Whether it’s slicing through demons, dodging bullets mid-air or getting flung across a collapsing hallway by some otherworldly force, the best action games don’t let the screen stay still for long. Steam’s library is massive, but only a few titles manage to turn mayhem into mastery with tight mechanics and unforgettable set-pieces.
These titles stand out for the way they handle momentum — not just through combat, but through story, presentation and style.
8 Аид
Zagreus Just Wanted to See His Mom — So He Killed Everything in Hell
Supergiant Games took the roguelike formula and rewired it into something that never feels repetitive. Every run in Hades carries weight because it pushes both the story and your skill forward.
The fast-paced isometric combat is built around fluid dashing and swappable god-infused boons that completely change your playstyle depending on which Olympian decides to help. No two runs are the same, and each death feeds into new dialogue, upgrades or backstory.
Unlike most roguelikes, it’s packed with voiced characters that actually respond to how you’re playing. The relationship system encourages players to keep talking, gifting and progressing beyond just surviving another room.
It’s one of the most approachable action roguelikes on Steam thanks to how it slowly unlocks tools without overwhelming players early on. Even on a bad run, there’s something gained — and that loop rarely grows stale.
7 Байонетта
This Game Starts with a Church Rocket Fight and Only Gets Wilder From There
Bayonetta doesn’t warm up — it starts ridiculous and stays that way. PlatinumGames made sure every frame, combo and enemy was built to be over-the-top, and the result is still one of the slickest action games on Steam.
Combat revolves around dodging with pinpoint timing to activate Witch Time, a mechanic that slows the world down and rewards reactive play. Unlike many hack-and-slash titles, Bayonetta’s fights are choreographed chaos, letting players improvise on the fly with over-the-top weapons like hair dragons, high-heel pistols and polearms ripped out of angel corpses.
The game never pretends to take itself seriously. Cutscenes are wild, the music is jazzy, and even basic enemies feel like absurd boss fights from another game. It’s style-first, but under the flash is a complex combo system with cancel chains, hidden techniques and punish windows that reward mastery.
6 Охотник на монстров: Мир
It’s Not a Boss Fight — It’s Dinner, Armor and a New Sword
Capcom’s most successful Monster Hunter game made its mark on Steam by balancing technical combat with accessible systems. For the first time in the series, exploration and tracking felt like part of the hunt instead of a chore.
Monster Hunter: World pits players against towering creatures with unique behaviors, ecosystems and weaknesses. There’s no health bar — instead, players watch for limps, exhaustion and broken limbs to track progress. Every fight becomes a dance of positioning, weapon timing and exploiting openings.
With 14 weapon types ranging from massive Great Swords to technical Insect Glaives, every player finds a style that suits them. And once the monster’s down, it’s not just loot — it’s the key to crafting better gear that changes how future hunts play.
The co-op experience thrives here too, with drop-in multiplayer and flare systems that make the world feel connected without ever forcing it.
5 Нир: Автоматы
You Can’t Spell “Action” Without Existential Crisis
Under all the philosophy and emotional damage, Nier: Automata is still one of the most tightly designed action games on Steam. PlatinumGames’ combat engine meets Yoko Taro’s haunting storytelling in a way few games manage.
Swapping between twin-stick shooter sequences, aerial battles and ground-based combos, the game blends genres constantly without losing cohesion. The core combat is fast, with 2B able to switch between weapon sets mid-combo, use Pod programs for ranged support and dodge cancel through enemy waves.
But what makes it memorable is how the game changes based on how many times it’s been finished. Each new playthrough is a shift in perspective, showing different characters, combat tweaks and narrative branches. The game practically demands to be played more than once, and while it gets slightly repetitive in the subsequent playthroughs, few games have the as much replayability value as Nier Automata.
The visuals and soundtrack lean into melancholy, yet every boss fight feels grand and personal. It’s stylish, sure, but it also leaves something heavier behind when the screen fades to black.
4 Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Star-Lord’s Guns are Cool, but the Banter Carries the Team
It came out under the shadow of Avengers, but Guardians of the Galaxy carved its place by doing what many didn’t expect — it told a solid, self-contained story and tied it to smartly layered combat.
Unlike most action games, players only directly control Peter Quill while issuing commands to the rest of the Guardians. It turns every fight into a balancing act of cooldowns, combos and positioning as enemies require specific abilities to stagger or break shields.
Outside of combat, the ship-based downtime is full of character-driven moments that dig into trauma, trust and found family. The game rewards players for exploring, talking and even choosing when to intervene in group arguments.
It may not have the deepest mechanics on the list, but its pacing, heart and presentation give it a rhythm that rarely drags. Few action games mix cinematic storytelling and mid-battle conversations this seamlessly.
3 Контроль
Everything Is Falling Apart and Somehow You’re Still the Most Dangerous Thing in the Room
Remedy’s Control takes a simple concept — a woman walks into a mysterious building looking for her brother — and warps it into an unrelenting supernatural action spectacle.
The Oldest House constantly shifts, revealing walls that move, hallways that fold and enemies that fly or explode at the drop of a hat. Jesse’s abilities evolve over time, giving her powers like levitation, telekinetic throws and shield bursts. Her weapon, the Service Weapon, morphs between forms without needing a reload button.
What makes Control stand out is how its world ties into its mechanics. Reading a document can explain why a vending machine becomes a death trap. Using levitate in combat feels like an extension of the setting, not just an upgrade.
Action in Control is fluid, fast and unrelenting — yet somehow it never gets noisy or cluttered, thanks to Remedy’s clean visual design and excellent sound work. And once players crank up raytracing to the max, this game becomes a visual eyecandy like no other.
2 Бог Войны
Kratos Doesn’t Rage Anymore — He Aims
This 2018 reboot didn’t just reintroduce Kratos — it gave him purpose, restraint and a Leviathan Axe that somehow feels better to throw than any gun in any shooter.
God of War reworked its camera, combat and pacing to bring players closer to the action. There are no cutaways, no camera cuts — just Kratos, Atreus and a growing list of monsters and gods standing in their way. The axe returns to Kratos’ hand with a heavy thud, while Atreus supports from the side with arrows, grapples and lore-based insight.
Boss fights lean more toward puzzles early on, but eventually escalate into some of the most impressive showdowns on Steam. Every hit feels deliberate, with weight and timing that mirrors fighting games more than typical third-person brawlers.
It’s as much about restraint as it is brutality, and the quiet walks and conversations between realms feel just as important as the battles against trolls and dragons.
1 Дьявол может плакать 5
If Style Was a Genre, DMC 5 Would Be the Face of It
Capcom’s return to form gave every character their own flair. Nero’s Exceed engine lets him rev his sword mid-combo for fire damage. V commands demons from the backline. Dante juggles weapons and fighting styles like he’s bored of being perfect.
Devil May Cry 5 puts control at the center of everything. Combos can be stylish or simple depending on input, but players are always scored based on how varied, flashy and efficient they are. The game doesn’t just reward survival — it demands spectacle.
Every encounter is a playground. Bounce enemies in the air, slam them into the ground, taunt mid-fight to boost your score — or swap styles on the fly to keep things unpredictable.
There’s a reason fans still post combo clips years later. DMC5 doesn’t just allow mastery — it practically begs for it. It’s the best action game on Steam not because it’s balanced or cinematic, but because it never stops asking one question: how cool can you make this fight look?
