Of the many DC superheroes that have featured in the video game medium, Batman undoubtedly has the most appearances as a playable character. Dating back to the 1980s during the infancy of the industry, the Dark Knight has featured in numerous gaming adventures both as a supporting figure and as a playable character - the latter more frequently. Compared to some other heroes from the DC and Marvel pantheons, the Dark Knight is actually able to boast a number of acclaimed games in his library, including the Batman: Arkham games from Rocksteady and some successful movie-tie ins dating back to Tim Burton's Batman movies.
Batman's gaming history starts in 1986, appearing as a playable character in many of the years after that date. These appearances came in games that range from side-scrollers to stealth games, and even a few racing games. Some of the games made the entire Bat Family playable and even gave the player the option of switching back and forth between them. Many of the games Batman is a playable character in were based on movies or television shows with the same titles and had the same exact plot as whatever they were based on. With that being said, some of the most successful ones were stories of their own. Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham games told their own unique tales in a new version of the DC Universe, while Traveller's Tales' LEGO Batman titles have successfully blended a number of different cinematic and comic book influences into its own interpretation.
Not every Batman game has been successful, and some would even argue that it wasn't until 2009 that the character got a game that fulfilled the fantasy of being the character in Batman: Arkham Asylum. However, there are plenty of games that feature a playable Batman from before then that are worth tracking down. Whether as a part of an ensemble or in his own solo adventure, here are all the DC games where Batman has been playable.
Batman's First Video Game Appearance Came In 1986
The very first Batman game to hit the shelves was released in 1986 for the PC, three years prior to the character making his grand return to the big screen. In this 3D isometric game, players were able to take the role of Batman and set off on a mission to rescue Robin. Pieces of Batman's hovercraft were scattered about Wayne Manor and Batman had to travel through various rooms to find pieces and assemble the BatCraft. Throughout the rooms, there were various enemies and challenges presented for players to beat. Once all of the pieces were assembled the game was complete.
As was standard practice with classic video games, like Atari, there were only a few colors throughout the game with each level presenting as one solid color. Batman would also change colors in each level making it somewhat difficult to see where he was going.
Batman: The Caped Crusader (1988)
Another PC-only title, this was a side scroller that took Batman through various levels collecting recognizable items like a false nose, the Batarang, and even, oddly enough for Batman, hand grenades. Batman can punch and kick his way through the levels and use his collected items to help him out in battles. The best was still to come for the character in the gaming medium, but Batman: The Caped Crusader was a notable step-up compared to his video game debut.
Batman faces notable Arkham-bound villains like the Joker and Penguin as well as various henchmen through the levels. The designer of the game wanted to make it look as though players were moving through comic book panels, which was something that they did successfully. The end result became a hit with fans.
Batman (Batman: The Movie) (1989)
This Batman game was based on the Tim Burton movie and each of the levels corresponded to scenes from the film. There were five levels that all had varying game styles depending on the level. Two of the levels were side scrollers where various bad guys made their appearances.
The next few levels helped Batman: The Movie tie-in game stand out above the rest. One level was a racing-style game where Batman hopped in the Batmobile and drove through the streets of Gotham while a similar level put players in the Batwing and race through Gotham once more. Another level was a puzzle game where players had to enter in the correct code to thwart the Joker. Each of these levels gave fans a different experience and overall it was well received.
Batman: Return Of The Joker & Revenge Of The Joker
Batman: Return of the Joker and Batman: Revenge of the Joker were released by Sunsoft for the Genesis, Gameboy, PC, and most notably the NES. Both games were side-scrollers and featured different abilities that Batman could use like wall jumping, a grappling hook, and the Batarang. However, when compared to the games released for Batman '89, they weren't as fondly received.
Batman Returns (1992)
In Batman Returns, players go through different levels beating up enemies with just their fists and the occasional batarang. Enemies would appear from different sections causing players to move back and forth to defeat them all. These levels were broken up by minor cutscenes that showed a character and had text run across the screen. Batman must fight Catwoman and the Penguin along with other henchmen. The final boss is Penguin, and one final cutscene discussing Batman's victory plays once Penguin is defeated.
