Where Player Expression and Skill Ceilings Meet – The Best Character Action Games

Though traditional action games had existed long before Devil May Cry arrived in 2001, that title is commonly understood as the progenitor of what we now call "Character Action". Truthfully, the character action genre doesn't really abide by a standardized set of rules and conventions like other genres do, as the only thing connecting these titles is their focus on controlling a single character with combat as the main emphasis of gameplay. Otherwise, most character action games differ by just about every conceivable element. Still, that hasn't stopped both players and critics alike from adopting the term "Character Action" to refer to any game that follows in the footsteps of Devil May Cry, and many of the best character action games are titles whose lineage can be traced back to Capcom and Hideki Kamiya's 2001 PS2 classic.

To qualify as a "Character Action" game versus, say, a traditional action or action-adventure game, combat needs to be the main focus of gameplay as opposed to exploration. And combat in a character action game is far from what one would consider your typical hack and slash, as many of the mechanics and systems underlying combat design in character action games actually skew closer to the fighting game genre. At their core, character action games are titles whose combat provides a mechanically rich and deeply rewarding experience, where player expression reaches new heights thanks to impressively high skill ceilings. The 15 titles on this list represent the best that the genre has to offer: compelling games with excellent combat, satisfying power curves and progression, and mechanics that reward players for learning their intricacies rather than mindlessly spamming buttons.

Updated June 14, 2025:

We've decided to go back and revisit our list of the best character action games in the wake of Stellar Blade's PC release. While Stellar Blade does have some Soulslike elements, it's also definitively a character action game in how it handles combat, making it a perfect fit for this list.

• Release Date — August 23, 2001
• Developer — Capcom Production Studio 4
• Publisher — Capcom
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)
• Steam User Score — 92% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PS2 (Original); PC, PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

The game that started it all, Devil May Cry, is nothing short of a masterpiece. Putting aside the fact that the game began its life as the original version of Resident Evil 4, Devil May Cry's legacy is one of the few titles during the 6th generation that created its own subgenre of gaming. Everything about Devil May Cry made it the perfect game to show off your PlayStation 2. Enemies on screen were plentiful, combat was flashy and stylish, and Dante was an effortlessly cool protagonist who wielded swords and guns, ticking off just about every box for an action-game power fantasy.

Beyond how Devil May Cry looked and played, though, the game established several important foundational elements for what we now know as the "Character Action" genre. Kamiya and his team (who, coincidentally, would go on to form a studio responsible for many of the titles on this list) opted for Devil May Cry's combat to adhere to the complexity of fighting games rather than more casual hack-and-slash action titles, establishing a penchant for games in the character action genre to take their difficulty seriously and offer players a substantial, yet rewarding, challenge.

• Release Date — November 24, 2002
• Developer — Tecmo
• Publisher — Tecmo
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PlayStation 2, Wii

Devil May Cry's success and critical acclaim paved the way for several other developers to follow in Capcom's footsteps quickly, and one of the first (and, surprisingly, best) DMC clones is 2002's Rygar: The Legendary Adventure. PS2 owners likely didn't have a 3D Rygar reboot on their wish lists at the time of its release, but Rygar: The Legendary Adventure is nonetheless an excellent character action game with a compelling Greek mythology setting (years before God of War, to boot).

The signature mechanic of the original Rygar game in the arcade and on NES — that of tossing the shield and retrieving it like a giant, deadly yo-yo — proved to be incredibly fun in a 3D character action game, and Rygar's boss fights were nothing short of spectacular. A bit of a hidden gem in the PS2 library that was eventually outshone by God of War, but is no less worth revisiting today. Just make sure to avoid the Wii port like the plague.

• Release Date — March 2, 2004
• Developer — Team Ninja
• Publisher — Tecmo
• Review Aggregate Score — 91% (Universal Acclaim)
• Steam User Score — 82% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — Xbox (Original); PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Just a few years after Devil May Cry singlehandedly invented the concept of character action, Tema Ninja would come along and release a title that many still consider to be one of the best games in the genre. 2004's Ninja Gaiden is a title that refuses to pull any punches, delivering a 3D reboot of the tough-as-nails Ninja Gaiden series in the only way that made sense: as an ultra-violent, over-the-top character action game with incredibly deep combat and a nigh-impossible difficulty curve. Ryu Hayabusa is an absolute thrill to control, evolving the precision platforming and combat of the NES Ninja Gaiden titles for a modern context and flying through the air in impressive displays of acrobatic violence. Using the Flying Swallow technique and Izuna Drop never felt so good.

• Release Date — March 22, 2005
• Developer — Santa Monica Studio
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platforms — PS2 (Original); PS3, PS Vita

Santa Monica Studio's God of War was, for its time, a major leap forward in the character action genre. Though several games had come and gone that iterated on Devil May Cry's general formula (including two direct sequels, one great and one not-so-great), God of War took the character action premise and elevated it to the next level. Combat was incredibly fluid while also remaining visceral and tactile, environments and setpieces were astounding and gave off an impressive sense of scale, and the epic revenge tale of Kratos was something that felt, appropriately, pulled directly from a Greek tragedy. And lest we forget, the Blades of Chaos are one of the all-time greatest video game weapons, combining Castlevania's whip with a more traditional sword for endlessly creative combos and skill expression.

