Best Action Adventure games: 25 ranked (2026)
311 action adventure games ranked by the GamingPickz Score, a published composite of player sentiment and critic reception. The formula is below in full, and no placement on this page can be bought.
The action adventure games on a map
Compare the whole catalogueThe same 25 games, plotted rather than listed. The two axes below are the ones the ranking is built from, so a game sitting high and right is a game the formula placed near the top. Change either axis to see the field a different way. Where we hold a publisher wordmark, the game is drawn as its mark rather than a dot.
25 games have both
Axes are fitted to these 25 games rather than the full 0 to 100 scale, because a filtered list shares a narrow band and would otherwise sit in one corner. End values are marked. A point on the left edge is the lowest of thesegames, not a low score.
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Mobile
- Multi-platform
- PC
- PlayStation
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
The short version
- Top pick: Portal 2, GamingPickz Score 9.1/10 from 466,026 player reviews and a critic aggregate of 95.
- 19 score 8.5 or above out of 311 ranked action adventure games.
- Price range free to $69.99, median $19.99, with 10 free to play.
- 135 are Steam Deck Verified by Valve's own testing.
- 48 declare six or more accessibility features. Listed per game below.
At a glance
The top 12 side by side. Full entries below.
| # | Game | Best for | Score | Players | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portal 2 | Handheld play, small install and Deck verified | 9.1 | 99% (466,026) | $9.99 |
| 2 | Black Myth: Wukong | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 9.0 | 96% (1,209,348) | $59.99 |
| 3 | Lethal Company | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 8.9 | 97% (510,597) | $9.99 |
| 4 | Schedule I | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 8.9 | 98% (314,499) | $19.99 |
| 5 | Half-Life | Playing with other people | 8.9 | 96% (163,786) | $9.99 |
| 6 | Terraria | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 8.7 | 97% (1,550,032) | $9.99 |
| 7 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 8.7 | 92% (911,659) | $14.99 |
| 8 | Resident Evil 4 | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 8.7 | 97% (274,646) | $39.99 |
| 9 | Tomb Raider Game of the Year | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 8.7 | 96% (269,396) | $2.99 |
| 10 | It Takes Two | The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence | 8.7 | 95% (268,937) | $39.99 |
| 11 | Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | Sinking a long time into one world | 8.6 | 94% (194,008) | $59.99 |
| 12 | God of War | Players who need accessibility options that actually exist | 8.6 | 96% (184,172) | $49.99 |
25 best action adventure games, ranked
Ordered by GamingPickz Score. Every figure links back to the source that produced it.
- 1
Portal 2
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
9.1GamingPickz Scorehigh confidencePortal 2 at a glance Released 2011 Studio Valve Player sentiment 99% positive of 466,026 Critics 95/100 Price $9.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 8 GB Accessibility 7 declared features Raw 99% shrinks to 99.0 on 466,026 reviews, then blends with the 95 critic aggregate, giving 9.1.
What the data supports- 99% positive across 466,026 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Declares 7 accessibility features, well above the catalogue norm.
- 2
Black Myth: Wukong
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
9.0GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceBlack Myth: Wukong at a glance Released 2024 Studio Game Science Player sentiment 96% positive of 1,209,348 Critics No aggregate Price $59.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size 130 GB Accessibility 4 declared features Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 1,209,348 reviews, giving 9.0. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 1,209,348 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
- 3
Lethal Company
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.9GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceLethal Company at a glance Released 2023 Studio Zeekerss Player sentiment 97% positive of 510,597 Critics No aggregate Price $9.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 4 GB Accessibility 3 declared features Raw 97% shrinks to 97.0 on 510,597 reviews, giving 8.9. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- 97% positive across 510,597 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Small install at 4 GB.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 4
Schedule I
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.9GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceSchedule I at a glance Released 2025 Studio TVGS Player sentiment 98% positive of 314,499 Critics No aggregate Price $19.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 8 GB Accessibility 6 declared features Raw 98% shrinks to 98.0 on 314,499 reviews, giving 8.9. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- 98% positive across 314,499 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Small install at 8 GB.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
Half-Life at a glance Released 1998 Studio Not recorded Player sentiment 96% positive of 163,786 Critics 96/100 Price $9.99 Steam Deck verified Install size Not stated Accessibility 8 declared features Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 163,786 reviews, then blends with the 96 critic aggregate, giving 8.9.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 163,786 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Declares 8 accessibility features, well above the catalogue norm.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 6
Terraria
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.7GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceTerraria at a glance Released 2011 Studio 505 Games Player sentiment 97% positive of 1,550,032 Critics 83/100 Price $9.99 Steam Deck verified Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 97% shrinks to 97.0 on 1,550,032 reviews, then blends with the 83 critic aggregate, giving 8.7.
