What are the best hack and slash games? Surprisingly, that’s a question with a fairly broad answer. After all, the most important characteristic of a hack and slash game is the type of combat, and you can find the satisfying slice of a sword and the dangerous dice of a dagger in many, many genres.
Based on these hard-hitting melee combat mechanics, hack-and-slash is usually considered a secondary genre definition then, so there’s pretty much a slash ‘em up for everyone. In this list of the best hack and slash games on PC, we travel from rhythm games to the best roguelike games, and plenty in between.
The best hack and slash games on PC in 2024 are:
Hades 2
Hades 2 takes everything that was beloved about the first game and makes it even better for the sequel, which is now available in early access. Stunning animations and designs? Check. Ever-changing roguelike dungeons? Check. Satisfying melee combat? Absolutely.
There may only be five weapons at your disposal in Hades 2, but with different movesets for each and a range of randomly attained Hades 2 Boons to boost their attacks, each adventure through the dangerous dungeons of the underworld lends itself to a variety of combat options.
Primarily a roguelike, if you’re not familiar with the first game, you might want to give Hades a try, too. In both games, you play as a child of the Gods: Zagreus in the first and Melinoe in the second, and each is on their own journey to defeat a final boss and get the hell out of, well, hell. On the way, you’re helped by a cast of friendly Greek Gods and Goddesses, while other mythological characters stand in your way. Read our glowing Hades 2 review if you still aren’t sold.
The Last Faith
If nostalgic pixelated graphics are your style, then look no further than The Last Faith, a gorgeous, moody hack-and-slash metroidvania game with soulslike elements. The majority of the early game contains some gratifying melee combat as you unlock more weapons and work towards the game’s bosses, but what really sets The Last Faith apart is its gruesome custom execution animations, really putting the hack and slash (and tear, shred, and slice) into the genre.
Diablo 4
One of the best ARPG series of all time, Diablo also places you in hell, this time with more religious imagery than the Greek mythology of Hades. A classic top-down RPG game, Diablo 4 features a range of weapons that can be collected from chests, dropped from enemies and bosses, and bought from towns with in-game gold. With multiple Diablo 4 classes to choose from as well, your slash ‘em up desires can be sated in a variety of ways, with hours upon hours of intense gameplay.
While some of the classes are ranged fighters and magic users, you might prefer to choose something like the Diablo 4 Barbarian or the Diablo 4 Rogue to make the best of hack-and-slash combat, depending on whether you prefer something more brutal and hart hitting or swift and sly. Our reviews don’t get much more flattering than our Diablo 4 review, so the ARPG truly deserves its place on this list.
Hi-Fi Rush
Hi-Fi Rush was one of the games of 2023, nominated for a bunch of awards and winning many of them, specifically in the audio and music categories, thanks to a soundtrack featuring the likes of Nine Inch Nails, The Joy Formidable, and The Flaming Lips. Perfect if you want your hacking and slashing accompanied by a hard-hitting soundtrack, which only makes combat that more satisfying.
The reason music and sound is so important in Hi-Fi Rush is that this hack-and-slash game is also a rhythm game, meaning your score is improved when your attacks land on the beat. Combine this with that stellar soundtrack and Hi-Fi Rush’s colorful comic book style graphics and you start to realize just why this game is so popular.
Sadly, developer Tango Gameworks is one of the ill-fated studios shuttered by Microsoft in May 2024, despite the massive success of the rhythm game. Hi-Fi Rush remains available following this news, but it’s unlikely any new content is going to be added in the future. A large content update was released in July 2023, though, which added incredibly fun new game modes, so there’s still plenty to rush into.
V Rising
Now, a hack and slash game with teeth. Sharp ones. V Rising is a vampire game, and launched fully on May 8, 2024, following an incredibly successful run in early access. Believe it or not, V Rising is actually a base-building game that looks like an ARPG. Rise as a vampire and head out on a quest to erect and expand your castle by conquering nearby settlements.
To survive your endeavor, naturally, you need blood, and this is where combat comes in. As a powerful killer, clear out settlements easily with not only your teeth as your weapon. Don’t get too ahead of yourself though, as V Rising also pits you against some similarly powerful enemies, and you soon find that your quest for domination requires fighting your way from the middle of the food chain.
Once you have sunk your teeth into the main V Rising gameplay, there are already a series of DLC to keep your thirst at bay, with presumably more to come. One of these is even a licensed collaboration with Castlevania for you serious vampire fans. If you’re interested but new to the base-building aspect of the game, we can help you choose the best V Rising base location to get you off on the right foot.
Chivalry 2
Among the most gory of the games in this list, Chivalry 2 is a medieval war game, and the time period naturally lends itself to hack and slash gameplay given the absence of modern weapon tech. Instead, broadswords, axes, hatchets, maces, and javelins rein supreme here, with the majority of the game’s combat taking place in uncomfortably close range. The closest you get to ranged weapons in Chivalry 2 are crossbows, longbows, and just chucking your dagger or hatchet at an enemy, so even crowd control has a pretty satisfying feel to it. Check out our Chivalry 2 review for more.
