Prolific Japanese developer and publisher Capcom has been in the business for over 40 years. Founded in 1979, the company is known for many beloved video game franchises like Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Street Fighter, and the blue bomber himself, Mega Man — among others. Though Capcom went through a bit of a rough patch in the early 2010s, the company has enjoyed a massive resurgence in recent years, thanks to some of the best-selling games it has released.
With that in mind, what better time than to walk down memory lane and highlight Capcom’s best games? After all, it’s one of the most renowned companies in the video game industry, with a huge catalog of fan-favorite games across many genres.
Here are the best Capcom games of all time.
Monster Hunter: World
Not only is Monster Hunter: World one of the company’s best games ever, it’s also Capcom’s bestselling game of all time, skyrocketing past 15.7 million units sold since its release in January 2018. Monster Hunter: World improved upon what the series is about and made it much more accessible to a wider audience. Don’t be fooled — it’s still a wonderfully complex game, featuring addicting gameplay loops that hardly get old. Its visuals, the sense of awe when facing off against a giant beast, and satisfying progression system make this a great starting point to get into the series.
Its expansion, Iceborne is not one to skip, either. It extrapolates on the foundation of World, adding new and improved mechanics and an all-new, ice-covered area to explore. Monster Hunter: World is deep, so make sure you play it as a co-op game to make things easier. It’s available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Switch owners have to skip this one, sadly, but at least you can still play Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate.
The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
We bet you didn’t know this game was developed by Capcom! Released in 2005 (2004 in Japan) for the Game Boy Advance, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is a delightful entry in the esteemed series of the best Zelda games. Everything from the art style to the music, dungeons, and quirkiness makes this a standout 2D Zelda game. In fact, it feels so true to the series that you wouldn’t even know it wasn’t Nintendo-developed.
The main reason Minish Cap stands out — even to this day — is its shrinking mechanic, which is integrated very cleverly into its puzzles and dungeons. In it, Link can shrink down to the size of a pea, giving him the ability to access tiny areas. This idea stands the test of time, especially since you don’t see mechanics like it too often. Sadly, this one’s trapped on the GBA or in the Wii U’s Virtual Console. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a port of some kind to the Nintendo Switch.
Okami
The main takeaway from 2006’s Okami is its beautiful art. Just look at it. Following the success of The Minish Cap the previous year, it seems Capcom wasn’t quite finished with games featuring vibrant art styles. Though Okami wasn’t actually developed by Capcom, the company did serve as the publisher and even borrowed some Zelda gameplay mechanics. Developed by Clover Studio, this is an incredibly stylized action game, with a focus on nature as one of its themes.
Okami is made up of action sequences, platforming, puzzles, and numerous quests to complete. Fortunately, you probably have a system that can play it, as it was released as a PS2 game and a Wii game, and was later upscaled for PS3, PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. We highly recommend you check this one out.
Dead Rising
Zombie games are a tired theme, as they’ve been used time and again in films, TV, books, and games for the past 20 years or so. But what Dead Rising was able to accomplish in 2006 for this Xbox 360 game was nothing short of impressive, not just in the way it handled zombies, but in the way it blended comedy with a serious tone. That’s what makes this game so special. Sure, it has its sad and somber moments, but overall, it’s a silly experience that isn’t afraid to get weird.
Its gameplay was — and still is — pretty original. In it, you play as Frank West, a reporter trapped in a mall with zombies. You must gather survivors and use the mall to your advantage to make it out alive, all while the clock counts down until the helicopter comes to save you. It mixes realism with arcade-like mechanics that still hold up today. A remaster for PS4 and Xbox One was released, making this one easy to get your hands on.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
This might be a controversial entry, but 2017’s Resident Evil 7: Biohazard might just be the best horror game in the series. That’s debatable, but there is so much this game does right. It feels simultaneously fresh and familiar, migrating to a first-person perspective and giving its audience a true survival horror experience. Before its release, Resident Evil games were in trouble, at least from a critical standpoint. RE7 leaned away from the action elements popularized in RE5 and RE6 after feedback from the fans.