• Release Date — June 3, 2008
• Developer — Team Ninja
• Publisher — Microsoft Game Studios
• Review Aggregate Score — 81% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 76% (Mostly Positive)
• Platforms — Xbox 360 (Original); PC, PS3, PS5, PS Vita, Xbox Series X/S

The first Ninja Gaiden character action game was such a major triumph for the Xbox that Microsoft decided to publish its sequel as an Xbox 360 exclusive, and it was a wise decision on its part. Ninja Gaiden II is a near-perfect follow-up to its timeless predecessor, upping the ante in just about every element. One of the game's signature visual flourishes, extreme gore punctuated by near-death executions and dismemberment of enemies, sets Ninja Gaiden II apart as an over-the-top violent feast for the senses, and its impressive enemy counts and nail-biting challenge make every encounter tuned to feel like a genuine fight for survival, enough to where its PS3 and PC port (Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2) had to tone things down to make the game more accessible. But for those not afraid of a little challenge, Ninja Gaiden II is the ultimate test of mettle.

• Release Date — October 29, 2009
• Developer — Platinum Games
• Publisher — Sega
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)
• Steam User Score — 92% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PS3, Xbox 360 (Original); PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, Xbox One

One of the main elements of Devil May Cry has always been its style, so it should come as no surprise to see that the franchise's creator, Hideki Kamiya, would continue that tradition with his next series of character action games. Bayonetta is both similar to and vastly different from Devil May Cry. While it has an undeniable sense of style and cool that radiates from every frame of gameplay, Bayonetta herself is much more nimble and versatile in combat than Dante.

In many ways, Bayonetta and its sequel feel like an improved version of the original Devil May Cry formula, including a complete overhaul of DMC's scoring system and combo-driven flow in favor of placing players in one bombastic arena setpiece after another. Both Bayonetta 2 and 3 are excellent games, but it's hard to top the original in terms of its importance and impact on character action games as a whole.

• Release Date — January 5, 2010
• Developer — Vigil Games
• Publisher — THQ
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 89% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS3, Xbox 360 (Original); PS4, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, Xbox One

Though it doesn't get near the amount of love as many of the other games on this list, anyone who has played Darksiders knows it was a peak-character action game of the 7th generation. Notably, Darksiders is the creation of comic book artist Joe Madureira, who also wrote and co-directed the game, and it's got both a killer premise and some amazing art direction as a result. As War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, you must uncover the mystery of why the Horsemen were summoned and end the premature beginning to the end times and war between the armies of Heaven and Hell. Accordingly, Darksiders gives players an insanely robust toolkit to carry out that mission, with the game's combat sandbox affording players no shortage of creative options for dispatching foes in over-the-top fashion befitting the literal embodiment of war.

• Release Date — October 5, 2010
• Developer — MercurySteam
• Publisher — Konami
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 80% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Konami's attempt to revive the Castlevania franchise saw the publisher outsource the game to a then-unknown developer who had an interesting pitch for how the series could work in 3D. After several middling 3D Castlevania games from in-house developers, MercurySteam's idea was to take the series and start back over from the beginning with a God of War-style character action game, and it ended up being the best the series has ever felt in the third dimension. Additionally, the changes to the Castlevania series canon and the history of the linkage between Dracula and the Belmont clan being laid bare make Lords of Shadow an essential title for anyone interested in franchise lore. Above all else, though, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow has some excellent combat, great environmental design, and a killer soundtrack that evokes the poignantly emotional storytelling.

• Release Date — February 19, 2013
• Developer — Platinum Games
• Publisher — Konami
• Review Aggregate Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 96% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Shoehorning the stealth-action Metal Gear franchise into a character-action game seems like a forced concoction that shouldn't work, but Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is both a fantastic game and a great vehicle for the criminally underutilized Raiden. Years before FromSoftware designed and developed Sekiro, Platinum Games would craft an entire combat system around parrying and deflection with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and it's amazing how well controlling Raiden's katana skills holds up in a modern context. While its story is so hilariously bad and over-the-top as to come off as a parody of the Metal Gear games it shares a franchise with, Metal Gear Rising's gameplay is the real deal, and it's still one of the most satisfying character action games in the genre.

• Release Date — February 23, 2017
• Developer — Platinum Games
• Publisher — Square Enix
• Review Aggregate Score — 88% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 87% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Despite most character action games not being known for their stories, NieR: Automata is a game that proves deep, rewarding combat and thought-compelling, introspective storytelling can coexist. The long-awaited sequel to misunderstood cult-classic Nier, NieR: Automata is a thrilling game that regularly switches up genres while simultaneously sticking to the established tenets of character action games, delivering a thrilling and cerebral experience that more than earns its necessary multiple playthroughs to see the multiple endings and true finale. 2B is both swift and nimble in combat while also effortlessly laying waste to hundreds of sentient robots, and it's easy to see how NieR: Automata's excellent protagonist and fluid combat have gone on to influence countless games, including 2024's Stellar Blade.

