The Greatest Gaming Trilogies That Don’t Have A Single Bad Game

As a gamer, I really appreciate when developers attempt a trilogy – it’s tough enough to make one great game, let alone three! Sometimes it feels like a trilogy wasn’t the original plan, and you can tell – the ideas just don’t quite fit together. And honestly, if one of the games in the trilogy is a letdown, it makes it hard to recommend the whole series as something special. You want a cohesive experience, you know?

These trilogies are consistently excellent throughout. They’re all fantastic from the first game to the last. Some of them even have extra games that expand the story or characters, but you don’t need those spin-offs to enjoy the core trilogy – each one is a complete and satisfying experience on its own.

Halo

The Master Chief Saga

Core Games: Halo 1-3
Other Games To Consider: Halo: Reach and Halo 3: ODST

The Halo series was key to the success of the original Xbox. The first three main games follow Master Chief, a powerful super soldier and the last of his kind, as he fights against an alien threat called The Covenant. The Covenant aims to use an ancient technology – the Halo – to take control of the galaxy.

Master Chief doesn’t talk much, but his AI companion, Cortana, helps bring his character to life during gameplay. Each game in the original Halo trilogy delivers a huge, cinematic experience, much like a blockbuster movie. By the end of Halo 3, it truly feels like Master Chief has completed his mission.

Mass Effect

The Shepard Trilogy

Core Games: Mass Effect 1-3
Other Games To Consider: Mass Effect: Andromeda

The original Mass Effect trilogy, where players create and control Commander Shepard, is considered a high point for BioWare. The three games are structured like a compelling story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The first game centers on Shepard trying to warn the galaxy about a dangerous threat called the Reapers. The second focuses on gathering a team and finding definitive proof of their existence. Finally, the third game is a full-scale war as planets unite to fight the Reapers.

The ending of the trilogy has led to discussions about how well the games actually responded to player choices. However, fans generally agree that it was a deeply emotional experience, largely due to the memorable and engaging characters who fought alongside you.

God Of War

The Greek Trilogy

Core Games: God Of War 1-3
Other Games To Consider: God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, and God of War: Ascension

The original God of War trilogy follows the incredible story of Kratos, a warrior wronged by the Greek gods. Initially, Kratos fought as a champion for the god Ares, but after Ares deceived him into accidentally killing his wife and daughter, Kratos embarked on a quest for vengeance.

The first God of War didn’t have a ton of gods running around, but it ended with me, as Kratos, actually becoming the God of War by taking the title from Ares. It was a pretty epic finale, but things really went crazy in the sequels! I mean, once Kratos got his hands on immortality, he basically wiped out all of Olympus. Each fight in those games was brutal, seriously messed up, but also unbelievably awesome. It just felt good to play, even if it was totally over the top.

Gears Of War

The Fenix Saga

Core Games: Gears Of War 1-3
Other Games To Consider: Gears of War: Judgment

The early Gears of War games primarily followed the story of Marcus Fenix, a soldier battling the Locust, an enemy race living underground. After making serious mistakes during the war, Marcus was imprisoned. However, his close friend Dom helped him escape and rejoin the fight against the Locust years later.

Despite its tough, action-movie feel, the game features a surprisingly engaging story and a strong sense of camaraderie between the soldiers. As players fight against the Locust, they’ll be challenged to think about what it means to be human and whether violence is ever the right solution – all while delivering brutal, over-the-top combat.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Two Spider-Man Heroes, One Destiny

Core Games: Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Other Games To Consider: N/A

Insomniac Games has created three Spider-Man games – Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – that together form a compelling trilogy. The first game cleverly skips Peter Parker’s origin story, instead focusing on Miles Morales, whom Peter meets through friends. This setup leads perfectly into the second game, where Miles steps up as a hero while Peter and MJ are on vacation.

The final game in the trilogy lets players control both Peter and Miles. Peter struggles with the influence of the Venom symbiote, while Miles rises as a hero and tries to help Peter realize his mistakes. This is a nice parallel to the first game, and it’s heartwarming to see their friendship strengthen throughout the series. However, with a Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 likely on the way, there’s still potential for the story to continue.

