The action genre gives players a taste of what it's like to shoot guns, swing swords, and be an all-around badass. But what are the best games the genre has to offer? Read on to find out Game8's list of the best action games of all time!
The Best Action Games of All Time
20. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
One of the most infamous FPS games of all time, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 took what was great about its predecessor and amped it up to 11 with thrilling set pieces, cool missions, and explosive gameplay. It also solidified trends in online shooters that CoD4: MW had established, such as killstreaks, perks, and class customization.
It’s no surprise that the game was one of the most critically-acclaimed back when it was released in 2009. That’s on top of bagging multiple awards from IGN, BAFTA, GameSpot, and Destructoid. If you play video games, then there’s a big chance you’ve played CoD MW2 at least once in your life.
19. Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V changed the game with its multiplayer mode, which remains so good that people still play it to this day. GTA V and its predecessor, GTA IV, are set in the franchise's canonical "HD Universe", a world separate from the "2D Universe" and "3D Universe" of previous titles. It introduced gamers to breathtaking High-Definition 3D graphics - a standard which few other games could only match back in 2013.
Building upon the improvements made in previous installments, GTA V raised the bar even higher by providing great movement and shooting mechanics. It is also the GTA title where the series' famous Heists game mode finally reached its full potential and players could build their very own criminal empires with friends online.
18. NieR: Automata
When NieR: Automata was released, the gaming community was in an uproar both because of its anime-inspired aesthetics, as well as its fast-paced gameplay. With vast stages and huge bosses, NieR: Automata’s story makes one question the nature of humanity while featuring great-looking waifus.
17. Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
Of all the directions the Metal Gear series could’ve gone, Metal Gear Rising Revengeance is certainly one of the strangest, with its emphasis on fast-paced sword fights, epic setpieces, and the ability to cut giant robots to shreds with your katana. But it works, and it works so beautifully well. If the iconic soundtrack wasn't already a good enough reason to grab it, then its gameplay should definitely convince you.
16. Oni
Oni was released by Bungie months before it got into the spotlight with the Halo and Destiny franchises, and just after they made the Marathon games in the 90s. While this anime-themed third-person shooter with an emphasis on hand-to-hand combat is largely forgotten, the polish of Bungie’s execution will remind you of why it shouldn’t have been.
The melee combat is the star of the show, with multiple combos, slide attacks, suplexes, and even spinning kicks straight out of Street Fighter. You can disarm enemies, and use their weapon against them immediately. The combat is fluid, and the enemies all have their own fighting styles, so you won’t get too complacent when fighting them.
15. The Cursed Crusade
The Cursed Crusade may just be the definition of "so bad, it’s good." It’s a budget title with many interesting ideas, like different weapon types, all sorts of weapon handling styles, and a medieval setting not many people are familiar with: the Fourth Crusade. It was a time when the Crusaders ended up sacking two Christian cities because they couldn’t afford to pay the Venetians for the boats they used. Yes.
Now mix that with the main character, other crusaders, and your enemies unleashing the forces of hell, and you’ve got yourself a hack-and-slash game that’s janky but wonderful. Also, it was published by Atlus. It might be why every notable character in this game has a devil trigger, making this game count as a medieval version of Devil May Cry. And with split-screen co-op, no less.
14. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is an action video game written as a revenge fantasy set in J.R.R Tolkein's Middle Earth. You are Talion, a ranger of Gondor whose entire family has been murdered by orcs. Though you've been slain as well, an Elven wraith revives you, before giving you the task of heading into Mordor to exact revenge. The game mixes the combat of the Batman: Arkham games and the stealth of Assassin’s Creed into a slash fest, where YOU are the monster the orcs should be watching out for, not the other way around.
The game was famous for its Nemesis system, where notable members of Sauron's army rise and fall within the Orc hierarchy as you progress through the game. Defeat these foes and you'll be rewarded with boosts to your attacks and abilities. If they defeat you, however, they will climb higher up in the ranks and become even more challenging adversaries. The sequel to the game, Shadow of War, took this system to a whole new level by introducing orc blood-brothers who seek revenge if the other one was killed by Talion.
13. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a game that took the gaming world by storm in 2017, featuring a wide open world where you, as Link, can climb, ride around in, and fight to your heart’s content. It's approach to open-world exploration, the scale of the world, as well as its dungeons and puzzles were what made it one of the Nintendo Switch’s top games. And rightly so, with nearly 30 million copies sold.
