Best Action Game Maps – Investment Policy

There are so many action games available that it can be overwhelming. It often feels like video games rely too heavily on violence and active conflict.

Honestly, it’d be totally fake of me not to admit that a lot of my all-time favorite games are in this genre. I basically grew up playing them, and even now, I still love how fun, fast-paced, and action-packed they are.

While these stories focus heavily on the technical details, people often miss other important parts, like where the adventures actually take place.

To show you that action games can have fantastic level design, here’s a list of the ten best maps from the genre.

10. God of War III

The Majesty of Olympus

Having worked on the dramatic cliffhanger ending of God of War 2 for over ten years, it’s hard to put into words how rewarding it was to finally deliver the intense, brutal, and incredibly violent climax of conquering Olympus in God of War III.

This game focuses more on fighting than puzzles, unlike earlier versions where those elements felt more equal. However, it still provides an amazing backdrop for what many consider one of the greatest trilogy endings ever.

Climbing the legendary mountain, fighting its powerful guardians and overcoming each challenge, is an incredibly thrilling experience, even when you stumble or find respite in peaceful places like Hera’s Garden.

While the level design isn’t groundbreaking, it provides the ideal setting for the epic revenge at the heart of the game. The stunning visuals and overall atmosphere truly make God of War III a spectacular action game.

9. Darksiders

A Religious Apocalypse

I’m a huge fan of the Darksiders series – I’m always telling people how great the games are, especially how fun and satisfying the combat is.

Each game in the series is unique, but the first one is especially interesting because it clearly takes inspiration from The Legend of Zelda. It features the iconic settings fans love, and constantly challenges you with clever puzzles and dungeons, especially as you gain new abilities.

Even though Darksiders uses a familiar, desolate post-apocalyptic setting and doesn’t focus heavily on other characters, what makes the game truly great is how fun it is to play. The world is cleverly designed to connect different areas, and it feels incredibly satisfying to unlock new abilities and become more powerful as War.

This game blends the exploration of classic Metroidvanias with exciting, action-packed third-person combat, incredible combos, and a fantastic story. I want to both celebrate where this series started and wholeheartedly recommend playing all of the games.

8. Metro: Last Light

Living Underground

I love Darksiders for the same reason I love Metro – both games are incredibly good and deserve far more recognition for how much they’ve impacted their respective genres.

With Metro: Last Light, you experience a truly remarkable adventure. What makes it stand out is how completely it pulls you into its world—not just through how the game works and its simple design, but also through the incredibly detailed and realistic atmosphere.

The series is famous for its strong contrast between two locations: the tight, enclosed spaces of the subway and the open dangers of the wilderness. This contrast is especially well done in Last Light, which delivers a thrilling experience with non-stop action, daring escapes, and tense stealth sections that will keep you gripped.

As a fan, I have to say, watching people rebuild their lives in the ruins of what Russia once was, uncovering the stories of a lost civilization, and feeling the dread of the Nosalis approaching… it’s all just incredibly captivating. And honestly? It’s amazing to experience it all from the comfort of my own home!

7. Devil May Cry

On Vacation on Mallet Island

Building on its roots in the Resident Evil series, Devil May Cry stands out from other action games with its detailed environments. This is especially impressive because the game largely takes place in one location.

Most stories in this genre involve large-scale adventures across many locations, but this series starts by concentrating on just one place: Mallet Island. And it does a fantastic job of making the island feel powerful and mysterious.

Despite being limited by its environment, this game cleverly overcomes those challenges. With relentless bosses chasing you across diverse locations, interconnected areas that evoke a fantastical castle, and even portals to other worlds, it manages to make even small spaces feel vast and expansive.

You know, even with the old-school, static camera angles, how the game switches between tight, claustrophobic spaces and huge arenas, and yeah, even those kinda clunky underwater bits… Devil May Cry still holds up! It’s honestly amazing how charming and fun it remains, even after all these years.

6. Max Payne

The Finest New York is Noir

Third-person shooter games often don’t focus much on creating realistic or interesting environments, frequently simplifying locations to just basic cover. However, Max Payne is a notable exception to this trend.

Rather than simply moving you through levels, the game brings each area to life with impressive and innovative design. You’ll be jumping, running, diving, doing parkour, dodging explosions, and even shooting in slow motion – all within dynamic and exciting locations.

I didn’t jump in when the game first came out, but man, every mission blew me away. It totally avoids that feeling of just repeating the same levels over and over. The levels are designed so well – they’re really vertical and let you explore in lots of different ways, and the challenges themselves are always fresh and interesting.

