Bandai started in 1950 while Namco began in 1955. The two companies first merged in 2006 as Namco Bandai Games. Then they changed to Bandai Namco Games in 2014. Now they are known as Bandai Namco Entertainment. Phew, pick a name, right? Names aside, all games under any one of their combo banners will be considered.

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These games have been listed as they appear on Metacritic, going from the worst of the worst to the best of the best. Even though the publishing rights may belong to other companies elsewhere in the world, a game qualifies as long as it was at least published by Bandai Namco in North America. Got it? Okay, time to rank some of the best Bandai Namco games!

Updated March 28, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Bandai Namco is one of the biggest video game publishers around, and it's easy to see why this is the case once players take a look at the massive number of titles they've published. It helps that many games made by this studio have received critical and commercial acclaim across the board, with the best of the bunch being mentioned below. Metacritic's aggregate score has been used as a metric to rank these games.

17 Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 (80)

Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): Xbox One

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 was developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai Namco for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. These Ultimate Ninja Storm games are excellent fighting games unto themselves all while being an excellent love letter for the fans.

It looks like the anime, plays as one would hope, and has a lot of expanded secrets as well. For over a decade, CyberConnect2 really found its calling.

16 Enslaved: Odyssey To The West (82)

Back view of protagonists
  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): Xbox 360

Developed by Ninja Theory and published by Namco Bandai, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is an epic adventure worthy of its lofty title. While the combat is just fine, the game makes up for it through its story and characters.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West takes place in a post-apocalyptic world that has been ravaged by war, with the story centering around the unlikely pairing of Monkey and Trip.

15 Tales Of Vesperia: Definitive Edition (83)

Vesperia's Yuri landing the Azure Wold Strike
  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

Originally released in 2008, Tales of Vesperia earned itself a remaster that made the game more readily available to modern players. A contender for the best entry in the storied JRPG franchise, Tales of Vesperia's calling card is its strong roster of playable characters, spearheaded by a refreshingly mature protagonist.

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Tales of Vesperia has aged extremely well due to its visual style, solid combat system, and gripping narrative, particularly in the latter half of the campaign.

14 Little Nightmares (83)

  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): Xbox One

Little Nightmares was developed by Tarsier Studios and published by Bandai Namco for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. This is basically a horror platformer and a creepy one at that. Aesthetically, Little Nightmares is similar to something along the lines of LittleBigPlanet, although the tone is very different.

From glowing eyes one cannot see to long dangly arms trying to grab ahold of our yellow-coated hero, there are plenty of things in the game to scare up some tension. Yes, even Bandai Namco knows the value of a good indie game.

13 Project Cars 2 (84)

Project Cars turning on raceway cinematic
  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): Xbox One & PC

Project Cars 2 was developed by Slightly Mad Studios and published by Bandai Namco for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The name might not be particularly inspired, but this studio knows how to make a good racing game.

It straddles the line between a simulation and an all-out car war, meeting somewhere in the middle that will satisfy both fan bases. The visual details are breathtaking.

12 SoulCalibur 4 (85)

Darth Vader in Soulcalibur IV
  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): PS3 & Xbox 360

A great addition to a consistently very good franchise, SoulCalibur 4 serves as a solid entry point into the long-running series. The weapon-based fighter delivers deep customization, plenty of content across a variety of modes, and hits the right balance between accessibility and complexity.

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SoulCalibur 4 introduced the Soul Gauge to the franchise, a mechanic that served to reward aggression and discourage overreliance on the block mechanic. The game also has three characters from Star Wars.

11 Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch (85)

  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): PS4 (Remastered) & PS3

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch was developed by Level-5 and published by Namco Bandai outside of Japan for the PS3. This was an officially sanctioned project with the amazing Studio Ghibli.

The story, characters, and overall art make it really look like one of the studio's films. With a monster taming mechanic, Ni no Kuni gives off serious Pokemon vibes, although the real-time combat is quite different from Nintendo's franchise. All in all, this is a classic RPG for the modern age.

10 Katamari Damacy Reroll (87)

Katamari Damacy Reroll game cover
  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

A remaster of 2004's Katamari Damacy, this version shines the brightest on the Nintendo Switch, although it is also available on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Katamari Damacy Reroll is compatible with the Switch's gyro controls, and they complement the game very well.

Otherwise, the core experience remains relatively unchanged, and that is not a criticism. Katamari Damacy Reroll's creative madness, bizarre but charming visuals, and rewarding gameplay are all fully accounted for.

9 Dragon Ball FighterZ (87)

  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): PS4 & Nintendo Switch

Dragon Ball FighterZ was developed by Arc System Works and published by Bandai Namco for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Now, there have literally been hundreds of games based on Dragon Ball over the years and maybe only a handful of them are truly great.