What the data supports- 97% positive across 1,550,032 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Players rate it well above critics, 97 against 83. Usually a sign it improved after launch, or that it delivers something reviewers undervalued.
- 7
Red Dead Redemption 2
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.7GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceRed Dead Redemption 2 at a glance Released 2018 Studio Not recorded Player sentiment 92% positive of 911,659 Critics 93/100 Price $14.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 150 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 92% shrinks to 92.0 on 911,659 reviews, then blends with the 93 critic aggregate, giving 8.7.
What the data supports- 92% positive across 911,659 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
Worth checking first- Carries in-game purchases. Check what they cost before committing.
- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 8
Resident Evil 4
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.7GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceResident Evil 4 at a glance Released 2005 Studio Capcom Player sentiment 97% positive of 274,646 Critics 91/100 Price $39.99 Steam Deck verified Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 97% shrinks to 97.0 on 274,646 reviews, then blends with the 91 critic aggregate, giving 8.7.
What the data supports- 97% positive across 274,646 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
Nintendo GameCubeiOSAndroidiPadAndroid TabletPlayStation Portable
- 9
Tomb Raider Game of the Year
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.7GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceTomb Raider Game of the Year at a glance Released 2013 Studio Crystal Dynamics Player sentiment 96% positive of 269,396 Critics 86/100 Price $2.99 Steam Deck verified Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 269,396 reviews, then blends with the 86 critic aggregate, giving 8.7.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 269,396 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 10
It Takes Two
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.7GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceIt Takes Two at a glance Released 2021 Studio Hazelight Studios Player sentiment 95% positive of 268,937 Critics 89/100 Price $39.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 50 GB Accessibility 3 declared features Raw 95% shrinks to 95.0 on 268,937 reviews, then blends with the 89 critic aggregate, giving 8.7.
What the data supports- 95% positive across 268,937 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Multiplayer only. There is no solo mode to fall back on.
- 11
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Best for: Sinking a long time into one world
8.6GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceKingdom Come: Deliverance II at a glance Released 2025 Studio Warhorse Studios Player sentiment 94% positive of 194,008 Critics 89/100 Price $59.99 Steam Deck playable Install size 100 GB Accessibility 5 declared features Raw 94% shrinks to 94.0 on 194,008 reviews, then blends with the 89 critic aggregate, giving 8.6.
What the data supports- 94% positive across 194,008 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 12
God of War
Best for: Players who need accessibility options that actually exist
8.6GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceGod of War at a glance Released 2005 Studio Santa Monica Studio Player sentiment 96% positive of 184,172 Critics 93/100 Price $49.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 70 GB Accessibility 12 declared features Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 184,172 reviews, then blends with the 93 critic aggregate, giving 8.6.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 184,172 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Declares 12 accessibility features, well above the catalogue norm.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
PlayStation VitaPlayStation 2PlayStation 3PlayStation 4Steam Deck
- 13
Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition
Best for: A consistently well-received pick in this category
8.6GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceBatman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition at a glance Released 2010 Studio Rocksteady Studios Player sentiment 96% positive of 87,230 Critics 91/100 Price $19.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 96% shrinks to 95.9 on 87,230 reviews, then blends with the 91 critic aggregate, giving 8.6.
