DC Comics has had some unforgettable video games based upon their properties in the past two decades. The Batman: Arkham series and the Injustice: Gods Among Us entries have been smash hit releases that offer immersive and engaging experiences to match their genre contemporaries. That's to say nothing of the LEGO Batman and LEGO DC Supervillains games.
However, not every video game gets the attention it deserves, and DC Comics titles are no exception to this rule. There have been some thoroughly enjoyable games put out using DC Comics characters that flew under the radar, despite offering worthwhile gaming experiences.
6 Superman Returns
Not all experimentation is successful, and, despite being a tie-in game for a maligned attempt at a Superman reboot, the Superman Returns video game from 2006 tried to tackle the issue of Superman's invulnerability in an interesting way. The player's health bar was actually the health of Metropolis, not Superman. The more damage the city and its people took during a fight, the lower the health bar fell.
Unfortunately, this made the game nearly unplayable. However, it was released in an era where cheat codes still existed, as the game was available on PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PSP, and Nintendo DS. It wasn't the intended way the game was meant to be played, but it still made for a fun experience. With a cheat code to keep Metropolis from losing health, players could cut loose as the Man of Steel. Just getting to fly over Metropolis as Superman was a uniquely serene experience. Plus, there was a secret game mode where gamers could play as Bizarro, and that was also incredibly fun.
5 Justice League: Injustice For All
Handheld experiences are largely relegated to mobile games at this point, but this wasn't always the case. The Nintendo GameBoy Advance was a host for some particularly memorable handheld games, one of which was Justice League: Injustice for All in 2002. This tied into the Dwayne McDuffie and Bruce Timm-led Justice League cartoon that was airing at the time.
This game had players take on the roles of the original seven Justice Leaguers of the cartoon as they hunted down members of the Injustice Gang. It was a fairly straightforward sidescrolling beat-em up game, and it didn't offer much beyond that. However, that was enough for a solid handheld game at the time, and it delivered a fun experience.
4 Gotham City Imposters
Gotham City Imposters from 2012 was a first-person shooter released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. It was online only, and the player was a member of a team of either Batman imposters and Joker wannabes. The game's aesthetic and sense of humor appeared to be inspired by Team Fortress 2. It wasn't particularly deep, but it took a more humorous approach to an FPS title — which was especially uncommon for the era (this was the height of Call of Duty mania).
Unfortunately, the game had a short lifespan, as servers were shut down for console in 2014. It was removed from Steam in 2021. In a way, this one seemed to foreshadow the hero shooter surge of Overwatch and its contemporaries, but Gotham City Imposters didn't get to reap the rewards of it.
3 DC Universe Online
DC Universe Online is still around, and that seems to be forgotten by a lot of the gaming community. In a world where MMOs often collapse and fall, DC Universe Online, launched in 2011, is still chugging along and receiving expansions. It's never been successful enough to be a contender for World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, Elder Scrolls Online, or Final Fantasy XIV, but it's still a much-beloved game.
To be fair, there's a lot to love about a game where players get to design their own hero or villain to exist and fight alongside DC Comics legends from the Justice League, Teen Titans, Green Lantern Corps, and the Amazons. With the support that developer Dimensional Ink Games still gives to DC Universe Online, it may still be around for a long time to come.
2 Batman Begins
Movie tie-in games get a bad rap, and for good reason. They're often poorly-made, rushed out, and have an overall slapdash design. However, the Batman Begins video game exists as a notable exception to the rule. This game used stealth mechanics, a predator system, and fear that would be refined and improved upon by the legendary Batman: Arkham series.
Batman Begins was a remarkably fun game, and it did a good job of putting the player into the role of Batman. Its combat system wasn't as impressive as Batman: Arkham Asylum, and it didn't have any of the sandbox mechanics of Arkham City and Arkham Knight. Despite that, Batman Begins is well worth checking out for those who can find a copy.
1 Justice League Heroes
Justice League Heroes was released in late 2006 and seemed to be DC's answer to the action role-playing template set out by X-Men Legends. However, Justice League Heroes had a handful of distinguishing qualities. Teams only consisted of two heroes instead of four, the combat was a bit more refined, and the game was overall surprisingly hard.
Despite that, it was a still a very fun game. Players got to take the roles of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Zatanna, and others. Classic Justice League enemies like Darkseid, Gorilla Grodd, Lex Luthor, and Brainiac were present to challenge the player. It had its problems, but it was still a memorable gaming experience.