Best Hack-and-slash Games To Quench Your Thirst For Action
The best hack-and-slash games scratch that itch of wanting to feel unstoppable against overwhelming hordes of dangerous opponents. These video games come in various flavors and appeal to gamers due to their action-packed gameplay, customizable playstyles, challenging boss fights, epic visuals, compelling storylines, and much more. Whether you’re looking for fast-paced action to test your reflexes or something more tactical to develop your strategic mind, hack-and-slash games will have you covered.
In this article, I will introduce you to some of the best, genre-defying hack-and-slash games that any self-respecting gamer should try. I’ll also explore some hidden gems that may have gone under your radar. Lastly, I’ll share some of my personal favorite hack-and-slash games that I return to repeatedly to test new and interesting strategies or playstyles.
Whatever your experience level, this article will introduce you to some exciting hack-and-slash games that pique your interest. So, read on to learn about your next epic battleground.
Top Picks: Best Hack-and-slash Games
Whether you’re battling waves of enemies, embarking on epic quests, or showcasing your mastery of combat, these games offer pure adrenaline-fueled fun. Here’s our list of the best hack-and-slash games that will keep your fingers moving and your heart racing!
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – gothic, grimdark, and gory action.
- Sifu – challenging action-adventure game where time is a weapon and every mistake is a lesson.
- Devil May Cry 5 – stylish, high-octane action with over-the-top combat and demonic powers.
- Diablo 2 – classic dungeon crawler with addictive loot and intense boss fights.
- Dark Souls Remastered – challenging action RPG with a dark, gothic atmosphere.
- Elden Ring – vast, open-world action RPG with a focus on exploration and combat.
- Hades – rogue-like dungeon crawler with a focus on fast-paced combat and Greek mythology.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – sprawling, open-world RPG with a mature story and complex characters.
- Hollow Knight – challenging Metroidvania with a haunting atmosphere and intricate world.
- Monster Hunter: World – cooperative monster-hunting game with massive, challenging creatures.
Want to know more about each of these epic titles and see our full list of the greatest hack-and-slash games? Keep scrolling, we’ll give you a short overview.
What Defines A Great Hack-and-slash Game?
As the name suggests, hack-and-slash games are defined by gameplay centered around cutting down armies of opponents in fast-paced combat.
Initially, the player character is relatively weak and only has a few skills and weapons at their disposal to tackle the game’s challenges. But, as the game progresses, the player character grows more powerful and faces increasingly more difficult challenges requiring refined skills to overcome. This means the player must also get better at the game’s mechanics to move forward.
Some hack-and-slash games allow the player to create a completely customized character by choosing a class, building a skill tree, adjusting the character’s appearance, etc. However, other games, such as the Witcher and the Devil May Cry series, give the player control over an already-established character essential to the overarching storyline. Thankfully, such games still permit a fair degree of customization regarding appearance, story choices, and, most importantly, gameplay.
An excellent hack-and-slash game, in my opinion, should give the player immense variety when constructing their arsenal of destruction. The game should provide appealing options for melee and ranged combat, magical abilities, and anything else in between. After all, since hack-and-slash games are about non-stop action, it should feel satisfying in your own personal way.
Top Hack-and-slash Games
The following list of 20 hack-and-slash games includes titles from various genres, which can fall into one or more of the following categories:
- Action
- Adventure
- RPG
- First-person shooter
- Third-person shooter
- Open world
- Platformer
- Survival
As you can imagine, the game lineup is primarily influenced by my personal gaming preferences. However, I also considered other metrics, such as review scores, player reception, and what seemed the most fun. In any case, I’m sure the list will have options for gamers with varying tastes and preferences.
Note that some of these games have multiple installments in their franchises. As such, I tried picking entries that are both excellent and accessible to newcomers. However, the other installments are also worth checking out if the initial recommendation here caught your eye.
1. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2024 | Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine |
It’s one of the most exciting and action-packed games released this year. This game receives excellent reviews from die-hard Warhammer fans and people who barely know the franchise. For me, it’s a sign of a genuinely high-quality game.
