Everyone loves a good action game. It's the driving force behind so many of our favourite PC games, but only a few can lay claim to being the best action games of all time. That's why we've compiled this list - to sort the pulled punches from the bestest biffs that PC has to offer. Whether it's the joy of pulling off a perfect combo, riding the wave of an explosive set-piece or the hair-raising thrill of dodging enemy attacks in slow-motion that gets you going, there's an action game here for you.

Best action games

As usual, we're keeping our definition of 'action' fairly broad, but there are a few hard and fast rules we're sticking to here. We're not including any FPS games in this list, but third-person shooters are fair game, as are action RPGs. You won't find any platformers in here, though, or any Metroidvanias, as we already have dedicated lists for both of those.

We've also focused on action games that we'd recommend you still play today. That's partly because a lot of action games don't tend to age very well, but the key thing we're looking for is how they feel under your fingers and thumbs. A great action game, after all, isn't just about looking handsome; it's about having controls and systems that are just as fun to play today as they were when they first came out. So without further ado, here are our 25 best action game picks to play right now.

• Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne
• Assassin's Creed Odyssey
• Ape Out
• Yakuza 0
• Binary Domain
• Red Dead Redemption 2
• Rise Of The Tomb Raider
• Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow
• Nuclear Throne
• Control
• Katana Zero
• Hades
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Nier Automata
• Hyper Light Drifter
• TowerFall: Ascension
• Resident Evil 2
• Vanquish
• Monster Hunter World
• Devil May Cry 5
• Hotline Miami
• Batman Arkham City
• Bayonetta
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
• Dead Cells

25. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

You might think that Max Payne's superpower is being able to slip into slow-motion, but really it's his ability to repeatedly leap onto his sides without bruising his shoulders or jabbing the house keys in his pocket into his thigh. In any case, it's these moves combined that make Max Payne a great action game. You'll leap around corners, shift into slow motion as you sail through the air, and unload akimbo pistols into one mobster after another on the rain-soaked streets of New York.

The first Max Payne let you pull off these stunts first, but it's Max Payne 2 we'd suggest you return to today. The first game is visually dated and lumbered with regrettable hallucinated platforming sequences, while the sequel still looks decent, is a tight six hours of leaping and blasting, and has the same dark comedy and purple prose. It also added a new technological marvel between the first game in 2001 and this 2003 successor: physics. It's old hat now, but spraying bullets everywhere is undeniably more satisfying - and more reminiscent of the John Woo movies which inspired it - when there are cardboard boxes and old buckets to send spilling from shelves.

Where can I buy it: Steam, Humble

24. Assassin's Creed Odyssey