What are the best anime games for PC? As varied as the Japanese film, television, and manga that inspired them, anime art styles are everywhere in games. Whether you fancy being trapped in a school with a sadistic remote-controlled bear, defending yourself from gargantuan humanoid monsters, or joining a book club with a dark side, we’ve got plenty of anime games to choose from in 2024.
We’ve got everything from the biggest anime games based on Japan’s hottest export shows to the finest JRPG games and MMOs influenced by its signature style. Persona, Dragon Ball, and Naruto are all present and correct, plus a few other gems you may not have heard of before. If you’re an anime fan, consider these entries some of the best PC games available on the platform. Let’s go.
The best anime games on PC in 2024 are:
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is a free-to-play RPG cast in the mold of Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild that’s grown into a global phenomenon since its debut in 2020. It has polish, a solid main story, a gorgeous and activity-packed open world, a relatively unobtrusive paywall – and it’s an anime game. It can be considered one of the best open-world games available due to its regular updates that constantly expand the world of Teyvat, introducing new regions to explore and characters to meet.
Its combat system hides a surprising amount of depth, relying upon the elemental synergy between your party members, which is helped along by equipment that can boost their base stats even further. There are camps of enemies to clear out for chests, puzzles to solve using environmental abilities, and resources you can use to craft and cook. Unlike Breath of the Wild, you can explore the gorgeous world of Teyvat with up to three other friends thanks to cross-play and co-op support. If you are already playing then PCGamesN has you covered. We have a Genshin Impact tier list to determine which fighters are the best. We track all the latest new Genshin Impact characters. And we also keep an up to date list of Genshin Impact codes.
Goddess of Victory: Nikke
With regular updates, a simple-to-play control scheme, and a host of gun-totting soldiers to command, Goddess of Victory: Nikke has a lot going for it. As you progress through the campaign, destroying loads of savage robots along the way, you’ll unlock all sorts of facilities to help deepen your bonds with your squad.
Sadly, for fans of 2B, you’ve missed the Nier: Automata collab, but while we can’t confirm if she’ll return anytime soon, there are plenty of other events going on at any given time. Each one has plenty of ways to get freebies that you can use to buff your squad or roll the dice to get potential new members to your roster. With both Nier and Chainsaw Man already seeing collabs, it’s anyone’s guess who’s coming next.
Play Goddess of Victory: Nikke for free.
Zenless Zone Zero
It’s a list of the best anime games around, so of course there are multiple entries from HoYoverse. If you’ve tried and failed to get into Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail and aren’t sure what the fuss is about, don’t write their latest outing off just yet. Zenless Zone Zero holds many of the same elements while also being entirely different in many ways, and a journey through New Eridu might just be enough to bring you around.
Unlike the more open-world HoYo games before it, ZZZ is more compact, confining your adventure to a series of cities in which you are one of the most renowned Proxies around. As a Proxy, your job is to remotely enter Hollows, areas of the city that have been engulfed by Ether: a strange substance that infects anyone who sticks around for too long, turning them into destructive monsters. Meanwhile, various groups are trying to use the Hollows to their own advantage, and you must team up with others to stop the Ether corrupting the whole of New Eridu.
This unique plot introduces its own new mechanics, including puzzle-like exploration quests alongside standard combat quests. Naturally, it’s still gacha game, so you still need in-game currency like ZZZ Polychrome to unlock the best characters on our ZZZ tier list, but Zenless Zone Zero codes and ZZZ events can help with that. If you need any more convincing, check out our Zenless Zone Zero review to see what makes this anime game worth playing.
Play Zenless Zone Zero for free.
Honkai Star Rail
HoYoverse has cornered the market on anime gacha games, and they continue to hold fast to that reputation with Honkai Star Rail. The turn-based RPG iterates upon Genshin Impact’s formula on an interstellar journey across the stars aboard the Astral Express. This fantastical space train serves as the home for the core cast of Honkai Star Rail characters as they help out across the galaxy, and as our Honkai Star Rail review attests, their adventures are by turns dramatic, surreal, and comedic.
