The Best Hack And Slash Games On PS4 & PS5

Key Takeaways

• Hack-and-slash games come in all shapes and sizes.
• They cover all skill levels.
• Devil May Cry was arguably the primogenitor of the character action genre.

The world of gaming is full of all kinds of genres and gameplay styles. More strategic games are fun in their own way, but sometimes you just need to be able to run around and kick butt directly with some weapons. You need Hack-and-slash games, which have been around since the early console days.

With the evolution of consoles come newer hack-and-slash games that modernize and add to the formula you know and love. Defeating a bunch of enemies at once is satisfying, but you still have to be mindful, or it’s you who’ll wind up defeated.

Updated November 18, 2024 By Matthew Mckeown: As the year winds down to a close we can look back on 2024 happily knowing that there’s been a lot of great games this year. From Black Myth: Wukong to Stellar Blade, and an absolutely brutal Elden Ring DLC, we’ve had some good content so far.

But we’re not done quite yet, there’s still time left and there’s a lot of games we missed that are worth mentioning. So if you’re in the market for a new hack-and-slash game on your console after blasting through the latest big release, then here’s an updated look at the best hack-and-slash games on the PS4 and PS5 that are out now.

Gori: Cuddly Carnage

Don’t Give These Pets A Home

Cute and cuddly on the outside, but viscerally violent once you start it up, Gori: Cuddly Carnage is a fast-paced hack-n-slash game for the twisted. After the human race has been wiped out by sentient mutated plushies it’s up to Gori, a prototype synthetic pet, to save the day.

But Gor isn’t alone in the world, he’s got his hoverboard and a helpful A.I companion to see him through. Journey across twisted landscapes, abandoned cities and more as you explore this witty, wild and wacky world of the far future. There’s a lot of destructive weaponry to unlock and you’re encouraged to get creative with combos that incorporate your hoverboard. A big adventure in a box, Cuddly Carnage is one game you shouldn’t sleep on.

MediEvil

Sir Daniel Fortesques Fine Return To Form

An old friend has returned in a new skin with MediEvil. Relive the classic hack-n-slash adventure of Sir Daniel Fortesque as he battles with the evil sorcerer Zarok for the freedom of the kingdom of Gallowmere with this exciting remake that launched in 2019.

The classic gameplay has been reimagined for a modern audience and the visuals given a much needed uplift to 4k. Duel with werewolves, gargoyles, zombies and other abominations lifted from beyond the grave by the dark sorcerer using a wide array of weird and powerful weaponry. The writing and humor is solid, and overall it’s a great experience whether it’s your first time or a revisit.

Full Mojo Rampage

Do That Voodoo That You Do

Death is not the end for a Voodoo Doll, and in the realm of the dead it’s just another day. This top-down action game from Over The Top is a dark and cutesy take on the voodoo culture and it all works really well. You play as Voodoo Dolls that are out causing chaos in a number of strange realms.

Unlock a massive amount of gear and skills as you progres, fight huge bosses, tackle it solo or with friends and embrace the dark power of voodoo in the netherrealm. Choose your patron for extra powers, and customize your doll however you like as you explore the lands beyond mortal reach. Absolutely chaotic, but a barrel of fun from top-to-bottom, Full Mojo Rampage is worth checking out.

Let It Die

Climb To The Top, Or Die Trying

A game from Grasshopper that still keeps on ticking, Let It Die is a quirky roguelike that will keep you on your toes. The year is 2026, and after a massive seismic event brings a large spire out of the ocean, humanity deemed it holy and set off to climb it.

However, it’s a long, hard and hazardous climb to the top and not everyone is capable of it. Permadeath is in play, so you’re always one misstep away from losing it all. Roaming phantoms based on the Death Data of other players are also stalking the halls, giving you that extra challenge and difficulty spike out of the blue. Not one for the faint of heart, Let It Die will push you to your limits.

Crawl

It’s Every Dungeon Raider For Themselves

If you’re looking for a chaotic evening hacking your friends apart then Crawl by Powerhoof should be at the top of your must-play list. This brilliant and frenetic indie game takes the classic dungeon crawler genre and flips it on its head somewhat. Instead of a party braving the depths together, it’s an everyone for themselves affair instead.

One hero must brave the dungeon and beat the boss, whilst everyone else plays as phantoms that can possess monsters and objects to attack the hero. Whoever kills the hero becomes them and if you make it to the end, you win. Sounds simple, but when the rooms are tiny and there’s three player controlled monsters bearing down on you it can get difficult fast. A short, simple and very fun game, especially with groups, Crawl needs to be on your playlist.

Black Myth: Wukong

The Monkey Kings Never Looked This Good

A solid and satisfying hack-and-slash game that’s been going down a massive storm with the wider gaming community across the globe, Black Myth: Wukong from Game Science is a breakout game from China that’s worth grabbing. Oozing in Asian mythological style and just gorgeous from top to bottom, Black Myth: Wukong is one of our rare must-plays.

