Best Action-Adventure Games Of The Current Generation, Ranked

When it comes to action-adventure games for the modern era, Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S players will not be wanting. There are plenty of backwards compatible titles to enjoy on the current three systems, which are still great, but today the focus will be on what this current generation has brought to the table.

New games like Pragmata, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Hollow Knight: Silksong all lead the pack. How do they rank up next to the others on the list, and why are they so great? They will be ordered based on their overall qualities, including gameplay, story, graphics, and more.

10 Pragmata

A Modern Mega Man

Pragmata is set on the moon after a disaster happens on its space station, wherein Hugh Williams and his crew are attacked by an AI robot army. To survive, he teams up with a young robot girl, Diana, and together they have to try to escape.

The game is a good mixture of platforming, puzzles via hacking mini-games, and the combat is interesting too, since players have to hack robots simultaneously while shooting them. While not perfect, this could be the start to a big new franchise for Capcom, and hopefully not just a one-off, because the bond between Hugh and Diana is adorable.

9 Kena: Bridge Of Spirits

Leading The Way To Restoration

Kena: Bridge of Spirits was one of the earliest exclusives to hit the PS5, and it felt like a combination of Okami, Pikmin, and the Zelda games. As the titular Kena, players had the power to control little creatures called Rot that could do a variety of commands, like build bridges.

There were plenty of climbing and platforming challenges, too, across a rich set of environments inside ruins and lush jungles. Combat was not its strongest element, but it was satisfying enough. The heartfelt story of Kena trying to reclaim the land from a curse and the Pixar-like visuals were the strongest parts of Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

8 Split Fiction

A Genre-Bending Adventure

Split Fiction is a good action-adventure game to play with a partner because it is co-op-only, and it will be a thrill ride with minute-to-minute action that outdoes some of the best of all time. As Mio and Zoe, players will be trapped inside a simulator that is taking their sci-fi and fantasy story ideas and turning them into games.

This involves typical set pieces like dealing with dragons or riding futuristic motorcycles, which are cool levels, but it’s the odd ones that make Split Fiction sing. These include snowboarding and wave races, Tron-like shooting segments, going through pinball-like mazes, and so on.

7 Indiana Jones And The Great Circle

Don’t Forget Your Hat

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle outdoes the recent movies by a country mile, and it’s also one of the best Indiana Jones games of all time. The great thing about it is that it’s a completely new story, while also having a few nostalgic pieces thrown in for fans for good measure, like the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark. In first-person, players can explore big open areas like the Vatican, dive into catacombs, tombs, and more.

Combat is also in first-person, but there are segments where the perspective switches into third-person, like swinging and climbing up walls. While there is more of a heaviness to Dr. Jones’ movement compared to a modern hero like Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is still a great action-adventure game from one of the finest action-adventure film franchises of all time.

6 God Of War Ragnarok

Enjoy The Sequel, Boy

God of War Ragnarok was the second game in the reboot saga, taking place in the world of Norse mythology instead of Greek mythology. This time, Kratos and Atreus were split between adventures, with Kratos working behind the scenes to try and stop whatever Odin was planning with Ragnarok, while Atreus had a sort of coming-of-age journey.

The game traveled across familiar landscapes from the first game, along with introducing new ones, and it would not be a God of War game without bombastic set pieces and brutal action. To describe God of War Ragnarok anything less than epic would be an insult.

5 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Blurring Reality

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is something a little more light-hearted, but that doesn’t mean it is any less rich an experience than the other games. The Ratchet & Clank games may look like they are designed for kids, but they are some of the most sophisticated platformers around, rivaling Mario’s greatest 3D adventures.

In this game, players will do the usual platforming challenges, rail grinding, and shooting galleries with unique weapons, but there is a twist. They can also hop between dimensions, as this is a multiverse story complete with alternate reality villains and heroes, all cooperating to either stop reality from collapsing in on itself or trying to make it happen, leading to some out-of-this-world experiences.

4 Donkey Kong Bananza

The Reason To Own A Switch 2

Donkey Kong Bananza is one of the must-play games on the Switch 2 that completely justifies the system's existence. As Donkey Kong, players will travel across a series of underground biomes, each open and more distinct than the last.

There is a beach resort with floating melons in the sky, a world completely made of food, a frozen wonderland that is about to be swallowed up by a volcano, and so on. The locations are wonderfully realized, but it’s the action that is the real highlight as DK can punch through anything, be it a wall or mountain, giving players a greater sense of freedom than in most modern platformers.

3 Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Across The Gates

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a classic journey example of an action-adventure game where players start in Mexico, are tasked with reconnecting underground bunkers to a network, and then they have to move on to Australia. The overall goal is to reconnect the world by delivering packages, but how players do it is up to them.

The options are more diverse than the first game, with plenty to keep the hero, Sam Porter Bridges, well prepared, from vehicles to weaponry to gadgets. Make no mistake, this is still a Hideo Kojima game too, so fans can expect the unexpected with wildly diverse action moments, scenery, and boss battles, including taking on larger-than-life ghostly titans.

2 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

The Venom Of It All

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is everything a Spider-Man fan would want in a modern video game, including not one, but two heroes: Peter Parker and Miles Morales. The bond between mentor and mentee is unbreakable, even though the relationship does get tested, along with the relationships between other characters and villains.

It’s a great Spider-Man story full of heartfelt moments and brutal action, but the traversal elements and combat mechanics are great too. Swinging between buildings, webbing up villains, and gliding through New York City has never felt better.

1 Hollow Knight: Silksong

A Mini Modern Metroidvania

Hollow Knight: Silksong was in development for a long time, and some thought it would never come, but to those who were patient, the wait was worth it. It was everything fans could want in a sequel and then some. The hand-drawn visuals were gorgeous, the level design was inventive, and Hornet, as a character, was much faster than The Knight was in the original game.

The challenge level was increased, which created a debate. That said, those who struggled through the tough times got to experience an all-time great from a small team and in 2D, too. Yes, 2D games can be better than 3D adventures, and Hollow Knight: Silksong is proof.