Enjoy superheroics, ninja battles, and wild gunplay with these action-packed PC games.
In 2013, I started my Ziff Davis career as an intern on PCMag’s Software team. Now, I’m an Analyst on the Apps and Gaming team, and I really just want to use my fancy Northwestern University journalism degree to write about video games. I host The Pop-Off, PCMag‘s video game show. I was previously the Senior Editor for Geek.com. I’ve also written for The A.V. Club, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine. I’m currently working on a book about the history of video games, and I’m the reason everything you think you know about Street Sharks is a lie.
My career has taken me through an eclectic assortment of fields, and connected me with people from all walks of life. This experience includes construction, professional cooking, podcasting, and, of course, writing. I’ve been typing up geeky takes since 2009, ultimately landing a freelancing position at PCMag. This blossomed into a full-time tech analyst position in 2021, where I lend my personal insight on the matters of web hosting, streaming music, mobile apps, and video games.
Once upon a time, the PC was the thinking person’s video game platform. There, you’d find deep strategy games, such as Civilization or StarCraft, or groundbreaking first-person shooters, such as Doom or Half-Life. For flashy action games, you played at the arcade or on console. Fortunately, you can now play pretty much anything you could want on a personal computer. Today’s top PC games include action-packed hits.
The action genre is surprisingly tricky to define. Action games contain a lot of combat, but they’re aren’t quite fighting games or beat ‘em ups. An “action-adventure” game may have narrative, exploration, or puzzle-solving elements, but too many tip the title into the role-playing game or adventure game territories. The lines are blurry, and more than a little subjective.
Video game genres are more fluid than ever, but for this list we focused on the PC games that best prioritize action-packed thrills above all else.
Action games work especially well on Valve’s high-powered Steam Deck handheld. After all, they control best with buttons and sticks, not a keyboard and mouse. As single-player affairs, you don’t have to worry about anti-cheat engines that render some competitive games unplayable on Deck. Short chaotic bursts of high-intensity gameplay feel great on the go, too. And the Steam Deck’s raw power means games can run with the high performance needed for skillful play on harder difficulty levels. Many games on this list are Steam Deck verified, but be sure to check Valve’s compatibility tool before you make a purchase.
Here are the best PC action games that you should download right now.
The middle chapter of Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham trilogy does the best job balancing dense, thoughtful level design with an open-world Gotham City for the Caped Crusader to patrol. You’ll encounter recognizable villains, including Mr. Freeze, Hugo Strange, and the League of Shadows. The game’s still-revolutionary combat system makes it a joy tearing through mobs of generic goons and henchmen.
Hideki Kamiya basically invented the stylish, character-action game formula with the original Devil May Cry. Alongside the crew at PlatinumGames, the infamous Twitter troll took the genre to new heights with Bayonetta. You play as a sassy witch who sadistically slaughters angels with attacks conjured from her hair. Don’t let the ridiculous tone fool you. You must master the deep and varied combat system if you want to stand a chance (and look fabulous while doing it).
Giant robots make everything better, and that includes video games. Daemon Ex Machina is a modern take on classic, mech action. You fight mechanical foes on gorgeous, stylized battlefields with guns, missiles, and the occasional laser sword. Once one battle ends, collect new gear from downed opponents and customize your mech for the next mission.
The original Darksiders was an excellent mashup of Zelda-style adventures, God of War-like combat, and enough lore to put Doom to shame. The hellish legacy continues with Darksiders III, a game that sees you play as Fury, the Horsewoman of the Apocalypse. Taking inspiration from recent Souls games, Darksiders III focuses on brutal battles with small enemy groups, rather than mindlessly murdering huge hordes.
Devil May Cry 5 returns the series to its roots after Ninja Theory’s polarizing series reboot. Three heroes—Dante, Nero, and newcomer V—offer vastly different combat styles to master as you destroy demons. Powered by Capcom’s excellent RE Engine, the infernal mayhem has never looked better. If you’re a longtime franchise fan, you’ll appreciate the steep challenges.
Underneath For Honor’s grim tone beats the heart of an excited child. This combat game is all about making knights, vikings, and samurai fight each other, like smashing your favorite historical action figures together. However, For Honor is far from brainless. Wielding these weighty melee weapons takes patience and strategy, as one wrong move spells your doom. Test your mettle in the solo campaign or in online multiplayer skirmishes.
In this first-person, cyberpunk, action game, you’ll leap around arenas as you cut down enemies with your katana. If you take one hit, however, you’re back to square one. The unforgiving punishment doesn’t always pair well with the inherently disorienting first-person platforming and combat controls, but when everything clicks there are few games more satisfying.
The new God of War brings many changes to Sony’s iconic action series. Kratos is older, wiser, and more mature. The game trades the Greek gods for a gloomy take on Norse mythology. Instead of fighting to avenge his dead daughter, Kratos guides his very much alive son. The action is more measured and methodical than in previous GoW games, even if you can still pull off some nifty moves with your magic axe. All these changes reinvigorated the franchise for a new generation.
Ninja Theory can craft solid combat systems in its sleep. If all Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice had going for it was its intimate and tactical combat encounters, we would still recommend it. What makes this a truly special game, though, is how fighting your way across the ancient Celtic and Norse hellspaces ultimately serves as a raw and powerful metaphor for the mental health issues plaguing the main character, brilliantly performed by Melina Juergens.
