Batman Games From WORST To BEST

Batman. The Dark Knight. The Caped Crusader. The World’s Greatest Detective…if you don’t include Sherlock Holmes. Anyway, as one of, if not the, greatest superhero ever created, he’s had TONS of time in the media spotlight, including NUMEROUS video games with his name attached. As such, I found it a good idea to list some of the best. However, I won’t list ALL the games, that would take far too long. So, I’m going to show you some of the worst, and then shine a light on some of the best. Allow me to share with you some Batman games from worst to best!

#20 Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker 

Anyone who watched Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker knows it’s an incredible piece of cinema. Anyone who played the video game adaptation likely wishes they hadn’t wasted their time!

The game was a side-scrolling beat’em up modeled after the story. A good idea in theory, but trust me when I say that this game was anything but fun. It was far too easy; the enemy AI was seriously lacking, and you didn’t even need all the weapons and gadgets that Terry McGinnis got to beat everyone up! Or, if you got the “worse version,” it’d be almost impossible to beat!

So yeah, there are better ways to adapt a beloved film.

#19 Batman: Dark Tomorrow 

Batman: Dark Tomorrow represents one of the earliest attempts to make a “true Batman game,” complete with robust roster of villains to fight, overarching plot, and even multiple endings. However, the reason it’s at the bottom of this list is that, frankly…it was an unplayable game.

Just look at the reviews of the title from the past, and you’ll see that people blasted the gameplay, the control scheme, the camera, and so on. This could’ve been a shining example of how to make Batman games. Instead, it’s how you DON’T make them.

#18 Batman & Robin 

Most people think that Batman & Robin is the worst Batman movie ever made, and for a good reason not named “Bat Nipples.” However, they also tried to make a video game adaptation of the movie, and that piece of “history” is just as bad.

Now, on one hand, the game did have a slightly open-world feel, let you play as Batman, Robin, or Batgirl, and had some unique things going for it.

The problem? The execution was lacking, and most panned the game outright.

#17 Batman Forever 

If I didn’t make it clear before, video games based on movies, even ones as great as Batman, rarely do well, and Batman Forever is another piece of proof for that.

The game was a side-scrolling beat’em up, which should’ve been the easiest thing to make! However, they put an over elaborate control scheme within it that was more like a fighting game than anything else. When you add in not-so-great graphics It was doomed from the start.

#16 Batman: Chaos in Gotham 

It’s honestly not a good sign that Batman: Chaos in Gotham was only released on the Game Boy Color. Granted, that meant it was an exclusive for Nintendo, which is a win for them, but it shows that they didn’t think it would resonate on other systems despite it being Batman.

The game was emphatically average, and that’s probably why you don’t even remember this game existing in the first place!

So you might be asking me, “Well, then why was it made?” Because it’s Batman, and they thought they could make money off it.

#15 Batman Forever: The Arcade Game 

Yep, they didn’t just make a regular video game of Batman Forever; they moved it to the arcade cabinets to try and bank off of the arcade craze! Did it work? I think you know the answer to that.

To its credit, Batman Forever: The Arcade Game was a bit better of a success than the console versions of the game, likely because devs knew how to make the beat’em up style work with arcade controls.  However, the game was still basic, the graphics were muddled and it could’ve been so much more.

#14 Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu 

Batman The Animated Series is widely considered one of the most important and well-made cartoons of all time, let alone adaptations of Batman. Thus, they tried to capitalize on it by making games like Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, which featured the visuals and voice cast from the show.

The problem? Well, the gameplay was average, and while the story was fun enough, it didn’t stand out in the way that other video games would.

#13 Batman Begins 

Yep, we have another movie adaptation tie-in for you. This time from the Nolan-verse with Batman Begins. Like with another we’ve already talked about, the game focuses on the movie’s plot while also expanding the story to bring in more villains and give you more time suited up as Batman.

The irony of this title was that while it wasn’t the worst game ever, it did lead to something important. The Dark Knight was supposed to get an adaptation, but it got canceled due to delays. That’s what led to Warner Bros Interactive getting the licensing rights back, and they decided to use that to make…the Arkham games.

#12 Batman Vengeance 

Long before certain games had a “Rocksteady vibe” to them, games like Batman Vengeance were attempted to make a unique Batman game that many would feel happy to play.

One of the key metrics of this was, like with Sin Tzu, to base it off the beloved Batman The Animated Series show and build off of what it did. Sadly, while Batman Vengeance did have many of the voice actors from the show and a unique plot, the gameplay held the title back and it was seen more as “fodder than anything else.”

It was better than previous attempts, but not by much.

#11 Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame 

This next game is based off the popular TV show that took things to a more “classic” style of Batman that many people grew up with. Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame is a side-scrolling beat’em up that features Batman tag teaming with many legendary heroes from the series.

