Good things come in threes … And there are a lot of game franchises that have sustained quality (or improved upon it over consecutive releases, while some, after an initial promise, have not been able to land a great ending. We have put together for you the definitive list of the 15 best game trilogies of all time.
15. Mafia
| Release Year | Mafia – 2002, Mafia II – 2010, Mafia III – 2016 |
| Developer | Illusion Softworks / 2K Czech / Hangar 13 |
| Publisher | Gathering of Developers / 2K Games |
The Mafia games are based in fictional versions of American cities – starting from Lost Heaven, based on Chicago in the 1st, to Empire Bay, based on New York in the 2nd, to New Bordeaux, based on New Orleans in the 3rd. The games follow the broad structure of a protagonist arriving in a city and crossing paths with…well, the Mafia; and plot twists that take the story ahead. Good simulations of cities for an open world setting and well-etched out characters were the highlights of the Mafia games, while awkward combat and inconsistent pacing were weak points for the game.
Best Game of the Mafia Trilogy: Mafia (Remastered Version | released in 2020 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4)
14. Max Payne
| Release Year | Max Payne – 2001, Max Payne 2 – 2003, Max Payne 3 – 2012 |
| Developer | Remedy Entertainment |
| Publisher | Gathering of Developers / Rockstar Games |
A game series that has developed a dedicated following over time, Max Payne is also remembered for introducing the concept of ‘bullet-time’ that was later popularized by The Matrix. Other aspects of the game series that were received extremely well by critics and gamers alike were the neo-noir setting, the graphic-novel panel-led style of story telling (again, made famous later on through the movie Sin City), and the central plot focusing on what starts off as a revenge story and builds into a bigger and more complex conspiracy.
Best game in the Max Payne trilogy: Max Payne 3, developed by Rockstar Games, is the most polished version of the series and offers the best combination of all elements that make Max Payne one of the best game trilogies of all time.
13. Assassin’s Creed: Ezio trilogy
| Release Year | AC II – 2009, AC : Brotherhood – 2010, AC : Revelations : 2011 |
| Developer | Ubisoft |
| Publisher | Ubisoft |
After the first game in the series, which served as a learning ground for Ubisoft, the developers upped their game to come out with Assassin’s Creed II – which till date is considered one of the best entries in the game and establishing several combat and gameplay mechanics that were to become the staple of the AC franchise for several iterations. Among other things, it also introduced Ezio Auditore da Firenze as the main protagonist whose story developed further over the next two games in the series – Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. The parkour, traversal, stealth gameplay, and the rendering of the Renaissance period were the high points; as was the game lore of Assassins vs Templars (this was before it became the convoluted mess that it was to become over subsequent releases in the franchise).
Best game of the Assassin’s Creed Ezio trilogy: This is an easy recommendation – Assassin’s Creed II. And while it is a bit dated, the remastered version of the game was launched in 2016 for modern audiences on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
12. Dark Souls
| Release Year | Dark Souls – 2011, Dark Souls 2 – 2014, Dark Souls 3 – 2016 |
| Developer | FromSoftware |
| Publisher | Bandai Namco |
The Dark Souls set of games has now burgeoned into a specific sub-genre of their own within the action RPG genre, and this trilogy served to be the learning grounds for FromSoftware to come out with Elden Ring in 2021. These games introduced several gameplay mechanics that have now almost become the norm in several open-world games – typical enemy placements, challenging environments, measured combat focused on learning enemy movesets, tough-as-nails boss fights, build variety, esoteric lore and world-building, complex level design being some of them.
Best game of the Dark Souls trilogy: Dark Souls III gives the most updated and refined version of what makes the series so great and is also, in fact, the most accessible of all the entries. The 2 DLCs also add some great boss fights to what is already an impressive roster in the base game.
11. Tomb Raider
| Release Year | Tomb Raider – 2013, Rise of the Tomb Raider – 2015, Shadow of the Tomb Raider – 2018 |
| Developer | Crystal Dynamics / Eidos – Montreal |
| Publisher | Square Enix |
Easily one of the most recognizable characters in pop culture, the Tomb Raider games go way back to 1996. The series was rebooted in 2013 by Square Enix to set up one of the best game trilogies of all time with the Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider in 2015 and 2018, respectively. The trilogy had consistent gameplay mechanics that got refined and polished over the three games – puzzle solving, tomb challenges, stealth or combat-based approaches, traversal and platforming with several QTE elements and light RPG elements.
