Batman was created more than 80 years ago and has starred in video games for 40 of them, nearly half of his existence, but the dozens of Batman games across countless platforms and console generations have rarely strayed far from the basics. No matter what decade it is, no matter what hardware you’re playing on, odds are that in any given Batman title you’ll be gliding off gargoyles, firing grappling hooks, and flinging Batarangs at guys in straightjackets.
Batman’s constant reinventions in the comics have left the games mostly playing catch-up for the better part of their history, largely tied to popular movies and TV shows rather than taking the character someplace truly new, but within these constraints, and eventually beyond them, we’ve seen genuine masterpieces with the Batman Arkham series, slept-on gems, unmitigated disasters, and entries so bizarre and inexplicable they belong inside the Black Casebook. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is the latest and most comprehensive Bat game to date, which means it’s the perfect time to take stock of what that legacy actually looks like.
These are the best, worst, and weirdest Batman video games.
00:00 - Intro
01:42 - Batman: Year One (1986 - 1989)
06:58 - The Sunsoft Rises (1989 - 1991)
12:01 - Pure Dynamite (1991)
15:08 - Many Happy Returns (1992)
21:05 - Almost Got ‘Im (1993 - 1994)
26:36 - The Ice Age (1995 - 2003)
31:49 - No Man’s Land (2000 - 2003)
38:38 - The Dawn is Coming (2005 - 2008)
41:59 - Arkham and Everything After (2009 - 2015)
49:36 - Part 10: Batman R.I.P. (2015 - Now)