Top 20 Best Anime Games of 2021

Who doesn’t enjoy a great anime series? If you’re fond of the visuals and narratives that come packed with these games, then you might want to dabble into some of these games listed below. In this list, we’re going over some of the best anime games that have released in 2021. Of course, it’s a bit tough to really rank these games. They range from action-adventure, point-and-click, visual novels, fighting games to more classic turn-based RPGs. So I wouldn’t suggest keeping too much attention on how these games are ranked. Instead, simply take a look at some great anime games that you might want to dive into next.

#20 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami

Demon Slayer has become a pretty massive hit. First starting as a manga in 2016 and once again found a new audience when an animation adaptation popped up in 2019. Chances are you’re familiar with the IP, then you know what to expect. This video game is a fighting title that follows the first season of the show. In this game, players are taking the role of Tanjiro Kamado as he joins the Demon Slayer Corps. It’s through this journey that Tanjiro attempts to fight off all kinds of demonic monsters in hopes of turning his recently demonic turned sister into a normal human once again.

#19 Guilty Gear Strive

Guilty Gear Strive is a fighting game developed by Arc System Works and is the seventh mainline installment to the Guilty Gear series. In this game, we received a continuation of the Guilty Gear Xrd title, so you’ll see a focus around Sol Badguy, but more interestingly, for this game, you’ll find that the developers opted to make some revamps. There was a push to bring out some new mechanics and tweak some gameplay to bring more newcomers to the franchise. One of the unique elements you’ll find in Guilty Gear Strive is the ability to break through different stages, which is pretty standard in many other fighting games. In addition, when you hit some combos at some regions of the map, you can transition into a cutscene where you’ll get tossed into another level backdrop.

#18 Super Mecha Champions

Super Mecha Champions is an online fighting game in the style of manga. In this title, players are in a mech battling it out against other players. Overall, the game is centered around a league looking to find the best mech fighter out there. You’ll have one on one battles or battles features a hundred players. Meanwhile, the game will allow players to make different customization options to their mechs. If you’re looking for another competitive game, this is a title worth checking into, especially since this is free-to-play, so you don’t have to worry about starting the game up.

#17 Blaster Master Zero III

The Blaster Master franchise has been around for ages since the 1980s. However, it’s only this year that we received Blaster Master Zero III. This Zero series initially came out in 2017 if you haven’t picked up the latest collection of games. Overall, this game series follows a man named Jason, who uses a specialized tank to explore and travel around while battling against mutated creatures. This particular installment is the end of Jason’s saga. Those of you who have been playing this IP for years, we’ll finally get the story concussion for the protagonist as he ventures around outer space. Although this time around, Jason can cross different dimensions.

#16 Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!

There’s a good chance you played Doki Doki Literature Club. This game blew up when it launched back in 2017 as a free-to-play title. If you missed the game, this visual novel picks up a bit like a dating simulator. While the game looks like a bright and colorful experience, the deeper you get into the game, the more horrifying it becomes. It had twists and turns along the way, which threw players into a psychological thriller. Now a few years later, we have Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! This game is not free to play but instead has players paying $14.99 to enjoy this new experience. With this edition of the game, you get new side stories, more unlockable content such as images and sketches, and even an overhaul of the visuals.

#15 Tales of Arise

The Tales franchise has gained quite a following over the years, and the latest installment has become the quickest selling game in IP history. If you’re not familiar with this game franchise, this is an action RPG. Likewise, most of the game installments are standalone, which is the case for Tales of Arise. In this game, players are following a party of characters seeking to end a regime. In the game, there are two planets, one of which was technologically advanced and has enslaved a more primitive planet. To free this enslavement, the party of characters you’ll be following will set off on a journey to take out the order. Meanwhile, being an action RPG means that this is not a turn-based combat system. So you’re able to roam around and fight off the enemy characters freely. While there are some relatively large areas to explore, this is not an open-world game. Instead, it’s more linear, so you’ll know where you need to head.

#14 Scarlet Nexus

Scarlet Nexus is an action RPG that puts players into a world where mutated creatures invade the planet. Humanity has started up a special task force called the Other Suppression Force, the OSF. Members are given a supernatural ability to use against the mutated creatures while also trained for melee combat. Players will use their protagonist, who is given the command of psychokinesis. However, to give players some extra abilities, you’ll get to work alongside other party members who all have their unique powers to trigger for different combat combinations. It’s also a linear game, so don’t expect large open-world environments to explore. Despite that, if you’re after something new and haven’t given this game a try, it’s a pretty thrilling experience we can recommend.