Batman: The Animated Series (1993) and The Adventures of Batman and Robin (1994)
Thanks to its stellar voice cast, Batman: The Animated Series remains one of the most iconic Batman games there is and one that will remain synonymous with the Batman name. With Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker, these voices would set the precedence for years to come. Both of these titles were developed by Konami and were based on the television series Batman: The Animated Series. The main quest was to travel through different levels and defeat villains, but this time the player had the option of switching between Batman and Robin. Similar to the previous titles, each version of these games offered something unique depending on the platform they were played on.
Batman Forever (1995), the sequel Batman & Robin (1998), and Batman Forever: The Arcade Game (1996)
Despite sharing the same name, these two games are completely unrelated. Batman Forever and its direct sequel, Batman & Robin, are both based on the movies with the same names. Batman Forever allows co-op and a versus mode that pits players against enemies of Gotham or each other. Batman & Robin gave players the option to play as Batman, Robin, or Batgirl, and had different events happen at specific times throughout gameplay. Clues needed to be collected and if the player was not in the right place at the specified time, they would fail the mission. Neither of these games were very well-received when they released.
Batman Forever: The Arcade Game was an action game that, like many arcade games, was a punching side-scroller. There were many different moves and they gave players a lot of opportunities to get massive combo points. There was a two-player mode that let both players choose Batman if they so desired. This game was well received because of the different moves that players could do but was considered too repetitive overall.
Justice League Task Force (1995)
Justice League Task Force is Batman's first appearance in a true fighting game. While there was a storyline to it, the main goal of this game was to defeat your opponent. Batman set out to defeat all of the evil clones of the Justice League members and ended in a fight against a clone of his own in order to save the world from Darkseid.
This game was very similar to any other fighting game of the time, like Mortal Kombat, and featured some similar movements and artistic styles. This game also featured a multiplayer mode that let players fight together or against each other. Unfortunately, it was not received well by the general public, but that didn't stop Batman from appearing in a myriad of other fighting games, like the brutal Injustice 2 game, since then.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000) and Batman: Dark Tomorrow (2003)
Both titles were developed by Kemco and sought to stay close to the true name of Batman and how he was in the comic books. This meant that these included more stealth-like gameplay, and also made sure to stick to the "no killing or using guns" mantra Batman kept. Return of the Joker was more akin to the side-scrolling Batman games that had come before it, but Dark Tomorrow focused heavily on stealth and Batman's gadgets. Many levels required players to think about the enemies they were battling and what gadget would work best to defeat them. These two Batman games were unfortunately not very well received and Dark Tomorrow even had a sequel in the works that was canceled.
Batman: Vengeance (2001) and Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (2003)
Ubisoft developed these two Batman titles. Batman: Vengeance and Rise of Sin Tzu went back to the roots of the Batman Animated Series games and saw the return of the iconic voice cast. These games followed the Batfamily as they tried to navigate the Joker's wild plots and a new villain Sin Tzu. Rise of Sin Tzu allowed a four-player co-op mode where players could play as Batman, Robin, Nightwing, or Batgirl.
Batman: Chaos in Gotham (2001)
Chaos in Gotham was made for the Game Boy Color and was a fun side scroller-beat 'em up game that took players through different levels and allowed them to play as both Batman and Batgirl. Batman needed to face enemies that had escaped from Arkham and ultimately ended in a boss battle with Two-Face. There was also a driving scene that put players behind the wheel of the Batmobile, like the one featured in Rocket League, through the streets of Gotham.
Justice League: Injustice for All (2002) and Justice League: Chronicles (2003)
These Justice League titles were based on the animated series that aired on Cartoon Network and were released by Midway Games for the Game Boy Advance. In Injustice For All players got to play as each member of the Justice League and fight through different levels and ultimately ending with Superman fighting Lex Luthor. In Chronicles, players were able to switch back and forth between two paired Justice League characters and fight through the different levels. Batman was paired with Hawkgirl and each of their different moves was useful depending on the task that was at hand.
