Hell will have hell to pay

Do you ever get a pump in your body that you just can’t explain?

Superhero movies, Daredevil edits by some Russian dude, listening to “Guns & Roses” while on a drive. A sensation of having to do something, anything.

A sensation like you could take on the world, or compete in American Ninja Warrior, or do a single-handed push-up.

Some games are perfect for that. Some games take that rush of energy, magnify it, and direct you to the closest available demon for an action frenzy like you’ve never seen before.

They also have the added bonus of not breaking your nose. 

I can’t do a single-handed push-up, as it turns out.  

So. As a public health announcement, I’m here to bring you the top 10 Best Demon Slayer Games to play today. So you can channel all of that righteous, aggressive energy into something a little less… let’s say hospitalizing.    

10. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (PC / PS4 / XBOX One / Nintendo Switch)

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - Senua Trailer.

In Hellblade, you fight very literal metaphorical demons. 

Senua, the game’s protagonist, suffers from psychosis. Her condition is at times both an aide and an obstacle, as she dives into hell to save the soul of her beloved.

Hellbalde is a lot of things. It’s action-packed, it’s scary, emotional, mesmerizing. It’s overall just a fantastic game. 

The game’s developers even worked with neuroscientists to make sure that the condition was portrayed with fidelity and respect.

The reason why it’s on this list, however, is its incredibly creative depiction of hellspawn. 

The “demons” that Senua faces are well designed, imposing, and challenging as Helheim.

This is a unique game if there ever was one, and a great game for anyone interested in a healthy mix of action and character-driven drama.

9. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (PC / PS3 / XBOX 360)

Castlevania -Lords of Shadow Trailer.

Castlevania is one of those sagas that just cannot be ignored. For a short while there, we even referred to a whole genre of games as “Metroidvania” (the metro part because they were about 3 feet long).   

Lords of Shadow is one of the flagship games of the franchise. Making the most of the wonderfully deranged mind of Kojima and a selected group of A-list actors (hello, hello Captain Picard), Lords of Shadow brought a whole new level of cinematic quality to the saga as a whole. 

The game is dramatic and big in every way. Like an old burlesque show. It was camp and proud of it before that became, as the kids call it, “cool.”

The plot is about as convoluted and dizzying as you should expect from a Kojima game, but the stellar execution means that you’ll never lose immersion.

The game’s graphic fidelity reached a series peak at the time it was originally launched, and it has retained its charm even over a decade later. 

Also, not to spoil anything, but you get to fight Satan, like the Satan. I really can’t think of a more demon-y demon to slay.   

8. Saints Row: Gat out of Hell (PC / PS3 / PS4 / XBOX 360 / XBOX One)

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell - 7 Deadly Sins Trailer.

You might have dismissed Saints Row in the early aughts as “that game that isn’t GTA.”

I couldn’t blame you for it, I know I did. The first two Saints Row games play like someone sat in a meeting and said “I would love GTA if it weren’t for all that pesky subtlety.”

It’s still a shame if you did though because the third and fourth games are just unbelievably fun.

They are carnivals filled with color, explosions, laugh-out-loud humor. Besides, I don’t think there’s a single game out there that does the ridiculous, blood-pumping finale over full-volume cheesy eighties ballads like Saints Row does.

Gat out of Hell is a standalone expansion to the fourth game. It takes place in hell and it has all the demon-hurting violence that your heart could crave.

The game features every cool thing about SR4’s over-the-top combat plus some new weapons for your arsenal and the option to fly around using a pair of flaming wings.

When it comes to causing mayhem and having fun, no one does it like the Saints. 

7. Bayonetta 2 (Wii U / Nintendo Switch)

 Bayonetta 2 Launch Trailer.

Okay, let me clear something up before you get all technical on me. 

Yes, it’s true that what you slay in the Bayonetta games aren’t quite demons. Yes, it’s true that they are kind of the opposite thing. 

BUT, as the powerful witch Bayonetta, you do have access to the forces of hell. Demons are part of the arsenal of insane items that you can call at any moment to help you reach the gates of hell and save your best friend from damnation.  

And the game is a hack-n-slash. So, I think it’s fair to say that your demons will be doing a lot of slaying in this ridiculous, over-the-top romp of a game that has a little something for everyone. So long as they are into giraffe-legged witches that wear garments made from their own magic hair, dual wield enormous guns and turn into huge angel-stabbing monsters. 

So, pretty much everyone, right?

6. Nioh 2 (PC / PS4 / PS5)

Nioh 2 - E3 2018 Trailer.

Nioh 2 is a fascinating game because of the setting alone. The game takes place in the warring states period of Japanese history, and it takes huge inspiration from historical sources to tell its story.

The game is thoroughly researched, from the historical figures making an appearance to the little details of the environment and set design. Everything in the game’s story and setting seems to be taken straight out of a history book about feudal japan.

Everything but the huge, scary, and powerful demons. I mentioned those, right?

Not every demon looks like it came out of the Dante’s Inferno version of hell. That is certainly true of the yōkai of Nioh 2. 

The enemy design is inspired by traditional folklore, but it blends in a healthy dose of nightmare fuel. 

The game is a soulslike, which means that you will not go through these enemies with the carelessness of a fast-paced shooter. Ancient demons should be commendable enemies, after all.

