10 Biggest Video Game Sequels of All Time

 These days, sequels get a bad rap because some see them as proof that the video game industry has lost a lot of its creativity, and similar to the movie industry – it’s stuck with a few popular IPs to repeat and remake.

However, it’s important to note that some of the best and most played games of all time are also sequels and parts of larger franchises.  Sometimes, even the players who love and play these games don’t know about their history and the previous installments.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate came out in 2018 and quickly became one of the most beloved games in its genre.  Its premise is simple – the game takes the characters from different IPs, mostly by Nintendo, and lets the players fight them against each other.

The characters from Super Smash Bros are all there, but also those from Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Bayonetta, and many more.  The game is, therefore, a sequel of many different games at once, even though many of the players that play it haven’t played the characters in their original games, or at least not all of them.

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the biggest part of the Legend of Zelda franchise and a huge hit among the players who haven’t played the other installments.  It’s one of the biggest open-world games that allows players to explore and enjoy huge maps, countless NPCs, and playable missions.

However, the game’s popularity isn’t about its size alone.  It gives players several flexible tools with which to approach the game world.  The gameplay and overall style are also new compared to other installments in the franchise.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is an interesting installment in this long, complex franchise.  It’s much different than the previous installment in its tone and scope.  Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a smaller and more intimate game, taking a deeper look into its characters.

At the same time, the online version of the game is thrilling and fast and has a large online following, including professional players who treat it as an eSport.  When choosing best Bitcoin casino 2024, players should look into those that allow betting on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Total War: Warhammer II

Total War: Warhammer II is one of the biggest and most widely sprawling strategy games ever made.  The player has several nations and regions to choose between, from the central Empire to the chivalrous Bretonnia to the all-destroying Warriors of Chaos. 

It’s a more popular part of the wider franchise.  However, owning both Total War: Warhammer II and the previous installment, Total War: Warhammer’s Old World, unlocks access to a third game or at least a large additional campaign called Mortal Empires.  It combines the maps and the characters of both games.

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is considered to be one of the best RPGs of all time.  It’s far more popular than the franchise’s first two parts, and that’s no accident.  The game is bigger in every way and has a more complex storyline and many different possible outcomes.

There’s also an expansion of the game called The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine.  This expansion is bigger than the second installment of the Witcher franchise.  The world is fully travelable, and countless Easter eggs exist to explore.

Super Scribblenauts

Scribblenauts was a fun and loved puzzle-solving game.  It has a unique gameplay that lets the players use the items they’ve found along the way to solve the puzzles in front of them.  The sequel Super Scribblenauts, however, surpasses the original in many ways.

It lets players add adjectives to the items they summon.  This significant increase in the player’s options and freedom has made Super Scribblenauts one of the best sequels ever.  The game is available on Nintendo DS alone, which is probably why it remained a niche game regardless of its acclaim.

Elden Ring

Elden Ring is a spiritual successor to the Dark Soul franchise, one of the most beloved RPG games ever.  It isn’t, however, its direct sequel.  The same studio makes the two games, and both feature a vast open-world map for the players to explore and enjoy.

Other games made by the FromSoftware studios were more linear.  Elden Ring and Dark Soul are more open-ended, allowing the players to make their own stories and take up missions at the pace they find fit.  The game also has more weapons, boss encounters, enemy types, magic, and viable play styles than any Dark Souls game ever has.

God of War

God of War franchise was much played and loved before its 2018 installment.  However, it’s the 2018 version that changed the game the most and attracted the most players to it.  This installment features the same main character, but it applies open-world gameplay.  It isn’t the open world of Dark Souls since there are limits to where a player can go at a particular point of the game, but it’s not linear either.

The game has a vast map and allows the characters to move from one mythical realm to another once the player reaches a certain stage.

Batman Arkham City

Batman: Arkham City is a sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum.  That tells you all you need to know about the scope of this sequel as it allows the player to explore the whole of Gotham City rather than just the asylum for its criminally insane.

The game isn’t linear, and the player can explore the world as they see fit.  There are a few possible outcomes depending on which path the players decide to take.  It also has a wider scope of possible gadgets, weapons, and skills you can learn while playing.

Pokemon Gold and Silver

Pokémon Gold and Silver is the sequel to Red and Blue, and both are a part of an overall Pokémon franchise.  Even though it’s a part of a large franchise for many players, it’s the only game in the series they’ve tried, as it’s big enough on its own.

Pokémon Gold and Silver present players with the all-new region of Johto with its own Pokémon.  After defeating Team Rocket and the Elite Four, the player unlocks the post-game.  This includes the entire region of Kanto, from Pokémon Red and Blue to all of its Pokémon.

A point About Sequels

 There are always two ways to approach game sequels.  Some believe that the only way to go is to be a completionist and play the previous installments so that you can fully immerse yourself in the lore of the game.  It may be difficult to accomplish when the franchise spans for decades. Others see each game as its own thing and encourage the players to experience them individually.

There’s no right answer when it comes to which approach is better and more true.  It’s for the players to decide how they want to play these games.  It’s fine if they enjoy it and find some worth or interest in it.

That´s it guys, hope you enjoyed this article. Keep gaming 😉