Max Payne is a landmark game that the action genre should revisit for inspiration. Its unique style and compelling story as a police thriller are exactly what’s needed to restore the genre to its former glory.

5. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

A Not So Distant Future

I always hesitate to include Deus Ex: Human Revolution on genre-specific lists. It’s an immersive sim, and feels a bit like cheating to categorize it, but it’s just so well-made that it excels at everything it tries to do.

What always impressed me most about this map is how engaging it is. It’s packed with things to do and interesting stories to uncover, making you want to thoroughly investigate everything and leave no digital stone unturned.

The game features levels that offer a lot of freedom in how you play, along with a sleek, futuristic look and a distinctive color scheme. Playing as Adam Jensen is truly immersive, whether you’re sneaking into company buildings or exploring the city’s underground.

Although the game’s levels aren’t huge, they’re packed with things to do, which makes up for their size. This interactivity creates a rich and consistently captivating experience in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

4. ULTRAKILL

The Best Descent into Hell

The concept of hell has appeared in stories and art throughout history, and video games are no exception. ULTRAKILL is a great example of this.

It feels odd listing it among completed games since it’s still in early access, but it truly shines with its quick, action-packed shooting, dynamic movement, and memorable levels and creatures.

As players journey deeper into this hellish world, each new area reveals more mythical secrets. These hidden truths are only discovered by the most dedicated and curious explorers.

ULTRAKILL initially appears to be a simple game with earth-covered levels, lava, and large enemies set against a purple sky. However, once you start playing, you quickly discover that the game’s design is both stunning and incredibly well-made, earning it high praise.

3. Prey

No Vessel Like the Talos I

Some video games truly immerse you in their worlds by seamlessly connecting the environment with how you play, and Prey is a prime example of this.

Talos I initially feels like a daunting space station filled with advanced tech and frightening foes, but it quickly becomes a place where you can truly master and experiment with its systems.

The environment itself shares the history of what came before, and hints at future dangers if left unchecked. This creates a powerful connection between the story and how you play – discovering a new log feels just as rewarding as successfully piloting the ship, avoiding getting lost, or defeating enemies efficiently.

The world of Prey expands alongside the player, consistently offering new areas to discover and maintain a constant sense of curiosity. This excellent pacing is achieved because the game carefully unveils what you need at just the right moment.

Subscribe for deeper dives into action game maps

Join the newsletter to explore focused breakdowns of action-game maps, level design, and environmental storytelling—curated analyses that deepen your appreciation of the settings and related design topics behind the industry’s most memorable play spaces.

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The beginning of the game – launching into space, discovering quick routes, and finding hidden rooms – all feels like a natural, exciting adventure. This sense of discovery is incredibly immersive, and it’s made possible by the game’s focused environment.

2. BioShock

Rapture is an Icon

Many games attempt to copy BioShock but fall short, and the core reason has always been clear: Rapture is one of the most brilliantly designed environments in video game history.

This title isn’t just strong in its story, characters, and plot; the world itself feels incredibly alive and is more immersive than most games manage to achieve.

That initial trip down in the bathysphere, with Andrew Ryan’s greeting, feels more meaningful than many entire games, and that incredible feeling stays with you throughout the experience.

Discovering the remnants of the city of Rapture is both frightening and like uncovering a lost history. The game brilliantly reveals its story gradually, letting players piece things together at their own pace, and it set a new standard for storytelling in video games.

While BioShock is known for its incredible visual style, what truly sets it apart is how the game’s environment feels more important than the characters themselves. I don’t think any other game has managed to pull that off quite so effectively.

1. Bloodborne

The Most Glorious Nightmare

Although Bloodborne might not have the best boss fights or gameplay compared to other games in the genre, it’s hard to argue that it isn’t FromSoftware’s strongest work when it comes to its story, the ideas it explores, and the overall feeling it creates.

Yharnam is a fascinating yet disturbing city, built on Lovecraftian ideas that create a persistent sense of mystery and dread. It slowly reveals its true, immense scope, confirming your initial feelings of something being far larger than it seems.

The game brilliantly blends Victorian-era designs and fashion with creatures inspired by European myths and terrifying cosmic forces, making each new discovery more captivating than the last. This evolution turns a grim, disease-ridden city into the stunning center of a surreal fight for shared reality.

The city of Yharnam changes throughout the story and gameplay, creating a uniquely immersive experience. What initially seems like two separate and opposing games actually work together, showing a progression from a human world to a more heavenly one.

The developer consistently creates games with beautiful environments. However, Bloodborne stands out due to its incredibly immersive world and stunning sound design – it’s truly unmatched in creating a powerful atmosphere.

2026-01-21 01:12