Worth checking first- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
- 14
Batman: Arkham City - Game of the Year Edition
Best for: A consistently well-received pick in this category
8.6GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceBatman: Arkham City - Game of the Year Edition at a glance Released 2012 Studio Rocksteady Studios Player sentiment 96% positive of 77,991 Critics 91/100 Price $19.99 Steam Deck verified Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 96% shrinks to 95.9 on 77,991 reviews, then blends with the 91 critic aggregate, giving 8.6.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- 15
Tomb Raider
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.5GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceTomb Raider at a glance Released 1996 Studio Core Design Player sentiment 96% positive of 269,385 Critics 86/100 Price $2.99 Steam Deck verified Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 269,385 reviews, then blends with the 86 critic aggregate, giving 8.5.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 269,385 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 16
Tomb Raider
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.5GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceTomb Raider at a glance Released 2013 Studio Crystal Dynamics Player sentiment 96% positive of 269,385 Critics 86/100 Price $2.99 Steam Deck verified Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 269,385 reviews, then blends with the 86 critic aggregate, giving 8.5.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 269,385 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 17
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Best for: Players who need accessibility options that actually exist
8.5GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceMarvel’s Spider-Man Remastered at a glance Released 2022 Studio Insomniac Games Player sentiment 96% positive of 142,256 Critics No aggregate Price $59.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 75 GB Accessibility 10 declared features Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 142,256 reviews, giving 8.5. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 142,256 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Declares 10 accessibility features, well above the catalogue norm.
Dishonored at a glance Released 2012 Studio Arkane Studios Player sentiment 98% positive of 88,064 Critics 91/100 Price $9.99 Steam Deck verified Install size Not stated Accessibility 6 declared features Raw 98% shrinks to 97.9 on 88,064 reviews, then blends with the 91 critic aggregate, giving 8.5.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 19
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Best for: A consistently well-received pick in this category
8.5GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceBatman: Arkham Asylum at a glance Released 2009 Studio Rocksteady Studios Player sentiment 96% positive of 87,223 Critics 91/100 Price $19.99 Steam Deck unsupported Install size Not stated Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 96% shrinks to 95.9 on 87,223 reviews, then blends with the 91 critic aggregate, giving 8.5.
Worth checking first- Valve rates it Unsupported on the Steam Deck.
- 20
Subnautica
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
8.4GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceSubnautica at a glance Released 2014 Studio Unknown Worlds Entertainment Player sentiment 97% positive of 379,053 Critics 87/100 Price $29.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 20 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 97% shrinks to 97.0 on 379,053 reviews, then blends with the 87 critic aggregate, giving 8.4.
What the data supports- 97% positive across 379,053 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- 21
Hogwarts Legacy
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.4GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceHogwarts Legacy at a glance Released 2023 Studio Avalanche Software Player sentiment 90% positive of 371,874 Critics 83/100 Price $5.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 85 GB Accessibility 7 declared features Raw 90% shrinks to 90.0 on 371,874 reviews, then blends with the 83 critic aggregate, giving 8.4.
What the data supports- 90% positive across 371,874 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Declares 7 accessibility features, well above the catalogue norm.
Worth checking first- Carries in-game purchases. Check what they cost before committing.
- 22
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Best for: The safest bet on this list, by weight of evidence
8.4GamingPickz Scorehigh confidenceSekiro: Shadows Die Twice at a glance Released 2019 Studio FromSoftware Player sentiment 95% positive of 354,843 Critics 88/100 Price $59.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 25 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 95% shrinks to 95.0 on 354,843 reviews, then blends with the 88 critic aggregate, giving 8.4.
What the data supports- 95% positive across 354,843 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 23
Life Is Strange
Best for: Trying the genre without spending anything
8.4GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceLife Is Strange at a glance Released 2015 Studio Don’t Nod Player sentiment 96% positive of 175,705 Critics No aggregate Price Free Steam Deck playable Install size 5 GB Accessibility 4 declared features Raw 96% shrinks to 96.0 on 175,705 reviews, giving 8.4. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- 96% positive across 175,705 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Free to download, so trying it costs only time.
- Small install at 5 GB.
Worth checking first- Flagged for mature content on its store page.
- 24
Content Warning
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
8.4GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceContent Warning at a glance Released 2024 Studio Zorro Player sentiment 94% positive of 162,949 Critics No aggregate Price $4.95 Steam Deck verified Install size 4 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 94% shrinks to 94.0 on 162,949 reviews, giving 8.4. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- 94% positive across 162,949 reviews is a strong signal at that volume, where a few enthusiasts cannot move the number.
- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Cloud saves and cross-platform play, so progress follows you between machines.
Worth checking first- Multiplayer only. There is no solo mode to fall back on.
- 25
Noita
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
8.4GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceNoita at a glance Released 2020 Studio Nolla Games Player sentiment 95% positive of 88,598 Critics No aggregate Price $19.99 Steam Deck verified Install size 1.56 GB Accessibility 1 declared feature Raw 95% shrinks to 94.9 on 88,598 reviews, giving 8.4. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Small install at 1.56 GB.
How to choose between these
25 entries, six things that separate them
The ranking answers "which is best received". It cannot answer "which is best for you", because that depends on things no formula knows. Here is what actually separates these 25 action adventure games, in the order worth thinking about it.
Check the sample size before the score
A score is only as good as the evidence under it. 25 of these have more than 50,000 player reviews, which makes their number very hard to move.
Look at where critics and players disagree
The widest gap here is Terraria, where players sit above critics by 14 points. A gap that size usually means the game changed after launch, or that it does something critics undervalue. It is worth reading why before deciding which number you trust. The disagreement map plots this across the catalogue.
Decide what you are actually willing to spend
The median here is $19.99, and the cheapest paid entry is Tomb Raider Game of the Year at $2.99. Prices move constantly, so a game a place or two down the list is often the better buy this week. Filter by price below rather than assuming the top pick is the right purchase.
Match it to the hardware you own
17 of these are Steam Deck Verified by Valve's own testing, and install sizes vary by more than an order of magnitude. If you are choosing for a handheld or a drive that is nearly full, that narrows the field faster than any score.
Check it supports how you want to play
Solo, with a friend online, or two people on one sofa are different requirements, and a well-reviewed game that does not support yours is the wrong game. The filters below answer this directly.
Look for the things a score hides
7 declare six or more accessibility features, and 2 carry in-game purchases. Neither shows up in a review score, and both change the experience substantially. Each entry lists its own.
Choose one if…
Tick what matters to you. This filters the ranking above rather than reordering it, so the order you see is still the order the formula produced, minus the games that do not fit. Every filter reads a field from the game's own store listing.
Nothing selected, so all 25 action adventure games are shown below. Pick one or more above to narrow it.
The best action adventure games for a specific need
The ranking answers "which is best overall", which is rarely the actual question. These are the answers to the narrower ones, computed from the same scores, so a single pick is named for each.
- What is the best cheap action adventure game?
- Portal 2, top of 17.
- What is the best co-op action adventure game?
- Portal 2, top of 7.
- What is the best action adventure game for the Steam Deck?
- Portal 2, top of 17.
- What is the best action adventure game for a small hard drive?
- Portal 2, top of 7.
- What is the best accessible action adventure game?
- Portal 2, top of 7.
- What is the best action adventure game to play with a controller?
- Portal 2, top of 17.
- What is the best offline action adventure game?
- Portal 2, top of 22.
- What is the best cheap co-op action adventure game?
- Portal 2, top of 6.
- What is the best single-player offline action adventure game?
- Portal 2, top of 20.
- What is the best cheap action adventure game for the Steam Deck?
- Portal 2, top of 11.
- What is the best Steam Deck co-op action adventure game?
- Portal 2, top of 4.
- What is the best highly rated cheap action adventure game?
- Portal 2, top of 17.
- What is the best accessible single-player action adventure game?
- Portal 2, top of 7.
Why trust this list
Most "best games" lists are either one person's taste presented as fact, or an affiliate feed with the highest commission at the top. This is neither. It is a ranking of 311 action adventure games computed from two third-party signals we did not generate, using a formula printed below.
Our team has played and reviewed games for over twenty years, somewhere around 3,000 titles across every generation since the PS1. A good number of the action adventure games on this page are among them, and that experience is what lets us tell you which of these numbers are worth trusting.
It is not, however, what set the order. The formula did, and we think that is the right way round: a list ordered by one person's memory is a list you have to take on trust, and this one you can check line by line.