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FighterZ is the first that unequivocally represents the show in a timeless manner. From the fast action to the cel-shaded art style, this is what fans have always dreamed about.

8 Tekken: Dark Resurrection (88)

Tekken: Dark Resurrection PSP Fight
  • Highest-Rated Platform: PSP

Perhaps surprisingly, the best version of Tekken: Dark Resurrection is found on the PSP, comfortably outshining the PS3 release. A big part of that has to do with the limited competition on handhelds, but that doesn't take anything away from Tekken: Dark Resurrection as it completely blows its contemporaries out of the water.

Dark Resurrection updates Tekken 5 with new modes, characters, and gameplay improvements. The game even runs at 60 fps on the PSP, which is an incredible achievement.

7 Dark Souls (89)

dark souls soulstober fan art prompts bloodborne fromsoftware
  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): PS3 & Xbox 360

Dark Souls is considered by many to be the best game in the trilogy, which is a pretty massive statement. It's one of the most groundbreaking titles of all time that sparked an entire subgenre of its own and showed the industry that hardcore titles definitely have a market that most AAA companies had been ignoring for the longest time.

The amazing level design, brilliant environmental storytelling, and the iconic combat that has become a staple of most FromSoftware games was popularized by this amazing title, even though Demon's Souls is technically the title that pioneered these systems in the first place. However, props should be given to Dark Souls for perfecting the systems of its predecessor and making them mainstream.

6 Dark Souls 3 (89)

dark souls 3 background featured
  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): PS4 & PC

After the perceived disappointment of Dark Souls 2, Miyazaki took over the reins once again to deliver a stellar adventure that was brilliant in every sense of the word. Dark Souls 3 avoided many of the mistakes made by its predecessor and delivered a solid action-adventure that players absolutely love.

While a small portion of fans complained that Dark Souls 3 didn't do enough to innovate upon its predecessor, this issue isn't echoed by most players who adore the game. It corrected the mistakes made by Dark Souls 2 and incorporated the lessons learned from Bloodborne, with the combat being more fast-paced and punishing for players being too passive.

5 Dark Souls 2 (91)

  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360, & PC

Dark Souls 2 was developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco outside of Japan PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Technically, this was the third entry in the franchise and turned out to be the highest-rated one on Metacritic.

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Dark Souls is Dark Souls and for a certain audience, this game and its ilk are some of the best games ever made. Difficulty aside, it’s hard to argue against them.

4 Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition (92)

Combat in Divinity II
  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): PS4 & Xbox One

Developed by Larian Studios and published on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One by Bandai Namco, Divinity Original Sin 2 is rightfully hailed as one of the best RPGs of the last decade. The Definitive Edition brought this complex and engrossing epic to consoles, illustrating that types of games need not be restricted to just the PC market.

With deep tactical combat, rich lore, well-written quests, and a ton of customization options, Divinity Original Sin 2 is a must-play for fans of RPGs. Newcomers might find themselves overwhelmed by the game's difficulty and complexity, but the effort is worth it.

3 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (93)

  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was co-developed by Bandai Namco and Sora Ltd and published by Nintendo for the Switch. Next to Capcom, Bandai Namco is easily tied in recognizable fighting game franchises, but this entry may put them over the top.

As the name suggests, this really is the ultimate version of an idea that started back on the N64. The number of stages, characters, and music that pay homage to dozens of franchises is unbelievable. Way to help Nintendo take it to the next level.

2 Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (93)

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX zone
  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): Xbox 360

It seems only fitting that Bandai Namco's highest-rated game on Metacritic features Pac-Man in its title, as that is the property that put Namco on the map back in the early '80s. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX modernizes the license's tried and tested formula with vibrant visuals and a range of memorable mazes.

Offering arcade goodness that can be satisfying in short or long sessions, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX delivers unfiltered fun. This game just shows that certain concepts are timeless, and Pac-Man is clearly one of them.

1 Elden Ring (96)

elden ring fall damage
  • Highest-Rated Platform(s): PS5 & Xbox Series X

Elden Ring is the latest game under FromSoftware's library that was published by Bandai Namco. The sheer popularity of this game should be enough to prove just how incredible this game really is, with the open-world experiment proving to be a massive success for the studio.

Elden Ring features an incredible world and brilliant gameplay that is an absolute joy to play through. The game is massive and filled to the brim with content that can take players hundreds of hours to access. The fact that players are still finding secrets in the game and feel like they've only scratched the surface is a testament to how brilliant Elden Ring really is.

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