Batman has been a star in comics, movies, and video games, and it's easy to see why. Not only is he a great detective, but he can get out of plenty of messy situations with style while keeping up his Dark Knight persona. While Batman is a well-loved character, fans usually have favorite stories of his along with ones that they can't stand.
In this list, we'll look at the best and worst Batman video games. These scores are averaged from the critic scores on each platform the game was available on. Only console games will be included, and DLC or single episodes of larger games won't count.
10 BEST: LEGO Batman: The Videogame (77)
This one goes back to the earlier days of LEGO games before characters talked and everyone had to watch cutscenes that could still get humor across with LEGO grunting. This game added new features that LEGO games hadn't explored much, like giving Batman and Robin the ability to change suits that gave them new abilities.
While many critics appreciated that the game could be fun for all ages, some thought the story wasn't clear or unique enough, and it had similar problems to older LEGO games, like difficulty moving the camera.
9 WORST: Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker (24)
Based on the movie of the same name, Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker has a reputation as one of the worst Batman games ever created. From the horribly executed fights to graphics that couldn't even compare to other N64 games, it was a trainwreck from start to finish.
What made this game even more disappointing was that it didn't live up to the stellar reputation of the movie it was based on. Fans thought they'd be able to play through all the scenes they loved from the movie and maybe some news ones too, but that didn't turn out to be as nice as they hoped.
8 BEST: Batman: Arkham Knight (81)
The final entry in the Batman: Arkham series is seen by the majority of critics as a great ending to the series that has been loved by fans for years. This game added a new main villain while bringing back old characters that fans enjoyed seeing in previous entries.
Batman: Arkham Knight also added a major new component where players could drive the Batmobile. This aspect is where some reviews start to split though, making its rating lower than others in the series. Some find the Batmobile to be an exciting new addition, while others thought that it was used too much and the controls weren't great.
7 WORST: Batman: Dark Tomorrow (27)
The description for Batman: Dark Tomorrow made fans believe that they'd be able to do nearly everything that they'd seen Batman do in the comics. They could fight with his different gadgets, they would see characters that they recognized, and they would use a mix of sneaking around and fighting bad guys head-on.
Instead, players were met with combat that was sloppy and hard to control, a lack of a developed storyline, and camera work that made it even harder to play the game. It was a big disappointment, but at least Batman games got better throughout the years.
6 BEST: Batman: The Enemy Within - The Telltale Series (79)
Many of the individual episodes of Batman: The Enemy Within rank highly on Metacritic, so it's no surprise that the game as a whole has a high ranking too. Many fans loved the new take on well-known characters, especially the Joker, since the last episode in this game lets players choose whether he's a vigilante or a villain.
The lowered ranking varies, but one idea that comes up a bit among critics is the disappointment that Telltale either didn't take the story in directions that were mentioned, or that they focused too much on Joker without highlighting other characters enough.
5 WORST: Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate - Deluxe Edition (61)
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate was originally for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita, but the Deluxe Edition was what expanded the game outside of handheld versions. When it got to home consoles, most people didn't think that it had changed enough to make it not seem like a handheld game that had just gotten on a bigger screen.
This game was meant to expand the story of Batman: Arkham Origins, which many consider to be the weakest link of the Arkham games. Even worse, the story Blackgate was building on was one many fans felt that was already boring and not worth an expansion.
4 BEST: Batman: Arkham Asylum (91)
Arkham Asylum was Rocksteady's first entry for their Batman: Arkham series, and it amazed both comic and gaming fans alike, and it was seen as one of the best superhero games of all time. Not only did it bring in big-name voice actors that had played beloved characters in the Batman universe before, but it created its own unique take on those characters.
While some fans may prefer the games in the Batman: Arkham series that came after Asylum, none of those could've been as great as they were if Asylum hadn't set a strong foundation and built the fanbase.
3 WORST: Batman: Vengeance (63)
Batman: Vengeance looked like it should have been a great video game adaptation of the critically-acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, but it missed the mark several times over. One of the most frustrating parts was the bad camera movements that were persistent throughout the game.
The camera work doesn't help the already hard-to-control Batman. It was hard for players to actually fight any goons that came around, and these difficult controls rolled over when it came to driving and gliding around. Even if players could see more of what they were doing, it wouldn't help too much.
2 BEST: Batman: Arkham City (94)
The second game in the Batman: Arkham series by Rocksteady Studios, this game expanded on all the things that fans already liked about the first game, and added plenty of new features to make the series even more enjoyable.
While the world of Batman: Arkham Asylum already felt somewhat large, Rocksteady went all out in making the open-world experience of Arkham City. This gave players a chance to use more Batman abilities to get around the city, along with added side missions, more classic characters, and an arguably more satisfying ending.
1 WORST: Batman Begins (63)
Based on Christopher Nolan's movie of the same name, this game didn't really deliver the movie experience. Most critics were disappointed by how short the game was, especially considering how much source material the game had to work with. It didn't necessarily have to mirror the movie or comics frame for frame, but Batman Begins (the game) should've been a more compelling experience than it was.
The game didn't seem to care about standing out when compared to the movie, basically being a retread of the film. Many fans thought the game was boring and too simple for something that was supposed to complement what would become the beginning of the landmark Dark Knight trilogy.