The best Remedy games are a celebration of experimentation and imagination. Remedy Entertainment has spent almost three decades pushing at the boundaries of what is possible within narrative-driven action adventures, typically with a keen focus on cinematic combat and strange storytelling sensibilities. Beloved for its implementation of bullet-time, remembered because of its impactful use of blended live-action, and beloved because of the worlds and characters it has created, the best Remedy games are a true delight.
Following the release of Alan Wake 2, I thought that there would be no better time to celebrate the best Remedy games of all time. This ranking will stay pretty solid for the time being too, as its upcoming projects are off on a distant horizon; there's Control 2, a remake package of Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, as well as Project Vanguard and Project Condor – the former a new co-op game made in partnership with Tencent, and the latter a multiplayer spin-off of Control. While we wait for more info on these titles, why not jump back into one of the best Remedy games.
9. Agents of Storm
Released: 2014
Platform(s): iOS
After failing to get Alan Wake 2 off the ground in 2011, Remedy began diversifying its portfolio. A remake of Death Rally was commissioned for mobile devices, and after its commercial success, the studio opted to continue experimenting in this space – the result was Agents of Storm. It's a tower defense game for Apple devices which is entirely inoffensive. It might have been considered among the best iPhone games at one time, but it was ultimately let down by its repetitive action and lack of visual diversity. A fun distraction during a commute, but not an experiment Remedy has repeated since.
8. Death Rally
Released: 2011
Platform(s): Android, iOS, PC
The game that started it all for Remedy Entertainment. The studio emerged from the Finnish demoscene in the '90s, and Death Rally was the game it needed to make before attention could be properly turned to something as ambitious as Max Payne. It's an often-forgotten part of Remedy's history, but Death Rally is a really fun little top-down, vehicular combat racing game. The original 1996 release held a surprising amount of depth beneath its simplistic presentation, and as proven out by the 2011 remake, the core experience is still immensely enjoyable to this day.
7. Alan Wake's American Nightmare
Released: 2012
Platform(s): PC, Xbox 360
Alan Wake's American Nightmare operates in this weird sort of space. It's not a full sequel to Alan Wake (we'd have to wait 13 years for that), nor is it DLC to the original experience. I've always thought of it as an intermission of sorts, a spin-off that furthers some of the lore surrounding antagonist Mr. Scratch and outlines further details for the Wake-heads out there who were desperate to see a little more of how the Dark Place operates. As a result, American Nightmare is a fun, albeit inessential, extension of the Alan Wake universe that's good for a few hours of play.
6. Max Payne
Released: 2001
Platform(s): PC, PS2, Xbox
Max Payne is the archetypal Remedy game. Despite being over two decades old, it's a foundational work that this studio is still building on to this day. There's the dazzling, cinematic action underscored by a combat system that plays with the idea of a fraying reality. An unwavering focus on character-driven storytelling, with a narrative that draws heavily from filmic and folklore influences. And the physical appearance of creative director Sam Lake, who provides the face model for the original Max Payne. The adventure is a little dusty these days, but it's still no less of a revelation. Remedy is currently working on a full remake in partnership with Rockstar Games.
5. Quantum Break
Released: 2016
Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Quantum Break has proven to be divisive, with the integration of a live-action television show into its structure drawing particular scrutiny. But as a package, Quantum Break is undoubtedly one of the best narrative-driven adventure games around. Set in a world where time is fracturing, you embark on a journey to repair an unraveling reality. Combat is cinematic and empowering, with Jack Joyce able to wield a variety of time-warping powers, and the storytelling is sublime, with Remedy drafting in Hollywood talent to help drive its narrative into pretty weird territories. Quantum Break is one of the best games on Xbox Game Pass right now, so go give it a try.
Read our Quantum Break review.
4. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Released: 2003
Platform(s): PC, PS2, Xbox
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne remains one of the best action games of its era. In this ambitious sequel, Remedy ramped up the carnage – improving the cinematic sweep of bullet-time combat, and deepening the film noir-inspired narrative flow. Max Payne 2 is a dark and gritty crime thriller with a truly astounding physics system, ensuring that bounding between rooms under a hail of slow-motion gunfire never loses its luster. A polished and powerfully evocative shooter, it's shocking just how well The Fall of Max Payne holds up over two decades on from its release.
3. Alan Wake Remastered
Released: 2021
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Switch Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Alan Wake tells the story of a struggling writer caught up in a paranatural Altered World Event. Sequestered away in the small town of Bright Falls, Wake soon discovers that his writing is able to affect reality. What follows is a David Lynch and Stephen King-inspired horror story, one in which Wake must utilize light against shadow in an effort to stop a spreading Dark Presence. Alan Wake was one of the best Xbox 360 games when it debuted in 2010, and its 2021 Remaster is undoubtedly the best way to experience this narrative-driven gem today.
2. Control
Released: 2019
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
Control establishes the Remedy Connected Universe as it pulls us into mysterious occurrences at The Oldest House, the headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Control – a secret government agency that investigates paranatural phenomena. You take on the role of Jesse Faden, the FBC's new director, and set about cleansing the facility of the invading Hiss – utilizing powerful supernatural abilities and the strange rituals that govern the shape of the looping space. Control is a weird and truly wonderful action game that implements smart metroidvania elements to keep you guessing, with the end result being one of Remedy's best games to date.
Read the 12DOVE Control review.
1. Alan Wake 2
Released: 2023
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Alan Wake 2 is a triumph. This narrative-driven horror game is a confident confluence of hyper-kinetic action and cinematic spectacle, with Remedy Entertainment pushing the boundaries of what is possible on the current generation of consoles. Alan Wake 2 unravels across two realities, with Saga Anderson working to investigate a series of ritualistic murders in Bright Falls and Alan Wake fighting to write his way out of the looping labyrinth conjured by the Dark Place. Trust me when I tell you that you've never played anything quite like Alan Wake 2, an absurdly ambitious adventure with near-flawless execution.
Read my Alan Wake 2 review to learn more.