The game has also influenced a good number of other open-world action-adventure games, with the now world-famous gacha game "Genshin Impact" by MiHoYo being the best example.
12. Elden Ring
A genre-defining game that was a culmination of the game design FromSoftware has polished with the Dark Souls franchise. Elden Ring drops you in the middle of a huge explorable world where you have to figure everything out for yourself. The combat is harsh, but rewarding, and the sights from Limgrave to Liurnia of the Lakes, to the Royal Capital of Leyndell are breathtaking. If you want to get into Souls-like games, Elden Ring is one of the best to start with, as it’s also one of the more accessible FromSoft titles.
11.Bioshock
Bioshock is the game that put the "Immersive Sim" genre back on the map, taking players under the sea and to the ruined city of Rapture. Bioshock gave gamers good shooting gameplay, where they had to use powerful Plasmid powers like pyrokinesis as well as conventional firearms. It also featured a serious story that focuses on addiction, the costs of utopianism, and the eventual hypocrisy it results in.
The game would go on to spawn two more sequels and influence how other games, in both the horror and action genre, would present their stories. Though people may be tired of picking up audio logs these days, back when Bioshock was released, the mechanic was still a good way to give context to the game’s world. It was also one of the first times that its themes of Objectivism, Utopianism, and Third Way were discussed in depth in a video game.
10. Halo: Combat Evolved
Bungie’s famous Halo: Combat Evolved was the main reason to get an Xbox when it first came out in 2001. This was one of the first times players could seamlessly ride vehicles around expansive levels, while fragging enemies with a variety of weapon types and smooth gunplay.
Without the legacy of Halo, the fate of the Xbox would’ve been massively different, as Halo gave the new console the edge it needed to stay in the race against rival gaming giants, Sony and Nintendo. Just like CoD Modern Warfare 2, you would be hard-pressed to find a person who hasn’t played a Halo game at least once.
9. Ghost of Tsushima
2020’s Ghost of Tsushima combines complex action, open-world exploration, and eclectic visuals. Set in 1274, the dreaded Mongols have their eyes on conquering Japan - starting with the island of Tsushima. You are Jin, the last samurai of the Sakai clan on the island, and with your sword and bow skills, you will have to drive the Mongol invaders from your home, using stealth and tense but stylish standoffs.
8. Max Payne
One of the most influential shooters of the early 2000s, Max Payne is part crime thriller, part third-person shooter, and part psychological horror as well. It introduced "bullet time" shooting mechanics, where you dive through the air as bullets whizz past your head in slow motion. It also featured a variety of weapons, and had a very dark and gritty noir story, set during one of the harshest winters New York has ever seen.
This game was what put Remedy on the map as a developer, and influenced many other third-person shooters that would later implement similar bullet time mechanics.
7. Dark Souls
Though Demon Souls provided the foundation for the "Souls-like" genre many gamers would come to know and love, it was Dark Souls that perfected these mechanics and took them to the next level. In the land of Lordran, the Age of Fire is about to end, and you break out of an asylum to find out the true purpose behind why humanity has been cursed with undeath. The journey will bring you through the ruined land, and you’ll face off against its many denizens with nothing but your weapon, your wits, and maybe some magic.
Dark Souls received critical acclaim for its notoriously tough yet fair gameplay, which allowed players to employ both defensive and offensive tactics. Players had to be vigilant in watching their enemies, since they could only take a few hits before perishing, but they also needed to seize opportunities to strike and deliver the killing blow.
The game's non-linear world of Lordran also meant that players could find themselves wandering into areas where they were underpowered or unequipped to handle the challenges that awaited them.
6. Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry (DMC) may be one of the action genre’s most influential titles, as it was the first title of its kind where combat turned into a form of self-expression, allowing you to end your enemies with as much style as you wanted. The game began life as the fourth installment of the popular Resident Evil franchise, before it was spun off into a completely separate title.
If it weren’t for DMC, you wouldn’t have Bayonetta, you wouldn’t have the combat in Final Fantasy 16, and you wouldn’t have the game that is number one on our list. Though there was a disconnect between its static one-camera angle corridor exploration reminiscent of Resident Evil games and the flashy combat, DMC was still good enough to spawn a franchise that stands to this day.
