There’s no better sensation than watching your button-mashed inputs get converted into mighty attacks in the best hack and slash video games.
From managing demons with Dante’s pistols to ripping enemies apart with Kratos’ blades, there’s a particular gratification in hack and slash battles.
In this list, we’ll slice and dice through the genre to find the best hack and slash games on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
For more gaming recommendations, check out our growing library of curated lists, and comment below with your top hack and slash game of all time!
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Ultra Age
Platform: Windows
If you’ve got a hankering for dramatic action and fierce combos, Ultra Age is a cool new hack and slash game that’s worth check out in.
In it, players must battle merciless mutants and formidable robots in a futuristic Earth setting where humanity’s days are numbered.
Taking on the role of a young soldier named Age, you’ll set out to prevent humankind’s extinction while sharpening your fighting skills.
As you carry out your mission, you’ll unlock several blades with distinct powers that allow you to execute swift and stylish combos.
Nobody Saves the World
Platforms: Windows, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch
Nobody Saves the World is a hack-and-slash action RPG with a creature possession twist that sees you taking on various forms to blend-and-match abilities.
Doing so allows you to traverse a 2D hand-drawn world to reach new areas, battle foes, and complete challenging quests across shape-shifting dungeons.
There are over 15 separate forms to unlock ranging from a rat to a rogue to a robot, and many more that keep combat and exploration feeling novel.
Lastly, the game comes from developer DrinkBox Studios, best known for titles like Guacamelee, and features equally vivid visuals with a lighthearted feel.
Have a Nice Death
Platform: Windows
Currently in Steam Early Access, Have a Nice Death is a 2D action roguelike that uses procedural generation and hack and slash combat to make each run distinct.
In it, players take on the role of a fatigued soul-collector who’s forced to pick up his scythe and fight after his co-workers start making outrageous demands.
Making your way around Death Incorporated, you’ll have a chance to utilize over 30 distinct weapons and spells that can be upgraded to deliver catastrophic effects.
At the conclusion of each attempt, you’re given a performance evaluation that determines which items and enemy enhancements will appear on your subsequent run.
Thymesia
Platform: Windows
Continuing on, we have Thymesia, a demanding action RPG modeled after Dark Souls that offers swift-paced combat and an intricate “plague” weapon system.
Set in a realm where death is relentlessly spreading, it casts you as a mysterious plague doctor who preys upon enemies and wields the power of disease.
Embarking on a mission to regain your memory and uncover the truth behind curing the world of its alchemic curse, you’ll encounter a host of grotesque bosses.
You’ll have to conquer each one and utilize their power to become more formidable while upgrading your character’s assortment of weapons and abilities.
V Rising
Platform: Windows
V Rising is a survival game that casts you as a blood-hungry vampire on a quest to rebuild their dark kingdom in an ever-changing world.
This entails a distinctive blend of open-world, base-building, and action-driven gameplay with hack and slash mechanics.
There’s also a day/night system that affects where players can go and which activities they can explore without risking destruction.
Visually, the game boasts a distinctly gloomy aesthetic and isometric POV that helps it stand out from similar games in the hack and slash genre.
Achilles: Legends Untold
Platform: Windows
Moving right along, Achilles: Legends Untold is an isometric action RPG with Soulslike brutal and slash combat.
Set in a world inspired by ancient Greek mythology, it has you taking on the role of the formidable warrior Achilles as he wages war with Hades himself.
Throughout the game, players are pitted against formidable warriors and mythological beasts while traveling across immense and perilous lands.
There’s a surprisingly deep skill tree that lets you explore different tactics as you level up and craft various weapons to forge your own unique playstyle.
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate Definitive Edition
Platform: Windows
Warriors Orochi combines the tactical action of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors franchises while setting up an alternate, parallel universe.
The series is best known for its exaggerated, hack and slash combat where samurai heroes battle against large crowds of enemies using formidable weapons.
With Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate Definitive Edition, PC players can experience one of the best entries in the series like never before.
This includes the core game, all previously released DLC, and a variety of novel characters and modes that help deepen the story and shake up gameplay.
Lost Ark
Platform: Windows
Lost Ark is a lively MMORPG where players can explore new lands, discover powerful rewards, and hone their skills in exhilarating battles.
Combat is very dynamic, swift, and like many MMOs, has an overall hack and slash feel across its numerous weapons and classes.
To this point, the game supports numerous varied playstyles, so there’s a good chance you’ll find at least one class that meshes with your own.
Finally, Lost Ark is filled with hundreds of hours worth of content with an endgame grind that will keep you occupied for quite a while.
Chivalry 2
Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
The sequel to Torn Banner Studios’ satisfyingly gory first-person sword-fighting game introduces crossplay support between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
Similar to the original, players participate in gruesome battles complete with gut-wrenching screams and bloody beheadings.
Chivalry 2 ups the ante by adding new gameplay features such as horse-riding, more fluid animations, and engrossing 64-player battles.
The game’s hack and slash combat has also been revamped to offer more options and encourage creative playstyles using an array of medieval weaponry.
Nioh 2
Platforms: Windows, PS5, PS4
Nioh 2 is a single-player, hack and slash action RPG that doubles down on the Soulslike design of its predecessor while allowing you to customize your character.
The story takes place in Sengoku-era Japan prior to the original Nioh and sees you playing as Hide, a half-spirit half-samurai warrior with a long expedition ahead of them.
In it, players wield a vast arsenal of samurai-inspired weapons that includes odachi, kusarigama, and dual katanas among many others.
