In general, Best action adventure games are ideal for players who enjoy a mix of action, exploration, and puzzle-solving and are looking for a more immersive and fun gaming experience.
Some action and adventure games also include multiplayer modes in which players can collaborate to solve challenges or compete against one another. Players can also personalize their characters and weapons to fit their play style.
The seven Best Action Adventure Games of 2023
If you enjoy deep, spacious stories peppered with thrilling fights, the last 12 months deliver some of the best. Action and adventure video games combine action games, such as combat and platforming, with elements of adventure games, such as exploration, puzzle solving, and storytelling. Popular action-adventure games include:
1. Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider
A gritty Lara Croft origin story inspired by Tomb raider is a bad idea, especially after the well-received Underworld, but developer Crystal Dynamics keep it going. Most of the challenges Lara faces to kill her, like that rusty nail through the stomach, add emotional weight and shock value to the game.
The gameplay is a perfect blend of combat, exploration, climbing, and puzzle solving, precisely what you want from an action and adventure game. The plot is so compelling that the 2018 Tomb Raider film nearly claims it.
The climbing feels more interactive and natural than in most games in the genre, and the combat is entertaining without overwhelming the game and highlights Lara’s struggle.
2. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
The Assassin’s Creed series goes total adventure mod with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, a fantastic easy, and Viking game. You take the role of Eivor, a Viking raider caught up in the political turmoils of 9th-century Scandinavia. While much of the game takes place in Norway, most occur in England during the massive heathen invasion that helps bring Alfred the Great to prominence.
You can build and run a settlement, but you can also use your longboats to raid coastal and river settlements and go on good ole fashion horseback raids.
3. Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 abandoned its survival horror roots and went full action-adventure. Instead of complaining, fans when Capcom delivered one of the best games. It has also had a significant and long-lasting impact.
Resident Evil 4 combines tense puzzle-solving with panic-stricken shootouts. And it all starts with an attack on a house by strange villagers, reminiscent of Night of the Dead, and follows the horrifying sound of a chainsaw cutting through your defenses. Yes, the parts where you need to defend Ashley are annoying, but Resident Evil 4 is still the series’ pinnacle, and it’s just as good today then as it is.
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum
Before Batman: Arkham Asylum, fully qualified games were a farce. Publishers buy IP a game to make a quick buck.
Then came Rocksteady and forever set a new standard. Batman: Arkham Asylum is arguably the pinnacle of game design. By confining Batman to Gotham’s most iconic location, Rocksteady has complete freedom to design every inch of the Asylum so that you flow through its rooms beautifully, the dark architecture making it one of the game’s most intimidating characters.
The beautiful rhythm of the combat, which every third-person action-adventure has to pull off now, such as Marvel’s Spider-Man, is a big part of what makes Arkham Asylum brilliant.
5. The Elden Ring
Few games thus far available a genuine sense of adventure like Elden Ring. Every step of the way, you’ll come across amusing discoveries, such as an enchanted sword that constantly change your playstyle or a turtle clergy member who will teach you dazzling magic spells.
While still rooted in the systems set in Demon’s Souls, the action remains exciting fight after fight. With an extensive library of different weapons, abilities, spells, and armor kits, you can shape your character into something that fits like a glove, whether a skillful sword, a sorcerer, or a combination of the two; the option feels as majestically achieved as the last.
6. God of War Ragnarok
God of War Ragnarok is as incredible a mix of action and adventure as you could imagine. Its ferocious and diverse combat never feels less than fantastic, no matter what weapon you choose, whether a hard-hitting axe, whipping blades, or whatever other tools you find along the way.
It’s all in delivering a sprawling story that eloquently weaves its vast cast of characters in and out of an ever-expanding Norse tapestry. Ragnarok challenges and thrills in every way; its dodge, parry, and strike action is drenched in blood and its sense of adventure drips in the tears of the story it tells.
7. Stray- game split into two halves
Linear action sequences as your adorable cat-robot pair navigate this lovely cyberpunk city, as well as more open exploration sections where speed takes a back seat to the exciting story told. Stray is thrilling in both ways, with a wide range of platforming challenges matched by many secrets to discover, android personalities to meet, and quirky quests to complete.
It lacks the epic, complex combat of other games in this category, but it does have the heartbeat of a traditional step adventure game in the furry chest of a platformer worth jumping for.
Conclusion
Players typically use a combination of buttons, sticks, and triggers on a game controller to control their character, move around the game world, and interact with objects and characters in an action and adventure game. Players must also use their problem-solving abilities to solve puzzles and make decisions that affect the game’s outcome.
Action and adventure games, in general, provide a wide range of gameplay experiences, from quick combat and thrilling set pieces to exploration and puzzle-solving. Many games have accessible environments that allow players to investigate and uncover new locations and mysteries.