Players praise the game’s non-stop gory action, satisfying weapons (melee and ranged), and stellar worldbuilding. You can customize your space marine’s weapons, abilities, and appearance to find the perfect balance for interstellar combat. And although the main storyline is relatively short (roughly 10 hours), the campaign has minimal downtime from you cutting down massive hordes of Tyranids.
Since the game has been freshly released, the PvP multiplayer scene is very active and entertaining once you finish the single-player storyline.
Grab your copy of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 >
2. Sifu
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2022 | Windows, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | N/A |
It’s a third-person beat ’em up game with a gripping storyline and excellent combat. You play as a martial arts student on a quest to avenge your school’s master, known as the sifu. Each time you die, a magical talisman resurrects you, but at the cost of significantly increasing your age. Gameplay-wise, being older means dealing more damage but having less health. You can die permanently at a certain age, meaning you’ll have to start from the very beginning.
The combat is definitely the game’s highlight, as it allows players to utilize a seemingly endless array of attacks, combos, and environmental hazards to deal with the constant onslaught of opponents. And although the combat appears simple, you’ll have to master it in order to reach the game’s finale.
3. Devil May Cry 5
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2019 | Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Devil May Cry 1-4 |
It’s arguably one of the most iconic hack-and-slash franchises available. In the fifth installment, you can play as the franchise’s titular devil hunter, Dante, as well as Nero and V. Each character has a unique game style, weapons, and skills to alternate between, allowing players to find their perfect match for defeating hordes of demons.
One of the most unique things about Devil May Cry is its stylish action mechanic. It gives you a rank in real-time during combat and after each mission based on your performance. It depends on factors like attack variety, combo length, and dodging attacks, which makes the game more exciting by providing a challenge that discourages repetitive gameplay.
Get a copy of Devil May Cry 5 >
4. Diablo 2
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2000 | Windows, macOS | Diablo, Diablo 3, Diablo 4 |
Diablo 2 is definitely one of the best and most iconic action RPGs of all time. You can choose from five (or seven with the Lord of Destruction expansion) distinct character classes and customize them to your preferences using skill trees and items you find during your epic adventures.
The game will take you through various landscapes and dungeons where you’ll face overwhelming armies of demons and mythical creatures before reaching Hell to defeat Diablo, the Lord of Terror. You’ll have to ensure your skills and items are well synergized to finish the game’s arduous journey.
If you’re not keen on playing such an old game, Diablo 2 was remastered in 2021, which updated the game’s graphics and unlocked it on gaming consoles like PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Get the best deal on Diablo 2 >
5. Dark Souls
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2018 | Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3 |
The notorious souls-like genre emerged from Dark Souls, a challenging but rewarding spin on the hack-and-slash genre. The franchise’s first game is an atmospheric, slow-paced action RPG that requires you to be more cautious and strategic since your opponents hit hard while your defense and recovery options are limited. Moreover, death means dropping all your Souls, the essential currency for progressing your character. You’ll respawn in a nearby bonfire, as will all the enemies you defeated.
In Dark Souls, you play as a cursed undead on a quest to discover the fate of your kind. You can customize your play style by choosing from various classes, upgrading different stats, and equipping various magical items you find throughout the expansive open world.
I recommend choosing the remastered version because it offers excellent quality-of-life improvements over the original, which had technical issues. It’s better optimized for modern platforms, leading to better FPS and performance, which is vital when every second means the difference between life and death.
Grab a copy of Dark Souls: Remastered >
6. Elden Ring
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2022 | Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Shadow of the Erdtree DLC |
From the creators of the iconic Dark Souls comes Elden Ring – an open-world, souls-like RPG set in a world partially created by George R. R. Martin. The critically acclaimed game is very similar to Dark Souls gameplay-wise, featuring hardcore encounters and a class-based customization system where you can level particular stats.
