Batman Games Collection

Even though Batman doesn't have any unnatural powers besides tons of money, he is the most popular superhero. The flagship of DC Comics first appeared in 1939 in Detective Comics #27. In the 80 years since Batman has been through a lot. He has had multiple sidekicks, dozens of iconic villains have come and gone, and he's died and come back to life multiple times. There are even comics where Batman is evil. In the 90s, he finally hit the big screen thanks to the director Tim Burton who gave us his unique vision of Batman and Gotham City in 1989's Batman movie and its sequel Batman Returns.

How many Batman games are there?

Batman's popularity also gave him the key to the virtual world of video games. It would be extremely hard to memorize all Batman games ever released. Nonetheless, it's worth knowing that the very first video game featuring the Dark Knight was a 1986's action-adventure called simply Batman. Dozens of other titles followed, and the Crusader Caped could be found on virtually every gaming platform. Sadly, most of the old Batman games weren't particularly good. Whether they were original stories or adaptations, they weren't groundbreaking hits. It doesn't mean they weren't entertaining. For instance, The Adventures of Batman and Robin, Batman Returns, and Batman: Vengeance were solid releases and received favorable reviews. However, players had to wait until 2009 to get the best Batman games, as the real breakthrough came when Batman:  Batman: Arkham Asylum hit the shelves.

The Arkhamverse

The action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios was the game that fans dreamed of. It was the first Batman game that managed to perfectly capture the feel of the comics, movies, and TV shows. It offered a compelling plot, a beautifully designed world, and excellent gameplay mechanics, and the list of Batman's villains finally felt threatening. Its stealth techniques and combat mechanics were so enjoyable that other developers copy it even today. Moreover, major actors from the beloved Batman: The Animated Series reprised their roles in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Players could hear Kevin Conroy as Batman, Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn, and of course, Mark Hamill, whose The Joker's laugh is nothing short of iconic.

Every video game hit craves a sequel, so Batman: Arkham Asylum was only the foundation of the series, often referred to as the Arkhamverse. Its second installment, Batman: Arkham City, took the open-world mechanics of Batman: Arkham Asylum and expanded them to a whole new level. The third game in the series, Batman: Arkham Origins, was developed by Warner Bros. Games Montreal. It was a prequel that featured Batman's first encounters with many iconic villains, including The Joker. The last installment so far, Batman: Arkham Knight, was released in 2015, and it was the first Batman game created for the eighth generation of consoles. This time, besides a standard pantheon of Batman villains, such as Scarecrow, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, The Riddler, or Poison Ivy, players could face a new adversary, the mysterious Arkham Knight. The game was followed by the numerous story-driven DLCs that let us play as Harley Quinn, Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Red Hood.

Gotham Knights

The latter four heroes are also playable characters in Gotham Knight, an action RPG game set in the DC Universe after Batman's vanishing. This game was developed by Batman: Arkham Origins creators, Warner Bros. Games Montréal. The studio revealed the game in 2020 and scheduled it to come out in 2021. However, the Gotham Knights' release date was postponed, so it was finally set for October 25, 2022. The game offers an original story where members of the Bat Family have to carry on Batman's mission to protect Gotham City. You can play Gotham Knights alone or in a two-player cooperative mode. It's worth mentioning that the Gotham Knights game is not related to the CW TV show of the same name.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

While Gotham Knights was created by Batman: Arkham Origins designers, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a video game by the Batman: Arkham Asylum developers. There are some significant similarities between those two titles, as both are set in a world without Batman, and both games' premiere dates were delayed. The initial date of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's release was 2022, but it was postponed to early 2023. There are also some substantial differences that should be pointed out. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is an action-adventure game, not an action RPG. Furthermore, it lets players lead a group of unlikely heroes instead of some righteous paladins.

Lego Batman games

In addition to the serious Batman video games, a franchise suitable for younger players has emerged. The Lego Batman series, created by TT Games, debuted in 2008. Its first installment was Lego Batman: The Videogame. It was followed by Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, and the Lego DC Super-Villains spin-off. All those titles copy the advantages of Lego video games. Consequently, they are entertaining for both adults and kids. It's also worth mentioning that the Lego Batman games offer original stories, which makes them even more exciting for fans of the DC Universe.

Injustice

Batman and his friends and foes from the DC Universe also appeared in the series of fighting games developed by the Mortal Kombat creators. They originally appeared in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, where they shared the screen with MK characters. However, it was Injustice: Gods Among Us that stole the spotlight. The game features an original story where Batman has to face alternate versions of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. Furthermore, it was accompanied by an outstanding comic book series that served as a prequel to the events shown in the game. If you're a Batman fan, you definitely have to read it! The success of Injustice led to the development of its sequel, Injustice 2. It's a great fighting game that also offers a single-player campaign mode. Besides Batman, many other DC Universe characters are playable in both Injustice games.

Batman: The Telltale Series

Batman: The Telltale Series is an episodic adventure game that came out in 2016. This title was developed by the studio behind such great video games as The Walking Dead: The Game, Minecraft: Story Mode, and Game of Thrones. Batman: The Telltale Series focuses on Bruce Wayne's life outside Gotham City. However, there are still plenty of Batman's foes like Catwoman, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, and the Penguin. The game puts an emphasis on Batman's detective skills. Consequently, it features many puzzles that must be solved to progress in the story. Batman: The Telltale Series was well received by both players and critics. 

Those are only a new of dozens of Batman games out there. Some are set in the DC universe, while others feature the Caped Crusader as a guest star. We hope that our Batman Games Collection will help you find the best title for you!