The order comes out of the grid. Every game in the catalogue is placed on eighteen measured axes, each one a number read from a named source rather than an opinion: player sentiment and its sample size, the critic aggregate, review volume, Wikipedia language editions, price, install size, Steam Deck rating, accessibility features. A ranked list is that grid collapsed to one dimension. The map at the top of this page plots these same 25 games on two of those axes, so you can see the position the ranking gave each one and check it against where the game actually sits. If the list and the map ever disagreed, the list would be wrong, and they read the same numbers so they cannot.
None of the entries on this page carry a full written review from us yet. The score reflects how other people received the game. Where we do publish a review, it is marked and linked.
Update history 1
- First published with 25 entries ranked.
How we chose these
This ranking is a projection of the same axes the grid plots, not a second scoring system sitting alongside it. The grid answers where a game sits on two chosen measures; a ranked list needs one number, so the axes are collapsed using published weights. A game cannot be high on the grid and low here for a reason nobody can point at, because both read the same values.
Every ranked game gets a GamingPickz Score out of 10. It is a weighted blend of the axes below, and these percentages are read directly from the code that computes the ranking rather than written out separately, so the published formula cannot drift from the applied one.
| Component | Weight | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 52% | The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000. |
| Critics | 23% | Metacritic and OpenCritic aggregate, normalised to 0 to 100. |
| Popularity | 20% | A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it. |
| Reader likes | 5% | How many GamingPickz readers tapped the heart on the game, log-scaled to 0 to 100. This is the only signal here that comes from our own readers rather than a third party, so it carries a deliberately small weight and is a snapshot taken at the last build, not a live figure. A per-browser flag stops the same person liking twice; it is a popularity reaction, not a verified poll. |
Shrinkage is the part that matters most. Without it a game with nine reviews at 100 percent outranks Half-Life 2 with 278,000 at 98. Player sentiment is pulled toward the catalogue average of 84 using a 400-review prior, in proportion to how thin the evidence is.
Popularity is deliberately a minority weight. At 20 percent it nudges well-known games up without letting fame decide the order. Weight it higher and the list becomes "games you have already heard of", which nobody needs a ranking for. Weight it at zero and a game almost nobody played can top the list on the strength of a few hundred enthusiastic reviews. Neither is useful, so it sits in between. How popularity is measured.
Where a game has no critic aggregate, that 35 percent is redistributed onto player sentiment rather than counted as zero, and the entry says so.
Games with fewer than 50 reviews are excluded outright. Shrinkage is symmetric, so a game sitting at 0 percent on one review would otherwise be pulled up near the average, which flatters something nobody has actually assessed.
What we deliberately do not do. No paid placement, no sponsored slots dressed as editorial, no hidden weighting. If sponsorship is ever introduced it will be labelled and will sit outside the ranking. The formula above is the whole formula.
Action Adventure games by the numbers
The figures below describe all 311 entries on this page together, not the top pick. They are recomputed on every build, most recently on 18 October 2026, from 23,430,192 player reviews.
What the pricing looks like
291 of the 311 carry a listed US price, with a median of $19.99 and a mean of $26.84. The mean sitting above the median tells you the field is pulled up by a few expensive outliers. The cheapest is Tomb Raider: Legend at $0.97, the most expensive Silent Hill 2 at $69.99. 10 are free to download. 32 carry in-game purchases on top of whatever they cost. Prices are read hourly from the US Steam storefront and move constantly.
How much this field agrees with itself
Player sentiment spans 64 points across these 311 entries. That is a wide band, which means the position of an entry here genuinely matters rather than splitting hairs. 177 carry a critic aggregate, averaging 81 out of 100. Players rate this field 7 points higher than critics on average, which is worth knowing before you weigh either number. See where the two diverge.
Who makes them, and what they overlap with
The studios appearing most often here are Traveller's Tales (13), Crystal Dynamics (9), Nixxes Software (8), Ubisoft Kyiv (7) and Rocksteady Studios (6). The genres these entries also sit in are action-adventure (311), open-world (147), rpg (110), puzzle (86), horror (76) and platformer (73), which is a fair map of what you are actually choosing between.