Best game of the Tomb Raider trilogy: This will have to be the Shadow of the Tomb Raider – while it does not exactly have the best Metacritic score among the trilogy and was criticized for not doing enough to differentiate it from the predecessor; we still think this is the most polished version of all elements that have made the trilogy so great – and if you are planning to play just one game to experience the very best of the trilogy, this is what we recommend
10. Borderlands
| Release Year | Borderlands – 2009, Borderlands II – 2012, Borderlands 3 – 2019 |
| Developer | Gearbox Software |
| Publisher | 2K Games |
The Borderlands series was a hit and a fan favorite series right from the launch of the 1st game back in 2009; with the games getting a lot of things right – addictive gameplay, great variety of guns, responsive combat, build variety leading to fun co-op, and a sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek humour that landed perfectly most of the time. The other thing that the games got right was memorable characters – NPCs like Claptrap, Tiny Tina, Lilith, and, in particular, the antagonist of the 2nd game – Handsome Jack; with several expansions/spinoffs like Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep focusing on these characters.
Best Game of the Borderlands trilogy: This is a close one – while Borderlands 3 is the most polished one with great combat; the best game of the Borderlands trilogy will have to be Borderlands 2, released in 2012 and remastered for next-gen consoles in 2015 in the form of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection; with the game getting extra points for its pitch-perfect humour and featuring a great antagonist in Handsome Jack.
9. Mass Effect
| Release Year | Mass Effect – 2007, Mass Effect 2 – 2010, Mass Effect 3 – 2012 |
| Developer | BioWare |
| Publisher | Microsoft / EA |
The Mass Effect series was made by developer powerhouse BioWare – an expert when it comes to creating engaging worlds, massive franchises, and great open-world games. The game trilogy had players step into the shoes of Commander Shepard, who led spaceship SSV Normandy along with a (superbly fleshed out) supporting cast across the galaxy that is teeming with alien life forms, across an intricate and well-designed storyline. The series made its mark for great world-building and lore, and for role-playing elements like several classes, side missions for developing relationships with NPCs, and choice-based decision making at several points in the game. This was one of the trilogies that was not able to land the finale well – the ending of Mass Effect 3 was criticized by almost everyone for being out of sync with all that had happened before it.
Best Game of the Mass Effect trilogy: This is also an easy one to recommend: Mass Effect 2 is a clear high point in combining the very best elements of the trilogy into what is consistently rated as one of the best open-world games of all time.
8. Dragon Age
| Release Year | Dragon Age : Origins – 2009, Dragon Age 2 : 2011, Dragon Age : Inquisition : 2014 |
| Developer | BioWare |
| Publisher | EA |
The second trilogy on the list from BioWare, and is the typical archetype for western RPGs: players can select the race, gender, class and appearances in a detailed character creation section and then they began their journey across the continent of Thedas; accompanied by various characters with each having his or her own side quest and romance options; while at the same time attempting to achieve an overarching goal in a world which is generally pushed and pulled apart by various factions, classes and races. The rich and complex world-building has spawned several comic books, web series, tabletop games, and novels that have expanded upon the Dragon Age universe.
Best Game of the Dragon Age trilogy: A difficult choice since all 3 games in the trilogy are uniformly good; we go here with the final game in the trilogy, Dragon Age: Inquisition – as the developers were able to pull off all the elements of the first two games and put out as complete an experience as it can be for the open world action RPG genre – one that can take nearly 100 hours to complete the main quest and several side quests while remaining engaging throughout
7. Gears Of War – The Marcus Fenix trilogy
| Release Year | Gears of War – 2006, Gears of War 2 – 2008, Gears of War 3 – 2011 |
| Developer | Epic Games / People Can Fly / The Coalition |
| Publisher | Xbox Game Studios |
The third-person shooter that helped cement Xbox Game Studios and was a key contributor to the success of Xbox 360 as a console features humans taking on the ‘Locust Horde’ on the planet of Sera to save humanity. The first three games of the trilogy focus on Marcus Fenix and have co-op as well as competitive multiplayer campaigns. Tight combat, emphasis on timely reloading to increase damage were some of the aspects that got the games well-received, and led to several novels, comic books, and a board game based on the world-building introduced in these games.
Best game in the Gears of War trilogy: All three games enjoy a Metacritic score of 90+ and are equally well-made, technically proficient, and polished games – but we go with the final game of the trilogy, Gears Of War 3 here.
6. Batman: The Arkham Trilogy
| Release Year | Arkham Asylum: 2009, Arkham City: 2011, Arkham Knight: 2015 |
| Developer | Rocksteady Studios |
| Publisher | Warner Bros |
Yes – while the series has 4 mainline entries, we have looked at Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight as the trilogy that the developers intended – and have put aside Arkham Knight (a prequel) that came out in 2013. In true fashion of trilogies, each of the subsequent instalments built on the elements of the previous games and added something new to the mix: Arkham City took the elements of Arkham Asylum to an open world; while Arkham Knight introduced the Batmobile and several combat elements and options linked to that in the overall open world of the 2nd game. And across all; the games did an absolute gem of a job in several departments: in making the player feel like Batman right down to various gadgets, exciting stealth and combat gameplay, some stellar voice-acting for Batman (Kevin Conroy) and The Joker (Mark Hamill), classy graphics and recreating Gotham that still holds up against games released years later and faithful adaptations of several comic book elements.
