Best 10 Action Video Games

12 min readSep 12, 2020

We all love action video games, either action-adventure games, or action role-playing games. We put together a list of the best action games we have today, including new releases and old classics. We hope you will find something you like, or something you missed, as we are sure that you already played some of the games included.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a merciless game that thirsts after the gamer’s blood and inflicts bodily pain. It is one of the games with a high degree of difficulty, that will challenge the players continuously during the game. In the same time it is one of the most beautiful and addictive video games we know. You will darn yourself, the game and its developers, but you’ll not be able to stop playing as Sekiro will become an obsession. If you are willing to commit yourself to video game torture, you will experience the feeling in the body of the defeated plunging your blade near nirvana or catharsis. I had never played a game title where the mechanics of using a sword felt so natural and, at precisely the same time, that it made all the sense in the world using controls. No matter how familiar you are with the job of this Japanese world, Sekiro depicts it wonderfully. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the single action-adventure video game that should be at the top of our list. It is a new standard that will certainly continue to influence other programmers. Sekiro isn’t a Dark Souls with ninjas and samurais. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a masterpiece which you can’t miss.

Developer: FromSoftware
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: 22 March 2019

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Shadow of the Tomb Raider received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise going to the game’s emphasis on tombs riding and challenging puzzles. We’re three games into the Tomb Raider trilogy and the final chapter of this particularly solid action-adventure video game does exactly what it says on the tin. For the most part of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara Croft raids tombs, which is probably what you expect and it is what makes more sense for an AA video game. Shadow of the Tomb Raider shifts the franchise’s focus more towards exploration. This is what players wants, and finally they got what they have asked. The story of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, just like the first two Tomb Raider games in the modern trilogy, takes some time to kick in. But once it does, you’ll see Lara mature as a character. Players will enjoy this game title, astonishing in all aspects, a game that will keep players fight until the end. After completing the game, I can say that this final chapter in Lara Croft’s reboot trilogy succeeds in coming full circle and defining her character better than it had ever been done before.

Developer: Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square Enix
Release Date: 14 September 2018

The Definitive Edition includes all available content to date. It has the base game and all seven post-launch DLC.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

This is a rather old game, released back on 2015 for PS3 and Xbox 360, available also for PS4 and Xbox One. I know we should probably focus more on the new PS5 and Xbox Series X games, but it is such a good game that it cannot be missed. It is one of the masterpieces of Hideo Kojima. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has been one of the highly anticipated games to be released at that time. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain casts players as Snake, an infiltration expert with a knack of finding huge mechanoid weapons called Metal Gears. Mother Base and your Diamond Dog army is constantly churning in the background of Metal Gear Solid V. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is an action-adventure stealth game in which players take the role of Punished “Venom” Snake from a third-person perspective in an open world. The gameplay elements were largely unchanged from Ground Zeroes, meaning that players will have to sneak from several points in the game world, avoiding enemy guards, and remaining undetected. Everything feels meaningful, and this game’s triumph is that there is so much of it. In many ways, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the stealth genre’s answer to games like Far Cry or Skyrim, something that builds a convincing world around the player and then gives them both great gameplay and systems to sink hours upon hours into. The Phantom Pain serves as a sort of “missing link” between those two games, an opportunity to learn how Big Boss transformed from a sympathetic hero to an iconic villain. By taking elements of past Metal Gear Solid games Developers give Big Boss a lot of advantages in the battlefield, and the only way to grow this army is to recruit soldiers, complete side missions, gather supplies, and perform other activities that add to the bottom line of the war machine.

Developer: Konami Productions
Publisher: Konami
Release Date: 1 September 2015

Days Gone

Days Gone is a solid action-adventure open-world survival horror video game that needs little presentation. I don’t need to spend too much time going over the basics of Days Gone: the scrappy biker Deacon St. John loses nearly everything, including his late wife Sarah, when an epidemic hits that wipes out most of the world’s population and leaves many of the people left transformed into feral beasts called freakers, which are as much a reversion to human’s primate instinct as brain-eating zombies. Whether you’re picking flowers or setting fires to root out the game’s zombie-like Freakers, every action feels like it’s fleshing out the story, gameplay, or your character. There are two things that set Days Gone apart from other open world games: the fact that a motorbike is your main form of transportation, and there are sometimes thousands of zombies on-screen. The hordes are excellent, and portions of the story are great, and the journey through a destroyed Oregon is impressive. While there’s certainly a valid argument for open world fatigue, and Days Gone isn’t without its share of frustrations, Bend Studio has combined deep gameplay systems, diverse approaches to combat, and tactical stealth elements to produce a game that feels more like Metal Gear Solid V than The Last of Us. The graphic is superb and the game creates an immersive atmosphere that feels real. It is a game that you should definitely have if you are a fan of the genre and own a PlayStation 4. Unfortunately, this is a PS4 exclusive video game.

Days Gone PS4

Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV is an open world action role-playing video game with great combat and lots of adventures to offer. It’s gameplay focuses on real time battle, unlike the turn — barring Final Fantasy 12. It plays much like Kingdom Hearts in that respect and your trio of buddies feel to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Yet there is something satisfying about FFXV and engaging that leaves you feeling that if its mojo hasn’t been really rediscovered by Final Fantasy. I like its great story, character development, and the magic system and I wouldn’t want to lose anything of what FFXV has brought to the game series. Final Fantasy XV’s battle system preserves its DNA from old Final Fantasy videogames, yet for the first time feels sufficiently modern to avoid alienating those weaned. Final Fantasy Fifteen (FFXV) is a really full console game, containing miniature videogames like fishing, Chocobo car racing, and time trial classes that permit you to unlock additional parts for your vehicle. Central to every smaller story it wants to tell is friendship; the kind of coming-of-age friendship that feels like, and often is, the most important thing in the world to those bound by it. In Final Fantasy XV, the game finds its emotional core in the four main protagonists rather than a central story line to lean on. I think everyone has been caught off guard by how well Square Enix pulled off the four leads.

