iRankGames

Best Action Games

This is the ranking of the best action games, sorted by iRank score: a 0-100 metric blending Steam reviews, IGDB ratings (community and critic), Metacritic, OpenCritic and the iRankGames community votes into a single number. Unlike opinion-based editorial lists, this order is computed from real data and applies a Bayesian shrinkage adjustment so games with few reviews can't inflate the top of the chart. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Ori and the Will of the Wisps lead the chart — the highest-rated titles in the genre according to our data. The top-25 average iRank is 89/100, out of 183 games catalogued. The ranking updates continuously as new reviews and votes come in.

Top 3

The best action games game is Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (92.4/100). Close behind: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

#1Grand Theft Auto: Vice City92#2Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas92#3Ori and the Will of the Wisps92#4Grand Theft Auto IV90#5Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered93

Full ranking

183 games cataloguedUpdated July 2026

Ranked by iRank Score

#4Grand Theft Auto IV
iRank90
Grand Theft Auto IV
ActionOpen World Action
MultiplayerSoloCo-opMeleeRanged
Steam👍 83%· 195KRAWG👍 96%· 103MC95
Year 2010Dev Rockstar Toronto · Rockstar GamesOn PC · PS · Xbox
Details →
Steam
#6Mark of the Ninja
iRank90
Mark of the Ninja
ActionStealth
SoloStealthMelee2D
Steam👍 97%· 16KRAWG👍 81%· 768MC91IGDB91· 7
Year 2012Dev Klei Entertainment · Microsoft StudiosPlaytime ~5hOn PC · Xbox · Apple Macintosh
Details →
SteamGOGXbox
#7Grand Theft Auto III
iRank89
Grand Theft Auto III
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMeleeRangedDarkNarrative
Steam👍 87%· 15KRAWG👍 86%· 1.6KMC93IGDB95· 2
Year 2001Dev DMA Design · CapcomPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox
Details →
SteamPS
#10Gunpoint
iRank89
Gunpoint
ActionStealth
SoloStealthMeleeNarrativeDark
Steam👍 98%· 13KRAWG👍 85%· 293MC83IGDB88· 5
Year 2013Dev Suspicious DevelopmentsPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux
Details →
Steam
#13Desperados III
iRank89
Desperados III
ActionStealth
SoloStealthTacticalMeleeHardcore
Steam👍 97%· 16KRAWG👍 90%· 218MC84IGDB86· 9OC85· 118
Year 2020Dev Mimimi Productions · THQ NordicPlaytime ~5hOn PC · PS · Xbox
Details →
SteamGOGXbox
#18Far Cry 3
iRank87
Far Cry 3
ActionOpen World Action
SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineMelee
Steam👍 88%· 129KIGDB90· 15
Year 2012Dev Ubisoft Montreal · Ubisoft EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PC
Details →
SteamEpicXbox

More to consider

#21
Castle Crashers®

Castle Crashers®

Action RPG · Adventure

85#22
Mafia II (Classic)

Mafia II (Classic)

Third-Person Shooter · Adventure

85#23
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

Adventure

91#24
Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag

Adventure · Sandbox

86#25
Saints Row: The Third

Saints Row: The Third

Shooter · Third-Person Shooter

89#26
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

Adventure · Puzzle

86#27
Streets of Rage 2

Streets of Rage 2

Fighting · RPG

87#28
Alien Shooter

Alien Shooter

RPG · Horror

86#29
Teardown

Teardown

Sandbox · Simulation

86#30
STAR WARS Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy

STAR WARS Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy

Adventure · Shooter

83#31
Battlefield 1

Battlefield 1

Shooter · FPS

85#32
Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus

Shooter · FPS

86#33
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Shooter · Third-Person Shooter

82#34
Supraland Six Inches Under

Supraland Six Inches Under

Puzzle · Platformer

91#35
Control

Control

Adventure · Shooter

84#36
Twinsen's Little Big Adventure 2 Classic

Twinsen's Little Big Adventure 2 Classic

Adventure · Puzzle

85#37
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Adventure · Shooter

89#38
Far Cry

Far Cry

FPS · Shooter

82#39
Far Cry 4

Far Cry 4

Shooter · Adventure

83#40
Bully: Scholarship Edition

Bully: Scholarship Edition

Adventure · Sandbox

81#41
Just Cause 2

Just Cause 2

Third-Person Shooter · Adventure

81#42
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty

Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty

RTS

82#43
I Expect You To Die

I Expect You To Die

Puzzle · Adventure

84#44
Thief: Deadly Shadows

Thief: Deadly Shadows

Adventure · Simulation

81#45
Hitman: Absolution

Hitman: Absolution

Shooter · Third-Person Shooter

83#46
Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice

Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice

Adventure · Puzzle

88#47
Vangers

Vangers

Racing · Adventure

83#48
Saints Row IV

Saints Row IV

Adventure · Shooter

84#49
Spark the Electric Jester 3

Spark the Electric Jester 3

Platformer · Action RPG

97#50
Assassin's Creed Revelations

Assassin's Creed Revelations

Adventure · Sandbox

82

Related rankings

Best RPG GamesBest Shooter GamesBest Fighting GamesBest Strategy GamesBest Adventure GamesBest Platformer Games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best action game?
According to the iRankGames ranking, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (92.4/100) tops the list. Close behind are Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Ori and the Will of the Wisps.
How is this ranking calculated?
Each game receives an iRank score (0-100) blending several weighted sources: Steam reviews, IGDB community + critic ratings, Metacritic, OpenCritic and the iRankGames community votes. The sort order additionally applies a Bayesian shrinkage adjustment: games with few reviews get pulled toward the genre average so small samples can't game the top of the chart.
How many action games are in this ranking?
50 games appear in this list (filtered by minimum popularity, excluding DLC, expansions and unclassified shovelware).
What makes a good action game?
The highest-rated entries in this genre tend to share design coherent with subgenre conventions, tight controls, balanced challenge-and-reward loops, and an active player base that sustains their reception across multiple platforms. Examples in this ranking: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Ori and the Will of the Wisps.