#13 Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World: The Prophecy of the Throne

The Re:ZERO franchise has been around for quite a few years now. It has delivered a series of manga, novels, and video games. This latest installment, Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World: The Prophecy of the Throne, is a visual novel with some strategy gameplay. If you’re not a big fan of visual novels, then chances are you might bypass this game altogether. However, if you enjoy the IP, this particular installment follows Subaru’s life in a new life. One day a messenger arrives to alert Subaru that the royal selection has been postponed. They are piqued with interest in why Subaru and his fellow friends venture to the kingdom to find out what’s going on. While at the kingdom, the group learns that the prophecy claimed only five participants would be available for the next ruler. However, six participants showed up, leaving an impostor in the mix.

#12 Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

The Monster Hunter franchise is massive and has been around since the days of the PlayStation 2. Overall the gameplay remained the same, with players having to battle against massive monsters to obtain loot. However, Monster Hunter Stories changed up the gameplay mechanics. Essentially this gameplay is centered around turn-based combat with more cartoonish visuals. Now this year, we have a new installment with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. This particular installment carries the same style of visuals and turn-based combat. Within the game, players are on a new mission: figuring out what happened to all the missing Rathalos around the world. Meanwhile, players are given their Rathalos egg to hatch during their journey.

#11 No More Heroes III

Fans of the No More Heroes franchise received the final installment to the game franchise this year. No More Heroes III is the last of the series, which will see Travis Touchdown on his final journey. When a new alien invasion is in control by the overlord prince FU, Travis is forced to save Santa Destroy. This is an intense hack and slash game where you’ll battle the minions of this alien invasion along with some pretty thrilling boss battles. Unfortunately, the game is only on the Nintendo Switch at the moment, so you’ll need to be on the platform to pick up a copy right now. This is also a game you’ll want to dive back and play the past installments if you haven’t gone through this game franchise already, as you’ll get introduced to several characters from the past installments.

#10 TASOMACHI: Behind the Twilight

Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight is quite the stunning game. This game is centered around a young girl traveling around in her airship. While traversing the world, we come to a city when all of a sudden, the airship breaks down. Stuck within the city, you’re forced into venturing around in search of finding parts to repair your ship. Although, it’s here that you discover humans do not inhabit the city. Instead, you’ll find the city filled with a cat species. Gameplay is centered around platforming as you explore the area and attempt to get around the area for your missing parts. Visually the game is quite stunning, and reception for Tasomachi: Behind The Twilight has been quite popular online so far.

#9 Lost Ruins

Lost Ruins is a 2D side-scroller that puts players into the role of a young girl. Awakening up in a dungeon without any memories of where she is or how she got there, players start their journey in figuring out what’s going on. However, we soon find that the little girl is faced with all kinds of horrifying monsters. Fortunately, the little girl was saved by a magician named Beatrice, our protagonist, ventures forward to uncover her memories. Meanwhile, you’ll make use of melee weapons to hack and slash the monsters awaiting your arrival to pieces. There is also some inventory play here since you’ll uncover different accessories to aid you in certain situations.

#8 Nier Reincarnation

There is a massive fan base for the Nier franchise, but you might have missed a game that came out on mobile devices. Nier Reincarnation is a free-to-play mobile title that puts players into the role of a little girl. Venturing into a tower, we learn that the place is inhabited by a monster that wishes to become a human. As a result, the beast will pursue players in hopes of feeding on their dreams. Gameplay is quite a bit like how you would expect from a Nier title. It’s fast-paced and fluid with a ton of hack and slash gameplay. Meanwhile, you will have some party members to help you out in your battles. With this being a free video game title, you can pick Nier Reincarnation right now on either iOS or Android.

#7 Lost Judgment

Judgment was a hit spin-off for the Yakuza franchise, and it wasn’t surprising to see a new installment come out. If you enjoyed the first game, then you might want to dive into this new release. Lost Judgment is once again tossing players as a private investigator who is investigating a criminal that’s accused of murder and sexual harassment. There is plenty of areas to search for clues, along with players interacting with characters, exploration, and being a Yakuza spin-off, you can expect quite a bit of over-the-top melee combat. Fortunately, you could play this game without playing Judgment, but it might be more beneficial to go back and play Judgment to get some more context on some characters.

