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What are the best Batman games? Well, there a no shortage of contenders to choose from, because when you think about it Batman is the perfect video game protagonist. Bruce Wayne’s crime-fighting alter-ego excels at acrobatic hand-to-hand combat, of course, but he also has access to a wealth of high-tech gadgets and, beneath the cowl, is a detective at his core. Take all of this into account, and you have the blueprint for a decent adaptation of DC Comics’ so-called Caped Crusader.
Over the years, there have been dozens of takes on the Dark Knight, from the PS1 era movie tie-ins all the way through to Rocksteady’s critically acclaimed action adventures. Not every instalment has hit the highs of Wayne Enterprises, with many of the earlier attempts being particularly mixed, but more recently Batman has found success in LEGO and even fighting game form, with the Injustice series being a notable example.
On this page we’ve included a list of the best Batman games, from his early origins on PS1 all the way through to his more contemporary encounters on PS5. If you want to settle down with the Dark Knight for a drizzly romp through Gotham City, then we’ve compiled all of his best PlayStation encounters in one place. This list is ordered based on your personal ratings, so if you’d like to have your own say, feel free to click the star next to any of the games’ names to add your score.
To reiterate, if you disagree with the order, then it’s up to you to have your say: this list will evolve and dynamically reorder over time based on your votes, meaning this is a live representation of the best Batman games. Do you agree with the list or not? Don’t be Two-Faced: let us know which title is a masterpiece and which is a Joker for scoring so high. There’s no Riddler here: it’s all up to you.
Best PlayStation Games by Series
23. Batman: Gotham City Racer (PS1)
Rather than a third-person action game, Batman: Gotham City Racer takes place entirely in the Batmobile. Inspired by animated television series Batman The New Adventures – with cut-scenes based on clips taken directly from the show – this PS1 title focuses more on point-to-point time trials in an open world Gotham City, as opposed to outright racing. It results in a less exciting overall package than the name may indicate, but the polygonal visuals are at least impressive – even if the city setting feels empty and languishes through a ridiculous number of loading screens.
22. Batman & Robin (PS1)
George Clooney was Batman in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, which is one of the most embarrassing attempts at bringing the Dark Knight to the big screen. This video game tie-in, though, dated as it is, is unbelievably ambitious for the era: an open world Gotham City awaits, which you can explore both on-foot and in the Batmobile as you please. The visuals are surprisingly impressive for the era, and while the gameplay is unpolished and ancient today, you have to at least respect the effort on display here.
21. Batman Forever: The Arcade Game (PS1)
Batman Forever, the 1995 movie released after the Tim Burton films, starring Val Kilmer as the Caped Crusader and Jim Carrey as the Riddler, is largely ridiculed today. Heck, it was panned at the time, too – and is largely regarded as one of the worst superhero movies of all time. This Acclaim tie-in, developed during Mortal Kombat’s heyday with a similar visual style, isn’t particularly great either. It’s a Streets of Rage knock-off with some neat set-piece moments, but cumbersome controls inhibit its breakneck pace and flashy effects.
20. Batman Begins (PS2)
Before the era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Christopher Nolan temporarily made Batman the biggest superhero on the planet with his own take on the Caped Crusader. Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale as the Dark Knight, told an origin story, and this movie tie-in followed largely the same storyline. With some solid visuals, a number of different gadgets, and some solid gameplay variety – including a couple of Batmobile segments – it was a decent movie tie-in for the time, but totally unremarkable today.
19. Gotham Knights (PS5)
A spin-off of the Batman: Arkham series, Gotham Knights does its best to transition the world of the Caped Crusader to a Destiny-style co-op experience. The results are a little mixed, and subsequently it fails to match up to the high points of Rocksteady’s iconic series. However, there’s a nice story and enjoyable combat system on offer, which at least offers some short-lived entertainment.
18. Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (PS2)
A 3D beat-‘em-up inspired by television show The New Batman Adventures, Ubisoft’s Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu followed up Batman Vengeance with a somewhat samey adventure against iconic antagonists like Scarecrow, Bane, and Clayface. While its combat-focused gameplay may seem extremely repetitive by modern standards, there’s something satisfying about hammering on Gotham City’s greatest goons in this cartoon caper featuring the Caped Crusader.
17. Batman Vengeance (PS2)
A textbook PS2 era tie-in, this time inspired by The New Batman Adventures television series, Ubisoft’s Batman Vengeance is predominantly a 3D beat-‘em-up, where you’ll face off against villains like Mr Freeze and Harley Quinn. It does have a few tricks of its own, however, including a Batmobile chase sequence and some first-person gameplay systems. It’s rough around the edges and largely unplayable by modern standards, but some may find enjoyment in the variety of activities across this short campaign.
16. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (PS4)
By the time LEGO Batman 3 arrived in 2014, the formula was beginning to get a bit stale. Following the blueprint of its immediate superhero predecessors, including the Marvel themed LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, this entry felt a little flat coming just a year after developer Traveller’s Tales previous effort, with a light storyline and the same puzzle-focused gameplay loop. One for uber Batfans, then, we suppose.
15. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (PS3)
It may be hard to believe these days, but in 2008, when Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe released, NetherRealm Software’s iconic arcade fighting series was going through a bit of a rough patch. Throwing superheroes like Batman into the roster seemed like a sturdy solution, and it worked: this crossover delivered crunching content and a killer cast. While it was, ultimately, quite light on unlockable content – and would go on to be bettered by series like Injustice – it proved the jolt in the arm that Mortal Kombat needed, ahead of its reboot in 2011.
14. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate - Deluxe Edition (PS3)
A port of the PS Vita game of the same name, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is a lot less impressive blown up on the big screen. While this remaster does have improved visuals, the side-scrolling action feels notably inferior to its full-blown counterparts, also available on the PS3. If you’re itching for more Batman, and have already exhausted all of the other options available, then you may get value out of this – otherwise, it’s an easily skippable experience on console.
Comments 53
Some bold calls here! Bold calls…. But nice to see the list. Some cracking games. Even the ones down near the bottom
I know the driving is miserable but it's still Knight for me. That city is just incredible.
Arkham Asylum and City being the top 2 is perfect.
Arkham origins was actually my favorite
I would have to go with Arkham Knight too. I completed everything 100% on my quest for the platinum, but could I do the ‘Brutality 101’ trophy? No I could not. Worst trophy ever honestly. But the game is brilliant 😁
I didn’t like Arkham City when it originally came out - I found the change to open world a bit overwhelming at first. I enjoyed it a lot more when I played Return to Arkham years later.
All of the Arkham games were great though (even Origins, which I always thought of as being on the same level as the Rocksteady games). I feel like Origins gets a bad rap because it wasn’t made by Rocksteady but it’s just as good imo.
@Stocksy You can rate the games and influence the outcome of the list! It's in your hands to make the bold calls!
I'll go with Asylum first followed by City then Knight. I never got around to playing Origins so a remaster would be most welcomed. I would love a new title but that doesn't look like it's happening anytime soon, I don't count Gotham Knights as you don't play as Batman (maybe).
@get2sammyb ahhhhh I completely missed that. It explains it. In terms of Batman I wouldn’t have had any of the fighters as high as they aren’t really Batman games. But as a game they deserve good rankings….
I would personally have put Arkham Origins slightly higher on the list for myself. I really enjoyed the story of that title and I actually didn’t mind the multiplayer either!
@Bionic-Spencer You can influence the order! If you think Batman Arkham Origins should be higher, you can give it a better review score and its position will improve!
@get2sammyb Thankyou for pointing that out! 😄
The 4 main Arkham games are the best hands down. Though I've played a few others (the Lego games & Origins Blackgate) only the Arkham games are really worth mentioning as far as I'm concerned.
Arkham Origins is the best imo
Arkham City and Asylum are my favs, but Origins is right behind them.
Knight is still great but it felt like they focused more on production value and gimmicks rather than making the core experience as fluid and fun as the other titles.