Batman Begins (2005)
In this game, players took the role of Batman and followed the plot of the Batman Begins film. The voice actors are all featured in the film, and the game contains 20 cutscenes pulled directly from the movie itself to assist players in understanding Batman Begins' story. This was another beat 'em up title but also offered elements of stealth and different gadgets for Batman to use.
Justice League Heroes (2006)
Justice League Heroes, which released on the original Xbox and PlayStation 2, gave players the option to do single-player or multiplayer mode and choose their favorite Justice League member to play as. Players would take two members of the Justice League to a level and defeat various villains. They are able to switch back and forth during the gameplay depending on which character they wish to play in single-player and can do the same in multiplayer if both players want to switch.
The game started with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and The Flash as playable options, but as the player progressed more members and costumes could be unlocked. They also offered different difficulty settings that let players set their difficulty. Overall the game was well-liked by fans.
Mortal Kombat vs The DC Universe (2008)
One of the major appearances of Batman, outside of his own games, was in the Mortal Kombat vs The DC Universe game. This was the typical fighting game where players could choose their fighter and fight friends in co-op or fight against the computer in the single-player mode. In the story mode, players would choose their side and play through different levels with the story unfolding in a way that made either the DC characters seem like villains or the MK characters seem like villains. This was the precursor to the Injustice series which was made possible thanks to the success of this game.
LEGO: Batman Series (2008, 2012, 2014)
These fun LEGO-meets-Batman titles were well received and had their own plots instead of following a previous Batman story. LEGO Batman: The Videogame was the first title in the series and had 30 different levels players had to go through in order to beat the game. Players were able to play as Batman, Batgirl, Robin, and Nightwing in each level.
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes followed the story of Batman, Robin, and Superman as they have to stop Joker and Lex Luthor from taking over the United States. As the story progresses more Justice League characters become playable. Unlike the first LEGO Batman game, this also features a two-player mode. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is very similar to the second game in the series, but adds even more playable characters to the mix.
Batman: Arkham Series (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015) and Batman: Arkham VR (2016)
Arguably the most well-known Batman video game franchise is Batman: Arkham. Many of the iconic Batman villains present themselves in these games, often featuring heavy-hitter voices actors, with Conroy, Hamil, and Tara Strong reprising their roles, and also including names like Nolan North, Troy Baker, Maurice LaMarche, and Grey DeLisle-Griffin. With puzzles, stealth, and action elements, these games combined all of the previous Batman games into one. Batman: Arkham Asylum was the first game in the series, and really set the tone for the entire franchise. Batman faces well-known villains in Arkham Asylum, like Scarecrow, and (naturally) it ends in a battle against Joker.
The other Batman: Arkham games were just as well received. Arkham City and Arkham Knight were sequels to Arkham Asylum, where Arkham Origins and Arkham Origins Blackgate were created as prequels. All four of these games follow Batman while dealing with nightmare-inducing challenges thrown at him by all of the most popular Batman villains.
Batman: Arkham VR is the first and only game in which players become Batman themselves thanks to virtual reality technology. Players don the cowl and go through levels figuring out puzzles in order to save Nightwing and Robin from terrible fates. There is a twist ending that left players with many questions, but overall Batman: Arkham VR was well-received by many fans of VR and Batman alike.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold- The Videogame (2010)
The Brave and the Bold- The Videogame was the only non-LEGO Batman game that released on the Wii and Nintendo DS. This game took a different approach and went with a bright color palette, much like a comic book panel. Players fought alongside other notable superheroes in the DC universe and the title received moderate praise from fans and critics.
Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013) and Injustice 2 (2017)
The Injustice series is another well-known franchise that features Batman as a playable character. These are fighting games that take the Justice League characters into an alternate universe where Superman has lost his moral compass. Batman rallies together members of the Justice League in the Injustice universe in order to stop Superman. The story was very well received and the game's fighting (strongly reminiscent of Mortal Kombat thanks to developer NetherRealm Studios) still holds up today.
Injustice 2 was very similar but still received high marks from players and reviewers alike. The story follows Batman as he tries to pick up the pieces from the events of the first game and is then faced with new opponents and challenges. Overall, these two titles, along with the Arkham series, were some of the most popular games featuring Batman as a playable character.