• Release Date — March 8, 2019
• Developer — Capcom
• Publisher — Capcom
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 96% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Though there's a case to be made that every game in the Devil May Cry series belongs on a list of the best character action games (except for Devil May Cry 2, of course), Devil May Cry 5 is the first sequel in the franchise that truly captures the excitement and palpable "cool" factor of the original. Notably, that was the director's intention, with Hideaki Itsuno aiming to make DMC5 the best game in the series after his work directing the excellent 3rd and 4th entries (not to mention a whole slew of other Capcom classics). Itsuno's intentions with DMC5 were fully realized, with the game having some of the most insanely deep and rewarding combat of any title in the series (or any other character action game, for that matter) along with some of the best boss battles in the genre.

• Release Date — March 22, 2019
• Developer — FromSoftware
• Publisher — Activision, FromSoftware
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)
• Steam User Score — 95% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, Xbox One

FromSoftware knows what it's doing when it comes to combat, and Sekiro is perhaps its magnum opus in that regard. While the Dark Souls games and other FromSoftware action RPGs give players an astounding amount of build variety, opening up multiple pathways to victory in any encounter, Sekiro challenges players to simply "Get Gud" with the tools given to them. Accordingly, there's a purity to Sekiro's combat that escapes most modern action titles and cements it as one of the greatest games ever made, action or otherwise. Completing Sekiro and defeating Sword Saint Ishin on the outskirts of Ashina Castle is both a mental and physical endurance test, pushing players to the absolute limits of their skill in a way that few character action games can and leaving an indelible mark on those who overcome the challenge.

• Release Date — August 30, 2019
• Developer — Platinum Games
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — Nintendo Switch

Platinum Games' contract with Nintendo to produce a handful of titles exclusive to the Switch led to two excellent character action games, Astral Chain and Bayonetta 3. But while Bayonetta 3 is great, it's the unique and offbeat Astral Chain that more than earns its place as one of the best character action games thanks to its compelling sci-fi setting, awesome visuals, and incredibly unique approach to combat. Rather than control one character, Astral Chain sees players control one of the game's two protagonists and their Legions (strange, extradimensional creatures they wield) at the same time, with both tethered by the titular Astral Chain that binds them. Controlling the player character with the left analog stick and the Legion with the right, looping the Astral Chain around enemies and tripping them up, is a wholly unique experience in the genre and an absolute blast.

• Release Date — February 8, 2022
• Developer — Sloclap
• Publisher — Kepler Interactive, Sloclap
• Review Aggregate Score — 81% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 92% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

For those of us who cut our teeth in the arcades, Sifu is a breath of fresh air. Both a modern-day take on the beat 'em up and a character action game, Sifu features some of the most brutally satisfying combat ever seen in either genre. The impact and force of each hit practically reverberate off the screen, making you almost feel bad for all the armed goons you have to take out...almost. Sifu is also another game that takes its challenge seriously but also offers plenty of accessibility options that open up the floor to less-skilled players, giving them a great playground to grow their skills with its finely-tuned combat and robust Practice mode for training. Throw in Sifu's unique resurrection mechanic (which trades vitality for strength with each new life) and you have a certified modern classic.

• Release Date — April 26, 2024
• Developer — ShiftUp
• Publisher — Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Review Aggregate Score — 81% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 95% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5

The debut AAA title from Korean developer ShiftUp, Stellar Blade sits squarely between being a Soulslike and a character action game. While it does feature the sporadic checkpoints that reset the world and frequent deaths that the Soulslike genre is known for, Stellar Blade's combat is decidedly more fluid and fast-paced than most other games that borrow from Dark Souls' design philosophy, enough to where it shares more in common with fellow character action games like NieR: Automata than it does with anything produced by FromSoftware. Regardless of where you place Stellar Blade on the Soulslike to Character Action spectrum, though, the game is a non-stop barrage of high-octane combat and exploration that is inarguably one of the best modern action titles.

• Release Date — August 20, 2024
• Developer — Game Science
• Publisher — Game Science
• Review Aggregate Score — 81% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 96% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5

Like Sekiro before it, there's a temptation to refer to Black Myth: Wukong as a Soulslike game simply because it's a difficult, third-person action RPG, but playing BMW reveals that it actually shares a much closer lineage with Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden games than anything remotely resembling Dark Souls. Black Myth: Wukong is at once beautiful and brutal, wowing players with some of the most gorgeously jaw-dropping visuals produced in Unreal Engine 5 all while beating them over the head with one challenging combat encounter after another. The Destined One has a wide arsenal of fun abilities that each has its pros and cons to being used in combat, and figuring out the best way to tackle each boss fight is a thrill that immediately calls back to the best character action games of the 6th and 7th console generations.