Which way attention is moving
We track Wikipedia pageviews over 28 days for 160 of these. 51 are gaining attention and 60 are losing it, with the rest flat. Attention is not quality, and we do not feed it into the ranking. The full monitor shows the movements across the catalogue.
The other 428 action adventure games
The 25 above are the top of the ranking. These 428 are the rest of the category: games that ranked below the cut, and games with too few reviews or no store listing to be ranked at all, which is normal for console and Nintendo exclusives.
Also catalogued
428 more action adventure games, not yet reviewedNone of these carry a review yet. The rest are catalogue records: title, year, studio and platforms, sourced from Wikidata. They are not indexed by search engines, because a record is not a review.
- Grand Theft Auto Vsource
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreassource
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice Citysource
- Grand Theft Auto IVsource
- Grand Theft Auto IIIsource
- Grand Theft Auto VIsource
- Assassin's Creedsource
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildsource
- Far Cry 3source
- Red Dead Redemptionsource
- Metal Gear Solidsource
- Mafia IIsource
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flagsource
- Assassin's Creed IIsource
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivionsource
- Far Cry 5source
- Far Cry 4source
- Silent Hill 2source
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhoodsource
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timesource
- Mystsource
- Bullysource
- Ghost of Tsushimasource
- Assassin's Creed: Revelationssource
- Assassin's Creed IIIsource
Common questions
What is the best action adventure game?
Portal 2 ranks first, with a GamingPickz Score of 9.1 out of 10 drawn from 466,026 player reviews and a critic aggregate of 95. That is a statement about how it was received, not a claim that it is the one you personally will enjoy most.
How is this ranking calculated?
The GamingPickz Score is 52% player sentiment adjusted for sample size, 23% the critic aggregate published on the game store page, 20% popularity, from review volume and Wikipedia language editions, 5% popularity, from review volume and Wikipedia language editions. Player sentiment is pulled toward the catalogue average of 83.7% using a 400-review prior, so a game with a handful of reviews cannot outrank one with hundreds of thousands. Nothing on this page is paid for and no placement can be bought.
How many action adventure games are ranked here?
311 of them qualify. A game needs at least 50 player reviews to be scored, which excludes titles with too little evidence to place fairly.
Why is a game I love missing?
Three likely reasons. It has fewer than 50 player reviews, so it is excluded rather than ranked on noise. It has no Steam listing at all, which is normal for console and Nintendo exclusives. Or it is not in the catalogue yet.
Do you get paid for these placements?
No. Positions are computed from the formula above and nothing else. The site carries advertising, and advertisers can neither see nor influence this page. A position is not an endorsement, it is a measurement of reception.
How current is this?
Recomputed on every build from source data read on a stated date. This page was last rebuilt on 18 October 2026. Player review counts move daily, so positions in the middle of the list shift more than those at the top or bottom.
What is the best cheap action adventure game?
Portal 2 is the best cheap action adventure game, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 17 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best co-op action adventure game?
Portal 2 is the best co-op action adventure game, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 7 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best action adventure game for the Steam Deck?
Portal 2 is the best action adventure game for the Steam Deck, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 17 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best action adventure game for a small hard drive?
Portal 2 is the best action adventure game for a small hard drive, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 7 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best accessible action adventure game?
Portal 2 is the best accessible action adventure game, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 7 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best action adventure game to play with a controller?
Portal 2 is the best action adventure game to play with a controller, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 17 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best offline action adventure game?
Portal 2 is the best offline action adventure game, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 22 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best cheap co-op action adventure game?
Portal 2 is the best cheap co-op action adventure game, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 6 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best single-player offline action adventure game?
Portal 2 is the best single-player offline action adventure game, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 20 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best cheap action adventure game for the Steam Deck?
Portal 2 is the best cheap action adventure game for the Steam Deck, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 11 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best Steam Deck co-op action adventure game?
Portal 2 is the best Steam Deck co-op action adventure game, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 4 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best highly rated cheap action adventure game?
Portal 2 is the best highly rated cheap action adventure game, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 17 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
What is the best accessible single-player action adventure game?
Portal 2 is the best accessible single-player action adventure game, ranking 9.1 out of 10 on the GamingPickz Score. 7 of the 25 action adventure games qualify.
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