The Arkham series of Batman games absolutely changed the playing field of comic book games.
These were no mere licensed games – they were good games first and foremost, games that took the Batman license and ran with it.
With a truly unique world and a deeper combat system than most expected, it was also a series that inspired many others.
That, perhaps, is why there are so many other games out there that feel a lot like the Arkham series today.
Below we are listing and discussing 10 games similar to the Batman Arkham series that we believe you will love.
1) Mad Max
While you might be surprised to see this particular title here, 2015’s Mad Max is actually a game that owes quite a bit to the Arkham series.
Released on the Xbox One and Playstation 4 as well as on Windows and Mac, this all-new adventure in the world of the films is a strong combination of driving elements and some combat and exploration elements that feel remarkably similar to those in the Arkham Games.
Mad Max might not have identical combat, but the same basic use of gadgets as well as basic combat maneuvers is a must here.
Likewise, a great deal of the game’s fun comes from exploring the world – something that Arkham helped to sell in the realm of licensed video games.
2) Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Released on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 concurrently with its release on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor shouldn’t necessarily put one in the same mindset of Batman.
After all, this game takes place in Middle Earth instead of Gotham and it follows a tale that comes from one of the fathers of fantasy rather than DC Comics.
With that said, though, this game is among the closest to Arkham that you’re going to find.
A great deal of the similarity here comes down to combat mechanics. Shadow of Mordor uses the same kind of rhythm-based, combo-heavy combat as the Arkham series.
What this means for the average player is that it’s incredibly easy to switch from one game to the other without missing a beat.
3) Rise of The Tomb Raider
Yes, Rise of the Tomb Raider does have some great things in common with the Arkham series.
While it’s more about gunplay and climbing than combos and gliding, this 2015 game shares the same willingness to reinvent its main character that made the Arkham games so much fun.
Much as how Arkham took Batman and made him a bit darker and more human, Rise of the Tomb Raider stripped Lara of much of her mystique and turned her into more of a survivor.
Though her combat and movement are very unique, seeing her origin in this game definitely lines up well with how players were able to see much of Batman’s origin in Arkham Origins.
4) Sleeping dogs
Sleeping Dogs is one of those games that seemingly flew under the radar, yet it’s a huge hit with everyone who has played it.
First released in 2012, this game that’s now available on the Playstation 3 and 4 as well as the Xbox 360 and One is a deep dive into the underworld of Hong Kong, putting players in control of an undercover cop who has to go through increasingly desperate measures to take down organized crime.
Another melee-heavy open world game, Sleeping Dogs feels a lot like the Arkham series when the protagonist is forced into impossible situations against larger-than-life characters.
Though Hong Kong is certainly a lot less foreboding than Arkham City, it can often feel like the protagonist of this game is dealing with just as much of a sense of overwhelming odds as Batman is when he goes up against his own rogue’s gallery.
5) Horizon Zero Dawn
This 2017 Playstation 4 exclusive is one of those rare original IPs that not only stood well on its own, but that has also begun to spin off a number of imitators.
At its core, though, it’s a game about learning how to stealthily explore a world and excel in combat, one that might not borrow much from the Arkham series but that nevertheless can feel the same.
If you’re looking for a game that requires you to learn how to carefully monitor enemy patterns, take advantage of small windows of exposure, and that will reward you for exploring, you’ll love this game.
It’s definitely a truly unique sort of game, of course, but it can scratch the itch of Arkham players who are looking for a unique open world after they’re done with Gotham.
6) Dishonored game series
There’s an awful lot in the Dishonored series that feels like Batman. The first game was released in 2012 and the second followed four years later, but both games feel very much like they’re two parts of a larger single work.
Dishonored is the tale of a man who’s forced to use his wits, stealth, and a handful of special powers to fight back against injustice in a city that seems to be falling apart – a pretty familiar tale to Arkham fans.
Dishonored isn’t very mechanically similar to the Batman games, though. A first-person stealth game that focuses more on special powers and movement abilities than melee combat, it’s probably safer to say that Dishonored feels more like the idea of a Batman game than a real Batman game.
With that said, though, the game can definitely bring back some of those feelings for which Arkham fans are looking.
7) Assassin’s Creed
Released two years before Arkham Asylum, the original Assassin’s Creed game was likewise a game about stealth and melee combat.
In fact, you might even say that the original Arkham Asylum owes Assassin’s Creed a few debts both in terms of how combat works and in terms of how Batman moves.
If you’re looking for games like the Arkham series, though, this is the first place you should look.
The early Assassin’s Creed games – all of them up through and including Syndicate – share some similarities with the Batman games.
They are highly reliant on combos and dodging in combat, while climbing and exploring are a must for finding everything in the game.
Though the series might have changed up a bit, the older games still bring a lot of the same mechanics that are prevalent in the Arkham series.
8) Middle-earth: Shadow of War
It shouldn’t be too surprising that the follow-up to Shadow of Mordor, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, incorporates the same kind of combat system as its predecessor.
This game is still heavily combo and timing based, with the best strings allowing players to pull off devastating finishers that seem like they’re right out of the Batman playbook.
It should also probably be noted that this game also allows players to terrorize their opponents and strike from stealth, which is another similarity to the Arkham series.
Though the game doesn’t feature quite the same amount of depth as the Batman series of games, it’s nonetheless one that shares a great deal of the former’s personality.
9) Marvel’s Spider-Man
While Spider-man might come from Batman’s comic book competition, the 2018 Playstation exclusive from Naughty Dog actually owes quite a bit to the Arkham series.
Not only is it also a comic book game that reimagines its core subject in a way that makes the transition to the gaming world a little bit easier, but it’s also one that uses a very similar combat system.
Combat in Spider-man is all about dodging at the right time, stringing together combos, and using the right gadgets.
That’s also the core of combat in Arkham, making this a great successor to the other successful series.
10) Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy
2021’s Guardians of the Galaxy has been one of those hits that no one quite saw coming.
One of the big reasons that it has become so successful is that it’s been able to successfully pull off something that the Arkham games did years ago – it blends a number of different elements from the movies and comics together to create an entirely new world for fans of this series.
Though Guardians isn’t tonally like Arkham at all, there’s something great about seeing all the little bits of the Guardians’ history get played out on screen.
Whether it’s music that seems like it’s straight from the movies or costumes that were pulled from obscure comic issues, taking the time to really engage with this world yields some unique surprises that players are sure to love.
Image Credits
By Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment – Giant Bomb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58684846
By http://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor-review/1900-673/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47401632
By http://www.vg247.com/2015/06/01/rise-of-the-tomb-raider-new-trailer/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45302127