If you want a video game to make you truly feel like the wall-crawler, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is it. Web-swinging across the open-world Manhattan feels pitch perfect. Combat turns you into a chatty, acrobatic trickster as you trip up goons with web blasts, gadgets, and good old-fashioned punches. Epic set pieces let you pull off superheroic feats with ease.
Forget the sneaky stealth that have defined the Metal Gear games. In Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, you’ll cut and tear through foes with your sword and cyborg powers. This time, no one will complain that you play as Raiden instead of Snake. Even without creator Hideo Kojima at the helm, the plot includes plenty of bonkers conspiracy theories. The wilder, funnier tone fits perfectly with the fast-paced action.
Ninja Gaiden was a trendsetting action game when it was rebooted for the original Xbox, and the Master Collection (which includes Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge) marks the series’ first official release on PC.
The Ninja Gaiden games feature a unique combat system that incorporates branching combos, fighting game-like stun states, and tight controls, creating challenging titles that are genuinely unique compared to its contemporaries. If you like your action rich and demanding, the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection is what you need, despite its flaws.
Nioh 2 is an excellent action title that combines brutal combat, stat-rich RPG elements, and gear-based character builds. It tosses you into a demon-riddled, Sengoku-era war that’s filled with thrilling combat. Featuring many weapons, potent magic spells, and awesome demonic abilities to employ, Nioh 2 is a fantastic action game with tremendous replay value that can hold your attention for hundreds of hours.
Okami HD is a gorgeous, high-definition port of the beloved PS3 action-adventure game. In it, you play as the goddess Amaterasu, reborn as a white wolf, in this utterly charming quest across fantasy Japan.
Okami is structurally similar to The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, with expansive zones to explore, new powers to unlock, and clues to uncover to move to the next area. The combat is surprisingly rich, letting you swap between two weapons, and utilize powerful brush techniques to expose enemy weaknesses. The visuals are unashamedly Japanese, using a watercolor-like graphical style to depict a world quite unlike any other in the genre.
If you’re hunting for an action-horror game to keep you on the edge of your seat, look no further than this gem. Capcom delivered a remake that feels modern and new, while being endearingly faithful to the original PS1 classic.
You battle ferocious abominations within the Raccoon City Police Department using satisfying and powerful weapons, all while taking in the impressive visuals that breathe new life to the iconic locales. Resident Evil 2 is easily one of 2019’s best games, and a must-own title that belongs in your library.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice proves that FromSoftware’s beloved brand of brutally difficult action isn’t going anywhere. In some ways, Sekiro is somehow even tougher than Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and BloodBorne. At least those games are RPGs that occasionally let you grind your way through a fight. Sekiro, on the other hand, is a pure action game. To move forward, you must submit yourself to the intricate sword-fighting system. You can revive yourself after death, so get ready to die a lot more than twice.
Soulstice makes a name for itself as a solid new entry in the character-action genre. You control two characters at once, a pair of spiritually conjoined sisters, and you’ll need to aptly cycle between one sister’s melee and the other sister’s magic abilities on-the-fly. The dark fantasy themes add weight and atmosphere.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection combines two acclaimed entries in the Uncharted series. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End brings closure to Nathan Drake’s story, while Uncharted: The Lost Legacy follows Chloe and Nadine as they embark on a new adventure. Few games come closer to becoming full-on interactive action movies, and now PC players can enjoy these globetrotting thrills.
Warframe has continued to grow and evolve since its 2013 launch. That’s how the free-to-play, pseudo-MMORPG has fostered such a passionate fan base. What holds Warframe together, though, is the wickedly fun combat that blends stylish swordplay, powerful gunplay, and incredibly nimble movement. You must grind to make significant progress, but it’s the most enjoyable grinding you’ll ever experience.
Need even more mech action in your gaming life? Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner Mars is a 4K update of a PlayStation 2 Konami cult classic. The fast battles, awesome weapons, and stylish anime visuals remain timeless, even if some issues reveal the game’s true age. Still, whenever an old game as good as this gets an unexpected new lease on life, you owe it to yourself to give it a spin.
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The PCMag Steam Curator Group(Opens in a new window)
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In 2013, I started my Ziff Davis career as an intern on PCMag’s Software team. Now, I’m an Analyst on the Apps and Gaming team, and I really just want to use my fancy Northwestern University journalism degree to write about video games. I host The Pop-Off, PCMag‘s video game show. I was previously the Senior Editor for Geek.com. I’ve also written for The A.V. Club, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine. I’m currently working on a book about the history of video games, and I’m the reason everything you think you know about Street Sharks is a lie.
Read Jordan’s full bio
My career has taken me through an eclectic assortment of fields, and connected me with people from all walks of life. This experience includes construction, professional cooking, podcasting, and, of course, writing. I’ve been typing up geeky takes since 2009, ultimately landing a freelancing position at PCMag. This blossomed into a full-time tech analyst position in 2021, where I lend my personal insight on the matters of web hosting, streaming music, mobile apps, and video games.
Read Gabriel’s full bio
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