Summary
- Some of the best action games feature deep combo systems that reward timing, memory, reflexes, and customization.
- God Hand treats its combo system like a fighting game toolkit, allowing players to create their own moves.
- Dead Cells, Sifu, and Dragon Ball FighterZ offer unique combat systems that require strategy, synergy, and precision.
Action games with great combat are everywhere, but action games with combo systems that players can lose sleep over? Those are rare. These aren’t the kind of combos that players mash through a tutorial and then forget. They are the ones that reward timing, memory, reflexes, and even a bit of flair.
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Some of them let players freestyle like jazz musicians with swords, while others are so technical that they practically require a spreadsheet, but they all share one thing in common: There’s no ceiling. The more effort players put in, the better they get, and the more ridiculous the combos become. And while many of them have earned cult followings, some still don’t get the recognition they deserve for just how deep their mechanics run.
God Hand
Press Square to Win? Not in God Hand
God Hand
- Released
- October 10, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m // Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Clover Studio
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up
Clover Studio’s God Hand remains one of the strangest and most brilliant action titles to ever land on the PS2, and part of that genius lies in how it treats its combo system more like a fighting game toolkit than a scripted animation chain. Players aren’t given a list of canned moves; they’re given a giant move pool and told to create their own sequences. Want a combo that goes jab, jab, suplex, drunken dance kick? Go ahead. It’s all on the player.
The system shines because of how customizable and reactionary it is. With enemy behavior that adapts to player skill and attack patterns, combos must be adjusted mid-fight, and button timing plays a bigger role than mashing ever could. Plus, the "God Reel" lets players slot in flashy finishers on a roulette wheel, making fights feel equal parts chaotic and choreographed. It’s the kind of game where learning how to cancel a dodge into a backflip into a rising uppercut becomes muscle memory, and that’s where the magic is.
Dead Cells
Roguelike Combat That Actually Rewards Lab Work
Dead Cells
- Released
- August 7, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Motion Twin
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One
At first glance, Dead Cells doesn’t seem like a game that should rank among action games with the deepest combo systems. It’s 2D, it’s roguelike, and most of the weapons are pickup-based. But that surface-level simplicity hides a combat system that thrives on synergy, loadout planning, and player mastery. While there aren’t traditional combos in the Devil May Cry sense, the game’s depth lies in how players combine weapon types, affixes, status effects, and movement options to string together devastating attack chains.
Rolling behind an enemy, freezing them with a grenade, stabbing with a rapier that crits after rolls, then switching to a firebrand that leaves burning trails as players kite? That’s a Dead Cells combo. And when the player’s build comes together perfectly, it feels like ballet with blades. On top of that, the speed and responsiveness of the controls mean that every dodge, parry, and attack input is precise. Players who study the sandbox of tools available can quickly turn what looks like chaos into highly-optimized runs that seem like speedruns even when they’re not.
Sifu
Beatdown Ballet, With A Touch Of Kung Fu Cinema
Sifu
- Released
- February 8, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sloclap
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike, Beat 'Em Up
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Sifu doesn’t just want players to memorize combos. It wants them to feel them. It’s one thing to press a button and see a punch land. It’s another to master timing, spacing, stances, and parries to make every fight look like a choreographed martial arts film. What makes its system special is that it ties together stance-based defense, combo extensions, and environmental interaction into one seamless loop.
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The game encourages players to experiment with chains that flow into sweeps, wall bounces, and finishers, but it also punishes mindless aggression. Enemies can dodge, counter, and overwhelm players who aren’t reading the room. It’s all about rhythm. Delay the third hit, mix in a dodge, slide into a push kick, then hit triangle at just the right frame to disarm an opponent. And because age serves as a diegetic lives system, every mistake becomes part of the player’s journey. It’s a brawler that becomes a personal performance piece by the end.
Dragon Ball FighterZ
It’s Not Button Mashing If The Buttons Are A Language
Dragon Ball FighterZ
- Released
- January 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Arc System Works
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- Platform(s)
- PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Even among fighting games, Dragon Ball FighterZ stands out for how it handles combo expression. While its visual style makes it look like a casual anime fighter, it hides an astonishingly deep combo system that high-level players use like a language. Air dashes, vanish cancels, assist juggling, delayed links, and Sparking Burst mechanics open the door to both creativity and absurd damage scaling.