You play as a member of the Monkey Tribe following in the footsteps of the legendary Monkey Son Wukong. You’ll face vicious demons and creatures from across the Chinese pantheon and if you’re even vaguely familiar with Journey To The West you’ll feel right at home here. If not, you can still enjoy the story and visuals regardless as it’s a very approachable story.

Unlike Fromsoft games where you need to piece the story together, Black Myth gives you a nice lore wrap-up at the end of each level in the form of an animated short to show how things got so ruined.

No More Heroes III

Suda51 Being Suda51

Travis Touchdown is back and just as bizarre as ever. Everyone’s favorite lightsaber-wielding assassin has returned to carve his way to the top of the killer rankings, but this time he’s going galactic. The evil Prince Fu has landed his army of Assassins on Earth and Travis is the only one that can stop him.

This time around we’re out of Santa Destroy as Travis gets four new globe-trotting locations to explore on his Demzamtiger. Plus, each area has its own missions and side activities so there are even more minigames to do. The boss fights are just as weird and bombastically big as before, and if you’re looking for another fix of No More Heroes then you’ll enjoy the latest installment of Travis’s adventures.

NMH 3 has a lot of references to past games. So if you’re not familiar with them either play them, or just watch a YouTube summary.

God of War: Ragnarok

Santa Monica Studio Knocking It Out Of The Park

A cinematic masterpiece that closed off a new installment in a legacy series, God Of War: Ragnarok nailed the proverbial dismount on this one by a long mile. Ragnarok follows up where the last game left off, Kratos and Atreus are taking on the gods of Asgard and it’s going to get rough.

The story is well written, the voice acting is god-tier, the combat is rich and whilst there are some bugbears here and there, it’s a solid game from cover to cover. It’s hard to talk about the game without going into spoilers, but rest assured everything that’s set up in the previous game is paid off here in spades. Highly recommended if you haven’t checked it out yet and satisfying bookend to a great story.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

40K Fans Are Eating Well

Warhammer fans have been starved of a good game for a while and finally, Space Marine 2 from Saber Interactive seems to be scratching that itch deep. A follow up to the relatively successful original game, we follow Captain Titus, newly ascended to Primaris status, dealing with the Tyranids. Everyones favorite mutagenic giant space bugs.

Instead of Orks, this time we get huge World War Z tech-inspired swarms of Nids flowing over everything and it all works really well. The weapons are all chunky and respond well, there’s a metric ton of customizations and colors so you can go nuts with your Chapter Heraldry and there’s three-player co-op and PvP this time around. A great game that’s going down phenomenally well, Space Marine 2 needs to be on your playlist.

The Thousand Sons also make an appearance and they’re a tanky, sparkly nightmare to fight.

Nobody Saves The World

Create Chaotic Character Combos

An indie game that flew under the radar a little, Nobody Saves The World from DrinkBox Studios deserves a lot more love than it initially got. You play as a featureless nobody that has the ability to transform into a range of bizarre and distinct characters to fight your way across the land.

Each form has their own unique benefits to using them and it’s up to you to figure out their unique synergies to create chaotic and powerful combinations. Save the world your way, or bring in some friends and cause absolute chaos in co-op. A game that doesn’t take itself seriously for all the right reasons, Nobody Saves The World deserves the world’s biggest shout-out.

Ghost Runner 2

Cyborg Ninjas Are Just The Tip

Slide, slash, side-step and leap into victory with Ghostrunner 2 from One More Level. This slick and highly polished follow-up to the popular original game brings you back once again to the neon-lit cyberpunk future we all came to love the first time around.

Set one year after the original, we’re back once again exploring the last refuge of mankind and the lands that lie around it. A violent AI cult has appeared and it’s up to Jack once again to put things right. There’s plenty of gory violence, fast parkour, challenging boss fights, cyber ninja motorcycles and so much more. If you loved the first game and wanted more, check out Ghost Runner 2.

Killsqaud

Colorful Kinetic Co-Op Carnage

A four-player twin-stick top-down game that allows for full hack-n-slash melee builds or bullet-spraying carnage fiends, Killsqaud from Novrama is peak arcade fun. Control a cast of colorful and quirky characters as they go on an adventure across five planets causing carnage wherever they go.

There are five unique heroes to choose and they all have their own specific abilities, unlockable upgrades and builds specific to them set across a very large skill tree. Revisit worlds for rich bounties, find newer and stronger equipment or cosmetics and generally be a violent bounty hunter for the right buyer. Great on your own and even better with friends, Killsqaud is a great party game.

Try out each hero to find which one works for you, also check out their upgrade trees as they can drastically change with a few levels sunk into them.

Grindstone

Cartoon Network Chaos From Capybara

Coming in hot with big Cartoon Network energy, Grindstone from Capybara Games is a gooey, gory, and absolutely anarchic puzzle game that’s hysterical and oh-so-satisfying to solve. You’re on an epic adventure to mine Grindstone from Grindstone Mountain, but it’s not going to be easy.

Standing in your way are hordes of Creeps, colorful and alien-looking creatures that dwell deep within the mountain. Use your Axe and other unlockables to bash them apart on a 2D puzzle board. There are 250 levels to crawl through and big bosses to batter, so grab your Axe and head for those dark gloomy mountain depths.