5. Ninja Gaiden Black
If the PS2 had Devil May Cry, then the Xbox had Ninja Gaiden. The re-release of Ninja Gaiden called Ninja Gaiden Black
introduced new content such as the infamous "Ninja Dog" difficulty setting, enemies, costumes, and missions from the game's two "Hurricane Pack" expansions. Although Ninja Gaiden was already an excellent game on its own, Black is arguably its best version.
Ninja Gaiden Black differentiated itself from DMC by forcing players to use any means necessary to defeat their adversaries, since the enemies in the game would also employ underhanded tactics. The game featured a variety of combos and aerial attacks, with a brutal AI that constantly kept players on their toes. If players stayed still for too long, they were bound to get outmaneuvered and end up covered in claw scratches, sword slashes, or bullets. However, this doesn't mean that it was all chaos - Ninja Gaiden Black simply demanded a lot from the player's knowledge of protagonist Ryu Hayabusa's abilities.
4. God Hand
God Hand is a game about punching people. Yes, that’s all you need to know. Okay, a more accurate description would be "God Hand is a complex beat-em-up where you punch enemies into oblivion with your new super-powered hand, all while being funny as heck." The game is one of the deepest action games of all time, with tough enemies, and even tougher bosses. But if you take the time to learn the game’s combat, you will definitely be rewarded by being able to send your opponents flying, kick them with the "ball buster" and just be an overall badass.
It is definitely one of the best games to put on your bucket llist, along with the other games down this list. Also, fun fact: many of the people who worked at Clover Studio, the developers of God Hand, went on to work at PlatinumGames. So now you all know what game to thank for giving us Bayonetta, which is also a solid action game franchise in its own right.
3. Sekiro
Sekiro is famous for many reasons; some of them controversial. The difficulty, the parry mechanic, the platforming, and the grappling hook - they were all iconic for a game that came out in 2019 amongst a sea of other big name Japanese-themed titles, like Nioh. Because most players were used to rolling and dodging attacks in the Dark Souls games, Sekiro's difficulty became particularly infamous. To survive and thrive in the game world of Sekiro meant that players needed to master its parry system instead of relying on evasive maneuvers.
If you could master the parry system in this game, then victory was within your reach. Sounds simple enough, right? However, that couldn't be further from the truth because mastering it required hours of practice to perfect. But once you had it down pat, it was like being part of a graceful dance where your weapon deflects all of the boss's moves. Every deflection fills up the enemy's posture meter until it finally completely tops off, rendering them vulnerable to your one-hit Shinobi Deathblow.
2. Bloodborne
Regarded as one of the best Souls-like games, Bloodborne is a game where you’ll go from the highs of happiness over slaughtering yet another one of your prey, to the lows of depression after getting smashed for the umpteenth time by the boss. The game puts you in the shoes of an outsider who came to the city of Yharnam to be cured of a mysterious disease. But soon, you are forced to become a Hunter of the city’s deranged and mutated citizens.
The gameplay is similar to Dark Souls, but with one key difference: shields are rare. Instead, you’ll have to rely on your gun to stun your enemies before cleaving them with whatever blade you have on the other hand. You can also change combat styles, from your gun and sword combo to dual-wielded axes. These are perfect for getting a hit in before closing in on your opponent.
In Bloodborne, getting hit by an enemy doesn't mean that all hope is lost - if you could manage to attack swiftly after being struck by your foe, it was possible to regain your lost health and continue fighting.
1. Devil May Cry 3
Devil May Cry may have started the series, but Devil May Cry 3 is where the series reached new heights. The story was a marked improvement over the previous installment, DMC 2. It featured the interplay between Dante and his identical twin brother, Vergil. The conflict here between the two is one of the most compelling plots in the series.
But you don't play this game just for the story - you’re here for the non-stop action, the fearsome bosses (which include a carriage, a clown, and a whale), and the environments that range from a demon-infested city, that weird room with the upside-down stairs from the manga Berserk, and a (demonic) chessboard. You get a variety of weapons, multiple playstyles, hard enemies, and even harder bosses. And you fight these enemies all while looking good to the tune of a beautiful soundtrack.
Though it’s one of the hardest games in the series, it still has a fair combat system. You can clearly see the "tells" of your enemies, giving you the chance to dodge and then jump in to give them hell. If you’re looking for a challenge that’s also a treat for the eyes, DMC 3 is one of the best games you can play, even if its graphics are outdated by modern standards.