Like Genshin Impact, the Honkai Star Rail banners are where you can pull the best units from the built-in gacha monetization model – just look at our Honkai Star Rail tier list to discover the best of the bunch. You can craft the best Honkai Star Rail builds by farming light cones and relics, then experiment with Honkai Star Rail team comps to defeat powerful bosses. If you’re ready to hop aboard the express on this free-to-play adventure, our up-to-date Honkai Star Rail codes can provide all the currency you need to get you going.
Play Honkai Star Rail for free.
Naraka Bladepoint
Naraka Bladepoint is one of the most stylish anime combat games out there, with fast pacing and a last-man-standing format that requires you to outsmart your enemies using lethal counters and spectacular movements.
Since going free-to-play, the game has exploded in popularity and boasts over 20 million players, according to Steam. Ready to join the battle? Discover how to ambush your opponents, learn the moves and combos, and more with our Naraka Bladepoint beginners guide. You’ll soon be battling your way to victory.
Play Naraka Bladepoint for free.
Final Fantasy 14
If you’re looking to strike out into the world astride a Chocobo in one of the most polished and consistently evolving MMOs of all time, look no further than Final Fantasy 14. The original Final Fantasy 14 was a disappointment, to say the least. Still, since the remake – A Realm Reborn – launched in 2013, the game has been praised extensively for its endearing story, visual appeal, and innovative approach to class leveling. Instead of needing to make alts to experience the various classes in the game, Final Fantasy 14 allows you to switch your weapon at level 10 and start leveling a different class, allowing you to inhabit whatever role and job you feel like while still playing as the same adorable character you’ve grown attached to.
Regular updates and larger expansions like Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker have kept fans entertained for years, and with the new Dawntrail expansion on the horizon, there’s no better time than now to begin your adventure. This MMO has a lot more to offer than the standard leveling experience, from in-game wedding ceremonies where you can pledge your undying love to a fellow gamer to Nier: Automata-themed content that does a fantastic job of bringing the haunting atmosphere of Square Enix’s mechanical RPG to Final Fantasy 14.
Play Final Fantasy XIV for free
AFK Journey
In the whimsical world of AFK Journey, you gather up a whole bunch of different allies to adventure across the storybook world of Esperia. With six different factions that have many unique heroes for you to recruit, there’s so much to explore in this mix of PvE open-world exploration and PvP arena matches. You might recognize AFK Journey as a sequel to the acclaimed AFK Arena, but you don’t need any experience with the fantasy game series to jump in.
If you’re just getting started, we’ve got plenty of AFK Journey codes to net you some early freebies. Our AFK Journey tier list will help you differentiate between the best and worst heroes in the roster, and our best AFK team comps will help you hold your own in both PvP and PvE. Esperia awaits!
Dragon Ball Sparking Zero
The long-awaited sequel to the Tenkaichi series as arrived, bringing the fighting game to the current generation with all the flourishes we would expect today. Ranked online multiplayer, custom battles to create your own Dragon Ball stories, and a locked 60fps experience all help to make this sequel feel like a leap from the PlayStation 2 games.
Featuring over 180 characters on the Sparking Zero roster, you can tell that the developers clearly love Dragon Ball as the level of detail on each character is absurd. Most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Goku at the beginning, middle, and end of Dragon Ball Z, but Sparking Zero makes that distinction for the people who care. Just remember, that 180+ roster is set to grow as DLC drops for the game throughout the year. Read our Dragon Ball Sparking Zero review to see how the developers nailed the concept of creating the perfect arena fighter.
Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance
Shin Megami Tensei V was first released back in 2021, and follows our protagonist through the aftermath of a grisly attack as he awakes in a new, apocalypse-ravaged city. This story, Canon of Creation, is still available to play from start to finish in Vengeance, released in 2024, but with improved graphics and performance buffs.
That’s not all, though, as Vengeance is two games in one, giving players an entirely new story to work through as well. This second story, Canon of Vengeance, introduces brand-new characters in a war between humans and demons, and a harder choice of which side to fight for befalls you.
As we explore in our Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance review, this overhaul is well-worth it, as the stunning new story, performance upgrades, and engaging combat mechanics make this one of the best JRPGs around.
Digimon Survive
Digimon Survive continues the franchise’s tendency towards off-beat and experimental games with a curious blend of visual novel and tactical RPG elements that offer something a bit different from the usual anime RPG fare. Young schoolboy Takuma Momozuka gets the shock of his life as he’s transported to the Digital World – you’ve probably heard this one before.
