When you think about it, it’s strange that we don’t have more options for the best Batman games. The Caped Crusader seems naturally a good fit for video game adaptations, considering his two most notable skills: fighting bad guys, hiding in the shadows and solving complex puzzles. However, while Batman has starred in some real fail characters over the years, he’s had a few great games attached to his name as well.
With that in mind, Tom’s Guide has rounded up the best Batman games – with a few qualifiers, just to keep things interesting.
First, we’ve outlined the list for the fare you can play on modern consoles, although there are a few excellent retro Batman games if you want to explore your old SNES. We’ve also tried to limit the number of games from any individual subsets, otherwise half of this list would just be Batman: Arkham games. (Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Knight aren’t great; they’re still worth playing for Dark Knight fans.)
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Batman: Arkham Asylum
After years of disappointing mods, Batman: Arkham Asylum is the game that brought the Caped Crusader back to the gaming front. For those who haven’t played it, Arkham Asylum is a 3D Metroidvania, in which Batman finds himself trapped – you guessed it – Arkham Asylum, along with his fellow assassins.
With plenty of environments to explore, puzzles to solve and villains to fight, Arkham Asylum was one of the first titles that felt like a Batman game, and not just an action game where you play as Batman. Arkham Asylum’s rhythmic combat and tight stealth mechanics have continued to influence an entire generation of action games.
Batman City
While Batman: Arkham City is not quite as narrow as Arkham Asylum, the scope of the game is much greater. Rather than just a single building complex, Arkham City allows Batman to explore a large part of Gotham City on an open-world adventure. The roster of villains this time around is particularly impressive, featuring unforgettable boss fights with fan favorites like Mr. Freeze, Ra’s Al Ghul, and Clives. You can even play Catwoman on an extended companion mission. Arkham City isn’t just one of the best Batman games; It is arguably one of the best open world games, thanks to its excellent combat and an interesting variety of side quests.
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate
At the risk of including another Arkham game, we have to give Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate a shout out to at least try something different. Unlike other Arkham games, Origins Blackgate is a 2D Metroidvania game. Although they were very popular on NES and SNES, Batman side scrollers are very rare these days. As the title suggests, Batman explores Black Gate Prison in this one, facing Black Mask, Penguin, Solomon Grundy, and a few other familiar foes along the way. The game isn’t particularly long or challenging, but it’s a nice change of pace from the more complex 3D Arkham games.
Batman: The Telltale Series
Who knew Batman would do so well in a point-and-click adventure game? Batman: The Telltale Series Exactly what is written on the tin, allowing you to control Batman in typical Telltale game format. For those who haven’t played Telltale, this means plenty of dialogue options, simple puzzles, and fast-paced action scenes. Like other Telltale games, your decisions also have a huge impact on the narrative – and the narrative here is excellent. The game introduces a new villain, Lady Arkham, but you’ll also have to choose how you interact with Two-Face, Catwoman, Penguin, and a handful of other primary opponents.
Batman: The Enemy Within
Batman: The Telltale series pioneered an interesting formula for the Dark Knight, but Batman: The Enemy Inside perfected it. This sequel to Telltale’s first series casts you as Batman/Bruce Wayne once again, and you’ll spend a lot of time playing both. This time, the game raises the roster of villains, including appearances from The Riddler, Bane, Mr. Freeze and Harley Quinn. However, the unique development of the game is that while everything leads to a confrontation with the Joker, you can define your relationship with him completely before that. Depending on your choices, Bruce and the Joker could be bitter enemies, former friends, or anything in between.
DC Universe Online
While the DC Universe Online isn’t just a Batman game, the Dark Knight plays a big part in it. In this online multiplayer role-playing game, you will create your own superhero and set out in a huge and detailed world based on the continuity of DC comics. If you create a hero who is well aligned with tech-based powers, Batman acts as your mentor during the game, giving you missions and helping you develop your abilities as you go. It also plays a pivotal role in the game’s main story, which includes a loose alliance of heroes and villains, all trying to prevent the future as the Brainiac invaded Earth.
Gotham Knights
To be strictly fair, Gotham Knights might just be an extension of the best Batman games. But the Gotham Knights review was more positive than negative, citing the game’s satisfying gameplay, diverse heroes, and detailed take on Gotham City. The premise this time around is that Batman is dead, and it’s up to his four companions – Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl and Robin – to protect Gotham City in his wake.
The structure of the game can get tricky, and the story doesn’t make the most of its creative premise. But there’s still enough goodies in the game to be worth a look, including transmissions that let you take on Clayface, Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze and more.
Injustice gods among us
Injustice: Gods Of Us is arguably a general DC comics game, but Batman plays a pivotal (perhaps… The pivotal role) in the story. This fighting game pits a roster of DC superheroes and supervillains against copies of themselves from a parallel universe, where Superman is a tyrant and the Justice League has disintegrated. Batman, Joker, and Harley Quinn all play respectable roles in the main story, and you can also play Catwoman, Deathstroke, Batgirl, Bane, and Nightwing. The combat system is satisfactory and friendly, which means that even beginners in the fighting game can try this out.
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
There have been a few Lego Batman games, and they’re all good at least. But the best of the bunch is Lego Batman 2: Super Heroes. While the first game told the “Batman fights villains” story by heart, Lego Batman 2 expands on the concept with a full cast of characters, a more ambitious narrative and the inclusion of the entire Justice League. Like most Lego franchises, Lego Batman 2 is a co-op action/adventure game simple enough for kids to pick up, but deep enough to keep their parents entertained as well.
MultiVersus
It’s probably cheating to include MultiVersus, since it’s not technically a Batman game – or even a DC game. But this free-to-play brawler is too much fun to ignore. Just as Super Smash Bros. combined all of Nintendo’s disparate franchises into a four-person fighting game, MultiVersus delves deeper into the Warner Bros. catalog. That means you can pit Batman against Bugs Bunny, Shaggy from Scooby-Doo and Arya Stark – and yet, somehow, The whole thing seems cohesive. With instant magnetic art style and surprisingly balanced gameplay, MultiVersus has a lot to offer, especially since it doesn’t cost anything to play the game, and the microtransactions feel fair, with those things going.
