Kratos, in any of the God of War games, is a god among men, literally after the first game at least. His hulking frame gives him the power to whip all manner of weapons around and to take enemies by the hand to rip out their jaws. What Kratos doesn’t have is speed, as he becomes increasingly bulky as the series goes on.
8 Games With The Most Satisfying Movement
These games understand what it takes to craft traversal methods that make the simple act of getting around feel addictive and thrilling.
In action games, sometimes designers have to choose one stat over the other to emphasize. Kratos is an example of strength, while these other games make speed and movement a priority. Whether they are fast-moving, have more ways to get around, or are just quick dodgers, these characters are versatile in the following games.
Honorable mentions: Vanquish, Titanfall 2, Control, Warframe, Ghostrunner, Forspoken, and Gravity Rush.
Batman: Arkham City
In The Shadows
Batman: Arkham City
- Released
- October 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
Despite his hulking size, Batman moves like a cat in Batman: Arkham City and the rest of the Arkham games. This applies to traversing the city, as getting a good grappling hook and glide combo down can feel amazing while exploring the sectioned-off part of Gotham City.
Then there is the ability to grapple into the rafters inside buildings, hopping from hold to hold, and then pulling up unsuspecting enemies like a true hunter. It’s a movement technique that never gets old.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Flick And Swish
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Released
- October 20, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
More so than Batman, Spider-Man is one of the most flexible superheroes of all time, and in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, players get to control two of them. Thanks to their senses, players can dodge and counter enemies as Peter and Miles with ease in combat.
Plus, if the ground is too overwhelming, players can web up to a wall to get a breather, giving players even more flexibility in combat. Also, swinging or gliding around the city feels amazing in every Insomniac game based on the web-slinging hero.
Attack On Titan (2016)
Kill The Titans
Attack on Titan
- Released
- February 18, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- rp
- Genre(s)
- Action
Hornet, as a character in Hollow Knight: Silksong, is a faster lead than The Knight was in Hollow Knight, which is why combat can feel extra intense.
Hornet’s starting nail, her sword, will not kill enemies quickly, so players have to quickly learn about getting a stab in and then backing away. Once the dash upgrade is unlocked in the game, it opens up more ways to evade attacks and zip around the map like a bug version of The Flash.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Sting Fast, Hornet
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Released
- September 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
The best non-Spider-Man game with web-like action has to be the 2016 Attack on Titan game, which covers the first season, plus a bit extra. As several different characters, players will go into maps armed to the teeth with deadly blades and their ODM Gear to zip around the battlefield.
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Titans are plentiful in maps, and they won’t go down easily, meaning players have to strategize to dodge their attacks and sneak behind to cut their necks. It’s a thrilling experience that captivates the exhilarating sense of the Attack on Titan anime thanks to the movement system.
Dead Cells
A Roguelike Born For Speedrunning
Dead Cells
- Released
- August 7, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike
Dead Cells is one of the few roguelikes where time matters when it comes to exiting rooms. When players leave an area, which often has multiple exits, there will be rewards based on speed, which is seemingly why the amoeba-like hero is lightning fast in the game between its attack patterns, running animation, and dodge ability.
Players won’t become speed demons from the start, but with practice, they will learn to master that first dungeon layout as if they had programmed the game themselves, and that momentum can be addicting.
Sunset Overdrive
Bouncing Past Zombies
Sunset Overdrive
- Released
- October 28, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Open-World
Sunset Overdrive is another game from Insomniac, but this one is a bit different as it takes place within a quarantined city overrun by mutated zombie-like creatures.
These infected are fast, so the solution is to always be on the move or in the air, which includes grinding on rails or jumping on car hoods to get a better view of the situation down below. As a shooter, it can be tricky at first to constantly be moving while aiming, but with practice, it should become second nature.
Anthem
Fight Or Flight
Anthem
- Released
- February 22, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
Time is ticking on Anthem, because it’s set to shut down in January 2026, and without servers, that game will be as useful as a rock in a pool. While it had problems over its lifecycle, the one thing that every player loved was equipping their mech-like suit, called a Javelin, and then soaring around the semi-open-world maps.
Flying is not inherently easy in most games, but BioWare managed to make flight feel as simple as walking on the ground, and that included attacking enemies as well. It’s a shame everything else didn’t work out as well.
Zone Of The Enders: The 2nd Runner
Don’t Mess With Jehuty
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner
- Released
- March 10, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner has mechs called Orbital Frames, and players get to control one of the strongest prototypes called Jehuty. Unlike most mech games, players will constantly be in the air, and Jehuty will feel light as a feather to control.
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This helped differentiate the game from other mech experiences, and a big reason why this Hideo Kojima-produced experience is dear to so many. Between just flying around maps to dashing after enemies and attacking them, this is one of the best-controlling mech games of all time, and it all boils down to that slick movement.
Mirror’s Edge
Gotta Have Faith
Mirror's Edge
- Released
- November 11, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action, Platformer
Mirror’s Edge was one of the first games that took parkour seriously, which was exploding in popularity in the mid-2000s. As Faith, players would go from mission to mission with one object: to run.
It’s one of the most breathless games of all time if players are able to time their runs, jumps, and slides with perfection, all of which occur in first-person. There is combat, too, which can slow the momentum down, but that’s why disarming and knocking out guards is more effective than stealing their guns.
Dying Light
Zombie Parkour
Dying Light
- Released
- January 27, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Survival Horror
Dying Light is almost like a spiritual successor to Mirror’s Edge, except that this game takes place in a post-apocalyptic zombie wasteland. These zombies are fast, too, but thanks to speedy feet, players can run, jump, and climb to safety to hopefully outrun the zombie hordes.
The hero of the game, Kyle, is better suited to combat his opponents than Faith was in Mirror’s Edge, though. Shooting zombies or taking a few slashes with a machete before running away is an effective strategy.
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