The Best Hack and Slash Games of All Time

The 5 best Hack and Slash games

7 votes

1

God of War: Chains of Olympus

PlayStation Portable (PSP)

Action Hack and Slash

Survey scores · avg 4.4/5

Story4.6

Gameplay4.9

Graphics4.3

Music4.0

Character4.4

Kratos' adventures may be minimized to PSP, but that doesn't make the game any less cinematic. In this prequel, Kratos is given the promise to be reunited with his long-dead daughter, but making deals with the gods is never as simple as it seems.

Survey voice

Trick / 20s / Male
Probably my first GoW game. Very memorable since it's one of the first games I played that had a mature theme to it. How they depicted the Greek Gods is very cool.

Warren / 30s / Male
As a huge Greek Mythology and hack-and-slash fan, this game just ticked all of the right boxes for me.

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4 votes

2

Shadow of the Colossus

PlayStation 2

Adventure Hack and Slash Open World

Survey scores · avg 4.5/5

Story3.7

Gameplay4.7

Graphics4.7

Music5.0

Character4.3

Shadow of the Colossus is art in motion, a quiet, almost serene fantasy adventure where context and worldbuilding are left to the imagination, motivations are clouded in mystery, and you have no choice but to play as Wander, who travels this sacred desolate land with his trusty horse Agro, in search of Colossi, which he must fell in order to bring back Mono, an unconscious woman clad in white. A subversion of the Zelda formula, the world is empty, save for sixteen bosses whose bodies are puzzles in and of themselves, which you must learn to navigate, solve and overcome. We do not know how we got here, who Wander is, and why we must kill sixteen seemingly innocent colossi, and we can only hope the rewards will be worth it...

Survey voice

Noel / 30s / Male
Masterpiece. Proves that games can be works of art, with a minimalistic approach to storytelling and worldbuilding, as well as its minimal controls and tutorials, playing SotC is like adventuring into a forbidden land where you don't know the language and must discover things on your own with no one to handhold you. The giant colossi are puzzles in and of themselves as you must navigate their huge bodies in order to take them down

the other david / 20s / Male
Played it on the PS3, but not too different from the PS2 release from what I know. Still one of the most unique and memorable games I've played.

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4 votes

3

Dynasty Warriors 3

PlayStation 2

Action Hack and Slash

Survey scores · avg 4.1/5

Story3.8

Gameplay4.5

Graphics3.5

Music4.5

Character4.2

Dynasty Warriors 3 was the first game in the franchise to find its footing as the prototype for Omega Force's iconic gameplay loop. Building on top of the mechanics and gameplay loop introduced in the prior release, the game introduced more characters, more stages, more unlockables, split-screen co-op, and new RPG elements to refine its one-against-a-thousand gameplay. Despite its age, the game is highly recommended for its simple hack-and-slash gameplay loop, which remains satisfying today.

Survey voice

ゆーせー / 30代 / 男性
There are parts where you'd say "well, by today's standards," but at the time, the graphics, the rock-ish BGM, and the exhilaration of briskly mowing down tons of enemies were all quite novel, and it was a huge hit among the neighborhood kids. A remake is coming in 2026, so I'm looking forward to it!
Show original (日本語)
今となってはというところもあると思いますが、当時はグラフィックもロックな感じのBGMも、いっぱい出てくる敵をサクサク倒す爽快感もかなり斬新でご近所の子どもたちの間で大流行でした。 2026年にリメイク出るので楽しみです！

The game that became a big gateway to getting into the Three Kingdoms. Using this as a chance, it became my gateway to playing the whole series, including numbered titles and Samurai Warriors. A memory of friends each picking one character and taking turns playing.
Show original (日本語)
三国志に触れる大きなきっかけとなったゲーム。これを機にシリーズナンバリング、戦国無双等シリーズ通してプレイするきっかけとなった。友達同士で1人1キャラ決めて順番にやってた思い出。

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4 votes

4

God of War III

PlayStation 3

Action Hack and Slash

Survey scores · avg 4.0/5

Story4.0

Gameplay4.2

Graphics4.0

Music3.8

Character4.2

God of War III is the thrilling conclusion to Playstation's God of War trilogy, and the finale of the Greek saga. Kratos scales Olympus to topple gods in massive setpieces in true God of War fashion. This game is for players who love hack-and-slash games, and for fans of jaw-dropping spectacle, or for anyone who wants to see the thrilling conclusion to this bloody saga of revenge.

Survey voice

Ronald / 20s / Male
The conclusion of Kratos' journey in Olympus. The combat was really fun with how much I could spam my moves and weapons while watching enemies fly through the air. The quick-time events were really satisfying, especially when Kratos kills his enemies with different animations. The boss fights were fun and cinematic, especially the QTEs at certain points of the fights. The story was straightforward and served as a good way to end his journey.

Rui / 20s / Male
This is genuinely because of nostalgic reasons as me and my cousins would play this and then enjoy how Kratos defeated the Gods. However, in terms of gameplay, it really did not catch my eye.

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3 votes

5

God of War 2

PlayStation 2

Action Hack and Slash

Survey scores · avg 4.8/5

Story5.0

Gameplay5.0

Graphics4.7

Music4.3

Character5.0

Kratos' becomes the God of War, but his problems become bigger than Ares. Now he has to fight the gods of Olympus who all have it out for him. Hack and slash your way through countless mythological monsters in one of the most cinematic games of the PS2 era.

Survey voice

Ronald / 20s / Male
I enjoyed the story of the game and how Kratos went back to the past to kill Zeus, who betrayed him from the start. The gameplay was really addictive, and I remember how satisfying it was to almost kill Zeus at the end.

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FAQ

How were these best Hack and Slash games chosen?

From a survey of 241 players. Games are ranked by mention count, then average score, with votes combined across platforms.

What is the top Hack and Slash game?

God of War: Chains of Olympus ranks #1 with 7 votes.

How to find the best Hack and Slash games

The best Hack and Slash games according to 241 surveyed players — ranked by votes with average score as the tie-breaker, with platform links and curated player comments.

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The Best Hack and Slash Games of All Time

The 5 best Hack and Slash games

God of War: Chains of Olympus

Survey voice

💬 Player memories

Shadow of the Colossus

Survey voice

💬 Player memories

Dynasty Warriors 3

Survey voice

💬 Player memories

God of War III

Survey voice

💬 Player memories

God of War 2

Survey voice

💬 Player memories

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Platforms in this genre

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