Best Armored Core Game: All Armored Core Games, Ranked

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For over two decades, FromSoftware has been blessing the gaming community with Armored Core games. Despite its long reign as one of the greatest gaming franchises of all time, however, not all of the Armored Core games can be considered winners.

With over a dozen titles under its belt, the Armored Core game series is bound to harbor some less-than-steller examples. This article will be going over and ranking all of the Armored Core games ever made to see how they stack up; just keep reading to find out which Armored Core game is the best!

16. Armored Core: Nine Breaker (2004)

Nine Breaker is, arguably, the worst Armored Core game of the entire series. That may sound a bit harsh, but I’m far from the only one with that opinion; even the most die-hard Armored Core fans have trouble finding a reason for it to exist within the series.

For starters, Nine Breaker does not have a story mode. Like, there’s literally no storyline to the game. The only modes that this game has are Training Mode and Arena Mode, which are basically just tutorials on how to play an Armored Core game. Overall, fans of the series agree that Nine Breaker really doesn’t contribute much to the overall franchise, and there’s not much reason for it to even exist.

15. Armored Core: Project Phantasma (1997)

Missile Lockon in Armored Core Project Phantasma

Project Phantasma is slightly better than Nine Breaker in the sense that it actually has a storyline, but honestly, that’s about the only thing that it has going for it. Project Phantasma is widely considered to be one of the least playable Armored Core games, and not just because it came out nearly three decades ago.

Project Phantasma serves as the official prequel to the original Armored Core game. Unlike the first game, however, Project Phantasma has less than 20 missions for players to carry out, whereas the first game had over 50. If that wasn’t bad enough, its storyline is, quite frankly, all over the place, and its gameplay was somehow even worse than its predecessor’s.

14. Armored Core: Master of Arena (1999)

Master of Arena isn’t the worst Armored Core game ever made, but it certainly isn’t winning any popularity contests either. Master of Arena’s gameplay is only marginally better than that of its predecessors, and it adds very few new features to the franchise.

The only redeemable qualities of Master of Arena are its iconic Nine Ball dialogue and its new Ex Arena game mode. Both of these features make Master of Arena just barely worth playing, though its storyline at least isn’t nearly as bad as some of the other entries on this list (I’m looking at you, Nine Breaker).

13. Armored Core: Nexus (2004)

Nexus definitely isn’t the most hated Armored Core game among fans, but that doesn’t mean it’s the most loved, either. It’s definitely playable and it has a decent storyline, but honestly, that’s about all that it has going for it.

Most fans of the franchise agree that Nexus has some of the most frustrating gameplay mechanics of all of the Armored Core games. The targeting system especially seems to be almost purposefully complex and irritating, along with some of its new gameplay features, such as heat dissipation. Overall, Nexus isn’t necessarily a bad addition to the series, but it’s definitely not beginner-friendly.

12. Armored Core 2 (2000)

Armored Core 2 isn’t a bad game in the sense that it’s a decent sequel to the original Armored Core game. It added to the franchise’s story, provided new gameplay additions, improved the gaming mechanics, and had a decent roster of playable missions.

Although it proved to be a satisfying sequel to its predecessor, it’s honestly not the greatest game on its own. Many players have complained about the complexity of Armored Core 2’s AI and tactical gameplay mechanics, claiming that they’re far too advanced for beginners and newcomers to the series.

11. Armored Core 2: Another Age (2001)

Another Age is a stand-alone expansion for Armored Core 2 and is honestly not bad for having been released in 2001. The graphics are for sure ahead of their time and so are its gameplay mechanics; if you were planning on playing any of the original Armored Core games, then Armored Core 2 with this expansion wouldn’t be a terrible place to start.

One of the best aspects of Another Age is its massive mission capacity. This game has over 100 missions to keep you busy, so you’ll never have to worry about running out of things to do (unlike in Project Phantasma). A couple of points of contention that players have noted, however, are the unreasonably high difficulty of the enemies’ AI, in addition to the removal of the recently added Arena Mode.

10. Armored Core: Verdict Day (2013)

For having been made over a decade ago, Verdict Day is honestly a decent game, especially for being the fifth entry in the series. However, it’s definitely no one’s favorite entry in the Armored Core game series, and there are plenty of reasons why.

Verdict Day is a decent game as far as tactical combat and graphics go, and plenty of fans really enjoyed the game’s multiplayer mode. However, just like with many of the previous entries in the series, many players complained about the complexity of the game’s AI and gameplay mechanics, stating that they were too advanced for newcomers. Furthermore, Verdict Day’s story is incredibly weak and difficult to follow, especially when compared to other Armored Core games.

9. Armored Core 4 (2006)

Armored Core 4 serves as a reboot for the first few Armored Core games and is a solid addition to the series. It totally reinvigorated the franchise by offering players an all-new storyline, new environments, higher-quality missions, and even online capability.