Developer: Square Enix Business Division 2
Publisher: Square Enix
Release Date: 29 November 2016

Nioh 2

Nioh 2 is a recent action role-playing video game from Team Ninja, an exclusive title for PlayStation 4. Nioh 2 brings some new and exciting gameplay elements to the table especially in the form of Yokai abilities as the new soul system adds a new layer of mechanics to the combat, stats and in turn character building. The combat system takes a lot of getting used to, but it’s a beautifully well-oiled machine that highly rewards players who take the time to puzzle it out. Nioh 2 has a difficulty level that requires players to take their time to consider their actions before leaping into battle, but it’s hard to develop a strategy when the game handcuffs the player’s abilities and the enemy AI is inconsistent. You’ll start to get a sense of how different enemies fight, how environments impact gameplay, and how you want your character to be set up. It seems Team Ninja feels especially proud of exhausting us players this time around. The role-playing side is well developed and players have the chance to build their character from scratch. The combat is much improved, especially with the addition of supernatural powers in the form of Yokai powers. This is a superb game that will keep busy the fans of the franchise.

Developer: Team Ninja
Publishers: (World Wide) Sony Interactive Entertainment & (Japan) Koei Tecmo
Release Date: 12 March 2020

Nioh 2 PS4

Just Cause 4

Just Cause 4 fulfills the promise of what a Just Cause game should be much better than its predecessors. Rico’s out to find out something about his dad, but there’s never twists that are unexpected or any emotional punches to drive players. Some of the most significant gameplay additions involve Rico’s grappling hook; today you can tie up to ten things to other things. Cause 4 is an enjoyable ride with a exciting and memorable campaign, full of thrilling gameplay minutes. It is a fun action-adventure video game that will hook players up for hours of amazing adventures. A piece of advise: stick to the campaign for a fun fifteen hours and forget about everything else. There’s little in the way of gameplay that changed, and what used to be fun in previous entries is exciting in this one as well. The combination of wingsuit, parachute, and grappling hook makes traversing the world a thrilling and active experience, while combat feels much more weighty than previous video games. Just Cause 4 doesn’t skimp, it has established over the years a particularly fun gameplay and some interesting features. Now giving gamers a Rico character who can wingsuit into enemy territory and commandeer vehicles that are abandoned. Just Cause 4 is a captivatingly fun experience, with doubt.

Developer: Avalanche Studios
Publisher: Square Enix
Release Date: 4 December 2018

The Outer Worlds

The Outer Worlds has all that we desired from the authors of Fallout New Vegas. But, while bringing that odd world with an excellent liberty of activities, nice questing and a good amount of content — probably more than 20 hours with replayability, the video game seems old school (and I understand some will actually like this). The company system and the AI work nicely, and the images and technical design are nice. It is great to see Obsidian again in a genre where it knows the way to do things so well, with a project that is among the most anticipated games of the year. The Outer Worlds is not perfect, it’s limited and its formula outdated in some aspects, but it satisfies all that it claims and it is a lot of fun for many people. Where everybody can be whomever they want to be, The Outer Worlds is a first-person role-playing adventure with an interesting narrative characters, brilliant conversations and hundreds of possibilities that are all playable. The Outer Worlds is much more than Fallout in distance, and I honestly believe you owe it to yourself to play this video game. This is one of the most entertaining gaming experiences this year I’ve played, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to everyone and anyone, especially if you are into sci-fi themes and action role-playing video games.

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Private Division
Release Date: 25 October 2019

Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon: Zero Dawn is comfortable but also refreshing. The battle has some choices which make fun if you’re just stacking up stealth kills in the security of a bush. And the presentation end of the console game holds up its end of things with a solid soundtrack, great voice and a design which makes all of its parts fit together. It’s a great console game, it’s Guerrilla’s strongest release to date. Amsterdam-based studio Guerilla Games, best known for PlayStation’s grim but visually impressive Killzone franchise, spent over six years on Horizon Zero Dawn, and it shows in the beauty of the console game’s artwork, the thickness of its backstory and the tightness of its own design. This is not the last we will see of the land. Horizon Zero Dawn is a perfect evidence, that in case you give programmers creative freedom and time, it is going to get you a sweet reward. For lovers of worlds that are terrific and action adventures Horizon is your obvious option. This is a game with perfect score on many game reviewers. It is one of the fan’s favorites. I will recommend Horizon Zero Dawn to action-RPG lovers.

GreedFall

GreedFall is an action role-playing game developed by Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows PC. GreedFall is worth your time, largely due to its world, which is filled with interesting stories and mindgames that are of political nature. Some bugs that previously detract from the full experience were fixed and now we have a smooth gameplay as it should. The AI that is may seem a little erratic, but I guess this could be a good thing for an action-RPG. GreedFall is a good proposal to any fan of action RPGs. It’s not groundbreaking and it takes almost all of its ingredients from other games, but it sure delivers a profound and versatile experience. GreedFall arrives to try to recover the best moments of the genre, offering a remarkable adventure, full of decisions to make, adversaries to beat and loaded with unique possibilities to confront the situations which arise. It may seem like a side-title, but it is a very good game and you will fully enjoy the experience offered.