Underrated Transformers Games That Are Worth Checking Out

Transformers is a landmark property across multiple media formats, including films, animated series, and comic books. One thing Transformers fans have been somewhat lacking, however, is the chance to live out some of those iconic moments in video game format.

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Transformers games that received both critical and fan acclaim are in short supply. Many fans still fondly boot up Transformers: Fall of Cybertron despite the game being more than a decade old. For those looking to further scratch that itch and who aren’t afraid to dig a little into the annals of gaming history, consider these underrated Transformers games that are worth tracking down.

7

Transformers: Tactical Arena

Head To Head Combat

• Platforms: IOS, Android, Mac OS, TV OS
• Released: 2021
• Developers: Red Games Co.
• Publisher: Red Games Co.

Transformers: Tactical Arena is a mobile game that borrows more than a little from the popular download Clash Royale and the many clones that have followed it. It adds a Transformers skin with ‘legendary’ Autobot and Decepticon heroes from across the series capable of being deployed in battle.

Compared to similar offerings on the app store, it’s a very good entry into the subgenre with a couple of Transformers-inspired twists; great for killing some time, but it is basically as advertised: loot, cooldowns, et al.

6

Transformers: EarthSpark Expedition

Light RPG Action Adventure

• Platforms: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
• Released: 2023
• Developers: Tessera Studios
• Publisher: Outright Games, Phoenixx Inc.

Based on the Nickelodeon animated series Transformers: EarthSpark, it’s no surprise that the game is primarily aimed at a younger audience. That comes with some of the lack of polish that fans might expect from such releases, but Transformers: EarthSpark Expedition still satisfies as a relatively short and light action-adventure title.

Players guide Bumblebee on a quest to save the world from Mandroid with a combination of melee-based combat and racing. The game boasts a decent pool of recognizable enemy types and some light RPG/Metroidvania elements, that allow players to upgrade Bumblebee with new combat and traversal abilities.

5

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

Explosive Third-Person Combat

• Platforms: PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS
• Released: 2009
• Developers: Luxoflux, Krome Studios, Savage Entertainment, Beenox, Blizzard Albany
• Publisher: Activision

Another licensed tie-in, this time to the first Michael Bay movie sequel of the same name. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen slightly improves on its predecessor, although it still falls short in a narrative sense for long-term fans looking for something to sink their teeth into, with little more than exposition-laden screenshots that explain the film’s plot.

It’s dumb fun, with a heavy focus on energetic third-person shooter-based combat, then rinse and repeat. The game features several playable characters on both the Autobot and Decepticon sides; for anyone looking to blow a lot of stuff up in the shoes of their favorite characters, it’s worth checking out.

4

Transformers Animated: The Game

Side Scrolling Puzzle Platforming

• Platforms: Nintendo DS
• Released: 2008
• Developers: Behaviour Interactive
• Publisher: Activision

Transformers Animated is one of the most kid-friendly properties in the Transformers canon and takes some liberties with the traditional format and representations of popular characters like Optimus Prime. That sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it was surprisingly well-received and has endured a bit of a cult status among fans in the years that followed.

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Transformers Animated: The Game is the official tie-in and delivers a fairly in-depth puzzle platforming experience. Players take control of three characters simultaneously and must switch between them, utilizing each one’s special abilities to navigate the levels.

3

Transformers: Battlegrounds

XCOM In Disguise

• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
• Released: 2020
• Developers: Coatsink
• Publisher: Outright Games

Transformers: Battlegrounds is a tactical grid-based combat game very much in the vein of popular series like XCOM. It doesn’t add much to that blueprint and strips back some of the more tactical and chance-based elements to offer a fairly simplistic take on the genre.

It’s lacking a little in terms of challenge but still offers a robust system with meaningful decisions, especially when it comes to boss encounters. For dual fans of Transformers and turn-based strategy games, it’s certainly not one to be missed.

2

Transformers: Earth Wars

All About The Base

• Platforms: IOS, Android
• Released: 2016
• Developers: Space Ape Games
• Publisher: Space Ape Games

Transformers has touched on just about every genre in video gaming and Transformers: Earth Wars offers another mobile staple genre, base building. Like some of the other games on this list, Transformers: Earth Wars doesn’t do a ton to differentiate itself from competitors in the genre, but it does offer a solid gameplay experience.

The game has built up a dedicated fan base and Space Ape Games have done a great job of supporting it with a wealth of updates and new content to keep that player base engaged. It features a full story-driven campaign written by comic royalty, Simon Furman, alongside an addictive gameplay loop that’s sure to keep new players invested for tens of hours at a minimum.

1

Transformers: Forged To Fight

Transformers Brawl

• Platforms: IOS, Android, Netflix
• Released: 2017
• Developers: Kabam
• Publisher: Kabam (formerly) Netflix

Like any great combatant, Transformers: Forged to Fight proved too good to stay down, with support for the original game initially ending in 2023, only to be revived by Netflix as a part of their push into mobile gaming that same year.

It’s a 2D fighting game that most closely resembles the Capcom vs. Marvel fighting series. Players collect their favorite Transformers across all iterations and timelines from the original animated series right through to the current cinematic universe and duke them out. It’s one of the best translations of fighting games to the mobile format with a simple-to-learn but tricky-to-master control scheme.

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