Recently, WB Games Montreal announced Gotham Knights, the next edition of the fan-favorite Batman video game series. However, there are still so many gaming enthusiasts who have never played all of the previous Batman games.
If you fall into that particular category, it might be time for you to play the previous Batman games to connect a little better to the history of Gotham Knights, even if Gotham Knights is not part of the Batman Arkham series.
If you are planning on doing this, you are in luck. In this article, we are going to talk about all the Batman games in order of release and story. So you can continue and finish the story of the Batman Arkham series ahead of the Gotham Knights video game release next year.
Batman Arkham games in order of release
1. Batman: Arkham Asylum (August 2009)
Batman Arkham Asylum was the first game in the Arkham series released in 2009. The game is available for PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac OS X, Xbox One, and PS4. Everything about Batman Arkham Asylum, from storyline to combat, was so excellent that the game was called "the greatest comic book game of all time."
In the video game, Batman must face off against his nemesis, Joker, who plans to take control of Arkham Asylum and trap Batman inside with dangerous enemies. Additionally, with Batman trapped inside the Asylum, Joker intends to threaten Gotham City with numerous bombs placed throughout the city.
Now Batman must defeat characters like Scarecrow and Bane inside the asylum and use his detective skills to get out of the asylum and save the city.
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, Windows, Classic Mac OS
2. Batman: Arkham City (October 2011)
Following the success of Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady Studios decided to release a sequel to the game in 2011. Like its predecessor, Arkham City was a big hit and received many accolades. It is even considered one of the most incredible action games of all time because of its narrative and gameplay.
The story of Arkham City takes place a year after the events of the first game in the Arkham series.
When Arkham Asylum is no longer able to hold the city's notorious criminals in the facility, authorities decide to purchase the city's slums to convert them into a prison, known as Arkham City.
Batman realizes that Dr. Hugo Strange, who is the director of Arkham City, is up to something evil. So he decides to investigate the situation by getting inside Arkham City, where Cat Woman also accompanies him. And yes, you can take on the role of Cat Woman to accomplish some things Batman is not capable of.
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, Windows, Wii U, OS X
3. Batman: Arkham Origins (October 2013)
If you are planning to play Batman Games in order of release, Batman Arkham Origins takes the third place in the Arkham series.
Unlike Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, Origins was not developed by Rocksteady Studios. Instead, the game was created by WB Games Montreal, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
The story of Batman Arkham Origins takes place five years before the events of Arkham Asylum. He follows a young Batman who must face off against several dangerous criminals, including Joker and Anarky, who seek him out after Black Mask pays him a huge bounty. Additionally, a corrupt SWAT team is also after Batman for taking the $ 50 million prize for themselves.
Batman Arkham Origins has been praised for a lot of things, including its storyline, voice acting, and boss fights. Apart from that, many fans of the Batman Arkham series have been disappointed with the game due to constant technical errors. Plus, unlike its predecessors, Origins lacks attention to detail.
Platforms: Windows, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Android, iOS
4. Batman: Arkham Knight (June 2015)
Arkham Knight is the latest edition of the Batman Arkham series. So this is the last game you need to play to complete the Batman games in the order of release.
Batman Arkham Knight was developed by Rocksteady Studios and was one of the best action-adventure video games of 2015. Critics, as well as fans, enjoyed everything from the narrative to the gameplay of Arkham Knight.
Batman Arkham Knight is the sequel to Arkham City in 2011. The game's story takes place nine months after the end of Arkham City. After what happened at the end of Arkham City (giving no spoilers), the citizens of Gotham feel more secure.
However, Batman's foes like Scarecrow, Penguin, and Harley Quinn unite with one goal in mind, which is to kill Batman. Interestingly, this time around, Batman isn't alone either, as he's backed by Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin to take down notorious criminals.
Additionally, this is the first game in the Batman Arkham collection to feature Batmobile. So you have enough motivation to complete all the previous Batman games in order and finally play Batman Arkham Knight.
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One
Batman Arkham games in order of history
Now that you know how to play Batman Arkham game in order of release, it is time for you to learn the order of story as well.
If you are this far, you must already know that Batman: Arkham Origins, which is the third game in the Batman Arkham series, is the prequel to the first Batman Arkham game.
So if you want to play the Batman Arkham games in story order, here's how the list goes:
Gotham Knights - New Batman Game (2021)
"Gotham Knights" is the next edition of the Batman video game series which will be released in 2021. It is an action role-playing video game developed by WB Games Montreal, the same studio that developed Arkham Origins.
The story of Gotham Knights is expected to pick up right after the end of Batman: Arkham Knight. In the game there will be four different playable characters namely Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood, with each superhero having their own unique skills and abilities. Surprisingly, Gotham Knights will also have a two-player cooperative multiplayer feature, which is pretty exciting.
Gotham Knights will indeed have an original story unrelated to other Batman Arkham games. However, by playing all of the Arkham games before playing the new Batman game, Gotham Knights will always connect you to the game much better.
Batman games faq
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Is Gotham Knights an Arkham Game?
No, despite Gotham Knights retiring after Batman's death in Arkham City, WB Games Montreal has confirmed that Gotham Knights is not part of the Batman Arkham series.
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Who is Robin of the Knights of Gotham?
Tim Drake is Robin in Gotham Knights, the same young prodigy who appeared in Arkham City and Arkham Knight.
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Who is Batgirl in Gotham Knights?
Barbara Gordan, daughter of deceased commissioner Jim Gordan is Batgirl in Gotham Knights. Interestingly, she also lends her support to Batman in previous games.
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Is Batman Really Dead in Gotham Knights?
The Gotham Knights trailer shows that Batman is dead, which was shown at the end of Arkham Knight. However, some rumors suggest it's possible that Batman is still alive in the Gotham Knights universe.
Batman Arkham Series Order: Conclusion
So, there you have it; every Batman game you need to play to complete the Arkham games in order. Apart from the games we mentioned above, there are few games that are derived from Arkham. However, we chose to overlook spinoffs because they don't contribute as much to the story of Batman Arkham. If you have any questions regarding ordering the Batman Arkham games, feel free to ask in the comment box!