Crucially, the game has a significantly larger world to explore, requiring a mount and fast travel points to traverse efficiently. You’ll find hidden dungeons with powerful monsters that drop exceptional spells and items necessary to defeat the game’s notoriously difficult main bosses. And if the expansive main game isn’t enough, Elden Ring was recently updated with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Get the best deal on Elden Ring >
7. Hades
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2020 | Windows, macOS, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Hades 2 |
Hades is a rogue-lite hack-and-slash game based on Greek mythology with seemingly infinite replay value. You play as Zagreus, the son of Hades, who must escape the Underworld to meet the gods of Olympus. The gods will bestow you with powerful Boons that uniquely enhance your combat abilities. You also have an impressive arsenal of legendary weapons at your disposal to create thousands of different combinations to find your preferred playstyle.
Throughout your numerous escape attempts, you’ll progressively grow more powerful to eventually overcome the Underworld’s bosses and procedurally-generated levels. You’ll quickly learn that one successful escape is hardly enough to finish the game. Plus, the story’s colorful and fascinating characters will frequently comment on your numerous deaths while you’re trying to escape.
8. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2015 | Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch | The Witcher, The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings |
The Witcher franchise has evolved from a cult-classic book series into a phenomenal open-world RPG before being adapted as a Netflix TV show. In my mind, the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the franchise’s best installment and is a good entry point for fans of story-driven single-player games.
You play as Geralt, a monster hunter for hire who’s on a quest to find Ciri, the emperor’s missing daughter. A Witcher’s skill set includes expert swordsmanship, monster tracking, some magic, and alchemy. You’ll be able to customize these aspects to your liking when hunting down mythical monsters as well as other bad guys that get in your way. The storyline is also excellent, which will have you making difficult yet deeply impactful decisions throughout the game.
Get the best deal on the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt >
9. Hollow Knight
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2017 | Windows, Linux, macOS, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Hollow Knight: Silksong |
Hollow Knight was an instant classic when it was released in 2017. It’s a Metroidvania-style platformer with a souls-like vibe packed in a beautiful hand-painted 2D world.
In it, you play as Knight, a silent insectoid warrior who must explore Hallownest with all its mind-boggling subterranean landscapes. Defeated enemies drop Geo, allowing the player to unlock new attacks, spells, and movement abilities to traverse the massive world better.
Being a Metroidvania-style game, Hollow Knight is non-linear and allows you to explore the interconnected world however you want. However, note that some areas will be blocked by obstacles you can only overcome with specific abilities.
Grab your copy of Hollow Knight >
10. Monster Hunter: World
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2018 | Windows, Xbox One PS4 | Monster Hunter Rise, Monster Hunter Wilds |
Unlike many other hack-and-slash games on this list, Monster Hunter: World focuses on lengthy combat encounters against single massive enemies rather than overwhelming hordes. As the name suggests, you primarily hunt monsters, each with unique attack patterns, strengths, and weaknesses.
The hunts occur in specific biomes where particular monsters roam, and you must track them down yourself. These monsters won’t go down easily and can run away if you’re not quick enough. Defeating monsters grants valuable resources you can use to craft more powerful gear, including weapons and armor.
Speaking of weapons, you can equip 14 different weapon archetypes with unique combat styles and game mechanics. Additionally, you can have pets and craft equipment for them to keep you company in combat.
Get your copy of Monster Hunter: World >
11. Grim Dawn
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2016 | Windows, Xbox One | Ashes of Malmouth DLC, Forgotten Gods DLC |
Grim Dawn is one of my favorite action RPGs because of its unique character customization system. It offers nine distinct classes, each with a unique game style, spells, and skill trees. However, rather than picking just one class, players can choose two to create an entirely new class (or Mastery, as it’s called in the game). This enables an impressive amount of gameplay customization just on the skills and abilities front.
Another deeply customizable aspect of the game is your equipment. Throughout your adventures, enemies will drop loot with various stats and elemental powers. These can further synergize with your chosen powers to quickly dispatch hordes of enemies that will come after you. I also enjoy the game’s moody atmosphere and steampunk vibe since you can even equip guns as your primary weapon, which is rare among action RPGs.
12. Samurai Warriors 5
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2021 | Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Samurai Warriors 1-4 |
Go with Samurai Warriors 5 if you want to become an ultra-powerful general on an intense battlefield with thousands of opponents. Set in feudal Japan during the Sengoku period, it’s a Musou-style hack-and-slash game that will have you playing as historical figures like Nobunaga Oda and Hanzo Hattori in epic battlegrounds against hordes of weak soldiers and, occasionally, powerful generals like you.
