9. Batman Returns (SNES)

Batman Returns is considered one of the best Batman films, and the video game version matches those sentiments. The SNES release capitalised on the hugely popular side-scrolling beat-‘em-up genre where Batman brawls with various characters from the movie, such as 16-bit versions of Danny Devito's Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman.

It wears its Final Fight inspirations on its sleeve, but that's no bad thing at all. With plenty of stages that really show off the excellent visuals, too (the Batmobile bit and the Circus Trainstick in our minds), Konami delivered another great tie-in. Merry Christmas, indeed, Mr Wayne.

8. Batman - The Telltale Series (Switch)

While Batman isn't Telltale's best comic book or graphic novel adaptation, Batman - The Telltale Series does a great job of balancing both the Dark Knight and the man behind the mask.

You get to see Bruce Wayne the man, not The Bat, more than in any other video game. And the developer's choice and consequence formula works in perfect harmony with the moral struggle Batman often encounters. The World's Greatest Detective had a pretty good home with Telltale for a while.

7. Batman: Arkham Origins (Wii U)

Batman: Arkham Origins isn’t innately bad, but it recycles so much from its predecessors and does absolutely nothing to evolve or improve them. The gameplay is uninspired, the graphics are a bit shaky, and the plot tries to do too much and ends up being too sloppy to make any real sense. The previous two Arkham games played like excellent stealth adventure titles in which you happened to take on the role of Batman; this one feels much more like a Batman game with stealth elements tacked on.

It's far from awful — and taken in isolation it's rather enjoyable — but it's a shame that the Wii U received this lacklustre and unremarkable entry in the Arkham series over, say, the original Arkham Asylum.

6. Batman: The Enemy Within (Switch eShop)

It was only natural that a sequel would follow Telltale's first stab at The Bat's adventures. Batman: The Enemy Within doesn't do much to expand on the established formula, but it does improve on its predecessor in terms of story and technical issues. An iconic villain also made a return, and they stole the show with how the choice-based gameplay worked in the Batman encounters. We won't spoil it for you, but outside of a certain other huge series, this is the best depiction of this particular villain across Batman video games.

5. Batman: The Video Game (NES)

A classic 2D platformer from a time when that was the go-to genre for any licensed game (much like 3D open-world action games these days). The reassuring subtitle 'The Video Game' promises an experience recounting the beats of Tim Burton's 1989 film, a movie 'event' that arguably birthed the modern, cross-media comic book blockbuster.

Well, Sunsoft might not have turned in the most faithful of tie-ins, but it's a tight little game with excellent music which sees an acrobatic, purple-clad Caped Crusader wall-jumping and punching his way through an 8-bit Gotham in search of his arch nemesis.

So, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

4. Batman: Arkham Knight (Switch eShop)

We had our doubts about this Switch port from the moment it was announced and, unfortunately, they proved to be well-founded. With Batmobile sections which tax not only Nintendo's hardware but also your patience, it's hard to see how this version of Batman: Arkham Knight can be fixed to a satisfactory degree.

It feels like a step too far to have even included this third chapter in the collection for Switch, though fortunately the three games were made available separately for purchase in November 2024. Technical issues aside, this is a decent ending to an amazing trilogy, but as a final part of an otherwise serviceable port package, Arkham Knight's broken state came as a huge disappointment.

3. Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition (Wii U)

Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition may not be the definitive version of the game but, aside from some frame rate issues, the incorporation of GamePad controls felt totally natural, and the opportunity to don the Dark Knight's cowl and cape in one of the best Batman games ever was a considerable boon for Wii U owners.

With a relatively lengthy campaign, loads of extra content, and the opportunity to give Batman's gallery of rogues a sound thrashing, this was the Batman game to play on Wii U — a console which boasts no fewer than five flavours of the Caped Crusader (counting the LEGO ones, Arkham Origins, and Blackgate - Deluxe Edition).

2. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Switch eShop)

It may not have a great big open world to play around in like Arkham City, but Batman: Arkham Asylum is still our favourite game of Rocksteady's Bat-trio. It introduced everything that's great about the trilogy; the combat, the dark tone, the endless Riddler puzzles and detective work, whilst also serving up a story that didn't waste any time.

The Switch port isn't as smooth as it should be considering this originally launched in 2009, but Asylum remains a tight and taut thrill ride, one of the all-time great superhero games, and essential reading whether you're a Batfan or not.

1. Batman: Arkham City (Switch eShop)

Arkham City can still stand shoulder to shoulder with any modern AAA open-world game, and even though you've got to contend with some unfortunate stutters from time to time in this Switch port — and naturally it doesn't look nearly as good here as it does on other platforms — this is still the full-fat experience running rather well, all things considered. If you've yet to experience this one, it's a must-play.

You did it! You ranked all 39 Batsmen games, and you lived to tell the tale.

But do you disagree with the rankings? Do you reckon that the GameCube Batmans were robbed? Are you hoping that some game studio will make RPatz his very own Bat-game? Or do you want to elaborate on why you picked the ones you did as your favourites? The bat-comments below are open for you.