The 7 Best Action Games of 2015

Dying Light

Dying Light was the first major game to release in 2015 and many never anticipated it. Here was yet another zombie game that played a bit like that other zombie game that not everyone was too fond of. You ran around an open world and put weapons together using parts, but something else was thrown into the mix: movement.

Dying Light’s combination of seamless parkour, badass combat, a dense open world, and tons of ways to die made for 20+ hours of grueling, yet highly enjoyable, action.

And if running through the coastal country while watching the beautiful sunset wasn’t enough to get your juices flowing, then just stick around until night. You’ll want to spend a bit more time making some high-powered weapons if you are to have any hope of dealing with what lurked in the darkness.

Batman: Arkham Knight

Batman: Arkham Knight was the culmination of years of toiling away by Rocksteady to create the perfect Batman experience. What began as a journey into an asylum to stop a madman became a fight for the city and Batman’s own life. The end result was a damn fun game.

The world was bigger and the Batmobile was thrown into the mix to make things even more exciting. The new dual play mechanic made for some awesome combinations and the ability to play as some of the Bat-Family in certain situations. New challenges, a larger rogues gallery, and side missions that had some real depth made for some of the best super hero action games in recent memory.

Mad Max

Ah Mad Max, how great you were, yet you were overshadowed by a game you had no hopes of overcoming. Whether or not it had bad timing, nothing can change the fact that Mad Max is one seriously fun action game that certainly stands out as one of the best games of this year.

You are max and you are mad. You sport your trusty shotgun and are one vicious melee fighter. You also have one more tool that is an extension of your very being: the Magnum Opus. A car to put all other cars to shame; this is your companion, your ride, your weapon, and your friend. You will use this Magnum Opus to overcome one of the most beautiful post-apocalyptic wastelands in gaming.

The sands will go on for miles, storms will lift the ground, the heat scorches the few trying to make a living, and those living within its beige expanse will come to kill you. It’s a game with endless threats as you drive and destroy, but every second will keep you looking forward to the next.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

The Assassin’s Creed series has become one of those where you never know what quality to expect. While there are clear high-notes like Black Flag and AC II, the memories held by fans are marred by visions of Unity and AC III. When Syndicate was announced just a few months after the release of Unity many didn’t know what to expect. Would it be any good? Are we going to get duped once more? Those were reasonable questions considering the track record. Thankfully, Ubisoft provided something that was not only good but downright great.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is the series’ first real step into the modern age. Sure you can play as Desmond in AC III but that was nothing more than a couple of obstacle courses. Syndicate brought Jacob and Evie (another great element of the game) into a world with some actual semblance of modern technology, they dealt with engines, electricity, the turning point of history, and a new word. That fed into new modes of transportation a tighter combat system, and some of the most interesting characters to ever grace one of the franchise’s entries.

The open nature of London and the hustle and bustle of life around your deadly endeavors made for action that was varied and unique to each player. Oh, and the changes to world traversal were more than welcome. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate was the newest feeling game in the series.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Metal Gear Solid is Kojima’s very own Magnum Opus, but it isn’t just Kojima’s last hurrah that makes this such a great action game, it’s the game itself that does that.

Metal Gear Solid was given a true open world with vehicles, tons of locations, people to save, Ops to carry out, and things to send away with balloons. Although Metal Gear Solid V: TPP is still a game that provides plenty of stealth options to players who want a more classic feel, the game offers lots of variety so that you can play as a full-on action game if you so chose.

Don your heaviest armor, get the biggest gun you can carry, and bring D-Walker in for a rampage that rivals those of your more over-the-top shooter. You could even infiltrate the bases of other players and cause absolute mayhem.

It even threw in a fun multiplayer mode that pits players vs. players in several modes, ranging from an all out death match, to a cat and mouse chase. Metal Gear Solid V had everything you could hope for in an action game, and there’s no surprise it’s on this list.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider may have caught a lot of flack for becoming an Xbox One exclusive (even if it is a timed deal), but that doesn’t change the fact that it is one hell of a game. Following up the amazing Tomb Raider reboot was no easy task. It brought Lara Croft to a new generation of gamers and made her into a hero everyone wanted to be again. You would have to go bigger the next time to have any hopes of making anything nearly as good, and that’s exactly what the developers did.

Rise of the Tomb Raider brought everything from the previous game and introduced several new elements to evolve Lara even more. More stealth options, crafting, skills, better tombs, and a bigger mystery make for an interesting adventure. You’re no longer the scared amateur who crashed on an island with her team, you’re a seasoned adventurer and anyone crossing your path needs to beware.

Just Cause 3

Just Cause 3 is all about the action. Sure, it has a story and characters, but it wastes no time whatsoever in throwing you into its open world to do whatever it is that you want to do.

While many games try to rein you in when it comes to interacting with the world, Just Cause 3 throws caution to the wind. You can destroy almost everything you see, and even if you can’t destroy it, you can grapple onto it and link enemies for hilariously violent results. Avalanche’s latest gives you a ton of things to do and lets you decide how they should be done.

If you need a break from the chaos, there are plenty of challenges and hidden goodies to keep you occupied. Races, sky diving, easter eggs, you name it and you’ll find it Just Cause 3.

Are there any action games you feel were left off of this list? If so feel free to share in the comments below.