MrBeast, James Patterson reveal release for Hunger Games-like thriller
Overview & Key Takeaways
Jimmy Donaldson's Beast Games becomes dystopian real life in this weird book coming September 2026
Just before the end of summer, MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) will join an illustrious group that includes Oscar-winner Viola Davis, 10-time Grammy winner Dolly Parton, and former President Bill Clinton. Yes, Donaldson has co-written his first book with James Patterson, the workhorse thriller writer who, much like MrBeast, relies on an army of collaborators to help complete outlandish tasks and make tons of money in the process.
The Most Dangerous Games, arriving on Sept. 1 and described by publisher HarperCollins as “the book event of the year,” imagines MrBeast’s YouTube stunt empire as an even more dystopian social construct. Here’s the synopsis:
In a world on the brink of collapse, one hundred players face off in a ruthless, high-stakes competition with everything on the line. The reward? The chance to save humanity — and one billion dollars. The stakes couldn't be higher. Across brutal environments and relentless challenges, players are pushed beyond every limit as the stakes escalate — and survival becomes the only rule.
High-stakes competition? Brutal environments? Relentless challenges? Based on reports from the set of Beast Games, and the litany of lawsuits filed against the YouTube creator over the last three years, Donaldson and Patterson’s spin on The Running Man or The Hunger Games doesn’t sound too far off from the real thing.
The one thing readers can be sure about is that, unlike most books, The Most Dangerous Games won’t suck. As Donaldson puts it in the announcement around his cover and release date reveal:
Growing up, I thought books were boring. As I got into my 20s I realized I was just reading the wrong books and they can be exciting if it’s the right match. Writing this book with James – who’s literally one of the greatest storytellers on the planet – was an opportunity to create a story that I would've been obsessed with as a kid. I wanted to make something that would draw young people in and get a whole generation psyched about reading again. I think we pulled it off, and I’m so proud of what we made. I hope our fans love it.
Honestly, Patterson might be the perfect writing partner for Donaldson, whose relentless chase of fame and success also makes him a prolific creator. Similarly, Patterson manages to write anywhere from 10-20 books a year. How? In a recent GQ interview, the author admitted he typically starts projects by writing exhaustive 50- to 70-page outlines, then hands them off to a network of co-authors who flesh out the manuscripts while he acts as a hands-on editor, reviewing pages every few weeks, shaping tone, pacing, and plot along the way.
It’s unclear how the relationship between Patterson and Donaldson worked on The Most Dangerous Games, but based on how MrBeast feels about books, uh, Patterson may have done more of the writing. But Donaldson had ideas.
“Jimmy Donaldson and I had a clear mission for The Most Dangerous Games: to create the most spellbinding, surprising, and exciting thriller we could to delight our fans,” Patterson added in a statement. “Jimmy has the best storytelling instincts of anyone I’ve worked with, and we had a great time working in collaboration, going back and forth with ideas, making the novel better and better every step of the way.”
What happens when one million young people are trapped on a Labor Day vacation with their parents who provide them with nothing but Feastables and a copy of The Most Dangerous Games? Find out this summer!
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Jimmy Donaldson's new YouTube videos are inspired by his Amazon TV show and he now constantly encourages you to go watch that instead