Got to be Arkham Asylum top, with Origins then City. The rest I can’t fairly judge although the Lego games are decent for what they are.
So close. But 1 and 2 need to be the other way around.
Really LOVED the Telltale Batman games, they were quirky and really held my attention more than I thought they would BUT they just dont compare to the Arkham games when it comes to BEING Batman. Loved Origins too and Arkham VR is a game I dip back into for a playthrough once every few months. (On PC with Quest 2 now ... much sharper and wireless).
Good to see Arkham City at 2. Even the rest of this list is spot on.
I own both the Telltale games but have never played through them.... got them for about $5 each. This is really pushing me to start them.
For PS games the list is perfect. I always remember the game Batman of Sunsoft for NES as the first decent superhero videogame for me. Excellent music, bizarre colors, cutscenes and absolutely pubishing platform action (those who think Elden Ring is difficult should try this one to see a relly punishing old styge game). This was (and still is) one of my favorit games ever.
Wasn't on playstation but my most memorable batman game will be the amiga one. The bit where you were driving the batmobile looked absolutely stunning at the time, the reason i spent almost a year saving every penny i could get for an amiga.
Arkham Origins is #1
@nessisonett you got good tastes
@nomither6 Origins is your favorite not the best 😁 Going by ratings alone City would be the best, if going by writing Asylum which was written by the Batman Animated series team. Although I admit I haven't played Origins yet, it really should have been remastered with the others.
@Juanalf “ Although I admit I haven't played Origins yet”
that’s all i needed to know
Of the "modern" ones I played only Asylum and City and got bored to tears. A little of the Vita one too, and same.
For me, it has to be Asylum on top. That was the game that changed super hero games, and made games like Marvel’s Spiderman possible. It was creepy, atmospheric, claustrophobic, and the combat was unlike anything we’ve ever seen. It really felt like you were the Dark Knight. A perfectly balanced game.
I wasn’t a big fan of City- felt like the open world took away from what made Arkham great.
But, Arkham Night’s open world made sense because you had the Batmobile. To me, this ranks second.
After growing up when super hero games sucked, it’s great that we can actually have this debate on which Batman game is the best.
@placekicker Have you ever played Spider-Man 2 ??
@nomither6 Hey I said I really want to play it! want to start a petition to get the ball rolling on a remaster? 🙂 then again the Return to Arkham was a pretty bad and lazy remaster so we need remasters of all three with the Arkham Knight engine.
I have all the batman games on my pc..i bought arkham knight on steam and somehow ended up getting all of them..so i played them through in order and really enjoyed them..i got arkham knight as a ps+ game and its great but i just could not play it after playing the pc version at a higher res and 60fps+..now if there was a ps5 upgrade to just boost the fps i'd be all over it again but you know..elden ring😉..so i'll leave by saying i found the 3 rocksteady games to be the best and origins came real close..
Great list there gamers! I would have Asylum as my number 1 (the title music alone was superb and moody), City was an extension of that but I liked the closed nature of the asylum.
I've only played through the Arkham Trilogy over the last two years and they really lived up to the hype. Arkham Asylum was my favourite of the three, the claustrophobic quality of being closed in on the island with the inmates running loose just couldn't be beat by the other two games, though I've enjoyed them both as well.
I also loved both Telltale Batman games. (spoilers ahead) I'm not a huge fan of making Bruce's parents criminal, but season one executed it in a way I enjoyed, and season two letting us influence John Doe was brilliant, even if I was a little disappointed that Riddler was discarded so quickly (he's my fave of the rogues gallery). On the whole, I think their ranking is fair enough!
I haven't tried the Lego or Injustice games yet, but I'll have to pick them up at some point. In the meantime, looking forward to Gotham Knights (and inevitably maining Nightwing).
I played the trilogym and Arkham Knight is the best IMO. The story is more daring, the gameplay more varied, that city is utter beautiful. The details in everything is amazing.
Asylum > Knight > City
Never played Origins or other non-Arkham Batman games.