Wanted: Dead

Star In Your Own John Woo Story

A super stylish hybrid hack-n-slash game from Soleil Ltd, Wanted: Dead follows an average week for the Zombie Unit, a group of highly skilled individuals from the Hong Kong police that deal with corporate conspiracies.

What follows is an action-packed story following Lt. Hannah Stone as she slices her way through gang members, mercenaries, and more in order to get to the truth. Combat is intense and allows for over 50 unique and very brutal finishing moves. There’s plenty of range and melee weapons to wield and in this Cyberpunk setting it’s all fancy future tech.

Morbid: The Lords of Ire

Bloodborne In All But Name

We’ll never get a Bloodborne 2, but in the meantime, Morbid: The Lords of Ire from Still Running has plenty of Bloodborne vibes and it’s a very good replacement. This gruesome and gory hack-n-slash game has you defeating the Gahars, dark lords that have twisted the lands of Ire to their will.

In your way are huge and horrible creatures spread across five distinct lands that have become rotted and tainted over time. There’s a unique sanity system that impacts the world around you but can also make you stronger, and there are plenty of distinct and unique weapons to discover as you roam around these broken lands.

Rise Of The Ronin

Forging Your Own Path Across Japan

A PS5 exclusive that’s rocking some big Nioh and Ghost of Tsushima vibes, Rise of the Ronin sets you off on an open-world adventure across 19th-century Japan. Foreigners are arriving and with the introduction of new technology, the Samurai are going extinct. The country is in turmoil, disease is rampant and you’ll need to make your own path in this wild and changing landscape.

There’s tons of customisation options available for your Ronin as you explore across the large game map. Combat is pretty deep and very satisfying to pull off and with a range of period weaponry ranging from swords to staves and even guns, there are plenty of ways to build your warrior. If you enjoyed Nioh and want something bigger but more grounded, check out Rise of the Ronin.

There’s also online co-op, although that’s only for missions.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

A successful follow-up to the original Dragons Dogma, the sequel is another narrative-driven open-world RPG that follows a new Arisen as they battle with their new role and the growing Dragon Blight plague. The world is bigger than before, the monsters more varied and the Pawn and party system is back once again, but it’s a lot better than it was before.

You can stack your group however you like and with new races, classes and weapons the type of damage your team can put out on big ghoulish foes has only grown. Though the story could use some work, the open-world exploration and chaotic moment-to-moment gameplay more than makes up for the occasional bug or janky gameplay moment. If you liked the first Dragons Dogma and wanted something a bit more smoother and modern, then grab this one.

You don’t need to have played the original to enjoy Dragon’s Dogma 2. You can hit the ground running as the game is its own thing.

Stellar Blade

It’s Another Android Apocalypse

A Hack-N-Slash game made by one dev and already causing some controversy apparently, Stellar Blade is a solid third-person action game with some great monster design, interesting level layouts, and genuinely enjoyable combat.

Carrying big Nier Automata vibes for all the right reasons, Stellar Blade is a game that will surprise you. Set in the far future, humanity’s existence hangs in the balance as what’s left of the human race has fled to a Colony in outer space. Earth has been left behind as it’s become filled with monsters and it’s up to EVE to reclaim the planet. Though it sounds very familiar to Nier, you should still give Stellar Blade a chance.

Don’t just take our recommendation for it, Nier Automata developer Yoko Taro has said that Stellar Blade is much better than his game and highly recommends it.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

Cloud And The Crews Classic Tale, With A Few Rewrites

A follow up to the last remake of a classic Final Fantasy game, Rebirth continues the story of Cloud and the gang in a ‘Part Two’ as they travel across the world. They’re hot on the tail of Sephiroth and it’s a journey that will put the very planet at stake.

Bursting at the brim with minigames and a combat system that’s slick and satisfying to pull off, especially against some of the massive boss monsters, Finally Fantasy VII: Rebirth is a sleek and very charming sequel. Your playground is more massive than Midgard and there’s plenty to see and do as you wander around with your team.

It’s worth playing the first Final Fantasy remake first if you haven’t as you may feel a little lost with the story as there’s been some substantial changes from the original Final Fantasy game.

No Rest For The Wicked

Stylish Sword Slashing

An Early Access game from Moon Studios that’s already making quite the name for itself, No Rest For The Wicked is a top-down hack-n-slash game from the team behind Ori and the Blind Forest. Absolutely oozing in style, the art team for this game deserves a commendation as the environments are gorgeous and the enemy designs are well animated and memorable.

The year is 841, the King is dead and the lands are overwhelmed with mutations and abominations brought on by an unholy pestilence that’s plaguing the land. You play as a member of a holy warrior order and it’s up to you to defeat this blight at all costs and help restore the kingdom. An epic saga that features precision-based combat, No Rest For The Wicked will certainly guarantee you never get any rest as you’ll want to go back for more time and time again.

Unlike other top-down action games where you can just wail on the boss with button spam attacks, here you’ll need to be precise as screwing up a combo or swinging at the wrong time will brutally punish you with pain.