanwhile, Togusa investigates a murder of a man who possessed a prosthetic leg manufactured by the Mermaid's Leg corporation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like this009 Re:Cyborg (2012)
009 Re:Cyborg follows a group of nine cyborgs, each of them created by a shadowy organization for use as weapons against humanity. The group turns on their creators to protect the population instead, using the powers given them to fight their creators.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMardock Scramble: The First Compression (2010)
Rune Ballot is a down-and-out teen prostitute in Mardock City. One day, she's picked up by an ambitious casino manager named Shell who gives her everything she could want. Renewed by a false innocence, a false past, and now the false life Shell has given her, Ballot feels grateful. However, she can't help but be curious about why he's done so much for her, so she does some research about his past on a computer. This turns out to be a mistake which will change her life greatly. When Shell finds out what she's done, he attempts to burn her to death by blowing up her car.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHackers (1995)
Along with his new friends, a teenager who was arrested by the US Secret Service and banned from using a computer for writing a computer virus discovers a plot by a nefarious hacker, but they must use their computer skills to find the evidence while being pursued by the Secret Service and the evil computer genius behind the virus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG - Individual Eleven (2006)
The year is 2030, and an influx of refuges have effortlessly transformed themselves into a terrorist organization known as the "Individual Eleven." With a sadistic intent of mass destruction, will they triumph in victory or discover the gloomy pitfalls of defeat?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGhost in the Shell: The New Movie (2015)
When a ghost-infecting virus known as Fire-Starter begins spreading through the system resulting in the assassination of the Japanese Prime Minister, Major Motoko Kusanagi and her elite team of special operatives are called in to track down its source.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAltered Carbon: Resleeved (2020)
On the planet Latimer, Takeshi Kovacs must protect a tattooist while investigating the death of a yakuza boss alongside a no-nonsense CTAC.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Signal (2014)
On a road trip, Nic and two friends are drawn to an isolated area by a computer genius. When everything suddenly goes dark, Nic regains consciousness – only to find himself in a waking nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBabylon A.D. (2008)
A veteran-turned-mercenary is hired to take a young woman with a secret from post-apocalyptic Eastern Europe to New York City.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisKamen Rider Ex-Aid the Movie: True Ending (2017)
An evil ninja Rider, Kamen Rider Fuma, appears from the virtual reality world in an effort to conquer Earth! It is up to the CR Riders to use the power of virtual reality gaming to save a young girl’s life and stop the evil plans of Machina Vision CEO Johnny Maxima before the Bugster Virus infects all of humanity!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
TV or The Disturbance on Forest Hill Road (2025)
Six-year-old Diego exceeds his screen time and ends up with square eyes. This triggers a series of mysterious phenomena, seeping through various screens in the apartment building. When police officers Kim and Mike arrive to investigate a noise complaint, they find themselves in a chaotic mix of realities and must face off against fictional threats come to life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & crime
2048: Nowhere to Run (2017)
“2048: Nowhere to Run” takes place one year before the events of Blade Runner 2049. The short film focuses on Sapper, a man who is trying to make it through life day-by-day without turning back to his old ways. We’re introduced to both the gentle nature of Sapper and the violence he’s capable of when set off.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZëiram (1991)
Teppei and Kamiya, two average joes working in the electronic services industry, stumble upon the intergalactic bounty-hunter Ilia, and her partner, the artificial intelligence named Bob. Both men are accidentally transported to the Zone, a virtual reality in which Bob has trapped Ilia's latest prey, a biological weapon named Zeiram. The Earth natives must both survive the experience and help Ilia capture Zeiram before the Zone disappears around them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & action
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam - A New Translation III: Love is the Pulse of the Stars (2006)
Universal Century 0087, Char Aznable has now become the leader of the AEUG. Scirocco, the man from Jupiter, schemes to seize control of the Titans. Haman, the Axis leader, is attempting to restore the Zabi family. Through politics and strategy, these three powers struggle for dominion over the Earth Sphere. The war builds to a deadly endgame around the space colony Gryps 2, which has been converted into a giant laser cannon. What destiny awaits Kamille at the end of the conflict? This is the final part of the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam feature trilogy, which features enhanced animation and theme songs by GACKT.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & animation
The Creator (2023)
Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war—and mankind itself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
Worth the HypeMovies like this20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916)
Captain Nemo has built a fantastic submarine for his mission of revenge. He has traveled over 20,000 leagues in search of Charles Denver - a man who caused the death of Princess Daaker. Seeing what he had done, Denver took the daughter to his yacht and sailed away.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJudge Dredd (1995)
In a dystopian future where Judges maintain law and order by acting as judge, jury, and executioner, Dredd fights to prove his innocence after being falsely accused of murder.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisSexmission (1984)
Two scientists are chosen as guinea pigs for a time experiment: they are placed in hibernation and should be brought back to life after three years. In the meantime, however, World War III breaks out and life has been wiped off the surface of Earth. When they wake up, it turns out that not only 50 years have passed but also that they are the only living specimens of the male sex in a new, underground society composed exclusively of women.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver?
The closest matches to Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver are Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (2007), Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008) and Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver?
Start with Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (2007), the closest match to Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver.
What is the highest-rated movie like Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver?
Ghost in the Shell (1995), rated 7.9/10 by 4,139 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver?
TV or The Disturbance on Forest Hill Road (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver?
Yes: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (2007), Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008) and Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone (2014).
How are movies similar to Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Ghost in the Shell: Virtual Reality Diver, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.