There’s a long list of Digimon to meet and recruit your adventure, but Digimon Survive has a dark streak that eclipses the lighthearted idyll of many games like Pokemon. Along the way, you’re forced to make difficult decisions that could mean the difference between life and death for Takuma and his digital pals. Your bond with your partner Digimon will be tested by turn-based battles, variable digivolutions, and a karma system that affects the ending. Whether you choose the harmonious, moral, or just plain bad choices, you’ll be forced to live with the consequences of your actions – and Agumon’s disappointment.
Persona 3 Reload
Persona 3 Reload brings the beloved turn-based RPG into the modern era with quality-of-life enhancements and cutting-edge visual upgrades that echo the Persona 5 experience. As Tatsuma Port Island’s latest high-school transfer student, you join the SEES after-school club and discover the Dark Hour, a mysterious pocket of time hidden between one day and the next. However, you won’t be using that extra hour to finish your homework or catch up on sleep. Instead, you and your fellow party members infiltrate Tartarus, an imposing tower comprised of procedurally generated dungeons populated by demonic Shadows.
Our Persona 3 Reload review describes this reimagining of Atlus’ acclaimed turn-based game as “the most feature-rich version of one of the best JRPGs ever made,” with the one caveat that it omits the additional scenarios and improvements that appear in PES and Portable – including female protagonist Kotone, who you can only add via community mods at the time of writing. However, Persona 3 Reload is an excellent introduction point to the series as a whole, and with rumors of DLC on the horizon, it’ll only get better.
Persona 5 Royal
As far as anime games go, Persona 5 Royal is one of the best RPG games and the shining star of the series as a whole. By day, you are a disgraced high school student who recently transferred to Shujin Academy in Tokyo. By night, you are a Phantom Thief, fighting against the corruption that’s taken hold of the city by journeying into the Metaverse (no, not that one). This supernatural realm reveals the twisted desires of others, and the only way to inflict change is by battling through dungeon-like Palaces to steal the manifestation of their corrupted heart, removing the source of that desire and inducing reform. Along the way, you gain access to powerful personas that aid you and your thieves’ den in your journey.
Persona 5 Royal is an enhanced version of the original Persona 5, which introduces new characters and a new semester available to unlock. It’s also got a range of visual and platform-specific changes that extend its quality of life and make it feel as at home on PC as it does on console.
Metaphor ReFantazio
Shifting away from Atlus’ schoolyard antics, the developer’s latest offering, Metaphor ReFantazio, transports you to a rich post-medieval fantasy world that hosts one of the finest adventures of recent times. A masterful turn-based JRPG, you’re in for a treat should you dive in.
The king of Euchronia has been murdered, and with his heir presumed dead the throne is up for grabs. However, this isn’t a traditional power struggle, as the king’s magic kicks in, kicking off a nationwide election that will crown the most popular candidate as the kingdom’s next ruler. You, a boy of low birth, must enter the contest and win the hearts of the Euchronians, making lots of new and powerful friends along the way.
Having received a near-perfect score in Aaron’s Metaphor ReFantazio review, it’s unsurprising that their praise for the game is glowing. “Metaphor ReFantazio is the culmination of everything that makes Atlus’ turn-based RPGs so special,” they write. “Sporting a fantastic cast of instantly lovable characters, a gripping tale that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster, and a robust evolution of its combat systems, Metaphor ReFantazio is a must-play for anyone with even a passing interest in JRPGs.”
If you take the plunge, familiarize yourself with our expansive library of Metaphor ReFantazio guides that has everything you’ll need to navigate its various trials and tribulations.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
Long before the era of Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles stars Phoenix’s forefather, Ryunosuke Naruhodo, who sets sail to 19th-century England from Japan. When he arrives, he sets out to uncover the truth behind a series of mysterious murders, with conspiracies aplenty.
On his travels, he meets legendary detective Herlock Sholmes. Though this character resembles Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous protagonist, Sholmes is not quite as shrewd; fortunately, Ryunosuke is there to help him sift through the facts. With all the wit and eccentricity of the original Ace Attorney games, Chronicles is a must-play for visual novel fans and budding detectives.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
The first chapter of Ys developer Nihon Falcom’s bestselling nine-part JRPG series begins here. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky sets the stage for an epic fantasy adventure that follows Estelle Bright and her adoptive brother Joshua on a quest to become senior members of the Bracer Guild.
