The Ten greatest hack and slash games ever

Hack and slash games offer players the chance to live out the ultimate power fantasy, cutting through swathes of enemies with ease and executing inhuman combinations at ridiculous speed.

While this is already appealing enough, these games often hide groundbreaking tech, touching narratives and memorable characters behind their shiny facades. 

It also serves as one of the most varied genres around and, depending on your preference, you can go anywhere from the misery of Tolkien’s Mordor to the vicious fires of hell itself.

So, whether you’re new to the genre and don’t know where to start, or an experienced player looking for your next adventure, we’ve broken down our picks for the best games the hack and slash genre has to offer. 

10. Darksiders (2010)

What is it: Brutal hack-and-slash set on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth, where mankind and angels battle an endless horde of demons. 

Why we like it: Darksiders is one of those games where the thematic elements elevate it far beyond the level the gameplay otherwise would. Players take control of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who act as neutral figures in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. It’s a story that was filled with ingenuity at the time of its original release and it feels just as fresh when returning to it today.

The combat is also well-tuned and nicely varied, with players able to draw on both standard physical melee attacks and spectacular magic abilities known as Wrath powers. Enemies also come in a ton of different varieties, with many of them realized on a huge scale that immediately brings to mind classics like Shadow of the Colossus. If exploring literal hell on earth sounds like something you’d be interested in, the Darksiders series (and the first game in particular) should be your first port of call. 

9. Dynasty Warriors: Origins (2025)

Dexerto/Koei Tecmo

What is it: The latest effort in the storied Dynasty Warriors series featuring varied and exciting combat in a historical setting.

Why we like it: Dynasty Warriors: Origins takes players back to China’s Han dynasty, almost two thousand years ago. There, the player takes on the real-world Yellow Turban rebellion in a series of pitched battles and skirmishes and it really is the best the series has ever been. Dynasty Warriors has always been ambitious in its approach, but rapidly improving technology has allowed the developer to deliver combat on a scale we’ve never seen before.

Origins features skill trees, weapon professions and special abilities, allowing you to decide exactly how you’d like to approach each fight. Boss battles are played relatively safe in terms of design, but it’s nice to flow between chopping through fodder enemies before taking a more calculated approach. If you’re looking for a recent hack and slash with over the top features and a compelling narrative, you’d go a long way to find one better than Dynasty Warriors: Origins.

8. Ninja Gaiden Black (2005)

Team Ninja

What is it: A reworked version of the original Ninja Gaiden with the two accompanying Hurricane packs, featuring several notable improvements.

Why we like it: Set in the same universe as Team Ninja’s storied Dead or Alive series, Ninja Gaiden puts players in control of Master Ninja Ryu Hayabusa as he attempts to recover a stolen sword and avenge his murdered clan. Leaving the combat to one side, Ninja Gaiden remains one of the deepest hack-and-slash games ever, offering a lengthy and engrossing story with gameplay that rewards those who put the time into learning its intricacies.

The reworked Black version of the game arrived in 2005 with some notable changes that make it the best version available today. After complaints over the difficulty, Black added a Ninja Dog difficulty that made the game significantly easier, which mocked the player throughout for their choices. It also added a much harder Master Ninja difficulty setting, additional enemies, new clothes and a mission mode that allowed players to dip in and out of linear levels with ease. Available on Xbox, it remains the premier ninja simulator 20 years on from its debut.

7. Bayonetta (2009)

What is it: Set in a highly stylised fictional city in Europe, players take control of a shapeshifting Witch in an eternal struggle between light and darkness.

Why we like it: Bayonetta is one of those games that’s so stylish it becomes difficult to look beyond the very shiny facade. Fortunately, if you do, you’ll find one of the most technically impressive hack and slash efforts of the seventh console generation. Drawing on influences from Dante’s Paradiso, Purgatorio and Inferno, it’s one of the more intensely layered games on this list narratively-speaking, adding media staples like amnesia to keep a little mystery as you play through.

One of Bayonetta’s greatest strengths is the options that it gives to the player in each combat stage. Enemies at range? Use your guns. Dealing with a particularly tough foe? Summon an Iron Maiden to do your work for you. Whatever you would like to do, the game more than likely has an option for it, and no two playthroughs will work in the same way. The last thing to look out for is the game’s inimitable art-style, which continues to inspire designs in new games, almost two decades since it first dropped. 

6. Dante’s Inferno (2010)

What is it: A dark action-adventure that transports players to the depths of hell in an attempt to rescue the protagonist’s wife from the less than trustworthy hands of Lucifer.

Why we like it: As the name may suggest, the game is loosely based on the world set out in the first part of Dante’s Divine Comedy, Inferno. Players take control of a stylised Dante, who in this version is a Templar knight, as he battles his way through the Nine Circles of Hell. Though it draws heavily from 14th century source material, it really does feel groundbreaking in the way it tells its tale, bringing love into the narrative as much as it does any of the negative emotions associated with hell. 