Combos in FighterZ aren’t just about damage. They’re about controlling the pace of a match, baiting reactions, managing meter gain, and setting up hard-to-block mix-ups. What makes it especially rewarding is how team synergy matters. One assist might launch, another might extend, while a third might open up a 50/50. And the game’s juggle mechanics allow for character-specific routes that can be labbed endlessly. For gamers willing to go down the rabbit hole, it becomes a flashy, fast-paced chess match that rewards both execution and improvisation.
Yakuza 0
Sometimes, A Street Fight Can Be A Combo Showcase
Yakuza 0
- Released
- January 24, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
The combat in Yakuza 0 might seem silly at first, with Kiryu slamming bikes into people and Majima breakdancing on heads, but under all the absurdity is a shockingly flexible combo system. Each character has multiple fighting styles that can be swapped mid-fight, and each style comes with its own set of combos, grabs, counters, and Heat Actions that can chain in and out of each other with practice.
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For Kiryu, learning when to switch from Brawler to Beast to Rush allows players to manipulate space and tempo in combat. Meanwhile, Majima’s breakdance moves allow for crowd control combos that use rhythm and positioning to trap enemies in loops. Then there are Heat Actions, cinematic finishers that pop when conditions are right and timing is tight. Chaining light attacks into a grab, dragging an enemy near a wall, then finishing with a contextual Heat Move is as satisfying as it sounds, and players who dig into the upgrade trees can turn street fights into combo playgrounds.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Cut What You Can’t Carry With A Perfect Parry
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
- Released
- February 19, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Platinum Games
- Genre(s)
- Action
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is often remembered for its meme status and wild soundtrack, but the real core of its brilliance lies in the combat. Raiden’s blade mode isn’t a gimmick, it’s a mechanic that redefines how players approach combat flow. Normal combos can be interwoven with directional slices that allow players to hit specific angles of attack, but what really makes things sing is the parry system.
Instead of a traditional block, Revengeance uses timed parries that flow into counterattacks, extending combos and punishing aggression. Add to that the fact that almost every enemy has unique stun timings, attack chains, and destructible parts, and players will start realizing that combo execution here isn’t about style for its own sake. It’s about control. Between juggling, aerial slashes, and enemy dismemberment, it’s one of the few action games where players can literally carve their way through combat with both grace and gore.
Bayonetta 2
Witch Time, Combo Crimes, And Infinite Flexibility
Bayonetta 2
- Released
- October 24, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Platinum Games
- Genre(s)
- Action
- Platform(s)
- Switch, Nintendo Wii U
Bayonetta 2 does not believe in limits. It believes in air combos that never end, weapons that can be attached to both hands and feet, and enemy launchers that can lead to midair dodge cancels that lead to even more juggles. Players are given an overwhelming number of tools, from Wicked Weaves to weapon transformations, but the real brilliance lies in how all of it connects. There’s almost no downtime between inputs. It’s all movement.
What elevates its combo system is how it plays with risk and reward. Witch Time, a perfect dodge mechanic, lets players slow time and extend their combos in ways that would feel like cheating if they weren’t so difficult to pull off. And weapon-switching mid-combo creates dynamic routes that let players improvise in real time. Mastery doesn’t mean memorizing combos. It means understanding the sandbox and using its tools in whatever order feels best at that moment. And somehow, it all works.
Devil May Cry 5
Style Isn’t A Choice; It’s A Ranking System
Devil May Cry 5
- Released
- March 8, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action
- Platform(s)
- PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Devil May Cry 5 might be the most complete expression of deep combo design in the action genre. It doesn’t just reward stylish play, it actively grades it mid-fight. Dante alone has four fighting styles, each with different combo trees and movement options, and that’s before switching weapons, juggling enemies, and taunting in mid-air to maintain an SSS rank. Nero’s grappling arm and V’s minion-based control add entirely different dimensions to how combos are approached.
But what really sets DMC5 apart is how it hands players the freedom to create their own flow. There’s no right combo, only the one that looks and feels right. Canceling out of a combo to launch an enemy, then teleporting to them, swapping to a different weapon, and landing a stylish finisher is encouraged, not required. And with mechanics like jump canceling, Royal Guard parries, and weapon-switch extensions, it becomes a blank canvas for combo artists. Few action games feel this limitless, and fewer still manage to make that depth feel this natural.
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