The overall storyline of Armored Core 4 is definitely where it shines the brightest. It entertained veterans of the franchise as well as newcomers, which is an admittedly tough accomplishment for most games. The only really negative thing that fans had to say about Armored Core 4 is that it almost focused too much on its storyline; its gameplay and combat mechanics suffered from the lack of attention from the developers.

8. Armored Core: For Answer (2008)

For Answer is a direct sequel to Armored Core 4 and takes place more than 10 years after Armored Core 4’s in-game events. It’s widely considered to be more popular than Armored Core 4 due to its numerous gameplay improvements and multiple endings.

For Answer gave players more opportunities to explore their environments, which gave them a better sense of control over their playthroughs. Furthermore, it added numerous improvements to the overall gameplay, especially within combat. Unfortunately, it shared many of Armored Core 4’s same failings, though it’s still a solid addition to the franchise.

7. Armored Core 5 (2012)

The developers of Armored Core 4 heard fans’ complaints and attempted to remedy them with Armored Core 5. Rather than focus too heavily on story and atmosphere, as they did with Armored Core 4, FromSoftware made sure to focus all their attention on Armored Core 5’s combat and gameplay mechanics.

Additionally, the developers decided to focus more attention on players’ customization capabilities, adding a whole new layer of creativity to the experience. Players also really enjoyed Armored Core 5’s multiplayer capabilities that allowed them to battle other skilled gamers. However, most players agree that Armored Core 5’s single-player experience is rather lackluster compared to its invigorating multiplayer mode.

6. Armored Core: Formula Front (2004)

Preset Color Customization in Armored Core Formula Front

Formula Front is a bit of an oddball among the other Armored Core games. Rather than stick to Armored Core’s traditional story modes, where the players are fighting against oppressive corporate forces, Formula Front instead focuses on a competition of sorts that turns AC combat into a sort of Olympic sport.

Formula Front is a spinoff title that was introduced on the PSP back in 2004. Its lack of a storyline was a bit of a turn-off for some Armored Core fans, but it was still met with overall very positive reviews. Formula Front provided players with a level of in-depth creativity that had never been before seen in any of the other Armored Core games, and it was an overall lighthearted and entertaining addition to the series.

5. Armored Core (1997)

When it comes to a long-running franchise like Armored Core, you just can’t beat the OG, which is why the original Armored Core game is up here with the top contestants of the series. Now I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the original 1997 Armored Core game is the best in the series, but it’s definitely a must-play for all Armored Core fans.

Obviously, because it was made literally over 2 decades ago, Armored Core’s graphics and gameplay are more than a bit mundane and rusty. Despite this, however, it’s a stand-out title in the franchise, and quite frankly, it was far ahead of its time.

4. Armored Core: Last Raven (2005)

Last Raven is a direct sequel to Nexus, but unlike Nexus, Last Raven actually got just about everything right. Despite its admittedly few limitations, Last Raven remains many fans’ favorite Armored Core game of all time.

Out of all of the Armored Core games, Last Raven probably has one of the most immersive and intense narratives. Not only does it boast numerous possible endings, but it also has one of the most engaging storylines that you’ll ever find in the Armored Core series; seriously, you won’t be putting this one down anytime soon after you’ve started playing it.

3. Armored Core 3 (2002)

Armored Core 3 is widely considered by fans to be one of the most iconic Armored Core games of all time. It took all of the best parts of the original Armored Core games and made them even better; if you’re going to play even one of the original titles in this series, then let it be Armored Core 3.

Because of its age, Armored Core 3 has received similar complaints to those of its predecessors (low-quality graphics, clunky gameplay, etc.), though it’s still considered by many to be way ahead of its time. Armored Core 3 introduced improved versions of many of the franchise’s core mechanics, including in-depth customization, mission flexibility, and sleeker combat aspects.

2. Armored Core: Silent Line (2003)

Silent Line serves as an expansion to Armored Core 3, which was already a great game in itself. Silent Line added a truly ridiculous amount of new content to the game, making an already fantastic game even better.

Silent Line allowed players to import pre-existing data into the game, which allowed them to bring their favorite mechs from previous playthroughs. Furthermore, it brought a programable AI into the mix, allowing it to take over the players’ mechs.

1. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon (2023)

Come on, you all saw this one coming. Of course the newest addition to the franchise made the #1 spot; it takes everything about the previous Armored Core games and makes them infinitely better! All in all, Fires of Rubicon is widely considered to be the best Armored Core game yet.

Fires of Rubicon takes all of the beloved features of its predecessors and makes them even better, all the while adding its own, even cooler features to the franchise at the same time! Fires of Rubicon entertains and engages both long-time fans of the franchise and newcomers alike with its modernized take on Armored Core’s tactical combat system and improved gameplay mechanics. Even if you have no intention of ever playing any of the other Armored Core games, then at least give Fires of Rubicon a try; you won’t regret it!

Armored Core is easily one of the longest-running active gaming franchises; I mean, it’s right up there with Doom and Diablo. If you love reading about old-school games that just don’t know when to quit, then you’d love Twinfinite’s articles on Pokémon, Mario, and Age of Empires!