The gameplay feels like a bit of a throwback, and God of War players may find it oddly familiar, combining puzzle mechanics with rudimentary platforming and fast-paced combat. For the most part, you’ll be drawing on Dante’s scythe and Holy Cross to get the job done against those pesky demons and this odd choice of weapons does set it apart from its immediate peers in the genre. Add magic to that already heady brew and you’re already on to a winner, with Dante’s Inferno serving as one of the most underrated hack and slash games ever. 

5. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014)

What is it: An entirely original (non-canon) story set in Tolkien’s Middle-earth, where the player controls a Gondorian Ranger in a classic story of revenge. 

Why we like it: Few people expected Shadow of Mordor to be as good as it was when it released in 2014, but Monolith’s unique approach and ingenious systems combined to make it one of the best games of the 2010s full stop. Taking control of the Ranger Talion after he makes a bond with the wraith Celebrimbor (who forged the Rings of Power), it’s an absolute masterclass in delivering gameplay above all else.

Sure, the story is perfectly fine, but the game’s strength absolutely lies in its combat and Creed-lite approach to movement mechanics. Shadow of Mordor’ proprietary Nemesis system is also one of the most ingenious advancements in video game history, as the orcs of the world grow and change as time progresses. Social structures alter and individual figures rise and fall in the savage Black Lands, as you race to stop the rise of Sauron, years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

4. Devil May Cry 5 (2019)

What is it: The sixth installment in Capcom’s iconic Devil May Cry series, it brings demon hordes and stylish action sequences in equal measure. 

Why we like it: At its core, the Devil May Cry series is about killing demons as efficiently and spectacularly as possible. No game makes this a reality better than Devil May Cry 5, as Nero and Dante return to take out a formidable Demon King named Urizen. The story does more than enough to hook you in, as a mysterious stranger known only as V comes to the pair to hire them to take out Urizen. From there, it’s all about how much fun you dare to have with the game’s impressive engine.

Those who have played the earlier games in the series won’t find any particular surprises when it comes to the gameplay. You’ll get a bunch of different weapon types to try out and it’s all about finding the one that suits your playstyle the best. There’s a little something for everyone and DMC5 doesn’t shy away from providing easier difficulties to players who otherwise might find the genre very challenging. If you’re looking to make your debut into hack and slash games, this is a great place to start. 

3. Nier: Automata (2017)

What is it: Set during a proxy war between alien machines and human androids, Nier: Automata is an action sequel that draws elements from several genres.

Why we like it: Nier: Automata had unusually high expectations heading into its release in 2017, but it still blew everyone’s hopes out of the water when the finally got their hands on it. It’s just one of those games that nails it in almost every respect. From the story to the combat to the overall themes, it’s difficult to find areas in Automata where it’s particularly lacking. The hack and slash combat strikes a fine balance between being immediately playable and rewarding skill, with a traditional light/heavy attack setup that’s focused on effective combos. 

The plot is also delivered in a way that’s genuinely ingenious, with the full narrative told across multiple playthroughs and from different characters’ perspectives. This allows players to unlock new layers of understanding in a way that feels organic and appropriate to the fast-moving, high-stakes setting. It looks great, it plays great and you’d be silly not to give it a go if hack and slash titles, or action games more generally, are your thing. 

2. Diablo 2 (2000)

Activision Blizzard

What is it: The second game in Blizzard’s fabled Diablo series takes players to the depths of hell in their battle against the Lord of Terror, Mephisto et. Al.

Why we like it: The Diablo series will need no introduction to most of you at this point, but the second game still serves as the best example of everything that Blizzard’s flagship ARPG is supposed to represent. After the defeat of Diablo in the first game, some twenty years have passed by peacefully. After destruction returns to Sanctuary, it transpires that Diablo is attempting to engineer his return, while at the same time freeing his brother Mephisto and Baal.

Blizzard took everything they did in the first game and dialled it up for the sequel, raising the stakes and adding a ton of new options so players could really make their character their own for the first time. It featured five classes with impressive customization and a level cap of 99 to work towards. The systems are impactful without feeling bloated and almost any approach to combat was viable in the right hands. The remastered Resurrected version is the way to go these days, and there’s plenty of reason to pick it over the most recent effort, even in this modern context.

1. God of War (2018)

Sony Santa Monica

What is it: The eighth instalment in the God of War series and direct sequel to God of War III, it follows Kratos (and his son Atreus) as they set out on a journey to spread the ashes of his late wife at the highest peak of the nine realms.

Why we like it: 2018’s God of War took the series away from Greek mythology for the first time and moved instead to the Scandinavian realm of Midgard, with Norse mythology as the focus. Though this seemed like an odd place to put Kratos at the outset, he’s never felt more at home, and his struggles against the titanic forces of that cold and brutal land are some of the toughest ever. 

The major gameplay change for older fans of the series is that Kratos now wields a magical axe instead of his traditional chains. Though this does bring his ridiculousness level down slightly, it actually makes for better hack and slash gameplay with intuitive responses to player combos. The story is touching and emotionally raw, with the relationship between father and son one of the best that you’ll see in any game, regardless of genre. The follow-up, Ragnarok, is also very good, but it lacks a little of that intangible magic that makes this reimagining of the iconic series so stunning.