Batman

The Arkham Trilogy

Core Games: Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight
Other Games To Consider: Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

As a huge Batman fan, I have to say Rocksteady Studios completely revolutionized how we see Batman games – and licensed games in general! Their Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight were incredible. The first one, Arkham Asylum, was such a clever concept: trapping Batman inside the asylum with The Joker running wild, releasing all sorts of dangerous inmates like Poison Ivy and Killer Croc. It was a brilliant way to kick off the series!

The second game transformed part of Gotham into a massive prison, giving players more freedom to explore. The final installment then unlocked the ultimate feature: the Batmobile, and let players drive it anywhere in the city. Each game offers a unique challenge for Batman, and none are better than the others. Fans of the 1990s animated Batman series will find this feels like a perfectly executed, darker reimagining of that world.

Metal Gear Solid

The Big Boss Trilogy

Core Games: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Other Games To Consider: Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes

The Metal Gear series primarily follows Solid Snake, but the character Big Boss takes center stage in several earlier stories, including Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. These games show Big Boss’s origins, revealing that he wasn’t always a seasoned warrior – he started as a new recruit.

Having earned the name Big Boss, the story follows his move to Costa Rica to build a private military company and establish his lasting influence. However, this legacy is ultimately destroyed in the next game. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain centers around rebuilding Mother Base, seeking retribution against those who harmed him and his soldiers, and attempting to forge a borderless mercenary nation. This descent into villainy feels more realistic and compelling than Anakin Skywalker’s transformation in the Star Wars prequels.

Dead Space

The Horrors Of Necromorphs

Core Games: Dead Space 1-3
Other Games To Consider: Dead Space: Extraction and Dead Space (2023)

The Dead Space series follows Isaac Clarke, an engineer who responds to a distress call on a spaceship. He arrives expecting a standard repair job, but quickly discovers a terrifying scene: the ship is overrun with gruesome, mutated creatures called Necromorphs, and a dangerous cult is behind the outbreak, worshipping the source of the horror.

The later games explore the cult and its meaning in more depth, and Isaac finally has voice acting starting with the second game. The final boss in Dead Space 3 is particularly unforgettable – it’s more over-the-top than anything else in the series, and nothing since has tried to reach that level of spectacle. This absurdity feels right at home in a horror trilogy that’s both intense and unlike any other.

Dragon Quest

The Erdrick Trilogy (Remakes)

Core Games: Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake
Other Games To Consider: Dragon Quest Builders

The original Dragon Quest games on the NES were known as the Erdrick Trilogy. They’ve recently been updated with beautiful new graphics in Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. Interestingly, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is actually the first game in the trilogy chronologically, and it reveals the story of the hero who eventually becomes known as Erdrick.

The story hinted at in the game’s title evolves into a legend across the first two installments. The first game centers on a single descendant, while the second follows four. What’s notable about the remakes is that the world maps closely resemble the originals, but with changes that visually demonstrate the passage of time. These remakes also connect the storylines more effectively and with greater detail than the original games on the NES.

Xenosaga

From Six Games To One

Core Games: Xenosaga Episode 1-3
Other Games To Consider: Xenosaga 1 & 2 (DS Demake, Japan Only)

The Xenosaga trilogy was a series of three games released for the PlayStation 2. The games have somewhat difficult-to-pronounce titles: Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht, Xenosaga Episode 2: Jenseits von Gut und Bose, and Xenosaga Episode 3: Also sprach Zarathustra. Originally planned as a six-game series, Xenosaga was condensed into three games, which unfortunately meant some parts of the story had to be cut.

Although your progress resets with each game, you’ll usually play with the same characters, making their stories more engaging. The overarching story of the trilogy focuses on humanity’s struggle against an alien invasion, the ethical treatment of robots, and a dangerous religious group determined to reset the universe. The games have a strong anime influence, which might not appeal to all players, but when they’re at their best, Xenosaga is incredibly entertaining.

2025-11-29 21:12