Best Game of the Batman Arkham trilogy: This is an easy one -Arkham City: the game is regularly cited among the best games of all time and is a high point for the trilogy in all areas, which made the trilogy so well-received.
5. God Of War First Era (Greek mythology)
| Release Year | God of War – 2005, God of War 2 – 2007, God of War 3 – 2010 |
| Developer | Santa Monica Studios |
| Publisher | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
The initial God of War games, based in Greek mythology, are a different beast as compared to the recent iterations (the 2015 and 2018 releases based on Norse mythology); and rely on hack and slash gameplay focusing on combos, movesets, and QTEs all delivered through a fixed camera. The protagonist – Kratos, also while remaining constant across the series, the Greek mythology has him play a younger, angrier, and more rage-filled version as opposed to the more mature and settled character that we come across in the recent games. One of the few series with each game being a well-received entry both commercially and critically; all 3 games of the Greek era score a 90+ on Metacritic
Best game of the God of War trilogy: A tough one because all 3 games are strong in all departments, but we will go with God of War III purely because the original game developed for PS3 was remastered in 2015, making it available for PC, Xbox One ,and PS,4 and hence being the most accessible today
4. Metroid Prime Trilogy
| Release Year | Metroid Prime – 2002, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes – 2004,M etroid Prime 3: Corruption – 2007 |
| Developer | Retro Studios |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
The Metroid Prime trilogy kicks off with Metroid Prime in 2002, which puts the player in the shoes of protagonist Samus Aran and fits into the action adventure game template with puzzles, traversal, and combat; with Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption building upon this structure and improving overall storyline, graphics and gameplay mechanics. All three games sit at a pretty 90+ on Metacritic, and the first game in the series is a regular in several best games of all time lists.
Best game of the Metroid Prime trilogy: A close contest between three games of consistently high quality, this one will have to be the game that started it all – Metroid Prime with a 97 score on Metacritic
3. Halo
| Release Year | Halo : Combat Evolved – 2001, Halo 2- 2004, Halo 3 – 2007 |
| Developer | Bungie |
| Publisher | Xbox Game Studios |
The original Halo: Combat Evolved played its own big part in helping establish Microsoft’s dominance as a serious contender in the gaming industry, with the subsequent numbered sequels in 2004 and 2007 further reinforcing this. The now established arsenal of two weapons + melee weapon + grenade, and a health + energy shield was introduced to great effect in Halo, and like all good trilogies, the subsequent games built upon this solid foundation while introducing new elements as well to the mix.
Best game in the Halo trilogy: For the sheer impact and the influence that the game had on its launch in the gaming community, as well as for Microsoft, in this case, we go ahead with the first game Halo: Combat Evolved as the best game in the Halo trilogy
2. Bioshock
| Release Year | Bioshock – 2007, Bioshock 2 – 2010, Bioshock Infinite – 2013 |
| Developer | Irrational Games, 2K Games |
| Publisher | 2K Games |
One of the most successful and influential franchises of all time, this is one of those that maintained remarkable consistency in terms of overall themes, world-building, and mechanics across all 3 games. The first Bioshock game released in 2007 was a massive commercial and critical success – it managed to combine FPS with RPG elements, and the underground city of Rapture where the game (and the sequel) were based on still makes it to the lists of the best open worlds ever created; while the third game – Bioshock Infinite – takes players to Columbia – a city built fully in the clouds and suspended by ‘quantum levitation’. All three games are backed by some great gameplay combining weapons and abilities, and at the same time having some of the best storytelling found in video games. It’s a sad thing that Bioshock 4, unfortunately, looks to be locked in development hell, if these rumors are anything to go by.
Best Game of the Bioshock trilogy: Bioshock – For the sheer number of things that the first game managed to introduce and execute perfectly. The remastered version of the game, launched as part of Bioshock: The Collection in 2016 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4, is the best one to experience this masterpiece that sits at 96 on critic score and 9.0 on user score on Metacritic.
1. The Witcher
| Release Year | The Witcher : 2007, The Witcher 2 : Assassin of Kings – 2011, The Witcher 3 : Wild Hunt – 2015 |
| Developer | CD Projekt Red |
| Publisher | Atari / CD Projekt Red |
The Witcher trilogy kicked off with the first game released back in 2007, and all three feature Geralt of Rivia as the protagonist along with a rich supporting cast that appears across all three games and is set in a world based on the original books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. All entries in the series had consistency in terms of tone and gameplay – in particular, a more adult-oriented setting found rarely in games, morally ambiguous and realistic choices in various side quests and the main storyline, interesting swords and spells, and alchemy-based combat mechanics and an engaging plot at the core of it all.
Best Game of the Witcher trilogy: Again, an easy recommendation with Witcher 3 being the absolute highlight, and the very best of all elements that made the trilogy successful. The game also had 2 of the best DLCs that further developed the main character and added fantastic world-building to an already rich and complex lore.