While it’s a slow start, this anime game’s journey will take you through a vibrant world full of lively NPCs, elaborate politics, and rich lore. Its turn-based combat brings the nostalgia and comfort of mid-2000s JRPGs into the modern day, with a blend of melee and magic that balloons in complexity as you progress. Seeing the Trails series through to the end is a massive undertaking, but if you’re looking to sink into a colossal RPG to keep you occupied for hundreds upon hundreds of hours, it can’t get much better than this.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
There is little more wholesome than a book club. Hundreds of thousands of words – and the odd knock-off DVD – infinitely expand our horizons, transporting young and old to all sorts of new worlds. On the other hand, the Doki Doki Literature Club “is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.”
Don’t be fooled by the cute exterior of Team Salvato’s band of bookworms, as this visual novel has several distressingly dark layers hidden beneath. When Doki Doki Literature Club! hit Steam in September 2017, it quickly became a surprise cult hit with over two million downloads, recognized as one of the best anime games for PC thanks to its arresting, emotive narrative – one that’s best not spoiled. The “Plus!” version expands the original with the help of new content. If you have a few free hours and a hardy disposition, give this anime game a go.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
We’ve all sat there helplessly watching courtroom dramas such as A Few Good Men and 12 Angry Men, or perhaps more comedic films like My Cousin Vinny and Liar Liar, yelling at our screens as we hunger to see justice done. As defendants and plaintiffs alike perspire in the dock, we can only watch on as a hotshot lawyer finds the tiny scrap of crucial evidence mere mortals would miss. Evidence can mean the difference between liberty and a lifetime in jail.
Now we have an anime game that lets us be that star of the courtroom in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy. As our Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy impressions contend, there’s nothing quite like scouring every inch of the case to gather evidence and testing that hard-earned knowledge in a trial, a coliseum of eyes all around you. The joyous melodrama of rookie attorney Phoenix’s big court showdowns plays out like a fighting game, where your incisive arguments and cries of ‘Take that!’ and ‘Hold it!’ strike your opponent into stunned silence.
Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom
This sequel might be without the original Ni no Kuni’s Studio Ghibli, but the faster Ni no Kuni 2 gameplay, which has a more strategic-element to its combat, ensures that Level-5 has finally brought one of the best anime games to PC.
This time, you don the finery of deposed child king Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum. The devilish rodent Otto Mausinger is running the show in the idyllic society of Ding Dong Dell now, and you’ll need a number of ways to take back your kingdom.
Besides overwhelming your foes in large-scale Ni no Kuni II RTS battles, the best way to do this is to start a new one. This is where Evermore comes in, the new civilization that you can build from the ground up by recruiting specialists from across this beautiful anime world.
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Not only one of the best anime games, but also one of the finest fighting games ever made, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a love letter to the characters of everyone’s favorite show. Its fantastic graphical style makes every punch, kick, and spirit ball look like it was taken straight from the anime, resulting in the most authentic Dragon Ball game.
The game features a massive roster of characters, which we run down in our Dragon Ball FighterZ character guide. Whether Piccolo, Goku, or Buu is your favorite, everyone is accounted for here. And with easy-to-understand controls, nothing is stopping you from getting involved.
Battle Chef Brigade
Battle Chef Brigade is a gorgeously realized cooking game that combines 2D brawler combat against various monsters and a puzzle-based cook-off. Essentially, you’ll need to hunt and kill your ingredients before taking them back to the kitchen to whip up a tasty feast. This anime fantasy adventure pits you against other contestants, where you’ll ascend through a high-stakes tournament, capturing and preparing your ingredients in front of a panel of judges.
In addition to the story mode, Battle Chef Brigade has local multiplayer and various daily challenges, including free-to-play and survival mode so that you can experiment and extend your recipe repertoire. Battle Chef Brigade pairs light RPG progression, an extensive range of monsters and maps, a charming story, and a beautiful art design to create an anime game to test your cooking chops.
