Summary
Arkane Studios doesn’t make “normal”first-person games. Instead of just aiming and shooting, players find themselves rewiring security systems, rewinding timelines, flinging enemies into walls with supernatural powers, or kicking goblins into spike pits like they’re auditioning for a metal album cover.
Whether it’s boots-on-the-ground brutality or slow-burning worldbuilding, Arkane has spent over two decades twisting the FPS genre into strange, creative, and unforgettable shapes. Here’s a look at seven of their most notable first-person titles, ranked from good to genre-defining.
On paper,Redfallsounds like a slam dunk —open-world co-op, vampires instead of zombies, and Arkane’s signature environmental storytelling layered over a sleepy Massachusetts town. But in execution, it ended up more like a vampire missing its fangs. The game struggled under a messy launch riddled with bugs, performance issues, and AI so baffling it made stealth feel like cheating. Even so, itisworth noting that the bones of something interesting were there.
The town of Redfall itself has some genuinely eerie corners, like abandoned churches with makeshift shrines or vampire cultist lairs packed with unsettling details. Arkane’s knack for immersive environments shines through — just not consistently. There’s a decent gunplay loop and flashes of creative ability synergy in multiplayer, but it’s clear the game was rushed out of its coffin too early. It stings because playerswantedthis to work. They still do.
Deathlooptook Arkane’s design DNA and spliced it with a time-loop structure that’s part puzzle box, part assassination playground. Playing as Colt Vahn, players wake up every morning on the mysterious island of Blackreef with a killer hangover and a simple job: break the loop by killing eight Visionaries in one day. Easier said than done when one of them is Julianna, an equally deadly rival who actively hunts Colt down — sometimes controlled by another player.
The real brilliance ofDeathloopis how it tricks players into learning without realizing it. Trial and error isn’t just encouraged; it’s the entire point. Time of day, location schedules, and shifting environmental conditions all matter. It’s likeHitmanmeetsMajora’s Mask, only with way more swearing and way cooler jackets. The60s-inspired aesthetic, jazz-infused soundtrack, and razor-sharp writing giveDeathloopa swagger Arkane hadn’t shown off before, and it worked — at least for most players. Some found the combat a bit light or the replay loop a bit thin, but as a playground for experimentation, it’s a blast.
Arkane’s first game,Arx Fatalis, doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, probably because it came out whenfirst-person RPGswere still in their awkward teenage years. But it laid the groundwork for everything Arkane would become. The game throws players into an underground world where the sun has died, and entire civilizations have retreated into subterranean cities. It’s dark fantasy at its grimiest, with factions like rat-men, goblins, and snake-worshiping cults lurking behind every corner.
Combat was clunky, sure, but the rune-drawing magic system was way ahead of its time. Players had to physically trace spell shapes with the mouse — which either made you feel like a powerful warlock or like you were sketching on an Etch A Sketch during an earthquake. But it was immersive in a way that stuck with those who gave it time. The wayArx Fatalishandled environmental storytelling and reactive systems — baking pies, flooding tunnels, poisoning enemies’ food — directly influenced the DNA ofDishonoredandPrey. It’s not polished, but it’s foundational.
There’s never been a more satisfying foot in afirst-person gamethan the one inDark Messiah of Might and Magic. This is Arkane at their most gleefully unhinged. It’s a game where every fight feels like a physics experiment with ankle-breaking results. Players can impale enemies on spikes, collapse scaffolding onto their heads, or just Sparta-kick them into flaming pits. The combat isn’t just crunchy; it’sstrategicallycrunchy.
Built on Valve’s Source engine,Dark Messiahlets players wield swords, bows, and magic while channeling pure chaos into each encounter. The story is a high-fantasy affair with demons, chosen ones, and a twist that feels lifted from a particularly dramaticDungeons & Dragonssession. But the real joy was how each level was basically a sandbox of environmental deathtraps begging to be exploited. It’s janky, it’s dated, and it’s occasionally broken — but it’s also the closest anyone’s come to making first-person fantasy combat genuinely exhilarating.
Dishonoredis where Arkane truly carved out its modern identity. A first-personstealth-actionhybrid set in the plague-ridden, whale-oil-powered city of Dunwall, it puts players in the boots of Corvo Attano, a bodyguard turned supernatural assassin out for justice — or mercy, depending on how players approach the mission. Because here, choice matters; not just in dialogue, but in approach, morality, and consequences.
Levels like “Lady Boyle’s Last Party” or the High Overseer’s office are masterclasses in level design, filled with alternate routes, hidden lore, and moral dilemmas hiding behind every mask. Powers like Blink, Possession, and Devouring Swarm turn Corvo into a ghost or a god, depending on how players use them. But perhapsDishonored’sgreatest achievement is making players feel responsible for their impact on the world — more deaths mean more rats, more sickness, and a darker ending. It’s a game that respects intelligence, curiosity, and restraint.
Preystarts with a coffee mug. A cup that turns into a skittering mimic that tries to eat the player’s face — and from that moment on, nothing can be trusted. Set aboard Talos I, a sprawling art deco space station orbiting Earth,Preyis a slow-burn sci-fi horror story that draws just as much fromSystem Shockas it does from Arkane’s own playbook.
As Morgan Yu, players can mod themselves with alien Neuromods, gaining abilities that range from basic hacking to full-blown mimicry, letting them turn into a coffee cup to roll through a vent. It sounds ridiculous, butPreysells it with an atmosphere thick enough to chew on. The station is open-ended, intricately layered, and reactive — it’s possible to miss entire story arcs based on how exploration is handled. Combat’s clunky at first, but it gradually evolves into a high-stakes dance between resource management and creative problem-solving.Preydidn’t make the biggest splash at launch, but it has since become a cult favorite and arguably the most complete immersive sim Arkane’s ever made.
Arkane didn’t just refine theDishonoredformula in the sequel — they elevated it to an art form.Dishonored 2lets players choose between returning protagonist Corvo and Empress-turned-fugitive Emily Kaldwin, each with their own suite of powers. And from the get-go, the choice feels meaningful. Emily’s Domino ability, which links enemies’ fates together, turns stealth into an elegant puzzle. Corvo, meanwhile, plays like a more aggressive shadow with time-bending tricks.
But what really cementsDishonored 2as Arkane’s best first-person game is its level design. “The Clockwork Mansion” shifts its rooms in real-time like a deadly Rubik’s Cube. “A Crack in the Slab” lets players jump between two timelines to solve puzzles and assassinate targets in parallel realities. Every mission is a playground for player ingenuity, where violence isn’t the only (or even best) answer. Add in the lush southern-European-inspired city of Karnaca, and the whole experience feels handcrafted, layered, and alive. This is immersive sim design at its absolute peak.
