The 10 Best Musou Games (2024)

We can define the Musou genre as hack-and-slash games that take place in open levels with many enemies. You usually control a team of ultra-powerful characters, who are tasked with destroying many basic enemies while accomplishing a goal, eventually leading to you fighting more powerful bosses with fun mechanics.

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Usually the setting for Musou games is drawn from history, anime, and video games with rich worlds going back decades. These are some of the very best Musou games around, all of which have taken the genre to the next level through hugely fun game mechanics, exciting characters, and silly storylines.

10 Persona 5 Strikers

Persona 5 Strikers takes place during summer vacation and is a spin-off entry to the world of Persona 5, flipping the script by moving to a Musou title. You take on the role of the Phantom Thieves, whose summer vacation is interrupted by an evil force.

Your goal is to fight the corruption slowly spreading throughout different Japanese cities, and uncover the truth. You can play as all the Phantom Thieves dynamically, so you can play each level as you see fit.

9 Sengoku Basara 3

Sengoku BASARA 3, released as Sengoku BASARA Samurai Heroes in the West, is a Musou game released by Capcom in 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii platforms. This entry in the Sengoku BASARA series benefited from the modern consoles at the time, which improved the CG quality of each character.

Capcom also built the new AniFace system for this game, an advanced lip-syncing program that allowed for realistic mouth movement. Another unique aspect of this entry was the shared storylines for each character, alongside a new skill system, bases, and allies.

8 Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes

In Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, you take on the role of Shez, whose goal is to destroy the Ashen Demon. Unfortunately, during their attempts, they find themselves in a conflict between the three houses. You must choose one of the three houses to side with.

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Each house has its own unique story and ending. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes also features a fun one-versus-1,000 battle system, where you have to strategically build and command your army. Unlike some entries on this list, you can only play Three Hopes on Nintendo Switch.

7 Samurai Warriors 4

Samurai Warriors 4 was a Sony-exclusive title launched for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 consoles in 2014. Hisashi Koinuma, Osamu Maeda, and Yorio Yoshimatsu returned as the game's producer, director, and sound director, respectively, to keep standards high from its predecessor.

With 55 characters and 12 full campaigns, you'll certainly be able to enjoy that sweet Musou goodness for a long time! In addition, Samurai Warriors 4 added a new hyper-attack system, for quickly dispatching a large group of enemies.

6 Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in 2010. The game features 50 characters and 70 mobile suits, with many, many hours' worth of gameplay to be had.

In addition, this entry added a newly created AI system, an emergency dash mechanic, and a recovery gauge skill. It's the perfect game if you love both the Dynasty Warriors series and Gundam, and it really goes a long way to making you feel like you are in the Gundam anime.

5 Dragon Quest Heroes

Dragon Quest Heroes mixes elements from its RPG entries and the best parts of the Dynasty Warriors series. Akira Toriyama, Yuji Horii, and Koichi Sugiyama all joined forces to create one of the most visually stunning and musical Musou games on this list.

You will fight alongside some of the most iconic characters from the Dragon Quest series, and to make things even better, they are all fully voiced and fleshed out. Each has recognisable abilities and spells from the series, too..

4 Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends

Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends is arguably the last truly great entry in the Dynasty Warriors series. It expands upon the Dynasty Warriors 8 universe by adding additional campaigns, playable characters, weapons, and modes.

You can play all 83 characters from the very start of the game, as they are all unlocked in any combination throughout the game's five campaigns.

3 One Piece Pirate Warriors 3

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 starts with the East Blue Saga arc, and ends with the Dressorsa arc — but with a never-before-seen ending. This entry features better graphics and animations, and adds characters like Doflamingo, Fujitora, and Sabo.

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It also added a new mechanic called Kizuna Rush, which allows you to summon up to four other players to complete finishing attacks. In addition, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 is the first entry to be on both PlayStation and PC platforms.

2 Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is set during the Great Calamity, 100 years before the events of the The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You can play as characters such as Zelda, Link, and Impa, through massive levels of enemies.

The best part of the game is its cutscenes, providing deeper insight into the Zelda universe. Two paid DLCs add additional stages, content, and characters to the base game for even more fun content after beating the game.

1 Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate Definitive Edition

The Warriors Orochi series combines heroes from both Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, with your goal being to form a three-character team to defeat Orochi. The Ultimate Definitive Edition of Warriors Orochi 3 adds many more characters, episodes, game modes, and items.

There are 145 characters and 500 items in total to customize your squad, and once you beat the massive amount of content in this game, there is a stage editor you can use to create additional content for you and your friends.

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