Nioh is hard as nails, unique in its setting, and a frustratingly good time. If you feel like there should be a real weight to demon-slaying, I promise Nioh 2 feels the same way.

5. Devil May Cry 5 (PC / PS4 / PS5 / XBOX One / XBOX Series X)

Devil May Cry 5 - Final Trailer.

We give artistic licenses to video games more than any other medium.

We wouldn’t read a book and think “this character with a huge triangle for a head sure is scary!”

We wouldn’t watch a TV show where the main character runs around collecting feathers and finding pans while the main story happens in the background.

And we sure as hell wouldn’t tolerate whatever’s going on in Devil May Cry anywhere else.

The fifth entry in the saga dares to ask the question: what if we did everything cool about the first games, but more?

DMC 5 is a fest of camp fun, over-the-top violence, and characters that we could –and are in fact encouraged to– look at for hours.

The game isn’t just for veterans of the series, either. Whatever doesn’t make sense from the plot will still pretty much not make any sense in this sequel, and everything that is fun about the game will still be fun without any previous knowledge.

The game has a total of three playable protagonists, each of them apparently trying to out-concept each other. The moveset and weapons are all ridiculous and loud.

Devil May Cry 5 is a lot of things, subtle isn’t one of them.

But if you’re in the market for the videogame equivalent of that experiment where rats pushed a feel-good button until they starved to death, then Devil May Cry 5 is exactly what you need, and maybe a shower. 

4. Baldur's Gate III (PC / Mac)

Baldur's Gate 3 - Official Announcement Trailer.

Baldur’s Gate 3 once again takes the setting from the iconic Dungeons and Dragons campaign and brings it to life in spectacular fashion.

The game is dark and oppressing, but it’s also an absolute feast of imagination and creativity.

Everything that tabletop players love about the original setting is here with a vengeance. 

The game is still in early access, but even so, it’s an absolute must-play for anyone interested in the epic stories of the forgotten realms.  

3. Diablo III (PC / Mac / PS3 / PS4 / XBOX 360 / XBOX One / Nintendo Switch)

Diablo III - Demon Hunter Trailer.

Diablo 3 is a top-down role-playing action-adventure game. In a very similar vein to Baldur’s Gate. 

The game has a beautiful and complex dark fantasy setting that will have you making your way through the forces of hell to save the world.

The game was released almost ten years ago, and it’s still going strong, hailed by some as one of the best games of all time.

Diablo 3 has the staples of everything that Blizzard does best: the addictive and engaging combat loop, the rich story and lore, and the combination of strategy and awareness needed to win any match.

Diablo 3 tests your wits and your patience as well as your reflexes and sleight-of-hand. Also, it’s a finished game, take that Baldur’s Gate! 

2. Bloodborne ( PS4 / PS5)

Bloodborne Debut Trailer.

From Software are absolute titans in the industry, their distinctive approach to game design has created an entire genre of games, literally referred to as “soulslikes.”

Bloodborne is as much of an ordeal as it is a game. It is impossibly hard, the mechanics are complex and punishing, and the game refuses to give you any concessions at all. This is all par for the course.

Even so, Bloodborne manages to be unique within its niche. In contrast to the Souls games, Bloodborne’s action is lighting fast. The addition of gunplay elements and the enemy design turn the slow-marching battles of the Souls games into a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it test of skill and perseverance.

The game mixes Gothic and Lovecraftian inspirations to create a truly unique visual style.

The demons in Bloodborne feel like larger-than-life abominations. Things that no human should be able to fully understand. 

In Bloodborne, the fight against the forces of evil is hard, terrifying, and ill-advised, and yet, all you’ll want to do is keep playing.     

1. Doom Eternal (PC / PS4 / PS5 / XBOX One / Xbox Series X / Nintendo Switch)

DOOM Eternal - Official Trailer.

When it comes to slaying demons and feeling like an action-hardened badass, there’s nowhere else to go but Doom Eternal.

The game’s plot once again finds you in the soles of the world’s angriest man as he finds creative, new ways to split various demons into various parts.

Everything about Eternal is a masterclass in level design. The gunplay is intricate and exciting and the game motivates you to always keep moving. The adaptative soundtrack and masterful sound design get you into the perfect headspace to obliterate some demons.

The probably hasn’t been a single game quite as exciting as Doom Eternal in recent years, and I very much doubt there will be one any time soon.

If you’re an adrenaline junkie with an ax to grind, Doom Eternal is the game to go.   

God! Even writing about Doom Eternal gets my blood pumping. I mean, we know about single-handed push-ups, but do you think I can do a single-handed pull-up? I bet I can, or parkour, or MMA fighting...

I’m gonna go find out and I’ll let you know how it went. In the meantime, go catch up on your demon-slaying technique with these 10 games, and also your pentagram-drawing skills. 

Don’t ask why, I’ll let you know when the time is right.

You may also be interested in:

• [Top 10] Demon Slayer Comics https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/demon-slayer-comics

• [Top 10] Demon Slayer Manga https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/demon-slayer-manga

• 10 PC Games That Feature Hell and Demons https://www.gamersdecide.com/pc-game-news/10-pc-games-feature-hell-and-demons

• 10 Demon Games on PC https://www.gamersdecide.com/pc-game-news/10-demon-games-pc-1