Top 20 Best Anime Games [2024]

Although watching anime is fun as it is, it’s a different level of enjoyment and engagement when you play through the story or interact with your favorite characters.

Wanna go toe to toe with your favorite shounen characters? How about exercising with them? Or better yet, enjoy an idyllic farm with an iconic anime cat!

Here are our picks of the best games based on anime. We’ve got quite a mix here – from the usual fighting games all the way to exercising, racing, and battling robots.

Ready to press start?

The Best Anime Games

Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star

Release: 2023

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

Wanna get fit? How about practicing your punches with Kenshiro?

Fist of the North Star follows the story of Kenshiro, a warrior who is traveling in a post-apocalyptic world to save his fiancee.

He practices a powerful martial art called the Hokuto Shinken, which punches and strikes opponents at their weak points.

He knows a thing or two about boxing, alright. So what did developer and publisher Imagineer and Nintendo do? Why, make him a boxing trainer, of course!

Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star helps players do exercises in a fun and engaging way. Different characters become your trainers, you get manga panels with voice overs as cutscenes, and you get to fight bosses as well!

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth

Release: 2021

Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch

Looking for a metroidvania adventure set in a fantasy world with elves and magic? Record of Lodoss War might be up your alley.

It’s an action roleplaying game developed and co-published by Team Ladybug and Playism, respectively. The game’s story focuses on Deedlit, an elf who got stuck in a mysterious labyrinth full of details of her past.

Its gameplay is highly influenced by Castlevania: Symphony on the Night, with a focus on map exploration and hunting for items.

Initial D: Street Stage

Release: 2006

Platform(s): PlayStation Portable

Wanna relive old-school racing and drifting? Fire up your PlayStation Portable for this Initial D game!

Initial D: Street Stage is a console port of the popular Initial D Arcade Stage series. Although not all arcade features were included, it still retains its different racing modes, garage mode to tune up your car, and card collecting mode.

You gotta be careful when racing and drifting in this game since one slight mistake can make you lose a race against your rival!

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

Release: 2022

Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Xbox X/S/One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mobile

Yu-Gi-Oh fans, let the heart of the cards lead you and get ready to duel…for free!

Yep, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duels is an official and free-to-play Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game simulator.

Players can buy and collect digital cards and build their deck in the game. If you want to learn at your own pace, you can go through its Solo Mode and experience card stories.

But if you’re looking for a challenge, you can definitely duel with other players through online play.

There are currently more than 11,000 cards in the game, with cosmetics, missions, and more cards added every now and then.

Bleach: The Blade of Fate

Release: 2006

Platform(s): Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS was an innovative and fun handheld console. And in its tiny but mighty size came out one of the best Bleach fighting games – Bleach: The Blade of Fate.

In this game, battles happen between two to four characters. You can team up with other characters, and enemies can also challenge you with their comrades.

The story covers Ichigo’s journey in helping Rukia. Story mode is divided into different chapters, with characters getting their own chapters. A bonus chapter gets unlocked in the end showing Aizen’s betrayal.

Shin-chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation

Release: 2021

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PS4, PC

Need a relaxing summer adventure in your video game? This next entry might be the vacation you need!

In Shin-chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation, you join the imaginative and cheeky little Shin-chan and his parents on their trip to Kyushu.

There, Shin-chan meets a mad scientist who gives Shin-chan a mysterious camera. Dinosaurs, time loops, and exploration await you in this game!

Astro Boy: Omega Factor

Release: 2003

Platform(s): GBA

Excellent gameplay, great graphics, and a compelling plot – that’s Astro Boy: Omega Factor.

This beat ’em up game, released in 2003, features Osamu Tezuka’s beloved Astro Boy, as well as characters and plotlines from his other works.

Gameplay-wise, Astro Boy flies around and defeats enemies with his punches, kicks, and special attacks. Characters that Astro Boy meets can also help him improve his stats.

The story is amazingly woven with the gameplay. Robot rights is a theme that was prominent in the TV series, and Astro Boy has to fight his way to save the fate of other robots.

Gundam: Battle Assault 2

Release: 2002

Platform(s): PlayStation

Speaking of robots, we definitely have to include one of the best robot franchises of all time – Gundam.

If you love fighting games and Gundam, you get the best of both worlds in Gundam: Battle Assault 2. You simply pick a Gundam and fight other Gundam robots!

It prominently features three of the best Gundam series: Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, and the original Mobile Suit Gundam.

The story mode in the game is called Street Mode, and you can play through the events of the Endless Waltz OVA, the 13th Gundam Fight, and the One Year War.

Another Century’s Episode: R

Release: 2010

Platform(s): PS3

More robot fighting games, you say? We got ya! How about robots from different robot series rolled into one?

Another Century’s Episode: R is a third-person shooter game developed by FromSoftware (yes, that FromSoftware) and published by Banpresto.

It features different robots from 13 mecha anime, like Gundam, Macross, Full Metal Panic, and even Code Geass. Robots from other game franchises are also included, such as Armored Core and Super Robot Wars.

Whew, now that’s a mecha paradise. This is a great game for mecha anime fans!

.Hack//G.U. Last Recode

Release: 2017

Platform(s): PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch

If you’ve played all the .hack//G.U. games on the PS2 back then and want to relive the adventure, you’re in luck.