Will never understand why people didn't like Knight. Gorgeous game, and I really liked the addition of the Batmobile.
It's like a cave in here, so many bats (on the list).
Played the Arkham 4, but finished only 2: Asylum and City.
Of them, I still consider Asylum to be on top, the setting, the unfolding story, the opening sequence... very well done.
However, City is very close behind it, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
As for Knight and Origins - for some reason I lost my interest in them after a few hours of gameplay, they just couldn't keep me as engaged as the other 2 did...
19 caught me unawares, I can’t believe Christopher Nolan’s first Batman goes back far as the PS2 era.
What a joke. Why is Arkham Knight on 6th place?!? This should be 1st.
And why is Batman Forever The Arcade Game on last place? This game is much fun.
Man, those samey Telltale games shouldn't even be on the top ten, how on earth are they above Arkham knight and Injustice 2?????. Playing the TT games is nothing like being batman, they might as well be about a random character, and don't let me even start on the representation of the JOKER. In this trash the joker is a lackey, an idiot and Harley is of course the Mary Sue almighty. I often agree with your lists but this one mistake is egregious.
1. Arkham Asylum
2. Arkham City
3. Batman 1989 (NES)
If we extend it out to games that simply feature Batman, Injustice 2 and Gods Among Us take spots 4 and 5, after that it's all very hit or miss and difficult to rank.
I love all the Arkham games, but Arkhams Asylum is easily my favorite. The feeling of being locked in there with all those lunatics, everything Joker did, that damn Killer Croc fight.
For me it goes asylum > knight > city
Can't believe they forgot to put one of the best Batman games of all time, Lego Dimensions, on this list smh (I'm only half joking here. It really is, in many ways, a Batman game).
arkham's joker is so good he makes all the other villains in the game look dumb and silly
@bozz
And besides, the driving is not miserable. It's actually insanely well done.
It's actually bizarre how good it is, as there's literally only GTA that does it well. Literally nothing else.
Ghost Recon? Watch Dogs? No. Nothing else.
Batman Begins should be higher
What is the difference between Arkham Knight and Batman Arcade Racer????? I kid, I kid. Knight is great with everything except the tedious tank combat.
I like the claustrophobic nature of Asylum with Joker taunting you constantly on speakers, and I think it is the best. But City is also fantastic.
Awesome video that was fun to watch. More of these please. Wouldn't mind seeing a "worst" playstation superhero game either. People keep telling me X-men next dimension was a terrible game but I completely disagree. Best standalone X-men game ever. Yes even better than children of the atom.
@nomither6 i did, it wasn't near as influential as asylum, spiderman 2 was a great spiderman game, asylum was a masterpiece of a videogame and not only a "good superhero game".
Gotham Knights is so much better than many of the games ranked higher than it. I get that it was underwhelming but it just wasn’t as bad as it gets a rep for being.
And IMHO Arkham Knight was the consummate Batman game. It did everything its predecessors did only better, with the one exception of (maybe) the story, to which I’d give that nod to Arkham City.
I added in my ratings and realized that I have played more Batman games than any other superhero games. Batman's Telltale series are underrated and Arkham Asylum deserves to be higher than Arkham City.
Arkham Origins beats Knight anyday as a more focused experience.
I consider Arkham Knight to be the best Batman game.
It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, and nearly 10 years later, it's still visually stunning.
If only there was a PS5 patch for it to implement 60 FPS.
Arkham Knight isn't even near the top?
What a joke lol.
Now that some years has passed, we can finally see what an absolute masterpiece that game was.
The Batmobile was flushed out, had incredible physics and damage to surrounding buildings. Incredible story, writing, gameplay and world. The graphics on that game looks better than ANYTHING out today.
Graphics alone don't count either. Most game today just look pretty, but they're very static.
They don't have the little rain drops splatter moments when the cape slaps open mid-air. New Spider-Man games don't have the damage to surrounding buildings. It doesn't even come close to how good Arkham Knight was. We were spoiled back then.
Now enjoy your live action crap you filthy ungrateful animals.
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