Very few things are as satisfying in gaming as a well-designed melee combat, and there are very few ways to do it better than by giving players a trusty sword to slay their foes. Over the years, game developers have introduced us to hundreds, if not thousands, of unique and distinct blades to strike precisely (or flail wildly) against our enemies. We combed through a list of our favorites, whether by appearance, gameplay design, or even the nostalgia factor, and pitted them against each other to see which ones came out on top. This is our list of the Top Ten Best Swords in all of gaming.
10. Chaoseater (Darksiders)
While perhaps not as widely-known as the rest of the blades on this list (simply due to the cult nature of the Darksiders franchise in general), the weapon of the first horseman of the apocalypse War himself, the Chaoseater greatsword, makes a lasting impression on anyone who has been fortunate enough to play this fairly underrated title. Its design blends the recognizable feature in gaming of an oversized heavy blade with the ethereal and mythical nature of the setting and lore of the game itself. What also may be helping this sword stand out from the competition is that, for once, the character using this massive weapon actually appears to make some sense using it according to the laws of physics as we know them.
9. Rebellion (Devil May Cry)
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The Devil May Cry series has had many swords over the years that probably could make an argument for being on this list, such as Vergil's Yamato or Nero's Red Queen, but the lore surrounding Rebellion makes it the perfect choice to take the next spot on this list. Like the Yamato, the blade is actually a piece of the legendary demon swordsman Dark Knight Sparda and was given to Dante as a keepsake from his father. The blade allowed him to channel his Devil Trigger ability and was also the eventual key to uniting Dante's human and demon halves.
8. Gunblade (Final Fantasy)
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They say that it is unwise to bring a knife to a gun fight, so the developers at Square Enix must have thought, "Why not both then?"! When it came to making Final Fantasy 8 all the way back in 1999. The character Squall utilized one throughout the campaign and could deal extra damage on an attack if the shot was timed correctly. I'm not sure how practical such a sword could possibly be in real life, seeing as how one has never been used in any military setting, but I would submit that the reason why we even have games in the first place is to live and to experience the impossible.
7. Soul Edge (Soul Caliber)
Many antagonists are known for the weapons that they wield, such as Sephiroth and his 6-foot long katana, the Masamune, or Pyramid Head and his giant "Great Knife" that he scrapes along the floor as he endlessly pursues you, but what about if the weapon in question was the antagonist of the game? The Soul Edge is a blade that was originally forged to be like any other but after being used countless times to wage war and to be bathed in blood, the sword gained a consciousness of its own, and an evil one at that. Whoever was foolish enough to wield this sword after the fact was slowly driven to madness by the blade, while the blade would also slowly shift in appearance to match the fighting style of the one who holds it.
6. Keyblade (Kingdom Hearts)
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While one might argue whether or not the Keyblade can even be justified as a sword and not just a giant key-shaped mace of sorts, its influence on a generation of modern gamers simply cannot be denied. With Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix managed to capture the colorful themes of adventure associated with Disney's trademark worlds while also mixing in just the right amount of eastern whim and charm that made the original Final Fantasy games such a success. The Keyblade seemed to have fit perfectly into both of those molds for them. Much like the game's mixture of turn-based elements and its pretty convoluted storyline, the iconic weapon of Sora, as well as many others in the series, is strikingly different from convention and as such, is the key to many gamers' hearts all over the world.
5. Blades of Chaos (God of War)
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Once again, we may have a controversial choice on our hands given that the these blades are a pair of chained weapons that some might have a problem calling a true sword, strictly speaking, but the Blades of Chaos are simply too iconic and too much fun to use in combat to ignore for this ranking. They gave way to an unbelievable amount of logical combat uses, such as slamming them into the ground from above or using them to spear a flying enemy and pull them in close for the kill. While many hack-and-slash games suffer from repetitive gameplay, the God of War franchise only benefited from it, as the signature weapons of the god-slaying Kratos were so satisfying to use. Santa Monica Studios even found ways to implement them into a more thoughtful and slightly slower-paced combat system in their highly acclaimed sequel and re-envisioning of the series.
4. Energy Sword (Halo)
While this sword is definitely the most unconventional blade on this list, given its two-pronged nature as well as its rotated hilt, everything about its design is an awesome mixture of iconic and, at this point, nostalgic elements. Few gamers who experienced finally being able to grab one of these in Halo 2 for the first time after wishing we could do so in the original is likely to forget that moment. From the effect of the blade igniting, to the sizzling sound of two Energy Swords colliding, to the absolute thrill of lunging what feels like twenty feet across the battlefield toward your foe, there are very few experiences in all of gaming quite like wielding this signature melee weapon of the Elites.
3. Moonlight Greatsword (Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring)
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Even just a few years ago, this sword may have indeed made this list, but probably at a much lower rank given its general obscurity for a significant portion of the gaming world. However, given the recent and tremendous success of Elden Ring in reaching the general market and its inclusion of this fantastic weapon and its lore, the Moonlight Greatsword has grown leaps and bounds in popularity among even the most casual of gamers. Whether retrieving it from a cluster of hanging slugs in Demon's Souls or defeating the horror horse Ludwig in Bloodborne, From Soft always manages to make finally getting your hands on it one of the highlights of its respective game. Fans of the Soulsborne genre may debate among themselves which version of the Moonlight Greatsword is the best iteration, but there is no denying that out of all the many swords of the series, this is the one that has been "by our sides all along".
2. Buster Sword (Final Fantasy)
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While the aforementioned laws of physics pertaining large weapons may not seem to apply to Cloud Strife and his trusty Buster Sword (even given the game's explanation of his special abilities and training), this weapon has stood the test of time to gamers all over the world as an example of what melee combat in video games should look and feel like. Video games are made for us to embrace the unbelievable and absurd, but somehow by the end of Final Fantasy 7, whether you are playing the original classic or the well-made remake, your disbelief remains fully suspended concerning an average-sized man and his sword that definetely weighs a lot more than he does.
1. Master Sword (The Legend of Zelda)
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Was there ever any doubt that Link's iconic weapon from one of the most popular video game franchises of all time would stand alone as the pinnacle of sword gameplay? Just the act of finding the sword is a well-crafted and memorable moment in almost every game in the series. While its visual design is certainly on the more normal side, considering many of the outlandish swords we have already covered, it rides the waves of nostalgia for thousands of gamers from every generation all the way to the top with no true contenders to the throne anywhere in sight.