While this is the fifth installment of the Samurai Warriors franchise, it’s a mild reboot and not a sequel to the previous titles. It made a few changes to the art style and gameplay, but the overall experience is faithful to the earlier titles. Thus, it’s a great starting point for newcomers to the franchise. For me, one of the most appealing things about Samurai Warriors games is split-screen multiplayer.
Grab your copy of Samurai Warriors 5 >
13. For Honor
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2017 | Windows, PS4, Xbox One | N/A |
For Honor is a PVP-focused hack-and-slash game that will throw you in the middle of a chaotic battlefield with hundreds of NPCs alongside hero characters controlled by other players. You can choose historically inspired heroes from five factions, further categorized into four unique classes with their own strengths and weaknesses.
The game’s highlight is its unique combat mechanic when encountering other players. You’ll enter a duel mode called Art of Battle, where you must observe your opponent and decide from which direction to attack or block. You’ll also have special class abilities to surprise your opponents, and you can alter the strength of your attacks to suit the situation better. There are also cinematic single-player and co-op modes if you want to practice or take a break from the intense PVP action.
Get the best deal on For Honor >
14. Darksiders
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2016 | Windows, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Nintendo Switch | Darksiders 2, Darksiders 3, Darksiders Genesis |
Darksiders is a third-person hack-and-slash game where you control War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. You’re sent to a post-apocalyptic Earth to discover why angels and demons are battling on Humanity’s home world. The game’s colorful art style, created by comic book artist Joe Madureira, gives the game an iconic and timeless look.
This game is heavily inspired by other action adventure games and features an intricate world that requires unlocking special abilities and solving puzzles to traverse. Regarding combat, you have your trusty Chaoseater sword with its unique moveset and powers you can upgrade over time. You’ll also add other weapons to your arsenal by defeating the story’s Demonic and Angelic bosses or exploring side areas of the map.
The game was initially released in 2010, but I recommend the remastered edition, which improves the visuals and solves technical issues.
Get the best deals on Darksiders (Warmastered Edition) >
15. Warhammer: Vermintide 2
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2018 | Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide |
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is a first-person co-op survival game set in the fantasy era of the Warhammer 40K universe. Gameplay-wise, it’s heavily inspired by Left 4 Dead, but Vermintide focuses more on melee combat, thus making it an excellent hack-and-slash game. I like that I can hop into a match whenever I want to enjoy the game’s visceral combat.
With a group of friends or bots, you’ll face overwhelming armies of Skaven in various visually impressive environments. You can choose from five different character classes, which are further divided into careers with different skills and abilities. You can customize each character with various weapons and items you’ll uncover when completing missions, with different movesets and strengths against certain opponents.
Grab your copy of Warhammer: Vermintide 2 >
16. Chivalry 2
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2021 | Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Chivalry: Medieval Warfare |
It’s perfect for gamers who want to participate in epic yet chaotic medieval PVP battles with up to 64 players. The game features team-based modes where players are tasked with storming or defending a castle with its various objectives. Alternatively, you can choose free-for-all deathmatches to test your mettle against anyone standing in your way.
The combat is simpler than in For Honor since you can attack with slash, overhand slash, and stabbing motions with a wide range of medieval weapons. As expected, you can defend yourself using shields, blocking, and parrying, which has the advantage of staggering your opponent. However, what sets Chivalry 2 apart is its inclusion of horseback combat. Plus, you can work with your teammates and utilize various siege weapons on the battlefield to gain an advantage. Overall, players enjoy the game’s chaotic but also hilarious atmosphere.
Grab your copy of Chivalry 2 >
17. Bayonetta
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2009 | Windows, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Wii U | Bayonetta 2, Bayonetta 3 |
Try Bayonetta if you want an over-the-top action game similar to Devil May Cry, featuring a femme fatale witch as the main protagonist. You’ll have an immense variety of melee weapons, firearms, and special skills at your disposal to hack and slash through hordes of demonic enemies. You’ll receive a combat rating at the end of each encounter based on your performance, which will be tallied at the end of the chapter to give a final score.
