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Batman Arkham Games in Order
The four core Batman: Arkham games, including Rocksteady's Asylum-City-Knight trilogy and WB Montreal's Origins prequel. Play by release date or in the chronological story order.
Batman Arkham Games in Order: complete list
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Why this order?
The Batman: Arkham series is one of the most acclaimed superhero game franchises ever made, and there are two sensible ways to work through its core entries. The default here is release order, which tracks how the saga actually unfolded and how its combat, gadgets, and freeflow systems matured. You start with Rocksteady's tight, claustrophobic Arkham Asylum (2009), expand into the open districts of Arkham City (2011), detour to WB Montreal's prequel Arkham Origins (2013), and finish with the Batmobile-driven spectacle of Arkham Knight (2015).
The chronological order rearranges things to follow Bruce Wayne's timeline. Arkham Origins comes first as an earlier-career prequel showing a younger, rougher Batman, then Asylum, then City, then Knight, which closes the Rocksteady arc. This is the better path if you care about narrative continuity over watching the mechanics evolve, though playing the 2013 prequel before the 2009 original means a noticeable step back in polish.
The key gotcha is that Origins is the outlier: it was built by a different studio and sits earliest in the story but third in release. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (2024) and the short Arkham VR experience are spin-offs, not part of the core four, so they are not in the main order here.
If you enjoy this style of cinematic, traversal-heavy superhero action, the Insomniac Marvel's Spider-Man games and the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor series owe a clear debt to Arkham's freeflow combat. For more Caped Crusader, the Telltale Batman series offers a story-first alternative.
Timeline 2009-2015
Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.
- 2009 Asylum
- 2011 City
- 2013 Origins
- 2015 Knight
Where to play it today
Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for Batman: Arkham.
Cameos & crossovers
Characters from Batman: Arkham who also show up elsewhere. see the full character atlas โ
- Batman / Bruce Wayne
The Dark Knight himself, anchors the live-action films, the Arkham games, and the DCEU's Justice League.
- Joker
Batman's chaos-agent nemesis, terrorizes the films, haunts the Arkham games, and crashes the DCEU's Suicide Squad.
- Alfred Pennyworth
Bruce Wayne's loyal butler, present across the Batman films, Arkham games, and DCEU.
- Harley Quinn
Joker's psychiatrist-turned-accomplice who links the Arkham games, Suicide Squad, the DCEU, and the new DCU.
- Bane
The back-breaking brute who menaces both the live-action films and the Arkham games.
Also in Batman - Catwoman / Selina Kyle
Cat-burglar antiheroine who slinks between the live-action Batman films and the Arkham games.
Also in Batman - Commissioner Gordon
Gotham's honest top cop, a fixture of the Batman films and the Arkham games.
Also in Batman - Mr. Freeze / Victor Fries
Cold-hearted scientist villain shared by the Batman films and the Arkham games.
Also in Batman - Poison Ivy
Eco-terrorist seductress bridging the Batman films and the Arkham games.
Also in Batman - Ra's al Ghul
Immortal League of Assassins leader linking the Batman films and the Arkham games.
Also in Batman - Robin
Batman's caped sidekick, appearing in the Batman films and the Arkham games.
Also in Batman - Scarecrow / Jonathan Crane
Fear-toxin psychologist who terrorizes the Batman films and the Arkham games.
Also in Batman - The Penguin / Oswald Cobblepot
Umbrella-wielding crime boss appearing in the Batman films and the Arkham games.
Also in Batman - The Riddler / Edward Nygma
Puzzle-obsessed villain spanning the Batman films and the Arkham games' trophy hunts.
Also in Batman - Two-Face / Harvey Dent
Coin-flipping former DA, scarred villain across the Batman films and Arkham games.
Also in Batman
Frequently asked questions
What order should I play Batman: Arkham in?
Start with Arkham Asylum and go in release order: Asylum, City, Origins, Knight. That is the best first playthrough for most people. If you would rather follow the story timeline, play Origins first, then Asylum, City, and Knight.
How many Batman: Arkham games are there?
Four core games: Arkham Asylum (2009), Arkham City (2011), Arkham Origins (2013) and Arkham Knight (2015). Several side titles sit outside that main order: the handheld Arkham Origins Blackgate (2013), Arkham VR (2016), Arkham Shadow (2024) and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (2024).
Is Arkham Origins a prequel?
Yes. Arkham Origins was made by WB Games Montreal rather than Rocksteady and is set eight years before Arkham Asylum, so it comes first in chronological order even though it released third.
Do I need to play Arkham Origins?
No, it is optional. Origins stands apart from Rocksteady's trilogy and nothing in Asylum, City or Knight depends on it, but it adds early-career backstory and a strong take on Bane and Deathstroke.
Can I skip any of the Batman: Arkham games?
Only Origins. Asylum, City and Knight are one continuous story, with City set eighteen months after Asylum and Knight nine months after City, so skipping any of those three leaves real gaps. Everything else is optional: Origins, Blackgate, Arkham VR, Arkham Shadow and Suicide Squad. One thing you cannot skip if you want Arkham Knight's full ending is the Riddler: the complete Knightfall Protocol scene only unlocks at 100 percent completion, which means all 14 Most Wanted missions and all 243 Riddler challenges.
Where can I play the Batman: Arkham games today?
On PC all four are sold on Steam and GOG, while the Epic Games Store carries the three Rocksteady games but not Origins. On PlayStation and Xbox you get Asylum and City through the Return to Arkham remaster (2016) plus Arkham Knight, and Nintendo Switch bundles those same three as Batman: Arkham Trilogy (2023). Origins is the gap: it never got a version past PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC. PlayStation and Switch players cannot play it at all, and on Xbox it only runs through Xbox 360 backwards compatibility, which now needs a disc or a purchase made before the Xbox 360 store shut down in July 2024. PC is the one place you can still buy Origins outright. This reflects August 2026; storefront line-ups change.
Is the Batman: Arkham series finished?
Rocksteady built Arkham Knight (2015) as the ending of its trilogy and has not made a mainline Arkham game since. The universe did carry on: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (2024) is set after Knight, and Camouflaj's Batman: Arkham Shadow (2024) fills a gap between Origins and Asylum. As of August 2026 no new Arkham game has been announced or dated, though Warner Bros. has publicly said it plans to return to its biggest franchises in 2027 and 2028.
Is Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League part of the Arkham series?
It is set in the same Arkhamverse, after the events of Arkham Knight, but it is a live-service squad shooter rather than a Batman game, so it is not part of the core order here. Rocksteady added an offline mode in December 2024 and ended post-launch support in January 2025, so the game stays playable whatever happens to its servers.
Last verified · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, news.xbox.com, Wikidata
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