Unlike other titles, the “levels” are basically episodes of the TV show, so you’ll have a revolving door of characters to play with, like Green Lantern, Aquaman, Plastic Man, Robin, and more!

#10 Batman: Arkham VR 

This is one that’s a bit hard to talk about because Batman: Arkham VR isn’t a full-on game. Instead, it’s one that’s set in the mythical Arkham gaming universe, and you are Batman, but you’re honestly just looking around and talking to people.

The game is a kind of “prequel” to Arkham Knight and has you “solving a mystery” as Batman. Honestly, it is just an excuse to put a VR title out there with Batman attached to it.

The irony is that another such VR game is coming soon.

#9 Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham 

I’m just as surprised as you that the Lego Batman series got as many games as it did, but you do have to give them credit for taking it to the level that they went to as Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham shows.

This title took the Justice League off Earth and had them go fight Brainiac, who had captured members of the seven Lantern Corps! How’s that for a cosmic threat?

Everything is Lego-style here, from the gameplay to the story to the humor. It’s cheesy, but this is the casual kind of Batman game that just about anyone can enjoy.

#8 Batman Arkham Origins 

Here’s one of the more curious entries on my list. After all, Batman Arkham Origins is “set” in the Arkham space, and yet isn’t technically acknowledged by the other titles. It’s weird.

Even so, WB Montreal put a lot into this game, and it showed. The idea of the “Christmas Hit” on Batman was cool, and we got to see even more villains get their time in the spotlight, such as Firefly, Deathstroke, Black Mask, etc.

Sure, not everything holds up to some of the other Arkham titles, but it was a clever spinoff that even got a Blackgate side story on another system.

#7 Lego Batman: The Videogame 

This one is really easy to talk about. I mean, it’s a Batman game set in the Lego universe. What more do you need to know?

Seriously, though, this was the Lego title that helped spark a mini-franchise within DC Comics. It not only got so popular that it received sequels, as you already know, but it also had animated flicks, a full-on movie starring Will Arnett as Batman, and so on.

Yes, I acknowledge the Lego gameplay isn’t for everyone, but clearly, people loved it.

#6 Batman: Arkham Knight 

When Rocksteady made their first two entries into the Arkham Saga, fans were floored, and the idea of a third game topping all of them was almost too much to bear. Then, when Batman: Arkham Knight arrived, fans realized that sometimes you can trip over your feet just before the finish line.

To be clear, I’m not saying this is a bad game. However, compared to the other two mainline Arkham titles? This one stands out as the worst.

Yes, it did have a unique story that showcased Scarecrow at arguably his most horrifying, and the return of Mark Hamill as the Joker was great via Batman’s hallucination. But the gameplay, the car combat, heck, just driving the Batmobile was a pain!

A far cry from what came before.

#5 Batman: The Enemy Within 

After its opening salvo, Telltale Games surprised gamers even more with what they had coming with Batman: The Enemy Within. This time around, there were even more dangerous criminals to deal with, and it was you who got to shape how The Joker would be.

There were many elements to this sequel that had people curious, and it totally delivered! Seeing how you developed relationships within the game, including with Joker, made you want to play the next chapter to see how things would end and if you could do them differently the next time around.

#4 Batman: The Telltale Series 

When Telltale was on top, they were an almost unstoppable narrative force in the gaming industry. So when they made their first attempt at a Batman title we were hyped.

I’m sure some would put the sequel above Batman: The Telltale Series, but this was the one that set the mold for everything that was to come. Telltale could’ve easily “played it safe” with this universe and instead created new versions of Penguin, the Waynes, Scarecrow, and more to keep us wondering what was coming next until the very end.

#3 Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes 

Yep, I have another Lego game for you. If anything, this should prove just how much this series did that they kept making games with his version of Batman!

As the name implies, this was the title that took the plot outside of Gotham and brought all the Justice League members together to have fun. 

It’s not the deepest game, but there’s plenty to enjoy here, and the roster is solid. What’s not to love about that?

#2 Batman: Arkham Asylum 

No one knew what to expect from Batman: Arkham Asylum when it was first announced. As I’ve shown, Batman games that are not attached to Lego aren’t exactly the best around. However, Rocksteady shocked the world by delivering a gripping narrative and fun gameplay in an iconic location.

Batman is trapped within Arkham Asylum as Joker unleashes a plan that could destroy Gotham City, and that’s just the opening few minutes!

This game truly made you FEEL like Batman and delivered some classic moments that are still felt within the franchise to this day.

#1 Batman: Arkham City

Yeah, you knew I was going to put this on the top spot. How could I not? Arkham City was a superhero hero fans DREAM. It was everything Arkham Asylum had and then cranked to an even better degree.

More villains, more of Gotham City to explore, a winding and twisting narrative full of references to Batman history, and, of course, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill delivering epic performances once again.

To many, this is the pinnacle of superhero gaming, and it’s hard to argue with that.