The best Batman games on PC in 2022

Looking for the best Batman games on PC? The Caped Crusader has been protecting Gotham’s streets for many years now across a number of different media franchises. And naturally, the philanthropist-turned-superhero has also swooped his way over to the world of videogames from time to time.

And thankfully, unlike many other superhero spin off titles, most of Batman’s games on PC have actually been quite good. Whether fighting criminals through the dank halls of Arkham Asylum or taking a more light-hearted romp through Gotham as his LEGO counterpart, there’s something for all fans of the Dark Knight, though most of them come in the form of action-adventure games.

If you’ve not delved into Batman games on PC, or are looking for something new, then this list is here to help. We’ll only be covering games where Batman, or Gotham, is the star — no Injustice or Multiversus here, as good as those are — or anything that isn’t easily accessible anymore. With those caveats in mind, here are the best Batman games on PC in 2022.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

For many, Batman: Arkham Asylum will be their first foray into the world of Batman. Despite releasing not long after The Dark Knight, Arkham Asylum was not a movie tie-in game. Instead, it took players to the titular facility in all its dark, grimy glory. Batman’s long-time nemesis the Joker manages to take over the asylum, with our hero aiming to wrestle control back over the course of the game.

Batman: Arkham Asylum pioneered a style of combat that allowed Batman to take on multiple enemies with ease, dodging and retaliating in a satisfying way. As the first game in the Arkham franchise, it comes across as a little simplistic nowadays, but Arkham Asylum still fulfils the power fantasy of becoming Batman. You’ll also see this free flowing combat in other superhero games like Marvel’s Spider-Man, making it the most influential game on this list.

Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham City takes you out of the asylum and into a much larger open world. A lot of the gameplay is still familiar to Batman’s escapades in Arkham Asylum, but now with more gadgets and enemy types thrown into the mix. An open world also means more side content, breaking up the main story as you encounter new characters — though avoid hunting for every collectable if you want to maintain your sanity.

This sequel also introduced some new playable characters via DLC— Catwoman, Robin, and Nightwing. While the Catwoman DLC was the only one to include more story content, having the option to play as other characters was a nice change of pace.

Batman: Arkham Origins

Taking players back to events before the first two games, Batman: Arkham Origins was the first entry in the franchise not made by Rocksteady Studios. It sees Batman in his early crime fighting days, hunted by both assassins and a corrupt police force.

While one of the less memorable entries in the Arkham franchise, Batman: Arkham Origins is still an interesting take on the superhero. It’s not quite an origin story, but still offers up some new perspectives on both Batman and the world he’s trying to protect.

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

Released alongside the main game, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate was originally a handheld-only title. Receiving an enhanced port for PC less than a year later, Blackgate is a side-scroller instead of a fully open world title.

While this limitation is clearly due to the original hardware Blackgate was developed for, most of what you’d expect from an Arkham game is still present. You’ll be making use of gadgets for area traversal, taking down gangs with Batman’s usual agility, and the story introduces some mainstay characters during its short runtime.

Batman: Arkham Knight

Batman: Arkham Knight didn’t have the best of starts on PC, with many players encountering poor performance and a multitude of game breaking bugs. After a number of patches and easier access to better hardware, Arkham Knight is now an enjoyable entry for PC players. Visually, it’s easily the most impressive game in the franchise, especially during the numerous Batmobile sequences. The Batmobile itself plays a big role in Arkham Knight, as you tear through Gotham City’s rain-soaked streets.

Gotham Knights

Okay, so we know Gotham Knights is not technically a Batman game, but it briefly has the Caped Crusader in it. With Bruce Wayne dead, it’s up to Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood to protect Gotham City from villains seizing the opportunity to take control for themselves.

It borrows the stealth gameplay from other Arkham games, even though it doesn’t take place in the same storyline, and combat plays more like an action RPG game. It also has a co-op mode for the entire game, so you and a friend can ambush criminals in tandem.

Batman: The Telltale Series

While the Arkham games did allow for some detective work, a greater emphasis was placed on traversing the world and fighting bad guys. Batman: The Telltale Series instead slows things down a little, letting you play as both Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego Batman. The second series, Batman: The Enemy Within, improves upon the story even further, with better writing overall and a satisfying conclusion.

LEGO Batman: The Videogame

For a more light-hearted time, LEGO Batman: The Videogame is the right place to be. It’s another classic LEGO title, taking the usually stoic Batman series and injecting a lot more humour and goofy scenes into the mix. As with most LEGO titles, this is also one that’s more fun to play in co-op.

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

As you can probably guess, LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes features both more Batman and more DC characters as a whole. Batman still takes the leading role, complete with a new set of suits and gadgets, but now some other familiar faces like Superman and the Flash make their appearance for the first time. You even get an open world to explore, similar to the later Arkham games.

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

LEGO Batman 2 was still a Batman game, just with a light sprinkle of DC characters. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham on the other hand takes things even further, bringing the roster to over 150 characters across the DC universe. It’s perhaps the least Batman-focused title on this list, but he still gets a decent array of new tools to play with during his adventures in space.

Batman: Arkham VR

Batman: Arkham VR is an interesting title, not just as a Batman game, but for VR in general. Virtual reality technology was still in its relative infancy when this game released, giving players a taste of what might be to come. Arkham VR won’t exactly blow your mind like modern VR titles will, but it’s still fun to mess around with Batman’s various gadgets and solve some light puzzles.

And this concludes our list of the best Batman games on PC in 2022. There’s a lot to go through for newcomers, though you might already own some of these games as freebies on the Epic Games Store. If you’re instead after other superhero games, we’ve got the list for you.

The best Batman games on PC in 2022
Source: Maharot News