8 Batman Games With The Best Combat, Ranked (2024)

Batman doesn’t need powers to propel him into superstardom, and this superhero has held his own as the greatest superhero of all time for a reason. Featuring in numerous video games, Batman has a plethora of titles in which players can control him and make use of his fists as they beat up the bad guys of Gotham City and beyond, whether that’s as plastic LEGO minifigures or in a memorable and intense version of Gotham.

Batman is a character who constantly evolves, and as such, the games he features in only get better with each entry. With a plethora of the best Batman games, players can see what combat works for the Caped Crusader, and how these games rank against each other when putting Batman’s mastery of combat to the test.

8 Justice League Heroes

A Co-Op Justice League Game Where Batman Gets To Showcase Gadgets Over Powers

When paired with the Justice League, Batman’s fighting skills are usually put to the side for his brain to take charge, but with Justice League Heroes, his fists are just as important as his battle tactics. Teaming with the Justice League once more, players can enter into a co-op session with their favorite DC heroes, and Batman will certainly be a joyous pick.

Whilst not an entirely Batman-focused game, he certainly has his moments, and he can definitely battle the foes of humanity with his fists and kicks as much as Superman can. Batman also has his own set of power moves thanks to his arsenal of gadgets, allowing him to hit enemies from afar, or get up close and personal.

7 LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

Classic Button Mashing Adventure In Adorable Plastic

There isn’t much detail to the combat system in LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, but there is more than its predecessor. As Batman, players will find an assortment of different outfits, each of these LEGO minifigures is capable of a different set of abilities and usefulness that can assist them in navigating the world, and also in combat situations with other LEGO figures.

Most of the combat just involves spamming the punch button, but players can get a feel for more with a few jumps and ground pounds, as LEGO Batman 2 does have a fair few different move sets for the plastic Caped Crusader, and his allies.

6 Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu

Roam Gotham's Streets In A Detailed Beat-Em-Up

An impressive Batman game, especially for 2003, Batman:Rise of Sin Tzu had the Caped Crusader team with his allies, and players could pick and choose between some iconic vigilantes, with Nightwing, Batman, and Batgirl being solid choices, all with their own set of moves that made them valued fighters for Gotham City.

Further upgrades would unlock more abilities and combos for Batman to try out. The beat-em-up style of gameplay really aided Batman’s fighting style, as he battles through Gotham’s streets, utilizing objects to throw, with evades and rolls to avoid damage. Plenty of dash punches and kicks to make sure every enemy encounter is dealt with swiftly.

5 Injustice 2

One Versus One Where Batman's Fighting Abilities Make Him S-Tier

Whilst not explicitly a Batman-focused game, Injustice 2 certainly has Batman on the roster of this DC Comics fighting game, and his role in the story and as an S-tier fighter makes him vital for the game. Injustice 2 has a great set of combat for Batman, and his movement set is perfect for his characterization, bringing the comic character to life through players’ controller movement.

Batman plays just like how audiences might think he would, with an assortment of gadgets, martial arts punches and kicks, and of course a few counters with his cape. Batman is a lot of fun to play as in Injustice 2, and is easily one of the best fighters who is rewarding to master, and easy to learn.

4 Batman: Vengeance

Intimate One-on-One Fights In Fully 3D Environments

Whilst the camera and movement speed of Batman:Vengeance might be regarded as a tad dated by today’s standards, the fact that players could explore Gotham and its underbelly in a fully 3D environment made it so that future titles like the Arkham Trilogy would be possible. Combat-wise, Batman:Vengeance is a lot of fun, and players can get into plenty of engaging one-on-one fights that involve a mix of counters, blocks, kicks, and punches.

This one-on-one version of fighting makes things a tad more immersive, even if the game does need the speed and thrill of more than one opponent in a battle. Players can also enter a first-person mode, making use of Batman’s iconic gadgets to use against the environment and criminals.

3 Batman Begins

A Proto-Arkham Game Where Criminal Fear Integrates With Combat

Almost like a proto-Arkham game, Batman Begins does a great job as a movie tie-in game, and the combat is perhaps the most memorable part. Each enemy has their own health bar, and Batman can use that to his advantage by focusing purely on those weakest, or those who fear him the most. A lot of the attacks make the enemies feel light, as they can often be juggled upwards, but the invincibility during this falling animation leaves some desire to unleash further punches in a vulnerable state.

The camera can be a tad tricky to navigate in combat, as it either tracks Batman with a frustrating bob to its movement, or it can be used to hone in on a singular enemy, thus ignoring enemies that could prove a threat just off-camera. Nevertheless, players are never overwhelmed, and Batman’s fast attacks can take care of enemies quickly, even as they add more blocks to their arsenal requiring them to use more than just a quick punch.

2 Batman: Arkham Asylum

Make Addicting Combos With Punches, Kicks and Counters

It’s hard not to talk about where the best Batman games started from, as Batman:ArkhamAsylum was the blueprint going forward, not just for Batman, but for games that desired that crunchy and weighted fighting system, where players could enter a free flow state and punch their enemies into the ground, and counter their moves to keep the action going without fear of losing a combo.

In Batman:ArkhamAsylum, every punch of Batman’s feels like it has a good weight behind it and a decent layer of power. Players can counter the punches of their enemies with a quick press of a button, allowing them to keep the fight going. Yet, the system was fairly new, and further revised to pave the way to the greatest combat in a Batman game.

1 Batman: Arkham Knight

Be The Batman, With Detailed Free-Flowing Combat

Without a doubt, Batman:ArkhamKnight is the perfect iteration of combat in a Batman game. Taking the lessons from Batman:ArkhamAsylum and advancing them for the PS4 and Xbox One era of gaming, Batman:ArkhamKnight does so much right and even more than what was asked. Stealth gameplay is fluid and fast, with fear takedowns making exciting changes to stop stealth segments from being slow.

Not only is stealth combat improved, but brawling is at its best state yet, with free-flowing combat allowing Batman to mix in an arsenal of gadgets into his attacks, dodging, countering, and stunning foes, no matter how many men Batman is outnumbered by. Even better still, is the first use of vehicular combat, in which the Batmobile is a ton of fun to drive and battle against a militia in.