Highlights
- Boss rush games are dedicated to fighting boss after boss with minimal fluff in between each fight.
- Eldest Souls, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and Punch-Out are examples of boss rush games with unique boss designs and challenging gameplay.
- Games like Dead Cells, Enter the Gungeon, Hollow Knight, and Monster Hunter: Rise have boss rush modes loved by fans, but they aren't entirely designed as boss rush games.
There are a lot of games out there that include a high number of boss fights in them, but only a small portion of these games can actually be considered 'boss rush' titles. To be more specific, boss rush games are ones where the game is entirely (or almost entirely) dedicated to fighting boss after boss until the game is over.
There's not much fluff in between each fight, and the actual gameplay loop mostly involves solving each boss fight in order to reach the credits. Of course, there are exceptions to this definition, and those rules aren't ironclad. But, based on this description, let's go through some of the best games out there that fit into the 'boss rush' category.
10 Eldest Souls
Let's start things off with an example of a more recent boss rush game, and one that really accentuates the 'designed to be difficult' aspect of this subgenre, Eldest Souls. Eldest Souls came out in mid-2021 and is a game where players will be exploring the ruins of what seems to be a destroyed kingdom, figuring out what happened, and encountering all sorts of warriors, monsters, and even godlike beings they'll need to defeat along the way.
While lacking in some departments, and a rather short experience overall, the bosses of Eldest Souls are where this game really excels. Each one is uniquely designed to be 'solved' by the player, and are by no means easy enemies to overcome, especially for those new to the Soulslike genre of games.
9 Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Next up is probably the game that most loosely fits into the category of 'boss rush', Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. This character action game from way back in 2013 is made by Platinum Games, the makers of a ton of different action-packed titles, most notably known for the Bayonetta franchise and for the combat of Nier Automata.
But, where MGR: R separates itself from Bayonetta is that there really aren't all that many combat encounters outside of the boss fights in this game. There are a good handful per level, and some are longer than others, but almost every level of this game has more time spent on the incredibly fun boss battles such as Sundowner or Senator Armstrong than it does on the random mobs.
8 Punch-Out Franchise
This next example is definitely not a series that was 'designed' to be a boss rush type of game, but, looking back, it's sort of the perfect example of one. The Punch-Out franchise is probably one of the most honest boss rush game series out there, as there is almost 0 time spent outside of the boxing matches where Little Mac is pitted against all sorts of wacky and iconic characters like Bald Bull or King Hippo. Any of the Punch-Out games (of which there are around 8 or so) work for this entry, though the most popular of all of them have to be Mike Tyson's Punch-Out and the Punch-Out that came out on the Nintendo Wii in 2009.
7 Alien Soldier
Likely the most 'classic' game on here, Alien Soldier is probably one of the earliest examples in history of a boss rush game. In it, players control of Epsilon-Eagle as he runs/flies through 25 different stages, and ends up battling against 26 bosses total.
This game is absolutely beloved by those who have put their hands on it at all, as it is one of those games where the player can immediately tell after playing for even 5 minutes that the developers knew what they were doing. The unique mechanics of the weapons system in Alien Solider, the sheer number of different boss designs, and the high-intensity gameplay all made for a boss rush game that easily earns a spot on these rankings.
6 Boss Rush 'Modes': Dead Cells, Enter The Gungeon, Hollow Knight
Now, this next entry consists of a few boss rush modes that are featured in three different well-known roguelite games, Dead Cells, Enter the Gungeon, and Hollow Knight.
However, since the games themselves aren't designed from the ground up as boss rush games, it would feel a bit unfair to put them too high in the rankings when pitted against games entirely developed as boss-rush-style experiences. All that said, the boss rush modes in all three of these games are absolutely well-loved by the fans of the games overall, with some even preferring them over the base game. For example, with Godmaster Mode in Hollow Knight, in particular, it's still one of the most watched categories for speedrunners to attempt.
5 Titan Souls
The next title on here is called Titan Souls, and even though there's really no proof of it, anyone familiar with the boss rush subgenre of games probably also feels like this game has a massive influence on boss rush games coming back in the last decade or so.
It originally came out in 2015, and it was one of the only games of that time period to be solely focused on boss fights, with nothing but atmospheric environmental scenes in between each battle. Of course, it's those same environmental areas that are one of the only real complaints of this game, as players had to walk through these areas time and time again as they retried each boss fight.
4 Monster Hunter: Rise
Alongside Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, calling the Monster Hunter games boss rush games is a bit of a stretch. That said, upon closer inspection, boss rush games are titles where players almost exclusively fight boss battles, and that's basically the entire gameplay and progression loop of the Monster Hunter titles. Players are introduced to a new boss (AKA a new monster), they get ready, they go hunt it, they return back to base, and are introduced to another new 'boss'. If that's not a game centered entirely around boss fights, then what is?
Truly, there aren't many other game franchises that put such an emphasis on players mastering their own moveset as well as the monsters. Really any MH game would count for this entry, but Monster Hunter: Rise is probably the most approachable example the franchise has had since Monster Hunter: World, so it probably fits best as the example here.
3 Shadow Of The Colossus
It's time to talk about probably the most iconic boss rush game of all time, Shadow of the Colossus. Even though this game appears to have an open-world type of design when players first start wandering around, the Colossi are the only enemies in this world (lizards don't count), and there's barely anything to do outside of locating the Colossi and fighting them. That said, not many games manage to nail the type of 'empty' and 'solemn' atmosphere that this game nails.
And, for the time period, it came out in (and sort of still to this day) the actual fights against the Colossus were such an incredible spectacle. Plus, thanks to the magicians at Bluepoint and their 2018 remaster of the game, players got to experience the awe of fighting these gigantic creatures all over again in beautiful high-quality fidelity.
2 Furi
Out of everything on this list so far, Furi probably demands the most out of its players. This desperate struggle of a prisoner to escape said prison torturing him eternally is a high-octane roller coaster ride with each battle feeling like a different type of 'dance' that players need to figure out the steps to.
Every single island/guardian in Furi is an entirely unique (and memorable) character with equally uniquely grueling battles. And, the best part is, the game is now out on modern hardware, so players can experience this bullet hell boss battler's art style in full.
1 Cuphead
Let's be frank, Cuphead redefined boss rush games both visually and mechanically. The developers at Studio MDHR really somehow managed to make a game that perfectly recreates the style of golden age cartoons (aka Rubber Hose) and one that innovates on new mechanics and ideas for the boss rush subgenre.
Cuphead is adorable, it's cruel, it's grueling, it's a test of patience and determination, but more than anything else, it's a ton of fun. And, it's one of the only boss rush games out there that players are able to enjoy cooperatively, which is especially true in its The Delicious Last Course DLC.