One of the most visually impressive skills in the game is Torture Attacks, in which Bayonetta summons various torture devices like iron maidens and guillotines to dispatch her opponents. Additionally, a well-timed dodge will enable Witch Time, which slows down your enemies, allowing you to quickly deliver heaps of damage before they can react.
Get the best deal on Bayonetta >
18. Titan Quest Anniversary Edition
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2016 | Windows, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One | Ragnarok, Atlantis, and Eternal Embers DLC |
Titan Quest is an action RPG from the creators of Grim Dawn and shares many of its excellent qualities. The game is set in pre-Roman times, with the player traveling across ancient Greece, Egypt, and the Silk Road to hunt down Titans that threaten the world.
The game offers eight different masteries with unique skills and abilities. Like in Grim Dawn, players can choose two masteries to create a unique combination befitting their playstyles. Throughout their adventures, gamers will encounter mythical beasts and visit historic places like the Great Pyramids and the Parthenon. As expected, you’ll also find epic equipment throughout your adventures to complete your arsenal.
The anniversary edition includes a host of quality-of-life improvements to the base game and the Immortal Throne DLC for a well-rounded hack-and-slash experience.
Get a copy of Titan Quest Anniversary Edition >
19. Dead Rising 3
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2013 | Windows, Xbox One | Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising 4 |
It’s the franchise’s peak regarding scale, combat variety, and overall fun. It’s an open-world zombie survival game where you play as Nick Ramos, who must scavenge for supplies to survive in a city overwhelmed by the undead. Along the way, you’ll encounter friendly NPCs as well as memorable bosses who will try to stop you.
The game’s highlight is that you can fight zombies with practically any items you find. If one item isn’t enough, you can combine it with another to have an even more powerful weapon with ridiculous special abilities. Unsurprisingly, vehicles are also considered weapons that you can combine to plow through the infested city in style.
Get the best deal on Dead Rising 3 (Apocalypse Edition) >
20. God Eater 3
| Release year: | Platforms: | Other installments: |
| 2018 | Windows, PS4, Nintendo Switch | God Eater, God Eater 2 |
This is an anime-style hack-and-slash game set in a post-apocalyptic world where you must hunt god-like monsters known as Aragami. Some players consider God Eater a faster-paced and more intense alternative to Monster Hunter, which I think is a fair assessment.
You can choose from a wide array of God Arc weapons, which are empowered by devouring fallen enemies, unlocking special abilities called Burst Arts. If customizing your character isn’t enough, you can also bring companions on your adventures, some of whom you’ll recognize if you’ve seen the anime based on this game.
Get the best deal on God Eater 3 >
Choosing The Right Hack-and-slash Game For You
There’s no need to overthink this part because everyone’s gaming preferences differ. The most important part is to check whether the game is supported on your gaming device, whether it’s a PC or a console.
Secondly, read some of the game’s most recent reviews from gamers and critics alike. Some titles, such as No Man’s Sky, are quite underwhelming upon release but are later fixed with patches. The latest reviews will hint at whether the game is in good condition.
And, finally, look at some gameplay footage or trailers to gauge the game’s overall vibe. Some games are appealing simply because of their looks, and there’s nothing wrong with picking hack-and-slash games that way. After all, the point of these action games is to feel like an absolute badass, and that feeling is evoked differently for everyone.
FAQ
1. What distinguishes hack-and-slash games from other action genres?
You can recognize hack-and-slash games by their emphasis on combat and the ability to customize your playstyle in a myriad of ways.
2. Which hack-and-slash game has the best storyline?
In my opinion, the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has the best storyline out of all the hack-and-slash games that I’ve played. However, it has the most impact if you’ve played the previous titles.
3. Can you play hack-and-slash games with friends?
Yes, there are many hack-and-slash games that support multiplayer. My favorite games to play with friends are Grim Dawn, Diablo 2, and Monster Hunter: World.
4. Are there any underrated hack-and-slash games worth playing?
In my opinion, Hades is one of the most underrated hack-and-slash games worth playing. It has excellent replay value and an interesting storyline that continuously evolves.