In 2017 and recently, in 2022, all the games have been remastered into one, with an additional chapter as a bonus.

.hack//G.U.’s story follows Haseo as he avenges his friend who got into a coma due to another player in an MMORPG. After being attacked himself and recruited by a mysterious organization, a dangerous virus threatens all the players in the game.

Jump! Ultimate Stars

Release: 2006

Platform(s): Nintendo DS

When it comes to shounen manga filled with action and adventure, you really can’t go wrong with the stories and characters from Jump.

So how about we gather all their star characters and put them in a brawl-fighting game? Yep, that’s Jump! Ultimate Stars in a nutshell.

The game features more than 300 characters from different shounen manga series in Jump. The battle arenas even look like manga panels!

Wanna swing your Bankai as Ichigo? Do the Kamehameha as Goku? Beat enemies as Jotaro? Or even shoot the Reigun as Yusuke? Better jump into trying this game if your answer is yes!

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet

Release: 2018

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

As an anime with a virtual MMO in its story, Sword Art Online was bound to have games based on its world and concept.

But one SAO game stands above the rest: Fatal Bullet.

Unlike previous SAO games, the biggest change Fatal Bullet did was adding character creation. You can play the game using your own character.

The game also includes details from the anime and light novels, as well as involve alternate timeline shenanigans!

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles

Release: 2021

Platform(s): PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One/X/S, Nintendo Switch

If you’ve enjoyed the story of Demon Slayer Season One and the Mugen Train movie, you can relive the adventure again in The Hinokami Chronicles.

Aside from going through the game as Tanjiro, the game also has “versus mode,” where you battle other players or CPU opponents in teams of two. This can be done locally or online.

Better flex how good of a Demon Slayer you are!

My Hero One’s Justice 2

Release: 2020

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox One, Stadia

Wanna be a hero like Deku? Or a baddie like the League of Villains? Both options are smashingly possible in My Hero One’s Justice 2!

Based on the hit shounen series My Hero Academia, this 3D battle action fighting game is a sequel that follows the plot of the Provisional Hero License Exam Arc up to the Shie Hassaikai Arc in the anime.

Aside from adding more characters in its roster, you can choose to play the hero’s journey or the villain’s path of the story. Which side will you choose?

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Release: 2020

Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Xbox One/X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch, Stadia

In a sea of Dragon Ball video games, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot became one of the most anticipated games in the series.

Who wouldn’t be excited? The game mixes action role-playing, where you play through storylines as different characters, with fighting game elements.

So you get to fight as these amazing warriors, as well as do things like eat as Goku or drive a hover car!

Doraemon: Story of Seasons

Release: 2019

Platform(s): Switch, PC

Let’s take a break from all the fighting and chill on a cozy farm with Doraemon: Story of Seasons.

In this game, the relaxing farm simulation gameplay of the Story of Seasons series merges with the wacky characters of the classic childhood series Doraemon.

Doraemon, Nobita, and their friends get sent to a different world where they have to earn their keep by farming and helping around the small town.

Beautiful graphics, relaxing gameplay, and amusing character interactions await you in this game.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R

Release: 2022

Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Switch, PC, Xbox One/X/S

Wanna fight like a JoJo? Give JJBA: All-Star Battle R a try and wryyyy your way through victory!

The game features a huge roster of JoJo characters – from Jonathan and Dio all the way to new and downloadable characters like Speedwagon and Keicho Nijimura.

Previous mechanics are back, as well as a new one called Support Attack, which lets you summon another character during battle. Oraoraora!

One Piece Odyssey

Release: 2023

Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Xbox X/S, PC

If you’re used to seeing Luffy in a fighting game stretching and punching enemies left and right, then you’ll see him in a new light in One Piece Odyssey.

In this turn-based RPG, Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates get shipwrecked on a mysterious island. Some of them get separated, and Luffy even loses his iconic straw hat!

For gameplay, you hop from one island to another, doing quests, solving puzzles, and exploring dungeons. As for combat, you battle creatures and enemies in a turn-based set-up!

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Series

Release: 2003

Platform(s): Playstation Consoles, Xbox Consoles, PC, Switch

When it comes to fighting games featuring shounen anime characters, Naruto’s Ultimate Ninja Storm Series is hard to beat.

And while Naruto has lots of video games under its belt, a lot of them, especially old ones, are action-adventures, clunky, and with a limited roster.

Enter the Ultimate Ninja Series, an amazing set of fighting games based on the Naruto series. It changed the fighting game scene for Naruto, and it kept getting better in each sequel.

One of the latest games, Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, has the highest number of characters featured in the series, with over a hundred Naruto characters in its roster.

It’s also the game with the highest rating in the series.

Attack on Titan 2

Release: 2018

Platform(s): PS4, PS Vita, PC, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia

Swing and dash in the air as you hack and slash your way through hordes of Titans!

Based on the hit anime, this sequel game covers the first two seasons of the anime. It also improved a lot of what its predecessor did.

In AOT2, character creation is now possible, so you can go through the events of the story as your own character.

You can also mingle and interact with the characters of the story. Improving your friendship with them improves your combat!

And as a special treat to its fans, the game has its own ending that’s different from the anime and manga.