How to Play the Batman Arkham Games in Chronological Order

Below we’ve outlined two ways to approach the Batman: Arkham games: chronologically by release date or chronologically by narrative. The choice is yours, and both possible paths are outlined below, beginning with narrative chronology.

With series newcomers in mind, these brief plot summaries contain only mild spoilers such as general plot points and character introductions.

1. Batman: Origins of Arkham

The first Arkham game is chronologically that of 2013 Batman: Arkham Origins. Set in snowy Gotham on Christmas Eve, Origins stars as a less-experienced Batman with a $50 million bounty on his head, drawing the attention of Gotham’s finest criminals: the Joker, the Black Mask, the Penguin, the Mad Hatter, Among others Bane, Deadshot, Firefly and Killer Croc. The ending hints at the reopening of Arkham Asylum and sets the stage for the future events of Rocksteady’s game of the same name.

Origins stars Roger Craig Smith as Batman and Troy Baker as the Joker, filling in for Arkham’s regular superstar duo Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. While Arkhamverse was founded by Rocksteady Studios, Origins was developed by WB Montreal, the studio behind Gotham Knights.

A mobile version of Arkham Origins has also been released. Though it plays very differently from its console counterpart – it’s a brawler developed by Mortal Kombat studio NeatherRealm – it hits the same narrative beats.

2. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate takes place three months after the events of Origins. Unlike the third-person adventures that make up the mainline Arkham games, Blackgate is a 2.5D side-scroller developed by Armature Studio (Resident Evil 4 VR).

In Blackgate, Batman investigates the titular prison where an explosion freed its inmates. As the Caped Crusader, you’ll explore three main areas, each controlled by one of Gotham’s most notorious villains: Penguin, Black Mask, and the Joker. Other notable characters include Catwoman, Amanda Waller, and Rick Flag.

Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker co-star as Batman and the Joker.

3. Batman: Arkham’s Underworld

Batman: Arkham Underworld is a mobile game that positions you as Gotham’s newest criminal mastermind and allows you to command Batman villains like Harley Quinn, The Riddler, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze and Killer Croc. It’s essentially a free-to-play Gotham gang recruiter where you build a criminal hideout, recruit henchmen, and fight. Kevin Conroy reprises his role as Batman after the main Arkham trilogy.

Arkham Underworld is set at some point before Arkham Asylum, although it has little relevance to the overall Arkhamverse narrative – which is fortunate considering it is no longer available for download (Arkham Underworld closed in 2017, just a year after its release).

Bonus: Batman: Assault on Arkham

Batman: Assault on Arkham is an animated film set in the Arkhamverse, approximately two years before Arkham Asylum. Those just interested in the games can skip the film without much effect, but those interested in the full Arkhamverse narrative should check it out – it’s available to stream on HBO Max and happens to be a pretty entertaining film ; Our review gave it an 8.8, calling it “a great heist movie.”

Like Arkham Underworld, Arkham Assault puts the spotlight on Batman’s enemies, following Harley, Joker, Riddler and others as they infiltrate Arkham Asylum and ultimately free many of its most notorious inmates.

Kevin Conroy voices Batman again while Troy Baker voices the Joker. Notably, Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian, Breaking Bad) lends his voice to Black Spider.

4. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Rocksteady’s first Batman game, Batman: Arkham Asylum introduces us to the Arkhamverse version of the Caped Crusader (voiced by Kevin Conroy). It is the fourth game in chronology but the first to be released. Mark Hamill’s Joker serves as the main villain, although the cast of characters also includes Harley Quinn, Commissioner Gordon, Scarecrow, Bane, Poison Ivy, and others.

With the help of Harley Quinn, the Joker infiltrates the asylum to obtain a super-potent serum called Titan. The Clown Prince planted bombs around Gotham City, threatening to detonate them should anyone come to Batman’s aid, leaving our hero to deal with the asylum’s escapees alone.

The Arkham Asylum story was written by Paul Dino, whose long history with the franchise includes many writers on Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond.

5. Batman: Lockdown of Arkham City

Released shortly after Arkham City, Batman: Lockdown of Arkham City is a fighter set between the events of Asylum and City. It is the first Arkham mobile game to be released and the second to be developed by NeatherRealm (the other being the Arkham Origins mobile game mentioned above).

Narratively, Arkham City Lockdown features tons of Arkham staples including the Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill), Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Penguin, Solomon Grundy, Poison Ivy, Deathstroke, Robin, and of course Batman (voiced by Kevin Conroy). ). The story revolves around another prison break that Batman must clean up.

We’ll spoil this one, as the plot is relatively trivial and Arkham City Lockdown is no longer for sale: Batman prevails and returns the escaped prisoners to the asylum.

6. Batman: Arkham City

Rocksteady’s second game in the series, Batman Arkham City takes place a year and a half after Arkham Asylum. After the events of Asylum, Mayor Quincy Sharp opens Arkham City, a walled part of Gotham City, to provide a haven for criminals. In Arkham City, Batman navigates the lawless territory as he works to foil the nefarious, all-encompassing conspiracy apparently being orchestrated by Hugo Strange.

Batman must also deal with a separate threat from the Joker, who deals with the ill effects of the Titan serum he ingested during the events of Asylum.

The Arkham City story, like Asylum before it, was written by Paul Dini.

7. Batman: Arkham VR

The only virtual reality game in the series, Batman: Arkham VR takes place shortly before the events of Arkham Knight. It’s a narrative-driven game that focuses on detective work as Batman tries to solve the murder of a close ally.

Given its nature as a story-heavy game, we can’t say much here, but if you have access to a VR headset, Arkham VR is certainly worth checking out, especially given its short ~90-minute runtime.

The supporting cast are Robin, Nightwing, Alfred Pennyworth, Penguin, Killer Croc and Joker. Arkham VR plays Conroy and Hamill’s Batman and the Joker.

8.Batman: Arkham Knight

Batman: Arkham Knight, the conclusion of Rocksteady’s trilogy of mainline Batman games, raises the stakes with the largest version of Gotham, the most diverse cast of characters, and the introduction of a fully playable Batmobile.

Arkham Knight is set on the night of Halloween, presumably less than a year after the events of City. Scarecrow (voiced by Lord of the Rings’ John Noble) threatens Gotham City with his fear poison, while a new threat emerges in the mysterious Arkham Knight. Batman constantly struggles with internal anguish as a result of the previous games.

All three threads are completed by the end of Arkham Knight’s ~16-hour campaign, although you must achieve 100% completion to see the true ending of the game.

In addition to Scarecrow and Arkham Knight, the supporting cast includes Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Penguin, Riddler, Two-Face, Robin, Commissioner Gordon and Barbara Gordon.

9. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Rocksteady’s next game moves away from Batman and Gotham but is officially “a Sequel to the Arkhamverse‘ said the developer. Rocksteady promises “lots of threads and storylines [from past Arkham games] will bear fruit.” While it’s unclear how much time has passed since Arkham Knight, these comments clearly suggest that it’s further in the future than any previous Akrhamverse game.

Kill the Justice League shifts the focus to Task Force X as players explore Metropolis as either Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, or King Shark. It is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2023.

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