The Best Devil May Cry Games, All 6 Ranked

Best Devil May Cry Games Ranked

6. Devil May Cry 2

If you’ve never played Devil May Cry 2, well, you’d be forgiven. It’s easily the black sheep of the series, and everyone from fans to Capcom themselves seem to prefer to pretend the game never existed at all.

The biggest offense DMC 2 committed was completely changing Dante’s personality, almost completely removing the character’s trademark cockiness and sarcasm. Dante is a completely straight character this time around and, in fact, he barely talks at all. Instead, a second playable character named Lucia was introduced.

However, the big problem is that all of Lucia’s missions are simply recycled content from Dante’s missions, adding in very slight alterations. On top of all this, DMC 2’s combat was much simpler and more streamlined than the first, and the game in general simply feels less polished.

It’s not all doom and gloom with DMC 2, though, as the core story is still interesting, looping in all the demonic themes and religious overtones that you’d expect from Devil May Cry. Lucia, as a character, also manages to be an interesting addition, although we never get to see her again.

What it boils down to, is that DMC 2 didn’t come anywhere close to the heights that the first game reached, and its negatives severely outweighed the positives. Luckily, Capcom learned from their mistakes and followed it up with phenomenal next entry.

Best Devil May Cry Games Ranked

5. Devil May Cry

The first Devil May Cry marked a huge departure for Capcom, who up until that point was probably best known for the survival horror series Resident Evil and fighting series Street Fighter. An insanely stylish action game managed to be a breath of fresh air for the company, and people immediately fell in love with the smarmy demon-hunter Dante.

Dante runs a freelance business called Devil May Cry, when a mysterious woman contracts him to help stop the resurrection of the demon emperor, Mundus.

The first DMC established the formula that the franchise has used to this very day, tasking players with fighting enemies in fast-paced third-person combat, while mixing in a variety of platforming challenges and puzzle solving. In 2001 the game’s slick action and ridiculous style were fantastic, but it has to be said that DMC hasn’t aged incredibly well.

It’s not that the game is unplayable or anything, it just feels clunky overall and the fixed camera angle can be a serious problem at times. Still, Devil May Cry launched one of Capcom’s biggest cult classic series, and it helped set the standard for character action games.

Best Devil May Cry Games Ranked

4. DmC: Devil May Cry

It had been five years since fans had a Devil May Cry game when DmC released, and all eyes were on this rebooted title as it came from a western developer and not Capcom themselves. Ninja Theory, known for Heavenly Sword and Enslaved, took a brand new crack at DMC and Dante, with mixed results.

Overall DmC is a quality action game, but fans had some problems with this reimagined version of the franchise protagonist. While the old Dante’s cockiness felt natural, this new Dante’s felt a little too angsty and forced.

The story of DmC weaved an interesting tale that involved both Dante and Vergil, keeping all the demonic themes as before but also introducing some ideas about the danger of technology.

Where DmC really shined, however, was with its fantastic combat system. The game introduced Angel Mode and Devil Mode, two modifiers that completely change Dante’s moveset and can be used on the fly. Everything about DmC’s combat is fast and fluid, and it’s incredibly easy to string together ridiculous moves and combos, almost instantly making you feel like a badass.

Supported by a striking art style, this helped DmC be a memorable entry in the franchise, even if not all fans took to the new characters and story.

Best Devil May Cry Games Ranked

3. Devil May Cry 4

Devil May Cry 4 was the first game in the series on Xbox 360 and PS3, and it managed to be a successful evolution of the formula. This entry introduced a brand new hero, Nero, who comes equipped with a fearsome demonic arm.

Nero’s moveset is integrally different from Dante’s, and his arm, in particular, provides for some great combo opportunities. You can pull enemies in close from range or hit them in the air with a swift uppercut, giving you more options than ever before. DMC 4 made full use of the new systems, with combat flowing smoothly and the series’ trademark difficulty being as defined as ever.

While Nero is certainly the “main character” this time around, Dante still plays a big role in the story and he’s also the second playable character, accounting for roughly half of the game’s playtime. The differences between the two characters help keep things fresh, even with the fair amount of backtracking DMC 4 makes you do.

The story does a great job of expanding on the overall lore and narrative of the franchise, and right off the bat Nero and Dante have an interesting relationship.

DMC 4 was made an even more robust experience with the Special Edition which let you play as Lady, Trish, and Vergil, while adding on a host of other new features.

Best Devil May Cry Games Ranked

2. Devil May Cry 5

With a ten year wait between DMC 4 and DMC 5, fans had high expectations for the first entry on next-gen consoles. Luckily, those expectations were met with pizazz, as Devil May Cry 5 stays true to the franchise’s stylish action roots while still pushing it forward meaningfully.

Devil May Cry 5 once again stars Dante while also bringing back the headstrong young hero of DMC 4, Nero. At the same time, an entirely new character named V is introduced, whose combat style entirely relies on demon familiars. Each of the three characters in DMC 5 has such wildly different combat styles, that it’s an absolute blast to switch between them from missions to mission, and invest your red orbs in new moves for all three.

DMC 5 is also built on Capcom’s in-house RE Engine, the same one used for the Resident Evil 2 remake. This makes the game stunningly gorgeous, even when you’re wandering around apocalyptic cities. The trademark difficulty of the franchise is still there too, and things really ramp up as you make it to the later missions.

On top of that, you can unlock all of the usual difficulties as well, including Dante Must Die, Heaven and Hell, and Hell and Hell. Everything about Devil May Cry 5 flows so well and just screams style, whether it’s the dynamic music that increases intensity with your rank or the effortless way you can link crazy combos together.

Devil May Cry 5 is a DMC game through and through, it’s just bigger and prettier than ever before.

Best Devil May Cry Games Ranked

1. Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening

Devil May Cry 3 is the main game responsible for the Dante that people think of today. While his cockiness was definitely there in the first game, DMC 3 showed us a headstrong sarcastic hero like we’d never seen before, one that straight up insults every enemy he sees.

A prequel to the entire series, DMC 3 gives us a younger version of Dante as he’s attacked by a mysterious man named Arkham. The game’s story put a huge emphasis on the relationship between Dante and Vergil, and let us get to know both characters even better.

The game also made some huge improvements to gameplay, the first of which was expanding the style ranking in combat with an SS and SSS rank. Dante was given multiple weapons or “styles” that he could use in combat, switching between them on the fly. This allowed for much more diversity in the game’s combat, letting you string combos together with multiple weapons back to back.

DMC 3 was quite a bit more difficult than previous games, but this is something that was later addressed in the Special Edition release, making it more accessible for newcomers, while still retaining that difficulty for veterans if they want it.

Dante’s Awakening upped the franchise’s style to ridiculous new heights, and still remains one of the very best games released during the PS2 era. In the eyes of many, it’s the definitive Devil May Cry experience.

Do you agree with our ranking? Let us know what yours is in the comments below. For even more on Devil May Cry make sure to search Twinfinite, and take a look at our list of three things you probably didn’t know about the series.