Sifu
Sifu is a classic story of growth and revenge as you use Kung Fu to fight your way through those who stand in your way of finding your family’s killers. As you might expect from a Kung-Fu game, this is all about practice and honing your skills – your first run isn’t supposed to be a success. You get beaten, you feel defeated, and you get up and try again, resulting in a challenging but truly gratifying learning curve.
With Kung Fu as your combat type, you can also consider Sifu a beat ’em up game, as you fists do a lot of the talking. However, flails, staves, and bladed weapons are available throughout the story and in arena modes.
Code Vein
From Bandai Namco, Code Vein is a soulslike anime game full of blood, boobs, and bayonets. There are other weapon choices, but we were committed to the alliteration. As we expand on in our Code Vein review, you’re thrown in at the deep end, with a boss battle taking place before you even find your home base – an indication of just how important combat is in Code Vein.
As a vampiric Revenant, you need blood to grow stronger, and you can get it from the strange and dangerous creatures being created all around you as people inhale a deadly substance in the air. As a soulslike game, increasing your strength – and skills – is of the upmost importance, and is furthered in Code Vein with its unique Blood Code system. Blood Codes are interchangeable, an example of the excellent Code Vein customization system, and there are over of these 40 classes to try. What makes these Blood Codes so interesting is that some are locked to specific NPCs with whom you must interact to unlock them for yourself.
Devil May Cry 5
This stunning and gory brawler from Capcom is the best of one of the most renowned violent game series ever. Slip into the role of the greatest Devil Hunter around and take on ‘cash-upfront’ jobs taking care of demonic creatures in the most gratuitously gruesome ways possible.
Devil May Cry 5 is incredibly stylish, and feels as good for new players jumping in today as it did upon its release in 2019, back when we wrote our Devil May Cry 5 review. Having been out for a few years already, this is another game on this list which has a huge library of DLC available if you love what you find, including a new playable character, Vergil, who you can check out in the trailer above.
Nier:Automata
Well-received and award-winning Nier Automata is the best game in an already stunning series, and features one of the coolest female protagonists ever. As 2B, you’re on a mission to defeat The Machines on behalf of the humans, as one of an android race. You can then play through the game again for the alternative perspective of 9S. And again as A2. In each playthrough, combat is understandably one of the most important aspects and is as good as you’d expect from Capcom and Platinum with varying attacks, weapons, and combos at your disposal.
You already know you’re in good hands with the knowledge that Nier Automata is developed by Platinum Games, the same minds behind the Bayonetta series, Star Fox Zero, and Metal Gear Rising, but perhaps the most important thing to note is that Platinum founders Shinji Mikami, Hideki Kamiya, and Atsushi Inaba also worked on Devil May Cry – another of our favorite hack and slash games – while at Capcom. If that isn’t enough to convince you, though, you can always read our Nier Automata review from back in 2017.
Path of Exile
Alongside the Diablo games, Path of Exile is one of the most popular ARPG games of all time, and deserves a mention in this list. A sequel is on the way, though, and from what we saw in our short Path of Exile 2 preview, it will no doubt topple the original from this list. For now, though, we still highly recommend PoE ahead of the Path of Exile 2 release date.
If you’re new to the free PC game, Path of Exile sets you down in Wraeclast, a fictional world filled with mythical monsters and brutal bosses. What sets this game apart from its peers, aside from being entirely free-to-play, is a complex class and skill system. You are not limited to the seven playable classes as there are Ascendancy classes, or subclasses, to further expand your character as you progress. The skill tree itself is famously one of the largest in any game, consisting of over 1,300 passive skills to consider. The combat style of Path of Exile, and the route of your success, is truly at your discretion and is utterly unique from game to game.
Torchlight 2
Yes, it’s another ARPG, but it is one of the best genres for slicing and dicing your way through hordes of enemies. Torchlight II holds its own over a decade on as the best game in the series, and still one of the best hack and slash games around, especially if you’re after something with a pinch of nostalgia.
Given the game’s age, its predecessor of course didn’t offer what we have come to expect as standard today, including multiplayer. For Torchlight II, Runic Games considered player complaints from the first game, and pretty much made exactly what they were asking for. A fully randomized world with co-op capabilities, colorful settings with fun foes, and terrifying boss battles. What truly keeps Torchlight 2 going when we now have the likes of Path of Exile and Diablo 4, though, are its unique classes: Berserker, Engineer, Embermage, and Outlander – though we’d recommend either of the first two, specifically the fast and furious berserker, to get the most of the hack and slash aesthetic.
There are hours upon hours of hack and slash gameplay above, but if you somehow find yourself looking for something else to play, our list of the best PC games of all time has something for you. It might be worth taking a look at the best upcoming games, as well, including some horror games, survival games, and other titles with gratuitous gore and satisfying weapons.