The best Sword Art Online games

Key recommendations

• Some SAO games are held back by slow pacing, while others offer unique gameplay mechanics and beautiful visuals.
• The developers have made unusual choices, such as locking co-op options behind hours of gameplay, alienating some players.
• Some SAO game entries offer deep combat systems, rich storylines, and enjoyable multiplayer experiences.

Taking place in various fictional MMO worlds, the Sword Art Online the series is well suited for video game adaptations. It has gameplay systems built right into the story, so there are few other franchises that could transition to environments as easily. At least in theory.

Not every game that came out of the series was great, but there have been some standout entries since then Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment was released on the PSP in 2013. Of the seventeen games in the franchise (including mobile games and versions that did not make it to the West), these they are the best.

8 Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris

Nice but slow

Alicization is one of the most modern entries into Sword Art series. As such, the character models and stylized anime action are beautiful to behold. Unfortunately, the game is held back by an incredibly slow pace, which isn't helped by the number of 2D visual novel-style cutscenes.

Date SAO: Alicization Lycoris opens, it can be quite fun to play. The combo system allows players to work with an AI partner, team up with online players, and string together attacks. However, the developers made the unusual decision to block the co-op option until the back half of the game.

This means that in order to play with a friend, players must first get through about 20 hours of gameplay. And that's in the more boring dialogue half of the game. Fans of the series are also divided on the game's story, which deviates significantly from the anime in a retelling of events before heading towards the end with a completely original story.

7 Sword Art Online RE: Hollow Fragment

A revamped relaunch

• platform: PC, PS4, PS Vita
• ISSUED: April 24, 2014
• Developer: Aquaria

The game's timeline gets a little confusing here. Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment was the second game in the main series, but contained all the content from the first game, The infinite moment.

The infinite moment it was stuck on the PSP at the moment, and this bridged the gap between a sequel and a re-release on the PS Vita. RE: Empty fragment was a director's re-release of the game that updated it for the transition from PS Vita to PS4.

While the first version of the game was slightly delayed due to its portable origins, the re-release added features like multiplayer and additional content. This brought the game more in line with its sequel, SAO: Lost Song.

6 Sword Art Online: Lost Song

Lost in translation

• platform: PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita
• ISSUED: March 26, 2015
• Developer: Artdink

Coming into 2015, SAO: Lost Song it was the third game in the main series. The game takes fans into the second arc of the series, Alfheim, but tells a unique “what if?” story that follows different events. However, the story is a bit flat due to the lack of real connection with the main characters of the series.

The game introduced aerial combat to the series with neat flight mechanics that could be activated with the press of a button, giving a sense of freedom to exploration and movement. With developer Artdink at the helm for the first time, the game took a step forward in terms of both graphics and gameplay from its predecessors.

5 Accel World vs. Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight

Two anime worlds collide

• platform: PC, PS4, PS Vita
• ISSUED: March 16, 2017
• Developer: Artdink

Building on the foundation Sword Art Online: Lost Songand borrowing a lot of inspiration (and assets) from the game, Accel World vs. Sword Art Online brings together characters from both anime worlds in an original story.

With a huge roster of 37 characters and an interesting switching system that allows players to switch control between their team of three characters in battle, combat is fun and frenetic. There is also a significant improvement in visuals between this game and lost songdespite similar backgrounds.

Robust RPG systems like weapon synthesis help keep things interesting outside of combat. In its day, the game's online co-op system was another highlight. Unfortunately, the story is nothing to write home about and there are some very bland interactions with the characters.

4 Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization

What happened after the anime

One of the developers of Aquria is better SAO games, Empty achievement does itself a favor by setting the story after the events of SAO manga/anime series. This means they don't have to spend time replaying complex events in a limited amount of time, which is where many other SAO games alienate newcomers.

Combat is deceptively deep, opening up from the initial one-button combos to add timing, special abilities, parries, and combos with AI companions into the mix. The RPG systems are deep, if a little complicated, and there's a lot of customization and crafting.

The only real downside is that the multiplayer options don't match the later games, with an online co-op mode that's separate from the single player game and accessed from the game's main menu.

3 Sword Art Online: The Last Recollection

Ending The Aquria Gameverse

The premise of Last memory will call to SAO fans immediately. The game brings together a roster of 45 characters from across the series, both from its source material and previous games. It then puts them into a climactic story designed to wrap up the previously created original story SAO games.

As such, the back-referencing lore and countless character introductions may be a bit too obtuse for newcomers, but it provides a satisfying amount of fan service for long-term fans. There are a large number of side quests and sub-stories to explore for those who love the characters.

Combat makes good use of the large roster, allowing players to take on multiple AI companions and set abilities and commands to use in battle. It has the same simple yet deceptively deep action combat that previous games love Alicization used and it's still a lot of fun here.

2 Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet

RPG, TPS and MMO in one

Fatal bullet is a single entry into Sword Art Online the main series. It takes the setting from the fantasy worlds of the previous entries in one of the later settings of the anime series, the fictional VRMMO Gun Gale Online. This trades high fantasy forests for post-apocalyptic environments.

It also means that the gameplay, under new developer Dimps, makes a refreshing shift from the series' long-running action MMO-style controls to third-person gunplay. Players still have access to special abilities and a whole host of RPG progression mechanics on top of that.

As with other entries in the series, fans particularly praised the realistic aspect of the online multiplayer. The PvPvE 4 versus four-team deathmatch was a highlight and quite innovative for a multiplayer mode at the time.

1 Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream

MMO making

Developer Dimps recently returned to Sword Art Online Series with Fractured daydream. It is the most modern and graphically impressive SAO game. It also helps push the multiplayer aspects of the game closer to the MMO world series premise.

The game still has a significant single-player story that sees Kirito and others trapped in the Galaxy, a place where they will relive old missions and memories. Once that's over, players get access to a co-op endgame mode that includes some massive raid bosses.

Combat helps transport experience. The roster is simplified to 21 characters here, but each of them has a unique and distinctive play style. Classes fall into different archetypes, each bringing a different role to parties, especially in the latter online mode. Fans of the series may even prefer it Fractured daydream TO Fatal bulletat least if it gets more endgame content over time.