Each one has distinctive characteristics and combos tailored for different playstyles and tactics with varying effectiveness depending on the enemy you’re facing.
Skul: The Hero Slayer
Platforms: Windows, Switch, Linux, Mac
Next up is Skul: The Hero Slayer, a hack and slash action-platformer that incorporates some entertaining ideas into the roguelite genre.
In it, you play as a minuscule cape-wearing skeleton hero with the ability to swap out his osseous head with various skulls.
Doing so allows you to modify Skul’s stats and unlock new abilities that can come in useful with certain bosses and enemies.
This is further complemented by an extensive array of weapons that work in tandem with each skull to create a distinct playstyle or build for each run.
Darksiders Genesis
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Both a spin-off and prequel to the original Darksiders trilogy, Darksiders Genesis shares a lot of its DNA with classic hack and slash dungeon crawlers.
While the series is best known for its satisfying combat and puzzle gameplay, Genesis ups the ante with more exploration and character development.
Played from an isometric third-person POV, the game supports local/online co-op, for 1-2 players with one person controlling Strife and the other War.
This makes it an indispensable must-play for any Darksiders fans as its the first time Strife has ever been featured as a playable character.
Devil May Cry 5
Platforms: Windows, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
Our next recommendation is the latest installment in the legendary Capcom hack and slash action game franchise, Devil May Cry.
Boasting rapid-paced combat oozing with style and substance, Devil May Cry 5 maintains the flair of its predecessors while offering more combatitive depth.
This includes three playable characters with remarkably distinct playstyles that bring new strategies to the battlefield.
Of course, if you come to the hack and slash genre for boss fights, you’ll have find comfort in slaying colossal demonic beasts throughout DMC5’s story.
God of War
Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5
Released for PS4 in 2018 and PC in 2022, God of War is a slight reboot for the the Sony-owned franchise that takes on a somewhat more grown-up tone.
The story centers on an aging Kratos as he’s thrust into fatherhood and joined by his son Atreus, a skilled archer on the cusp of manhood.
Together, the pair must learn to put their differences aside to complete their journey and stand toe-to-toe with Norse mythology’s pantheon of gods.
This requires mastery over a vast arsenal of weapons, abilities, and combos that maintain the savage and bloody hack and slash combat the series is known for.
NieR: Automata
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One
NieR: Automata takes a unique approach to the RPG formula by requiring multiple playthroughs to fully comprehend what’s going on with its story.
In it, you follow two androids entangled in a conflict created by humans pitting their kind against obsolete robots who invaded Earth in the past.
Throughout 2B and 9S’s odyssey, you’ll learn more about their origins and the war itself while grappling with profound philosophical questions regarding life and humanity.
Gameplay revolves around rapid-paced, hack and slash RPG combat and over-the-top battles with staggeringly colossal bosses.
Hades
Platforms: Windows, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Mac
Carrying on, Hades is a roguelike dungeon crawler that’s won several accolades and offers an engrossing story and satisfying hack and slash combat.
Players are cast as Hades’ son Zagreus as he sets out to escape a maze-like underworld and his father’s fury once and for all.
Each run has Zagreus arming himself with different melee and ranged weapons before heading down shifting routes housing unique perks and dynamic encounters.
While the roguelike format doesn’t typically lend itself to good storytelling, Hades bucks this trend by having the world and dialogue react to the player’s actions.
Mordhau
Platform: Windows
Mordhau is another sword fighting game set during medieval times that features open-ended combat with unparalleled control over your character’s movement.
Focusing on your opponent’s most susceptible spots will let you dismember them and possibly score yourself a decapitation if you’re fortunate.
There are also extensive options for customizing your weapon’s appearance, which includes both one and two-handed blades in addition to axes, bows, and hammers.
Lastly, the game boasts a variety of modes ranging from small squad skirmishes to massive medieval battles with upwards of 60 players.
Dead Cells
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Linux, Mac
Best described as a 2D pixel art roguelike, Dead Cells focuses on slash and slice combat and metroidvania exploration across randomly-generated dungeons.
Each run sees you gathering materials to craft superior gear as you hunt down formidable bosses and minions throughout a vast 2D labyrinth.
Upon dying, players are returned to the starting area with slightly more resources (and experience) than their previous run.
This is at the heart of Dead Cells’ gameplay loop, encouraging you to push yourself further at the risk of succumbing to its greatest threats.
Diablo III
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Mac
Failing to include Diablo III on this list would be a massive mistake on our part considering just how crucial the series has been on the hack and slash genre.
Released back in 2012, the game has you selecting from seven distinctive base classes before setting off on a quest to defeat the Lord of Terror himself, Diablo.
Along the way, you and up to three friends will encounter and combat swarms of enemies and bosses while increasing your power through loot drops.
It’s easily the most accessible game on this list and offers a fun and straightforward gameplay loop whose difficulty can be raised or lowered accordingly.
Grim Dawn
Platform: Windows
Finally, we arrive at Grim Dawn, an exceptionally well-crafted action RPG that features engaging hack and slash combat and robust character progression.
In it, you take on the role of a rebel fighter caught in a war between two supernatural forces vying for control over humanity.
Gameplay revolves around exploring diverse dungeons, caverns, forests, and wastelands filled with enemies and loot to enhance your character’s capabilities.
Environments are also littered with concealed caches and bits of text that flesh out Grim Dawn’s distinctly somber fantasy-steampunk setting.