TheArmored Coreseries is one of the most revered IPs within the niche mecha third-person shooter genre. Its developers are the fan-favoriteFromSoftware, who has built up quite a reputation with its stellar, albeit extremely difficult games, including the Dark Souls series, Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne, and the critically acclaimed Elden Ring.
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One of its earlier and more popular games before inventing a whole new genre (Soulslike) is Armored Core. It’s a mecha third-person shooter that allows you to create your own death-dealing giant robot to take on various missions and face off against other mechs on the battlefield. The Armored Core series currently has over a dozen entries, but how well do they stack up against each other?
Updated July 18, 2025 by Kris Velasco:A decade after the last Armored Core game, FromSoftware finally returns to one of their best IPs with Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. How does it stack up with the rest, and is it the return to greatness that fans have been clamoring for? Spoiler alert: It sure is!
16Armored Core: Nine Breaker (2005)
Often considered the weakest entry in the series, AC: Nine Breaker is more of a stripped-down and bare-bones version. While the controls remain tight and intuitive, FromSoftware oddly removed the campaign mode and focused exclusively on the mech battle. You will only have the option to play in either Training or Arena Mode for this PlayStation 2 exclusive.
Training is pretty self-explanatory, but there are ‘minigames’ or challenges here that you will be tasked to complete to help sharpen your skills further. Then, there is the Arena Mode, which is 1v1 between you and an AI-controlled opponent. While the battle mechanics are fine, it is hard to stay invested with such limited modes to play. Seen as a mere cash grab, AC: Nine Breaker is often seen as the black sheep of the series.
15Armored Core 5 (2012)
Armored Core 5 is a somewhat complicated entry into the series. If it was a standalone game that didn’t have the Armored Core name, it might have been generally embraced by fans. Alas, being a part of a longstanding game series means expectations will be high from the get-go.
Unlike AC 4, AC 5 elected to reduce the fast-paced mech battles in favor of a more strategic approach. While this will please certain fans, the missions can get repetitive relatively quickly. Another bright spot is its 5 vs. 5 online multiplayer mode, if you’re into team battles.
14Armored Core: Verdict Day (2013)
Launched a year after Armored Core 5, AC: Verdict Day is a continuation of AC 5 while also expanding on its predecessor’s lore and combat system. Verdict Day offers a greater selection of parts to customize your AC, and online features got an overhaul.
However, AC: Verdict Day still suffers from the issues of its predecessor, such as a lackluster campaign, an underwhelming story, and a steep difficulty curve that will generally scare off curious beginners. That said, it is a pretty decent AC game for those who enjoy multiplayer.
13Armored Core: Project Phantasma (1998)
The second entry in the series, launching on the PS1, AC: Project Phantasma, does a fine job of polishing the gameplay mechanics and control of the first game and providing some amazingly designed arenas. While those are certainly a huge plus, Project Phantasma fumbles the ball a bit by having pretty shallow content.
AC: Project Phantasma also offers a total of 17 missions, compared to the first game’s 50, and to say that that is an underwhelming number is an understatement. While the game does provide you with more mech parts to experiment with and better controls, that won’t matter if you canbeat the game within six hours.
12Armored Core: Master Of Arena (1999)
The third Armored Core, AC: Master of Arena, launched on the PS1 in 1999. Being the last PSOne Armored Core game before the series jumped to the next-generation consoles, you would think that FromSoftware would have pushed the envelope here. Well, graphics-wise, it is slightly better than Project Phantasma.
Gameplay and customization are pushed front and center here, and it certainly manages to deliver despite not bringing a significant upgrade over its predecessors. This is also the game that cemented Nine Ball as the main recurring villain of the series.
11Armored Core: Formula Front (2005)
Launching on both the PSP and PS2, AC: Formula Front takes the tried-and-tested Armored Core blueprint and attempts something new. The game allows you to give full control of your mech to an AI, allowing you to focus solely on strategy and management.
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You can tinker with over 400+ parts to build your mech, but not being able to participate in the actual battle does take away a lot from the game. But then again, that isn’t the main focus of AC: Formula Front. This is more of an interesting take on the Armored Core game for those who prefer to focus on customization.
10Armored Core: Last Raven (2006)
Launched on the PS2 in 2006 and rereleased for the PSP in 2010, AC: Last Raven is kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the core gameplay mechanics are top-notch, and the mecha designs in the game are some of the best in the series. On the other hand, bland level design somewhat diminishes the fun to be had.
Additionally, AC: Last Raven is probably the entry that heavily focuses on the story. It even has a total of six standard endings and one secret ending to give you more reason to replay the game. As the last Armored Core to be released for the PS2, FromSoftware swung for the benches and took everything that worked in Nexus and improved upon the weaknesses.
9Armored Core 4 (2007)
Armored Core 4 launched on the PS3 and Xbox 360, marking it as the first AC to fully integrate the graphical advancements of the time. It is also the directorial debut of Hidetaka Miyazaki (Souls games) who later became the head honcho of FromSoftware.
While AC 4 polishes a lot of the rough edges from its predecessors, such as a faster and more intuitive control system, a more grounded story, and improved customization, it stumbles a bit in the performance aspect. Still a solid AC game overall.
8Armored Core: For Answer (2008)
A fan favorite in the series, Armored Core: For Answer is the follow-up to AC 4. It manages to improve a lot of the shortcomings found in AC 4. AC: For Answer features more polished gameplay, better graphics, and expansive levels that those who enjoy moreopen-world explorationwill certainly enjoy.
Aside from graphics and gameplay upgrades, For Answer also comes with an even more in-depth customization ability to help create a truly unique mech suited for your play style. The Campaign Mode is solid and even allows you to get multiple endings, but don’t expect the quality of storytelling that AC 4 delivered.
7Armored Core: Silent Line (2003)
AC: Silent Line is another favorite of fans of the series and has become one of the most revered entries. That is not surprising, as Silent Line is the expansion for Armored Core 3. Adding to what is already considered the highlight of the series, AC: Silent Line took the safest option and barely touched the game engine. Most of the additions focused on parts and two new Arena opponents, and that’s it.
Due to how similar AC: Silent Line was to AC 3, some derided it for playing it too safe. Still, this doesn’t change the fact that this is one of the best Armored Core games in the series and a must-play for fans of the genre.