#6 Samurai Warriors 5

Samurai Warriors is often considered a sister series to the massively popular Dynasty Warriors franchise. As a result, the game is very much based on hack and slash gameplay. You’ll sprint around the battlefield, defeating waves of enemies. The more enemies you take down, the closer you’ll get to face against the general on the battlefield. There’s been a few installments released into the marketplace. However, the latest of which is Samurai Warriors 5. Don’t let the name fool you, as this game was developed to be a reimagining of the franchise. That means we have a new storyline along with some revamped visuals and characters. However, it’s still a hack and slash game similar to the likes of Dynasty Warriors. As for the story, this game is centered around the events that led to the Honno-Ji incident.

#5 Bravely Default 2

Bravely Default was a big RPG release on the Nintendo 3DS, and it eventually saw a sequel with Bravely Second: End Layer. However, now we have Bravely Default 2. Don’t let the name fool you. While it might suggest that this game is a sequel, it’s actually a standalone experience. There’s no continuation here but instead features a brand new story and characters. This is a classic turn-based RPG where you’ll control a party of characters throughout the narrative. In this game, players follow a group of characters, adding an exiled princess from her kingdom. Discovering the kingdom was robbed of its crystals, our group of heroes ventures out to recover them and potentially bring the princess back onto the throne.

#4 The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

The Ace Attorney franchise is quite a beloved franchise. In the game series, players took the role of an attorney who had to win different court cases. Now this year, we had the release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. This is a bundled collection of both the Adventures and Resolve installments. In this game, you’re tossed into the 19th century, where you’re playing the role of Ryunosuke Naruhodo, the ancestor of Phoenix Wright. Overall, the gameplay is much of the same. You’re still an attorney that’s looking to uncover different clues and participate in courtroom battles. You’ll cross-examine witnesses, present your evidence and uncover the truth of what happened between the various court cases.

#3 Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery

Behind The Frame: The Finest Scenery is a vivid interactive game about an artist looking to finish their art piece for a gallery. This is a relaxing and story-driven game. Players will interact with the environment and sit in on the life of this aspiring artist as she goes through her emotional journey. This might be a slower game for some players to sit in on, especially if you’re not much of a fan of point-and-click adventure games. However, the visuals are pretty stunning, and it’s an emotional tale that shouldn’t take players very long at all to complete. Now there’s a demo available so you can try the game out before spending the $9.99 for the entire game.

#2 Melty Blood: Type Lumina

The Melty Blood franchise received a new installment this year. This is often described as a visual novel fighting game that got its start back in 2002. Much like the past games, this is a 2D fighting title where fans will get the events of set days before the visual novel, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon-. Visually the game looks stunning and brings along the gameplay mechanics that you might be familiar with from the past installments. However, there are some new mechanics, one of which could help those who might not be as skilled when it comes to fighting games. This mechanic, in particular, is Rapid Beat, an auto combination that allows players to chain together a combo attack from just pressing the attack button.

#1 Persona 5 Strikers

Persona 5 was a massive success when it was first released, and this year we received a new spin-off to continue the storyline. While Persona 5 was a turn-based combat game, Persona 5 Strikers is a hack and slash title. If you played through Persona 5 or watched the anime adaptation, you’ll find that Persona 5 Strikers will put players back into the Phantom Thieves. Aiming to take out the corruption that has overtaken Japan, the group will have to remove the swarms of enemies that are freely roaming the area. The biggest gripe some fans might have with this game is that the title is available on quite a few platforms that don’t have Persona 5.

BONUS

Opus: Echo of Starsong

Lastly, for a bonus game, we wanted to make mention of Opus: Echo of Starsong. This is a puzzle adventure game that revolves around asteroids sending out sound waves. Seeking to unravel the mystery of these waves and the power they may hold, we have two characters joining together. Jun was exiled by his people and to bring back honor to his clan, the man ventures to claim an asteroid. However, along the way, Jun saves a female named Eda, a witch who can pick up the sound waves from the asteroids. Together they may solve the mystery behind the sound waves.