Dragon Quest XI
In Dragon Quest XI, you play as a young man who discovers that he is the reincarnation of a legendary hero and sets off on a journey to solve the mysteries of his past. This is pretty standard fare for both anime and videogames, but this narrative acts as the bedrock for Dragon Quest XI’s tense turn-based battles and innumerable side quests.
Dragon Quest XI has retained some fantastic talent, such as the late, beloved manga and anime artist Akira Toriyama, best known as the creator of Dragon Ball and most of its spinoffs. Toriyama had designed the characters since Dragon Quest’s first release in 1986, his bright and colorful designs imbuing the magical world of these anime games with personality and character for over two decades. They’re exceptionally gorgeous games, and there are some very high Dragon Quest XI review scores to back this up.
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2
We could not put together an anime list without mentioning Dragon Ball. Xenoverse 2 is one of the best anime games for PC and a fantastic addition to the famous series. If you are looking for an ambitious MMO-lite title with an authentic, fan-service-filled story that slots nicely into the DBZ canon, look no further than this stellar anime game.
Xenoverse 2 sees you flying around expansive landscapes and taking on quests with other players to build your power. Series favorites pluck you out of the sky to engage in furious arena brawls, forcing you to experiment with a wide range of special abilities.
Attack on Titan
The attractive art style of Attack on Titan sits nicely alongside the best anime games for PC. Fans of the manga and the TV show will feel right at home here as they boost and swing around cities, forests, and the game’s titular Titans.
The premise, of course, is decidedly less appealing at first. Developers Omega Force thrust you into the shoes of Eren as he and his companions scrap legions of massive but mindless, naked humanoid giants with a penchant for devouring human flesh – Titans, in other words. The story in this anime game fits well with the established canon as you get to slashing some Titan necks.
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Danganronpa is a high-school murder mystery like no other. The ill-fated students of Hope’s Peak Academy are subject to the whims of Monokuma, a bizarre little bear intent on pitting the students against each other. In a bid to earn their freedom, Monokuma challenges the students to successfully get away with murdering a fellow classmate.
Danganronpa is sometimes a more traditional visual novel, as protagonist Makoto Naegi converses with his classmates for information. However, once the students find a murdered peer, the tone shifts to compete with some of the best horror games. The disturbingly cheerful Monokuma doles out horrific executions to anyone found guilty of the murder. In one execution, a pitching machine launches a thousand baseballs at a prone student, while another forces you to ride a motorcycle inside a spherical cage until the centrifugal force turns him to butter. It’s both visceral but inherently ridiculous, vacillating wildly between comedy and horror to create an unsettling atmosphere that frequently veers into the psychedelic.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst
Naruto Shippuden is the ultimate manga superhero fantasy, with books, TV, and anime games galore. That said, you’ll have a tricky time fully grasping the story of Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst if you don’t have a vast knowledge of the canon. But, if you take the time to dive into this sprawling anime series – or punch things as an incredibly cool ninja – you’ll find one of the best anime games for PC.
This Bandai Namco fighting game is similar in structure to its predecessor, Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, so you can expect to scrap your way through a 12-hour story that explores classic Naruto themes such as friendship and brotherhood. In an interesting spin in the broader narrative, ‘Ultimate Decision’ moments are forks in the road that allow you to either follow or diverge from events lifted from the canon.
When you’re not fighting, you can engage in JRPG-lite objectives like taking on side quests, shopping, and collecting items. Undoubtedly the most complete Naruto game, this anime game is not to be missed.
Tales of Symphonia
Originally exclusive to the Nintendo GameCube, this anime game graced the PC’s charming presence in 2016. Tales of Symphonia is set in the world of Sylvarant, hanging in the balance amidst an overwhelming evil and steadily depleting mana. But legend has it that a Chosen One (in other words, you) will one day rise and bring their homeland back from the brink.
This fifth installment is the strongest in the Tales series and one of the best anime games on PC. Symphonia’s gameplay is centered on a classic real-time battle system, allowing you to experiment with various techniques, spells, and strategies. This is a tale that you will remember long after the end credits.
And there you have it, the best anime games on PC. There’s plenty in this list to keep you occupied, but it’d be remiss of us not to give you even more games to bulk out your pile of shame. There’s plenty of crossover between this list and our rundown of the best robot games and gacha games on PC – maybe you’ll meet a robot waifu or two along the way.