It truly is a creepy game, with lots of different enemies to fight — not just zombies. It doubles down on the seriousness and has a surprisingly heartfelt story that feels much more engaging than some of the previous entries. The fact that you can play it in its entirety as a PSVR game increases the horror in a substantial way. Its sequel, Resident Evil Village, is due out in 2021. You can get Resident Evil 7 on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney — Trials and Tribulations
If zombies aren’t your thing, you might be into Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Particularly, 2004’s Trials and Tribulations is regarded as the best in the series, but all of them are worth your time. In it, you play as Phoenix Wright, an attorney with the goal of investigating crimes and ultimately taking down the wrongdoers. What’s unique about it is that you must gather evidence and use it to cross-examine witnesses in court.
Based on the evidence, you must catch inconsistencies in the witness’ testimony and use them to convince the jury one way or another. It’s full of funny characters and smart puzzles for you to solve. The cool thing about Trials and Tribulations is its villain, who is a formidable match for Wright. All the cases tie together in the end, giving you an engaging and surprising story. You can get it on many platforms like GBA and Nintendo DS, and on modern consoles like PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch as part of the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy.
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
What best-of Capcom list would be complete without Street Fighter? The community is passionate about their favorites, but for this list, it has to go to 1999’s Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, the definitive version of Street Fighter III. It expanded upon many of the features introduced in its predecessor, giving fans a smooth, beautiful competitive fighting game for arcades. It was later ported to consoles like the PS2, PS4, Xbox, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, giving you many avenues to grab a copy.
The most recent entry, Street Fighter V, is also a fair choice, but the fans seem to love Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike more, thanks to its characters and fluidity in its controls. Fighting game fans tend to get into the nitty-gritty mechanics, so your favorite might be different. Still, there’s no denying the excellence of 3rd Strike.
Mega Man 2
There are so many Mega Man games — that’s why it’s hard to pinpoint down which one is the best. If we have to choose, it’s got to go to 1988’s Mega Man 2. It refined nearly everything introduced in the original, continuing the lineage of tough-as-nails action platforming with incredible music and design. Many praised it for improving upon the intense difficulty introduced in its predecessor, and it was deemed to be more balanced in this regard.
Above all else, Mega Man 2 has a tremendous soundtrack, with one of the catchiest main title themes ever. If you know it, you’re probably humming (or screaming) it to yourself right now. While there have been dozens and dozens of Mega Man games since 1988, this is one fans still go back to, even preferring it to the most recent entry, Mega Man 11.
Devil May Cry 5
There aren’t many games as wacky, intense, and insane as 2019’s Devil May Cry 5. It’s unequivocally the best game in the series, giving you an incredibly varied and engrossing experience, not just from a gameplay perspective, but also in terms of its story. Its strongest point is its gameplay, and Capcom didn’t pull any punches when making it as over the top as possible. One of the characters has the ability to dual-wield motorcycles as weapons, which can be spun around like swords. Yeah, it’s that kind of game.
The bosses are massive, and you have access to three distinct characters with their own abilities that keep things fresh. You can get up close and hack away at enemies with melee weapons, shoot them with guns, or use the new character V’s remote-controlled demons to take down foes. Playing this game makes you feel nothing short of an absolute badass, and it truly proves that not only is Capcom back but that the company is here to stay with high-quality games like these.
Resident Evil 2 (2019)
Two Resident Evil entries on one list? Well, 2019’s remake of Resident Evil 2 is so good that we’d be remiss to not include it here as one of the best PS4 games. The original Resident Evil 2 is regarded among the best in the series, so the remake needed to do well. Not only was it positively received, but it somehow kept the foundation of the original intact while modernizing it for current consoles and surpassing it in terms of quality. Gone are the static cameras and tank controls. Instead, we got a beautifully realized third-person horror game with some of the best audio design to date. It’s highly recommended to play this one with headphones, as it helps discern where enemies (like the terrifying Mr. X) are coming from.
Its visuals are fantastic, focusing on realism and impressive lighting to help keep you immersed while playing. The remake offers a healthy blend of action, puzzles, and horror, giving you an impressive and varied experience. Its sequel, Resident Evil 3, released this year, which we enjoyed as well. Something about the pacing and horror elements of its predecessor stands out, though, making Resident Evil 2’s remake one of Capcom’s most impressive games.
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